SolarWinds Web Help Desk vs Zendesk comparison

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SolarWinds Web Help Desk

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

SolarWinds Web Help Desk and Zendesk compete in the IT service management sector. Zendesk generally holds an advantage with its feature-rich platform that appeals to businesses focusing on customer service.

Features: SolarWinds Web Help Desk includes robust ticketing, asset management, and integration with IT tools, making it ideal for IT-focused companies. On the other hand, Zendesk offers customizable workflows, multi-channel support, and extensive third-party app integrations, which are preferred by users in dynamic customer service environments.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds could enhance its user interface and reporting capabilities and expand its multi-channel support features. Zendesk may improve by offering more affordable pricing options, simplifying setup processes for smaller teams, and enhancing offline support features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds Web Help Desk is known for its quick deployment and straightforward implementation process, backed by efficient customer support. Zendesk offers cloud-based deployment for easy adoption and provides comprehensive customer support, which appeals to businesses looking for scalable solutions.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Web Help Desk generally involves a lower initial cost, offering significant ROI for IT management-focused businesses. In contrast, Zendesk, while more expensive initially, delivers greater ROI through features enhancing customer interaction and satisfaction. Zendesk's extensive capabilities attract those prioritizing comprehensive customer engagement, offsetting its higher cost.

To learn more, read our detailed SolarWinds Web Help Desk vs. Zendesk Report (Updated: September 2025).

SolarWinds Web Help Desk vs. Zendesk

September 2025

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Helped 867,836 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

SolarWinds Web Help Desk

Ranking in Help Desk Software

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zendesk

Ranking in Help Desk Software

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM Customer Engagement Centers (6th), CRM (17th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (8th), Sales Force Automation (9th), Reporting (15th), Knowledge Management Software (5th), Community Platforms (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of SolarWinds Web Help Desk is 1.5%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zendesk is 4.5%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Help Desk Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Zendesk	4.5%
SolarWinds Web Help Desk	1.5%
Other	94.0%

Help Desk Software

Featured Reviews

Shadi Shaar

Healthcare Informatics Consultant at Dammam University

Supports case and incident reporting with responsive support

Some features in the product are supposed to run. However, if they don't, it may require some time to configure or fix them, such as asset management. We have been struggling with asset management in SolarWinds Web Help Desk. The software offers a range of features that we haven't fully utilized, such as inventory management and an approval system. While we are utilizing the asset management functionality, there have been some defects that need addressing. Some users prefer to have another big interface, but unfortunately, this option is not available in SolarWinds Web Help Desk.

Read full review

JohanSkibdahl

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Automating customer support with advanced AI capabilities and seamless communication

Zendesk has been invaluable in automating communications such as email and phone calls. It allows us to handle more support cases with fewer people due to its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. This intelligent tool can manage complex queries before users even realize they are interacting with a non-human. Additionally, we have integrated Zendesk with Datto and Klaviyo, enhancing our workflows.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It has a pretty good search function. If you do the advanced search, you can basically search for anything in any field. If I do a search on the request field and just put in some terms I'm searching for, I can usually find the ticket that I'm looking for."

"SolarWinds is scalable as far as adding devices and servers."

"It is easy to use."

"SolarWinds supports case and incident reporting. This includes logging incidents and tracking them efficiently. Additionally, it is compatible and approved by the ITIL foundation and standards, meeting world-class standards."

"Once installed, it runs like a charm and doesn't ever crash."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the assets management module."

"It's very convenient to use."

"I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to use, and I haven't encountered any issues with delays or communication gaps in ticket resolutions."

"The stability has been very good."

"What is cool about Zendesk Guide is how it works together with others Zendesk products. Especially with support and with the analytics. Put those together for a small or medium-sized company and it's a really powerful tool."

"Zendesk Support has a lot of good APIs."

"One of the most valuable features is the ease of use. If you take the standalone product, it is so easy to use, but if you want a tailor-made Zendesk Guide, you can't do it yourself. However, you can use a template that already exists—they have a lot, and they're very cheap, around 300-400 euros—and use it on all your brands. It's a very easy product to use."

"Zendesk has been invaluable in automating communications such as email and phone calls."

"Its agility and simplicity are the most valuable features. This tool is very user-friendly."

More Zendesk pros

Cons

"The interface feels clunky to me compared to some other systems that I've used. I used ManageEngine Service Desk prior to this at my previous job and that had stuff like categories that we use that I don't see in SolarWinds."

"It would be good if there were training and tutorial videos on the Web Help Desk."

"This solution needs to have mobile application support added."

"We would like to see automation included in the next release. We would like to eliminate the L1, and L2 support, by at least 80%. To do this, we need automation with AI (Artificial Intelligence) in combination with ML (Machine Learning)."

"A little outdated compared to newer products that include protection and detection."

"They have something called Zendesk Explore, which isn't as good as what they had in place previously."

"One of the drawbacks of Zendesk is that it doesn't provide a secure way for us to send data. So, we usually use a secure SharePoint folder link. We put that in the Zendesk ticket so that the requester has a secure way of getting to their data."

"The data you get when logged in to Zendesk Support differs from the data you get when you programmatically query Zendesk Support through its API because of a sync time delay."

"Sometimes if there was a way to just flag the actual issue out of those email chains - that would be really helpful."

"The solution itself wasn't easy to set up."

"You couldn't give administrative access to new hires."

"The dashboard could be better."

"I'm going to piggyback on what I said regarding Freshdesk concerning what could be better in Zendesk: incorporate more AI."

More Zendesk cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When you compare with ManageEngine and ServiceNow, SolarWinds is reasonable."

"They charge by the technician. It costs $117 per technician per year."

"We pay for the solution on a yearly basis and my understanding is that the cost is about $30,000. That's the cost for 24 to 25 agents."

"From what I hear, Zendesk's pricing is a little expensive."

"The price is very competitive."

"There are different plans that are offered. We are using the entry-level plan. The overall price of the solution should be reduced. The price is too high."

"Zendesk's licensing is not cheap. For Enterprise, we are paying $200 per agent. It's a per-month cost, so it's pretty steep. There are some services you need to pay extra for. For example, with Zendesk Guide, we had to buy the most expensive offering in order to get Multibrand and everything. We also had to pay a lot of money for themes."

"You have to pay extra for better support. So it's not only the license that you pay for, but you have to pay extra for the support as well."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Retailer

16%

Performing Arts

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

22%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	11

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Web Help Desk?

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Web Help Desk?

SolarWinds Web Help Desk is a case management system. Each user logs their concerns or problems into the portal, which are then assigned to one of our support engineers responsible for managing the...

What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds Web Help Desk?

SolarWinds Web Help Desk could be beneficial for generating automated responses, such as ONIQ. Since we receive multiple cases from similar backgrounds, it would streamline the process if the syste...

What do you like most about Zendesk Support?

I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zendesk Support?

Zendesk's pricing is reasonable. It is not the cheapest solution nor the most expensive, but it provides value for money.

What needs improvement with Zendesk Support?

I'm going to piggyback on what I said regarding Freshdesk concerning what could be better in Zendesk: incorporate more AI. I know many CRM tools are already on the way to do that.

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N-able MSP Manager vs SolarWinds Web Help Desk

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Compared 14% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Zendesk

Compared 6% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs Zendesk

Compared 5% of the time

Freshservice vs Zendesk

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Download SolarWinds Web Help Desk product report

Help Desk Software

September 2025

Download Zendesk product report

August 2025

Also Known As

No data available

Zendesk Support, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Sell

Overview

SolarWinds Web Help Desk simplifies service management with unified ticketing, asset, knowledge, and change management. Key features include:

Maintain asset inventory by managing the use, availability, and health of IT assets, and tracking this over time.
Control change management, It regulates and manages change requests through automated approval workflows and panel voting options.
Employs robust reporting and monitoring using a built-in reports and dashboards to track ticket status, technician performance, and customer support needs.
Automate ticketing management that Automate service request management through ticket creation, assignment, routing, and escalation.
Centralize your knowledge management, Leverage a built-in help desk knowledge base to create and maintain KB articles and promote end-user self-service for common issues.
Meet your SLAs, it has "SLA breach approaching" notifications and date-specific SLA reminder alerts that help customize escalation and de-escalation workflows.

SolarWinds

Zendesk Support is intuitive, and it's built with support agents in mind. Everything they need lives in a single, dynamic help desk interface so it's easy to be productive and manage customer interactions.

Sample Customers

Instacart

Mailchimp, Tesco, Vimeo, Instacart, Mediaocean, Slack, Uber