The top 7 Zendesk AI alternatives compared (2025)

Ever found yourself tangled in the web of customer support software options? You're not alone. Zendesk AI has been a go-to for many, but it does come with its own set of challenges. While it offers robust features, some users find it a bit too complex or pricey for their needs. So, what if Zendesk AI isn't your cup of tea? Let's review some compelling alternatives that might just be the perfect fit for you.

What is Zendesk AI and why do businesses use it? 

Zendesk is a leading customer service platform designed to help businesses streamline support, improve customer satisfaction, and manage interactions across multiple channels like email, chat, social media, and phone. It is widely used by companies of all sizes to create personalized, customer experiences while efficiently handling support requests.

With its AI capabilities, Zendesk offers tools like Answer Bot and advanced chatbots to automate responses and resolve common inquiries. Its AI-powered features also include predictive analytics, intent detection, and workflow automation.

Businesses use Zendesk because it helps reduce response times, improve customer satisfaction, and provide a more personalized support experience. But, its complexity, cost and level of AI can be a barrier for some users, depending on the business, team size and goals.

Still exploring different options in the market? Then continue reading because we’ve got the top Zendesk AI alternatives lined up for you. 

Top 7 Zendesk AI alternatives 2024 for e-commerce businesses

Whether you're seeking simplicity, advanced features, or cost-effectiveness, there's likely an alternative that fits the bill. Here are the top eight Zendesk AI alternatives to consider. 

1. Neople

Neople isn’t your typical support software. It creates personalized virtual agents for e-commerce support teams, helping them automate customer service without sacrificing quality. A Neople acts as an AI colleague, assisting with tone-appropriate responses and automating repetitive tasks. 

It’s a premium choice because it delivers high-quality replies by learning from your company’s data and employee feedback, ensuring continuous improvement. A Neople can be integrated with any system and works wherever your team does. Plus, it gets smarter with every interaction, thanks to an automated feedback system. 

Working effectively with AI can be tough, that’s why Neople’s success team offers managed services to offer continuous support for your team.

Best for: E-commerce businesses 

Key features:

• AI-powered answer suggestions 
• Natural language processing as they are trained on company data 
• Tone of voice adaptation to match brand style 
• Automation of various routine tasks like labeling, retrieving order information and handling returns
• Cross-platform integration with existing platforms such as Slack, Teams, Trengo, Zendesk and more 
• 24/7 availability and multichannel support
• Handoff to support teams
• Neople studio training to move towards autonomous replies 
• Proactive insights by simplifying complex data into actionable advice 
• Analytics on AI performance and edited suggestions

Pricing: Hire a Neople from €1500/month including managed services and unlimited users 

“Vicky naturally excels in her empathy and how consistently she provides answers. As she becomes more familiar with our processes and gains access to richer information, the quality of her answers continues to improve."

- Myrte Roelofsen, Vitaminestore

Curious about other experiences of working with a Neople? Get inspired by peers and their collaboration with AI.

2. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is customer support software. It offers a range of features, from ticketing and automation to analytics and reporting, designed to simplify your customer support operations. Freshdesk's flexible and scalable platform is suitable for businesses of all sizes. 

Freshdesk integrates with other tools, providing a comprhensive ticketing system, powerful automation, and detailed reporting features to help you manage and optimize your support processes. Freshdesk also features Freddy AI, which assists in automating repetitive tasks, providing insights, and enhancing customer interactions.

Best for: Flexible and scalable for businesses of all sizes

Key features:

• AI-powered chatbots
• Contextual conversations
• Seamless integration with other tools
• Comprehensive ticketing system
• Powerful automation and reporting features
• Freddy AI for automating tasks and providing insights

Pricing: Starting from €15/agent/month if your team is with more than 2 agents (free up to 2 agents)

3. Intercom

Intercom is a customer support tool that offers a range of features designed to improve customer engagement and support. Intercom’s AI capabilities include proactive messaging and intelligent chatbots that can anticipate customer needs, providing a more engaging and efficient support experience.

Best for: Businesses of all sizes, particularly SaaS companies, customer support, sales, and marketing teams

Key features:

• Live chat and messaging
• Self-service knowledge base
• Unified inbox to manage customer messages
• Workflows and automations for routine tasks and responses
• Reporting and analytics on customer interactions and team performance
• AI agent to provide answers
• AI copilot for real-time suggestions

Pricing: Starting from $29 per seat/month

4. Helpscout

Helpscout is customer support software designed to streamline support operations. It offers features like email integration, a knowledge base, and robust reporting tools, all wrapped up in a clean, intuitive interface. 

Helpscout makes it easy for support teams to manage customer interactions and incorporates AI-driven features like Beacon, which provides proactive support and self-service options to customers.

Best for: Small- to midsize businesses in e-commerce, SaaS, nonprofits, education, healthcare, and professional services

Key features:

• Focus on building customer relationships
• Real-time communication tools
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Comprehensive customer engagement features
• Resolution Bot for automating responses to common queries
• Seamless and consistent customer experience
• Intuitive interface for easy management
• AI for intelligent routing and personalized responses

Pricing: Starting from $75/month for max 150 contacts

5. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is customer support software offering a wide range of tools, from live chat and email ticketing to social media integration and call center support. LiveAgent is designed to be an all-in-one solution for customer support needs. 

LiveAgent offers management of all customer support channels from a single, unified platform. Its AI capabilities include automated ticket routing and response suggestions, enhancing efficiency and response times.

Best for: Customer support teams and help desks at businesses of all sizes in industries like e-commerce, SaaS, telecommunications, finance, and healthcare

Key features:

• Multi-channel ticketing
• Live chat for real-time support with customizable widgets
• Call center integration with VoIP and call recording
• Automation rules to streamline workflows and improve response times
• Customer portal, including a knowledge base and FAQs for self-service
• AI for automated ticket routing and response suggestions

Pricing: Starting from $9/agent 

6. Tidio

Tidio is customer support software focusing on live chat and chatbot functionalities. It offers a range of features, including real-time visitor monitoring, automated responses, and integration with popular e-commerce platforms. 

Tidio is made for businesses to improve their customer support with real-time visitor monitoring and automated responses. Its chatbot capabilities, including Lyro, an AI-powered chatbot, ensure that you can provide efficient and personalized support to your customers.

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses across various industries

Key features: 

• AI-powered chatbots such as Lyro by Tidio
• Multichannel integrations
• Customizable chat widgets
• Hand-off from bot to support teams
• Analytics and reporting to track customer service effectiveness
• Multi-language support

Pricing: Starting from €29/month up to 100 handled conversations

7. Gladly

Gladly is customer support software that focuses on delivering personalized customer service. It offers features like a unified customer timeline, voice, email, chat, and SMS support, all designed to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience. 

Gladly’s approach to customer support ensures that every interaction is personalized, making it a well-suited choice for businesses that prioritize customer relationships. Gladly also uses AI to provide intelligent routing and personalized responses, improving the overall customer experience.

Best for: businesses that prioritize customer service and experience, specifically in industries like retail, e-commerce, travel, and hospitality

Key features:

• Unified customer timeline for personalized interactions
• Support for voice, email, chat, and SMS
• Seamless and consistent customer experience
• Intuitive interface for easy management
• AI for intelligent routing and personalized responses

Pricing: Starting from $180/month

Choosing the best alternative for your e-commerce business

Exploring Zendesk AI alternatives can open up new possibilities for improving your customer support automation. By evaluating key features and evaluating top solutions like Neople, FreshDesk, and Intercom, you can find a tool that meets your specific needs and improves your support processes.

So, which Zendesk AI alternative is the best fit for you? It really depends on your specific needs and preferences. Here are some key considerations to help you decide:

• Versatility and ease of use: Consider how user-friendly the interface is and whether the software can scale with your business as it grows.
• Communication priority: Evaluate the communication features like live chat, email marketing and even internal communication channels.
• Tools and integrations: Look for a solution that offers a wide range of tools and integrations, to meet all your customer support needs.
• Modern and user-friendly: Assess the modernity and ease of use of the interface, as it will help you decrease the time you need to adopt the new software with your team

Ultimately, the best choice is the one that aligns with your business goals and makes your life easier. Take the time to explore these options, and don’t be afraid to try out a few before making your final decision. After all, the right customer support software can make a world of difference in how you connect with your customers.

Why a digital co-worker is the best AI customer service solution for e-commerce

At Neople, we’re on a mission to solve customer support challenges with our digital colleagues. Our advanced AI-coworkers work alongside your human employees, providing personalized and efficient support. 

A Neople automates repetitive tasks and provides answer suggestions in the right language and tone of voice. It’s lightning fast and has proven to improve the quality of your support team while making their work more enjoyable at the same time.

Businesses that employ their own Neople decrease the average first response time by 42%, increase their CSAT by at least 10%, and reduce the overall time spent per ticket by 35%.

Forget about adding another tool to your stack to improve support. Hire an intelligent assistant instead. Book a demo with us today and discover how a Neople can help improve both customer and employee satisfaction.