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Customer Support · head to head

Gladly vs Zoho Desk

Gladly logo

Gladly

Customer Support

Radically personal customer service

From
$180/month
Rated
-
Zoho Desk logo

Zoho Desk

Customer Support

Context-aware help desk software

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Zoho Desk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gladly no pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers; Zoho Desk free plan caps at three user licenses; paid plans (Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise) are billed annually to get the listed rate, with monthly billing costing more, and light user seats are priced separately from full agent seats
  • They diverge on capability: Gladly covers Lifelong conversation, Zoho Desk covers Ticket management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gladly and Zoho Desk actually diverge.

Attributes where Gladly and Zoho Desk differ
AttributeGladlyZoho Desk
Starting price$180/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20141996

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Gladly

  • Lifelong conversation
  • Omnichannel support
  • Customer timeline
  • Task management
  • IVR
  • Shopify
  • Magento
  • Kustomer

Only in Zoho Desk

  • Ticket management
  • Multi-channel support
  • AI assistant
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Zoho CRM
  • Slack
  • G Suite

Both cover

  • Knowledge base
  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Gladly

  • Customer service built around a single customer record rather than ticketsnot Zoho Desk
  • Handling support conversations across voice, messaging and emailnot Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk

  • Multi-channel supportnot Gladly
  • IT help desknot Gladly
  • Customer servicenot Gladly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Gladly

  • No pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers
  • The pricing page presents outcome statistics in place of any cost information
  • Every route to a figure goes through a demo or sales conversation

Zoho Desk

  • Free plan caps at three user licenses; paid plans (Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise) are billed annually to get the listed rate, with monthly billing costing more, and light user seats are priced separately from full agent seats

Pricing, plan by plan

Gladly

$180/month
  • Hero$180/month
    • All channels
    • Customer timeline
    • Knowledge base
  • Superhero$210/month
    • Everything in Hero
    • Custom reporting
    • Advanced rules

Zoho Desk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 agents
    • Email ticketing
    • Help center
  • Standard$14/month
    • Social channels
    • Workflow automation
    • Customer happiness ratings
  • Professional$23/month
    • Multi-department
    • Round-robin assignment
    • Custom fields
  • Enterprise$40/month
    • AI Zia
    • Multi-brand help center
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Gladly if

  • You need lifelong conversation.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want omnichannel support.

Choose Zoho Desk if

  • You need ticket management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want multi-channel support.

Questions people ask

Is Gladly or Zoho Desk better?
Neither clearly leads. Gladly starts at $180/month and Zoho Desk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gladly or Zoho Desk?
Zoho Desk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $180/month for Gladly and Free for Zoho Desk.
Does Gladly or Zoho Desk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Zoho Desk for free?
Yes. Zoho Desk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gladly starts at $180/month.
What is Gladly best used for?
Gladly is most often used for customer service built around a single customer record rather than tickets, handling support conversations across voice, messaging and email. Of those, customer service built around a single customer record rather than tickets and handling support conversations across voice, messaging and email are not what Zoho Desk is typically brought in for.
What can Gladly do that Zoho Desk cannot?
Gladly covers Lifelong conversation, Omnichannel support, Customer timeline, Task management. Zoho Desk covers Ticket management, Multi-channel support, AI assistant, Automation. Both handle Knowledge base, Salesforce, SOC2, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gladly: How much does Gladly cost?

Gladly does not publish pricing on its website. The vendor directs prospective customers to request a demo or contact the sales team for custom pricing tailored to organizational needs.

Source
Zoho Desk: What is the starting price and trial period?

Zoho Desk offers a free forever plan with 3 user licenses, plus paid tiers starting from ₹420 per user per month when billed annually. A 15-day free trial is available without requiring a credit card.

Source
Zoho Desk: Are there lock-ins or hidden costs?

No lock-ins and no hidden costs. Once your 15-day free trial ends, your plan automatically downgrades to the free plan.

Source
Zoho Desk: What payment methods are accepted?

Zoho Desk accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal. Bank transfer or check transfer is accepted for yearly subscriptions.

Source
Zoho Desk: Are there discounts for annual commitments?

Yes, Zoho Desk offers discounts on upfront annual commitments, with savings up to 34% off monthly rates.

Source
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