Open Logo

Zendesk vs Dixa: An Honest Comparison for 2026

Dixa is a European challenger betting that conversational service is the future. Can they compete with Zendesk's dominance?

Author
By the Open Team
|Updated January 28, 2026|8 min read

The Short Version

If you're in Europe and want GDPR-native, conversational support with voice included, Dixa is compelling. For global enterprises or teams needing extensive integrations, Zendesk remains the safer choice.

Let's talk about your options

If you're reading this, you're probably knee-deep in researching customer support platforms. Maybe you're frustrated with your current setup. Maybe your team is scaling and your tools aren't keeping up. Or maybe you're just starting out and want to make the right choice from day one.

Either way, you've likely come across both Zendesk and Dixa. They're frequently mentioned in the same breath, which makes comparing them important if you want to make an informed decision.

Zendesk (2007) positions itself as “Traditional Platform” — Established customer service software.

Dixa (2015) takes a different approach: “Conversational Service” — Modern conversational customer service platform.

We've spent significant time with both platforms. Here's what we honestly think.

Voice Included
0 yes
Zendesk
vs
1 yes
Dixa
AI Included
0 yes
Zendesk
vs
1 yes
Dixa
EU Headquarters
0 yes
Zendesk
vs
1 yes
Dixa
Marketplace Apps
1500
Zendesk
vs
50
Dixa

Who should actually consider each option?

Before we dive into features and pricing, let's be real about who each platform is actually built for. Not every tool is right for every team, and that's okay.

EU Companies

GDPR-focused businesses

Go with Dixa

Dixa is built for EU compliance

Voice-Heavy Teams

Phone support focus

Go with Dixa

Voice is native in Dixa

Large Enterprise

500+ agents

Go with Zendesk

Zendesk scales better

Integration-Heavy

Many third-party tools

Go with Zendesk

Bigger marketplace

What each platform does well

Let's start with the positives. Both platforms have been around for years and have real strengths.

What we like about Zendesk

Zendesk has built a solid reputation over the years, and for good reason:

  • Industry leader with global presence
  • Massive integration marketplace
  • Proven enterprise scale
  • Extensive customization
  • Large support community

What we like about Dixa

Dixa brings its own set of strengths to the table:

  • Modern, conversational interface
  • Voice included natively
  • Real-time intelligent routing
  • Built-in GDPR compliance (EU-based)
  • Mim AI chatbot included
  • Clean, intuitive UX

Where each platform falls short

No software is perfect. Here's where each platform will likely frustrate you.

Our frustrations with Zendesk

After spending time with Zendesk, these issues stood out:

  • Legacy ticket-based approach
  • Voice requires expensive add-on
  • Complex pricing structure
  • Can feel clunky and dated
  • GDPR compliance is add-on features

Our frustrations with Dixa

Dixa isn't without its problems either:

  • Much smaller integration ecosystem
  • Basic knowledge base
  • Less proven at massive scale
  • Limited enterprise features
  • Smaller global presence

Feature-by-feature breakdown

If you're the type who wants to see exactly what you get with each platform, here's the detailed breakdown. We've highlighted the features that we think matter most.

Platform Approach

FeatureZendeskDixa
Philosophy★ KeyTicket-basedConversation-based
Agent InterfaceQueue-drivenFlow-driven
Real-time Routing★ KeyBasicAdvanced
Browser-based

Channels

FeatureZendeskDixa
Voice★ KeyAdd-onNative
Email
Chat
WhatsApp
Messenger

Features

FeatureZendeskDixa
Knowledge BaseBasic
AI ChatbotAdd-onMim (included)
AnalyticsAdvancedGood
Integrations1,500+50+
GDPR Compliance★ KeyNative

Let's talk money

Pricing is often the deciding factor, so let's break down what you'll actually pay. Keep in mind that both platforms love to hide costs in add-ons, so the sticker price rarely tells the whole story.

What Zendesk will cost you

Suite Team
$55/agent/month

Basic support

  • Ticketing
  • Chat
  • Help center
  • No voice
  • No AI
Suite Professional
$115/agent/month

Full features

  • Analytics
  • SLA
  • Workflows
  • Voice extra
  • AI extra

What Dixa will cost you

Essential
$39/agent/month

Core platform

  • All channels
  • Voice included
  • Basic routing
Most Popular
Growth
$89/agent/month

Growing teams

  • Mim AI
  • Quality assurance
  • Advanced routing
Ultimate
$139/agent/month

Full platform

  • Knowledge base
  • Custom integrations
  • Dedicated support

💡 Our pricing take

Dixa Growth ($89/agent) with voice and AI included compares to Zendesk Professional ($115/agent) plus Talk ($49+/agent) plus AI add-ons. Dixa often comes out cheaper with more features.

So, which one should you choose?

After all this analysis, here's our honest take: Dixa wins for European companies and teams wanting modern conversational support with voice included. Zendesk wins for global enterprises needing scale and integrations.

If you're in Europe and want GDPR-native, conversational support with voice included, Dixa is compelling. For global enterprises or teams needing extensive integrations, Zendesk remains the safer choice.

Looking for better AI automation?

If you're frustrated with the AI capabilities of traditional platforms, you might want to check out Open. We achieve 77% automation rates with transparent, outcome-based pricing. You can try it risk-free alongside your current setup.

Common questions

Here are the questions we hear most often from people comparing these platforms.

A note on our methodology: We test all platforms ourselves and update our comparisons regularly. While we do build Open (so yes, we're biased), we try to be fair in our assessments. If you spot something inaccurate, let us know.