Crisp vs Zoho Desk
Crisp and Zoho Desk, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Crisp
The AI customer support platform for every business. Omnichannel shared inbox plus AI agent.
Best for SMBs and growing teams wanting affordable all-in-one AI support; bootstrapped companies.
2015 · Nantes, France.
Zoho Desk
AI help desk software made human-simple.
Best for SMB and mid-market in the Zoho ecosystem. 125,000+ businesses.
Zoho Corp 1996; Zoho Desk launched 2016. · Chennai, India.
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- CrispFlat rate per workspace/mo, not per-seat (extra seats $10/mo each).
- Zoho DeskPer agent/mo, tiered.
- Free plan
- CrispYes. Forever free; 2 seats, 100 profiles, no AI credits.
- Zoho DeskYes. Up to 3 agents (basic email ticketing).
- Free trial / guarantee
- Crisp14-day; all features; no card.
- Zoho Desk15-day, no card.
- Price
- Crisp$45/mo (Mini, 4 seats, 5,000 profiles, ~$5 AI credits). · $95/mo (Essentials, 10 seats, 50,000 profiles, ~$25 AI credits). · $295/mo (Plus, 20+ seats, ~$75 AI credits); Enterprise custom.
- Zoho DeskExpress $7/agent/mo (annual). · Standard $14; Professional $23/agent/mo (annual). · Enterprise $40/agent/mo (annual).(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Crisp2 (Free); 4 (Mini); 10 (Essentials); 20+ (Plus); extra seats $10/mo.
- Zoho DeskFree 3 max; Standard 5 min.
- Unlimited agents
- CrispNo. Extra agents $10/mo.
- Zoho DeskNo. Priced per agent.
- Implementation fee
- CrispNone.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Onboarding session included.
- Transparency
- CrispHigh. All tier prices public.
- Zoho DeskModerate. INR shown; USD via currency switch or third-party.
- Pricing last verified
- Crisp2026-06-02
- Zoho Desk2026-06-02 (USD via third-party, verified 2026-04-24).
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- CrispNative
- Zoho DeskNative
- Live chat
- CrispNative
- Zoho DeskNative (Standard+).
- In-app messenger
- CrispNative (SDK iOS/Android/React Native/JS)
- Zoho DeskNative (ASAP SDK).
- Voice
- CrispVia integration (Aircall, Ringover, KrispCall; no native phone)
- Zoho DeskVia integration (Zoho Voice separate; 15+ providers).
- SMS
- CrispVia integration (Twilio)
- Zoho DeskVia integration (Zoho Voice or marketplace).
- CrispNative (WhatsApp Business)
- Zoho DeskVia integration
- Social
- CrispNative. Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- Zoho DeskNative. Facebook, Instagram, X per brand (varies by plan).
- Unified inbox
- CrispNative
- Zoho DeskNative. 10+ channels.
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- CrispVia integration. Aircall/Ringover/KrispCall; no native PSTN.
- Zoho DeskIntegration. Zoho Voice separate product; 15+ third-party providers.
- Voice AI / transcription
- CrispYes. Voice-to-text for audio messages and recorded calls.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Recording supported; AI transcription not mentioned.
- Telephony billed separately
- CrispYes. Via third-party provider.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zoho Voice priced separately.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- CrispYes. Hugo AI agent resolves tickets 24/7.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia Agents (4 roles). Support Specialist and Resolution Expert in Early Access; others Coming Soon.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- CrispYes. Reply suggestions, grammar, rephrasing, summarization, transcription, translation.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia: grammar/readability, quality scoring, summarization, tone, field prediction.
- Claimed automation rate
- CrispResolves up to 60% of repetitive questions automatically.(claimed)source
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed.
- AI channel coverage
- CrispWeb chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email, SMS, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- Zoho DeskWebsite Answer Bot, email, IM, community. On Desk and website.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- CrispActions via API. HTTP calls in workflows (Shopify refunds, order lookup, password resets).
- Zoho DeskBoth. Updates fields, triages/escalates, logs resolutions, runs blueprints.
- Knowledge sources
- CrispAnswer snippets, KB articles (auto-reindexed), website crawl, conversation history, file importer (PDF/CSV).
- Zoho DeskKB articles, past ticket history, open-domain (ChatGPT/Zia LLM).
- Underlying model
- CrispNot fully disclosed. Can connect Claude, Llama, or ChatGPT; in-house private LLM mentioned.
- Zoho DeskProprietary Zia LLM (Qwen 14B/30B, GLM 4.7 Flash Standard; GLM 5 Pro). BYOK OpenAI/Gemini/Claude.
- Trains on past tickets
- CrispYes. Conversation history is a knowledge source.
- Zoho DeskYes. Resolution Expert analyzes history. Zoho states it does not use your data to train its models.
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- CrispWorkflow testing available; no dedicated simulation sandbox.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed.
- Multilingual
- CrispYes. Multilingual snippets, language detection, translation.
- Zoho DeskYes. 40+ languages (Zia/translation); help center 50+.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- CrispNative only.
- Zoho DeskNative only.
- AI pricing model
- CrispAI credits bundled per plan tier.
- Zoho DeskBase Zia in Enterprise tier. Zia Agents free, LLM tokens billed via Agent Wallet.
- AI unit price
- Crisp~$0.055/automated conversation implied (Mini $5 credit ~90; Essentials $25 ~450; Plus $75 ~1,350).
- Zoho DeskZoho LLM Standard $1/M tokens (30M free/mo); Pro GLM5 $3/M (20M free).
- Copilot / Assist price
- CrispNot disclosed (bundled).
- Zoho DeskIncluded in Enterprise plan.
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Crisp or Zoho Deskas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- CrispNot certified. No SOC2 audit; self-assessed only.
- Zoho DeskSOC 2 Type 2.
- GDPR
- CrispYes. Fully GDPR-compliant; DPA; EU-only storage; DPO.
- Zoho DeskYes
- HIPAA / PCI
- CrispNot disclosed.
- Zoho DeskYes. HIPAA Type 2; Desk covered.
- SSO / SAML
- CrispOIDC SSO (Enterprise); SAML not confirmed.
- Zoho DeskYes. SAML, LDAP, ADFS; MFA.
- Data residency
- CrispEU only. Messaging in Netherlands, plugin data in Germany; relay (no storage) US/UK/SG.
- Zoho DeskYes. US, EU, India, AU, JP, CA, SA, UAE datacenters.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Crisp~73 integrations across 7 categories.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Zoho Marketplace plus Zoho Flow (1,000+ apps).
- Shopify depth
- CrispOrder history in inbox; refunds actionable; live chat widget; built-in ecommerce features.
- Zoho DeskModerate. Free extension (2,200+ installs), auto-creates tickets, surfaces order data. One-directional.
- Open / public API
- CrispYes. REST API; Developer Hub.
- Zoho DeskYes. REST API, OAuth 2.0; webhooks.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- CrispYes. Chat SDK (JS, iOS, Android, React Native); open-source on GitHub.
- Zoho DeskYes. Java/iOS/Android SDKs; ASAP SDK; extensions.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- CrispYes. No-code visual builder; conditional logic, HTTP calls.
- Zoho DeskYes. Blueprint (drag-and-drop) plus Workflow rules.
- Triggers / automations
- CrispYes. Auto-trigger on conversation start/events/Hugo scenarios.
- Zoho DeskYes. Rule-based, time-based, field updates, alerts.
- Routing
- CrispYes. Round Robin, origin-based, intent-based, custom rules.
- Zoho DeskYes. Skill-based (Enterprise), round-robin, Zia field prediction.
- Macros / canned responses
- CrispYes. Shortcuts (templated, dynamic data).
- Zoho DeskYes. Macros; response templates.
- SLA management
- CrispPersonalized SLA at Enterprise only; SLA tracking in analytics.
- Zoho DeskYes. SLA policies, violation tracking, Blueprint SLA dashboard.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- CrispYes. Agent-only private notes.
- Zoho DeskYes. Comments and notes.
- Collision detection
- CrispYes. Real-time alerts when another agent is replying.
- Zoho DeskYes. Simultaneous-open notification.
- Side conversations
- CrispNot disclosed (@mentions exist).
- Zoho DeskYes. TeamFeed and @mentions in ticket.
- Shared inbox
- CrispYes. Omnichannel shared inbox.
- Zoho DeskNative. Unified, with history across handoffs.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- CrispYes. Customizable, brandable, multilingual.
- Zoho DeskYes. Full KB, SEO, HTML/CSS portal, versioning.
- Help center
- CrispYes. Public-facing, widget plus standalone URL.
- Zoho DeskYes. Branded portal, ASAP widget, domain mapping.
- Community forum
- CrispNot offered.
- Zoho DeskYes. Peer-to-peer forum.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- CrispYes. Hugo uses KB articles as primary source.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia KB gap detection, article suggestions, Answer Bot.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- CrispYes. Line/bar/treemap/heatmap, operator performance, geo, ratings.
- Zoho DeskYes. 10+ built-in dashboards.
- Custom reports
- CrispYes. Custom analytics playground; filtering; formulas; export.
- Zoho DeskYes. 30+ reports plus custom builder.
- Included in lowest tier
- CrispAnalytics across plans; advanced gating not disclosed.
- Zoho DeskBasic in Free; full depth in paid (tier breakdown unclear).
- CSAT surveys
- CrispYes. Automated post-interaction CSAT via email and chat.
- Zoho DeskYes. Happiness Ratings; automated follow-ups.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- CrispSelf-service all tiers; dedicated onboarding plus training at Enterprise; Plus gets onboarding assistance.
- Zoho DeskTailored onboarding session for paid customers.
- Support channels
- CrispKB; chat; email. Per-tier channels not disclosed.
- Zoho DeskClassic (free): email 24/7 plus calls 8/5. Pro/Ent add chat. Premium/Enterprise plans 24x5/24x7.
- Dedicated CSM
- CrispEnterprise only. Dedicated onboarding/personalized service.
- Zoho DeskYes. TAM in Enterprise Support plan (25% of subscription, 25-license min).
- Implementation partners
- CrispNot disclosed. No partner program found.
- Zoho DeskYes. Global partner network.