Close
Zendesk
| Feature | Close | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $49/mo | From $55/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | inside-sales-teams, startups, smbs, call-heavy-teams | enterprise, customer-support-teams, saas-companies, e-commerce |
| Founded | 2013 | 2007 |
| Calling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Sequences | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipeline | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Predictive Dialer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Knowledge Base | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Bots | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Close Pros
- Built-in VoIP calling and SMS
- Powerful email sequences with tracking
- Designed specifically for inside sales workflow
- Fast setup — productive in minutes not weeks
✗ Close Cons
- No free tier available
- Limited marketing automation
- Fewer integrations than HubSpot or Salesforce
✓ Zendesk Pros
- Industry standard for support teams
- Omnichannel — email, chat, phone, social
- Powerful automation and triggers
- Extensive marketplace of integrations
✗ Zendesk Cons
- Expensive for small teams
- Complex setup and configuration
- UI can feel outdated
The Verdict
Close is built for inside sales teams and startups, with a focus on calling and email-sequences. Zendesk targets enterprise and customer support teams and leads with ticketing and live-chat.
On pricing, Close is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $49/mo compared to $55/mo for Zendesk. That $6/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.