A standalone helpdesk that doesn't require buying into an ecosystem.
| SimpleSupport | Zoho Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free forever (100 tickets/mo) | Free up to 3 agents (limited features) |
| Pro plan | €15/mo flat (5 agents, 1,000 tickets) | $14/agent/mo Standard → $70/mo for 5 agents |
| Pricing model | Per plan, fixed monthly | Per-agent, scales linearly |
| Ecosystem dependency | None — standalone | Tighter when paired with Zoho CRM, Books, Bigin etc. |
| Setup time | ~2 minutes (one script tag) | ~30–60 min (departments, SLAs, channels) |
| GDPR by default | ✓ No cookies, no consent banner | Configurable, regional residency available |
| Edge performance | ✓ <50ms globally | Regional Zoho data centres |
| Widget weight | <5 KB gzipped | ~120 KB+ (ASAP widget) |
| AI replies | Pro: drafts you approve; Business: 24/7 auto from your knowledge doc | Zia AI on higher tiers (Enterprise) |
| Built for | Micro-SaaS, freelancers, small teams | SMB & mid-market, especially Zoho-suite users |
Zoho Desk pricing as published on zoho.com/desk — verify with their current page.
Zoho Desk shines when you're already running Zoho CRM, Books and the rest. If you're not, you're paying for the integration depth and getting a UI built for Zoho-suite users. SimpleSupport is a standalone product — no ecosystem assumption, no upsell into ten more tools.
Zia AI is gated behind Zoho Desk's higher tiers. SimpleSupport includes AI replies on Pro (drafts) and Business (auto-send), grounded on a knowledge doc you write — no tier-jumping to unlock it.
Zoho Desk asks you to define departments, SLA policies, channels and macros before you go live. SimpleSupport is one <script> tag and you're up.
2 minutes to install. Free forever for 100 tickets/month.