Zendesk vs LiveAgent Pricing (2026)
Compare / Zendesk vs LiveAgent
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Team size
25 seats

Zendesk vs LiveAgent

Help Desk/Support pricing comparison · 2026

Zendesk costs $19–$115/user/mo, while LiveAgent starts at $19/user/mo. LiveAgent is typically 15% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Zendesk pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit LiveAgent pricing
Discount programs →
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2 products · Help Desk/Support
Side-by-side · live
Zendesk
Zendesk is the world's leading customer service software platform, serving over 160,000 bu
verified 4d ago
$48K $250K
View pricing →
LiveAgent
LiveAgent pricing starts at $19/agent/month ($15/agent/month on annual billing) for the Sm
verified 4mo ago
$48K $250K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Zendesk median is $202K less than LiveAgent · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $48K
Spread 81%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Suite Team
$17K/yr
year 1 license · $55/seat
Starter
$5.7K/yr
year 1 license · $19/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$48K/yr
Vendr · n=1,035 avg 15% negotiated
Median annual
$250K/yr
Vendr · n=5 · limited data
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 23 sourced facts
17 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 4d ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 15 sourced facts
10 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 4mo ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Per-Agent Licensing Costs Scale Quickly
    $55-$115/user/month
    1 source
  • Add-Ons Required for Basic Functionality
    20% of contract value for premium support alone
    2 sources
  • Annual Price Increases Not Disclosed Upfront
    5-15% annual uplift
    3 sources
  • Prohibitive Pricing Tiers for Small Organizations
    $2,000-$10,000
    1 source
  • AI Features Require Per-Agent Add-On Purchase
    $35-$50 per agent per month additional
    3 sources
4 documented
  • No Refunds on Annual Prepaid Plans
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Auto-Renewal Lock-In with Junk-Mail Renewal Notices
    5-10% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Slow Technical Support Causing Extended Downtime
    5-20% of license costs
    3 sources
  • VoIP and Call Center Feature Unreliability
    5-15% of license costs
    3 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Zendesk
LiveAgent
Auto-renewal
Yes
Yes
Cancellation
30 days before renewal
—
Commitment
1 year typical
—
Price escalation
5-9% annual uplift standard, with increases up to 15% reported. July 2023 pricing increase instituted, Zendesk stated current customers wouldn't see more than 7% increase for that year.
No published schedule; no source evidence of mid-contract price increases
Can downgrade
No
No
Based on 6 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
7.2out of 5 (6)
Trustpilot
2.4out of 5 (25)
Best for
Small support teams
Watch out
Poor customer support responsiveness
Trustpilot
2.3out of 5 (23)
Best for
Small teams managing basic help desk operations
Watch out
No refunds on annual plans, even for same-day agent removal requests
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Zendesk pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit LiveAgent pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Help Desk/Support

Zendesk

$19–$115
/user/mo
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Help Desk/Support

LiveAgent

From $19
/user/mo
6 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Zendesk and LiveAgent both operate in the help desk/support category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Zendesk LiveAgent
Support Team $19 /agent/month $19 /agent/month
Suite Team $55 /agent/month $19 /user/month
Suite Professional $115 /agent/month $35 /agent/month
Suite Enterprise + Copilot Custom $59 /agent/month
Business — $59 /user/month
Enterprise — $4K /month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Zendesk

3 scenarios
$3,300
Small Team (5 agents, Suite Team)
per year in licenses (5 agents × $55 × 12 months), before any onboarding or integration work
$34,500
Mid-Market Team (25 agents, Suite Professional)
per year in licenses (25 agents × $115 × 12 months), before any implementation or training work
$90,000 Year 1 (50 agents × $150/month × 12 months, mid-range negotiated rate)
Mid-Size Team (50 agents) - Suite Enterprise
(Vendr marketplace data, Feb 2026)

LiveAgent

3 scenarios
$45/month
Small Team Setup
$145/month
Growing Business
$900/year ($15/agent/month × 5 agents × 12 months)
Small Team (5 Agents) — Small Plan, Annual

Market Intelligence

Zendesk

Median annual cost
$47,772
Average negotiated discount
15%
Based on
1035 deals

LiveAgent

Median annual cost
$250,000
Based on
5 deals

What Users Say

Zendesk

Trustpilot
2.4out of 5 (25)
TrustRadius
7.2out of 10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Poor customer support responsiveness
  • Expensive pricing and unexpected costs
  • Complex platform requiring many add-ons

LiveAgent

Trustpilot
2.3out of 5 (23)
Top complaints
  • No refunds on annual plans, even for same-day agent removal requests
  • Support only via email with 2–4 day response times; no phone or live chat for technical issues
  • VoIP and call center features are unreliable — missed notifications, dropped calls, poor audio quality

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Zendesk 8 hidden costs

medium
Per-Agent Licensing Costs Scale Quickly $55-$115/user/month
high
Add-Ons Required for Basic Functionality 20% of contract value for premium support alone
high
Annual Price Increases Not Disclosed Upfront 5-15% annual uplift
medium
Prohibitive Pricing Tiers for Small Organizations $2,000-$10,000 (source dated Feb 2025)
high
AI Features Require Per-Agent Add-On Purchase $35-$50 per agent per month additional (source dated Aug 2025)
See all Zendesk hidden costs →

LiveAgent 4 hidden costs

high
No Refunds on Annual Prepaid Plans 5-15% of license costs
medium
Auto-Renewal Lock-In with Junk-Mail Renewal Notices 5-10% of license costs
high
Slow Technical Support Causing Extended Downtime 5-20% of license costs
medium
VoIP and Call Center Feature Unreliability 5-15% of license costs
See all LiveAgent hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Zendesk LiveAgent
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation 30 days before renewal —
Minimum commitment 1 year typical —
Price escalation 5-9% annual uplift standard, with increases up to 15% reported. July 2023 pricing increase instituted, Zendesk stated current customers wouldn't see more than 7% increase for that year. No published schedule; no source evidence of mid-contract price increases
Can downgrade No No

Continue researching

Zendesk

LiveAgent

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