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Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Zendesk AI in 2025

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Zendesk AI in 2025

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Zendesk AI in 2025

As Zendesk AI continues to be a prominent player in customer service automation, it’s important to explore the other options available in 2025. Whether you’re looking for cost-effective solutions, unique features, or better integration capabilities, this comprehensive comparison explores the top 10 free alternatives to Zendesk AI. Each alternative has been evaluated on important data points, including features, free plan availability, AI capabilities, and support channels.
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1. HubSpot Service Hub

  • Description: HubSpot Service Hub is a CRM platform that includes a free help desk and customer service tools with basic AI features. It’s ideal for small businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Yes, a free version is available with basic features.
  • AI Features: Includes an AI writing assistant for content creation, basic chatbots, and ticket automation.
  • Users: Limited number of users on the free plan (typically two agents).
  • Support: Email support (one inbox) included in the free plan.
  • Integrations: Integrates with other HubSpot tools and various third-party apps.
  • Learn more about HubSpot Service Hub

2. Freshdesk

  • Description: Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software that offers a variety of features, including a free plan suitable for small teams. It has AI capabilities with its "Freddy AI" assistant.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Yes, a free plan for up to two agents.
  • AI Features: Freddy AI Voicebot for phone support, chatbots, and knowledge base suggestions.
  • Support Channels: Email, social media, and knowledge base features on all plans.
  • Integrations: Wide array of integrations available, including CRM and other business apps.
  • Scalability: Can scale from a free plan to more advanced paid plans that include more agents and AI features.
  • Discover Freshdesk
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3. Tidio

  • Description: Tidio is a customer service platform focused on live chat and AI chatbots, making it ideal for businesses seeking real-time support solutions.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Yes, a free plan is available with limited features.
  • AI Features: Lyro AI chatbot for handling customer inquiries, AI reply assistant, Customer Intent, and Smart views.
  • Pricing: Paid plans begin at $29 per month.
  • Support Channels: Live chat, email, and social media integrations.
  • User-Friendliness: Known for its easy-to-use dashboard and chatbot templates.
  • Explore Tidio

4. Zoho Desk

  • Description: Zoho Desk offers a help desk solution with AI capabilities through its Zia AI assistant. It provides a free plan with basic functionalities.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Yes, free for up to three users.
  • AI Features: Zia chatbot for mobile and web, Sentiment analysis, auto-tagging, and ticket assignment.
  • Support Channels: Email support on the free plan.
  • Scalability: Offers paid plans for more advanced features and users.
  • Team Monitoring: Performance monitoring tools included.
  • Learn more about Zoho Desk

5. Help Scout

  • Description: Help Scout is a customer service platform known for its ease of use and focus on personalized support, and includes AI-powered features.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Offers a limited free plan for a small number of contacts.
  • AI Features: AI tool for ticket resolution including AI drafts and summaries.
  • Support: Focus on email support and knowledge base.
  • User Base: Popular among businesses looking for a simple, efficient tool.
  • Affordability: Considered an affordable option with a range of paid plans as well.
  • Discover Help Scout
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6. Atera

  • Description: Atera is an AI-powered ticketing system that provides automated IT support and is ideal for managed service providers (MSPs).
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Does not have a free plan but offers a free trial.
  • AI Features: Includes ticket summaries, suggested replies, knowledge base generation, script generation, and AI insights.
  • Pricing: Plans start at $129 per month per technician.
  • Target User: Specifically designed for IT teams and MSPs.
  • Automation: Provides automation features for IT support tasks.
  • Learn more about Atera

7. Intercom

  • Description: Intercom combines live chat, email, and AI-powered messaging into a single platform, with its AI tool called Fin AI.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: No, does not offer a free plan but offers a demo.
  • AI Features: Fin AI summarizes conversations, crafts replies, and provides support via live chat.
  • Pricing: Paid plans start at $29 per seat per month.
  • Support Channels: Live chat, email, and AI-powered messaging.
  • Automation: Provides automated support features.
  • Discover Intercom

8. Hiver

  • Description: Hiver is a customer service tool that integrates directly with Gmail, it is known for its ease of use and email management capabilities.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Does not offer a free plan, but has a free trial.
  • AI Features: Though not specified, it focuses on streamlined email support.
  • Ease of Use: Known for its simple design and easy adoption for support teams.
  • Integrations: Integrates with Gmail and other email services.
  • Customer Support: Designed to optimize customer support workflows.
  • Learn more about Hiver

9. Guru

  • Description: Guru is an AI-powered knowledge platform that provides information from a company’s documents, apps, and chats.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: Yes, offers a free plan.
  • AI Features: Uses AI to provide trusted and relevant answers and can create an AI-powered knowledge platform.
  • Integrations: Integrates with Slack, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Zendesk, and more.
  • Efficiency: Aims to provide quick and accurate information without manual searching.
  • Customization: Allows for personalized AI assistance.
  • Explore Guru

10. IBM watsonx Assistant

  • Description: IBM Watsonx Assistant is a conversational AI solution that allows business users to build AI assistants that provide self-service experiences across channels.
  • Key Data Points:
  • Free Plan: No free plan, but offers a free trial.
  • AI Features: Includes Large Language Models, NLP, and Retrieval Augmented Generation for accurate responses based on knowledge base.
  • Interface: Has a drag-and-drop conversation builder.
  • User-Friendly: Designed to be user-friendly for non-technical business users.
  • Contextual Understanding: Uses AI to understand the context of customer conversations.
  • Discover IBM Watsonx Assistant
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FAQ

1. What is a free alternative to Zendesk AI for small businesses?
HubSpot Service Hub is a CRM platform that includes a free help desk and customer service tools with basic AI features, suitable for small businesses. Learn more about HubSpot Service Hub
2. Does Freshdesk offer a free plan with AI capabilities?
Yes, Freshdesk offers a free plan for up to two agents and includes AI features such as Freddy AI Voicebot, chatbots, and knowledge base suggestions. Explore Freshdesk
3. Is there a live chat-focused alternative to Zendesk AI available for free?
Tidio is a customer service platform focused on live chat and AI chatbots, with a free plan available. Check out Tidio
4. Which free alternative to Zendesk AI has AI features like sentiment analysis and auto-tagging?
Zoho Desk provides a free plan with AI features such as sentiment analysis, auto-tagging, and ticket assignment through its Zia AI assistant. Discover Zoho Desk
5. Can I find a free alternative to Zendesk AI that focuses on personalized support?
Help Scout offers a limited free plan and provides AI-powered features for ticket resolution, focusing on personalized support. Find out more about Help Scout
6. What AI-powered ticketing system is ideal for managed service providers?
Atera is an AI-powered ticketing system designed for managed service providers, offering a free trial but no free plan. Learn more about Atera
7. Does Intercom offer a free plan with AI capabilities?
No, Intercom does not offer a free plan but provides a demo for its AI-powered solution called Fin AI. Explore Intercom
8. Is there an email management tool that integrates directly with Gmail?
Hiver integrates directly with Gmail and has a free trial available, focused on streamlining email support. Discover Hiver
9. Which AI-powered knowledge platform offers a free plan?
Guru offers a free plan and uses AI to provide trusted and relevant answers from company documents, apps, and chats. Learn more about Guru
10. Can I find a conversational AI solution that provides a free trial?
IBM Watsonx Assistant is a conversational AI solution that offers a free trial, aimed at providing self-service experiences across channels. Explore IBM Watsonx Assistant

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
  • Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
  • Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
  • AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
  • SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
  • Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
  • Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
  • 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
  • 100+ startup tools built
  • 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
Top Alternatives