HubSpot has just updated its Service Hub, and that now makes it a very good alternative to Zendesk.

What is HubSpot Service Hub?

With its latest platform update, HubSpot has pointed out that there is room for improvement in the customer experience. This highlights the need to move beyond the traditional reactive approach to customer experience (CX), where companies only react to customer needs after a purchase, when problems arise. To meet this challenge, HubSpot has launched a new version of Service Hub, a solution that aims to redefine how customer journeys are managed.

Service Hub offers advanced tools for customer service and Customer Success to promote collaboration, data sharing and proactive management of customer journeys. By integrating traditionally separate teams such as customer support and Customer Success, it creates a simpler and more unified way to communicate and understand customers' needs.

One of the most exciting features in this update is the Customer Success Workspace, now available in beta. It gives Customer Success Managers (CSMs) a dedicated space within HubSpot to streamline the management of their portfolios, making it possible to track tasks, create custom segments and views and monitor key accounts, and it is something completely new in HubSpot.

If you use Zendesk today

When it comes to the differences between HubSpot and Zendesk, HubSpot offers a customizable ticketing function compared with Zendesk's more basic ticketing, which improves both how customer issues are handled and the workflow. Service Hub is also part of HubSpot, so you do not have to rely on integrations.

HubSpot also goes further when it comes to customer feedback tools by offering a wider range of surveys, including Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Effort Score (CES), compared with Zendesk's customer satisfaction surveys (CSAT).

What about the price?

Zendesk pricing:

• Suite Team: $55/month or $660/year per agent
• Suite Growth: $89/month or $1,068/year per agent
• Suite Professional: $115/month or $1,380/year per agent
• Enterprise options: $17,300 to $35,600/year for larger teams

HubSpot Service Hub pricing:

• Starter: $18/month (billed annually) or $20/month (billed monthly) for two users
• Professional: $450/month (billed annually) or $500/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise: $1,200/month (billed annually)

The main differences:

Zendesk uses a per-agent pricing model, while HubSpot has more flexible pricing based on the number of users.

Zendesk offers more detailed pricing options for large organizations, while HubSpot has simpler and more transparent pricing that can become more expensive for larger teams.

Both platforms charge extra for add-on features or users.

In summary, the choice between Zendesk and HubSpot Service Hub should be based on pricing, specific features, scalability options and any extra costs. For smaller teams or startups, HubSpot can be the more economical option, while Zendesk suits larger organizations that need detailed customization and scalability.

Finally, HubSpot's pricing model is designed to grow with the company and includes a set number of seats in each plan, unlike Zendesk's model, where every additional full user means extra cost. These differences make HubSpot Service Hub a powerful tool for companies that want to improve their customer service and efficiency.