In 2026, there are plenty of choices for customer service software. Startly and Zendesk are two of the leading platforms. Which is the better fit for your organization?
Choose helpdesk software or integrated IT management software
Startly and Zendesk are both good platforms for ticketing and helpdesk support. The difference is for whom they’re designed. Zendesk was created as a customer support platform to handle a large number of external requests, with some IT service management add-ons. Startly is a robust IT management platform, with strong ticketing software and helpdesk support integrated with asset management, CMDB, change management, and performance analytics.
Why choose helpdesk software in a fully integrated ITSM
Ticketing is chaotic. Any decent ticketing software can help you manage a flood of service requests, and typically includes FAQ templates, customer feedback surveys, and ways to map the customer journey[2] . Startly’s fully integrated IT service management software includes smarter ticketing software. Startly also gives you the big picture, actionable insights, and perhaps most important, control over the entire IT system.
Best of all, you can pick and choose what is right for you. You can adopt or ignore modules as you best see fit. Every module is included for $15 per user per month, no contract required.
What is Zendesk?
Zendesk provides helpdesk and ticketing software for external-facing teams. Zendesk includes ticket routing, some automation, tracking of SLAs, and basic reporting on typical helpdesk metrics. There are some IT service management add-ons you can buy, and you can supplement Zendesk to create more of an ITSM platform by buying and integrating third-party software.
Startly is a fully integrated ITSM platform, specifically created to help IT teams see and manage their entire IT environment. Our powerful ticketing and helpdesk support is integrated with our CMDB and asset management modules, among others. With Startly, your team can track every asset, map dependencies, and link them all directly to tickets and changes.
Zendesk ticketing system vs. Startly
Zendesk is primarily ticketing software for customer support teams. It is designed to manage a high volume of questions and service requests coming through email, chat, phone, and social media.
Startly’s ticketing and helpdesk tools are built specifically for internal IT workflows. Tickets can be created quickly, prioritized based on impact, and linked directly to assets, configuration items, projects, and changes.
Instead of treating tickets as isolated incidents, Startly uses the information to reveal overarching patterns and underlying problems. Now, your team can do more than just react: you can proactively work to reduce incidents over time.
Startly customers appreciate our intuitive interface and fast startup. Within an hour of signing up, you can be creating your first tickets in just three steps. You can even skip the onboarding and training: our customers tell us that Startly’s so easy to use, they just give the new hire a login and they’re up and running.
Zendesk pricing vs. Startly pricing
Zendesk’s tiered pricing is complicated. You’ll need some time with Zendesk’s sales team to figure out what you need and how much you’ll be charged, and how long you’ll be locked into a contract. While entry-level plans may seem affordable, upgrades and additional modules can add up fast, putting Zendesk’s pricing on the high end.
Depending on the features you want, you may need to buy and configure third-party software to supplement Zendesk.
Startly offers transparent pricing at $15 per user per month, with all core modules included: ticketing, CMDB, asset management, project management, change management, smart performance analytics and dashboards, and more.
We’re often asked about the total cost of ownership. Startly is a great value based on our pricing alone: $15 per user per month. The intuitive design cuts out training and minimizes the learning curve. We all face turnover — Startly makes it easier on the new hire. Startly’s fully integrated platform means data is passed seamlessly between modules, keeping information and details up-to-date as you use it.
Startly is built for lean teams and leaner budgets. We challenge you to find a better deal.
Zendesk alternatives in 2026
As IT environments grow and become more complex, some IT teams find that Zendesk no longer fits their needs.
Two commonly mentioned alternatives are ServiceNow and Freshdesk:
Find out more about ServiceNow >
Find out more about Freshdesk >
We’ll let our customers speak for Startly:
- “Startly was clearly built with the end user in mind. UI is very simple. It has a lot of features, but it’s not confusing. It replaces three SaaS products that we used to use, at a fraction of the cost.”
- “I like how easy it was to hit the ground running on day one. Startly is very user-friendly.”
- “The interface is modern and easy to navigate, and the aesthetic is really pleasing to the eye.”
Why Startly is the better solution
Zendesk is a perfectly fine helpdesk platform for customer support teams to log and close tickets. You can pay more to Zendesk or a third party to get some of the extra features you’ll need to manage your IT environment.
If you’re looking for a birds-eye view of your entire IT ecosystem, context around incidents, and tools that help actively prevent problems — paired with easy-to-use, robust reporting — it’s Startly. Startly delivers enterprise-level IT management with fast adoption, designed for lean teams and tight budgets. If you’re looking for a Zendesk alternative that scales with your IT environment, Startly is the better choice.
Customer: Corporate ITIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses