QuackbackZendesk alternative
Quackback vs Zendesk: an open-source Zendesk alternative
Zendesk charges for each agent, then for each AI resolution beyond a small allowance, with Copilot as an add-on. Quackback is an open-source Zendesk alternative with a shared inbox, tickets, SLAs, a help center and Quackback AI, plus a status page and feedback boards. Seats are included in the plan, and the AI agent has no per-resolution fee.
Try Quackback free
- 14-day Pro trial, no card needed
- Keep using it free if you don't upgrade
- Open source. Self-host with Docker
- Inbox, help center and status page in one
Quackback and Zendesk, feature by feature
Prices, features and hosting side by side. A tick means it's included; a note says on which plan.
| Feature | Quackback | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | 1 seat, 1 board, 50 posts | No free plan; 14-day trial |
| Paid plans | $29/mo, billed annually | About $19, $55 or $115 per agent a month (Support Team, Suite Team, Suite Professional), billed annually |
| Team of 5 | $29/mo on Pro (5 seats) | $275/mo on Suite Team, $575/mo on Suite Professional |
| Team of 10 | $59/mo on Business (20 seats) | $550/mo on Suite Team, $1,150/mo on Suite Professional |
| Team of 20 | $59/mo on Business (20 seats) | $1,100/mo on Suite Team, $2,300/mo on Suite Professional |
| AI agent | Included from Pro, no per-resolution fee | 5–10 resolutions per agent included, then about $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go |
| Copilot for your team | YesEvery plan | YesAbout $50 per agent a month, Professional and up |
| Self-hosted | YesFree, with every feature | No |
| Inbox and channels | ||
| Live chat and emailIn one shared inbox | Yes | Yes |
| GitHub issues as a channelIssues and comments arrive as conversations | YesBusiness and up | No |
| WhatsApp, SMS, social and phone | No | Yes |
| TicketsA ticket and its conversation stay one thread | Yes | Yes |
| Turn a conversation into feedbackCreate a post or add a vote for the customer, in one click | Yes | NoNeeds a separate feedback tool |
| SLAs with office hours | YesA default SLA on every plan | YesProfessional plans and up |
| Two-way inbox translation | YesWithin your AI usage | Yes |
| Macros | Yes | Yes |
| Merge tickets and collision detection | No | Yes |
| Native mobile SDKs | NoiOS and Android in preview, wrapping the web widget | Yes |
| Workforce management and QA | No | YesAdd-on, about $50 per agent a month |
| Help center and AI | ||
| Help center | Yes | Yes |
| Ask AI in the help centerAnswers that cite your own articles | YesEvery plan | YesAI agent, billed per resolution |
| Quackback AI usage | YesStandard AI usage on Pro, more on higher plans | Billed per automated resolution |
| Beyond support | ||
| Status pageIncidents, maintenance and subscriber emails | YesEvery plan | No |
| Feedback boards and voting | Yes | NoCommunity forums |
| Public roadmap | Yes | No |
| Changelog | Yes | No |
| Integrations and apps | YesA smaller catalogue, Business and up | YesA large marketplace |
| Hosting and data | ||
| Open sourceRead, audit and change the code | AGPL-3.0 | No |
| Self-hostingRun it on your own servers | YesDocker, with every feature | No |
| Where your data lives | Our cloud, or your own Postgres | Zendesk's cloud |
Zendesk details come from Zendesk's public website, checked 6 November 2026, and can change, so check their pricing page before you decide. Quackback prices are for Cloud, billed annually; self-hosting is free under AGPL-3.0.
Quackback vs Zendesk: the full picture
Zendesk is the established help desk. It covers every channel from email to voice, scales to large teams, and has a deep marketplace, workforce management and QA. Its plans have changed more than once during 2026, so check Zendesk's pricing page for the current names and prices.
The cost stacks up. You pay for each agent, AI resolutions beyond a small monthly allowance cost about $1.50 each on a commitment or $2.00 pay-as-you-go, and Copilot is about $50 per agent a month on top. Quackback charges one price per plan with seats included, and Quackback AI, the agent for customers and the Copilot for your team, comes with the plan. There is no per-resolution fee.
Quackback also brings support and product together. A conversation becomes a feedback post or a vote in one click, and the same product runs your boards, roadmap, changelog and status page. It is open source under AGPL-3.0, so you can self-host every feature and keep the data in your own Postgres.
Be clear about the gaps. Quackback has no WhatsApp, SMS, social or phone channels, no ticket merge or collision detection, and no workforce management or QA tooling. Its mobile SDKs are a preview that wraps the web widget, its integration catalogue is smaller, and there is no importer for past Zendesk tickets.
Which one fits your team
Both are good tools. Here is where each one is the better choice.
Where Zendesk fits
Zendesk suits large support teams that run many channels, including voice, and need workforce management, QA and a deep marketplace.
- Every channel, from email and chat to social and phone
- Ticket merge, collision detection and side conversations
- Workforce management and QA as add-ons
- A large marketplace and a long track record
Where Quackback fits
Quackback suits teams that support customers over chat and email and want feedback, a help center and a status page in the same product, at a price that doesn't grow with every AI answer.
- Quackback AI included from Pro, with no per-resolution fee
- Seats included: 5 on Pro, 20 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise
- Feedback boards, roadmap, changelog and status page built in
- Open source under AGPL-3.0, with every feature when you self-host
Further reading: Zendesk pricing explained · Zendesk alternatives · Quackback vs Intercom · All comparisons
See Quackback for yourself
A working demo of Quackback with sample data. Click around: open a conversation, reply, switch pages.
One inbox, with AI beside you
Live chat and email land in one inbox, plus GitHub issues on Business and up. Quackback AI answers first and hands over to your team, Copilot drafts your replies, and one click turns a request into a feedback post.
Explore the inboxA status page, built in
Post incidents and maintenance, show uptime for each component, and email subscribers. It sits beside your help center and inbox, on every plan.
Explore the status pageAcme Corp status
- Scheduled We're upgrading our primary database. The app may be read-only for up to 10 minutes.
Core platform
Notifications
Integrations
Past incidents
Switching from Zendesk
There is no Zendesk importer, so you move one channel at a time and keep Zendesk open until its last tickets close.
Move your email
Forward your support address to the inbound address Quackback gives you. When you self-host, connect the mailbox over IMAP instead.
Swap the widget
Replace the Zendesk web widget snippet with the Quackback widget and identify signed-in users from your app.
Recreate macros
Rebuild your Zendesk macros in Quackback, with variables and actions such as assign, tag and close.
Add your articles
Add your help-center articles in Quackback's editor, so customers and Quackback AI can use them.
Redirect old article links
Point your help-center domain at Quackback and add redirect rules, so links to moved articles still land on the right page.
Past tickets stay in Zendesk. Quackback has no help-desk importer, so export what you need to keep before you close the account.
Common questions
Is Quackback a good Zendesk alternative?
For teams that support customers over live chat and email, yes. Quackback has a shared inbox, tickets, SLAs, macros, a help center and an AI agent, plus feedback boards, a roadmap, a changelog and a status page. If you need voice, social channels, workforce management or QA, Zendesk covers more today.
How much does Zendesk cost compared with Quackback?
Zendesk's Support Team, Suite Team and Suite Professional plans are about $19, $55 and $115 per agent a month, billed annually. AI resolutions beyond the included allowance cost about $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go, and Copilot is about $50 per agent a month. Quackback's paid plans start at $29/mo, billed annually, with 5 seats on Pro and 20 on Business, and Quackback AI comes with the plan. Check Zendesk's pricing page for current figures.
Does Quackback charge per AI resolution?
No. Quackback AI usage is included in every plan, from Basic AI usage on Free to 20x Standard AI usage on Enterprise. The AI agent that answers customers starts on Pro, Copilot works on every plan, and usage resets each month.
Can I import my Zendesk tickets?
No. Quackback has no help-desk importer, so past tickets stay in Zendesk. Forward your support email, swap the widget snippet, rebuild your macros and add your articles. Then run both tools side by side until the old tickets close.
Does Quackback have SLAs and office hours?
Yes. A default SLA applies to every new conversation on every plan, with first-response and resolution targets. Clocks follow your office hours and holidays, and pause while a conversation is snoozed. Business adds more SLA policies, with different targets by team, customer or priority.
What does Zendesk do that Quackback doesn't?
Zendesk has WhatsApp, SMS, social and phone channels, ticket merge, collision detection, workforce management and QA, native mobile SDKs and a larger marketplace. Quackback's mobile SDKs are an open-source preview that wraps the web widget.
Have another question? Talk to the team.