Gladly vs Zendesk Chat
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Gladly | Zendesk Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $180/seat/mo | From $89/seat/mo |
| Best For | Enterprise brands wanting people-centered customer service | Large support teams needing comprehensive ticketing integration |
| Standout Feature | Unified customer timeline showing all interactions across channels | Deep integration with Zendesk Support platform |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.2 |
Gladly and Zendesk Chat approach customer support from different angles. Zendesk Chat offers familiar, traditional live chat functionality with established integrations, while Gladly reimagines customer conversations with its unified timeline approach.
The decision often centers on whether you prefer Zendesk's proven, incremental approach or Gladly's transformative but expensive conversation management philosophy.
Feature Comparison
Zendesk Chat provides straightforward live chat functionality with proactive messaging, visitor monitoring, and seamless integration with the broader Zendesk ecosystem. It's particularly strong for teams already using Zendesk products.
Gladly eliminates traditional tickets in favor of continuous conversations. Every customer interaction across email, chat, phone, and social media appears in one unified timeline, creating context-rich support experiences.
Zendesk Chat excels at quick implementation and familiar workflows, while Gladly requires significant process changes but delivers superior conversation continuity.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing reveals a stark contrast: Zendesk Chat ranges from free to $59 per agent monthly, while Gladly costs $180-$210 per user monthly. For a 5-agent team, Zendesk Chat costs $0-$295 monthly versus Gladly's $900-$1,050.
Zendesk Chat's free tier makes it accessible for small teams, with reasonable scaling costs. Gladly's premium pricing reflects its advanced features but may be prohibitive for cost-conscious businesses.
Gladly
Pros
- ✓ People-centered approach
- ✓ Unified customer timeline
- ✓ All channels in one view
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive
- ✗ Enterprise-focused
- ✗ Overkill for small teams
Zendesk Chat
Pros
- ✓ Strong brand recognition
- ✓ Comprehensive support suite
- ✓ Good integrations
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing gets expensive
- ✗ Limited to web chat only
- ✗ No social media messaging
Verdict
Choose Gladly if you want to revolutionize customer conversations and have budget for premium features. Choose Zendesk Chat if you need reliable, cost-effective live chat with extensive integration options.
Choose Gladly if: You want cutting-edge conversation management, handle complex customer relationships, and can justify the premium investment.
Choose Zendesk Chat if: You need proven live chat functionality, use other Zendesk products, or want predictable, affordable pricing.
Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate if you want modern chat features without Zendesk's per-agent costs or Gladly's premium pricing.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Gladly comparisons and all Zendesk Chat comparisons.