7 Best Zendesk Alternatives for Churches

Intercom is a versatile customer messaging platform that combines live chat, help desk, and marketing automation. Churches can use Intercom to engage visitors in real‑time, answer FAQs, and nurture relationships through automated messaging workflows. The platform’s **Help Center** feature allows ministries to build a searchable knowledge base with articles, video tutorials, and sermon archives. Intercom’s **Chatbots** can handle common queries, such as service times or donation instructions, freeing staff to focus on pastoral care. The platform also offers powerful segmentation and behavioral triggers, enabling targeted outreach—for example, sending a welcome message to new members or a reminder about upcoming youth group events. Intercom’s pricing starts with a free tier for basic chat and help center, while paid plans (Starter, Growth, and Pro) range from $39 to $159 per month, billed annually, depending on the number of contacts and features. Pros include an intuitive interface, robust automation, and strong integration ecosystem, while cons involve a higher cost for larger ministries and limited native support for voice or video calls.

Freshdesk is a cloud‑based help desk solution that offers ticketing, live chat, and a self‑service knowledge base. For churches, Freshdesk can streamline support for inquiries about worship services, volunteer opportunities, or small‑group meetings. The platform’s **Live Chat** widget can be embedded on the church website, while the **Help Center** allows staff to publish FAQs, how‑to guides, and sermon notes. Freshdesk also provides a **chatbot** feature, enabling automated responses to frequently asked questions. The software scales from a free plan—suitable for small congregations—to paid tiers ranging from $15 to $99 per agent per month, depending on the level of support and advanced features like AI-powered ticket routing or advanced reporting. Freshdesk’s strengths lie in its ease of use, affordability, and robust ticketing system, but its chatbot capabilities are relatively basic compared to dedicated AI platforms, and the platform lacks native integrations with popular church management systems.

Zoho Desk is part of the Zoho suite of business applications, providing a help desk with ticketing, knowledge base, and multichannel support. Churches can utilize Zoho Desk to manage inquiries from visitors, volunteers, and members across email, chat, and social media. The platform offers a **self‑service portal** where users can search FAQs and retrieve information about ministry programs. Zoho Desk’s **AI assistant, Zia**, can auto‑classify tickets, suggest knowledge base articles, and even draft responses, adding a layer of automation that reduces staff workload. Pricing begins with a free tier for a single agent, with paid plans ranging from $14 to $40 per agent per month, billed annually. Zoho Desk integrates seamlessly with other Zoho apps (CRM, Books, Campaigns) and popular external services like Salesforce, making it a good fit for churches already using Zoho.

Help Scout is a customer support platform that emphasizes a human‑centric approach with a shared inbox and knowledge base. For churches, Help Scout enables staff to respond to inquiries about events, donations, and volunteer opportunities from a single interface. The platform’s **Live Chat** widget can be embedded on the church website, and the **Knowledge Base** allows for easy publishing of FAQs and educational resources. Help Scout’s **Bot** feature supports basic automation for routing inquiries, though it is not as sophisticated as dedicated AI chatbot platforms. Pricing starts at $20 per user per month for the Standard plan, with the Plus plan at $45 and the Enterprise plan at $80, offering additional features such as advanced reporting and integrations. Pros include a clean interface, strong collaboration tools, and flexible pricing, while cons involve limited chatbot sophistication and the need for a separate integration for payment processing.

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on live chat and automated messaging. Churches can leverage Drift to engage website visitors with instant chat, qualify leads for small‑group participation, and nurture memberships through automated sequences. Drift’s **Chatbot** can handle common questions about service times, donation processes, and event registrations. The platform also offers **Video Chat** and **Email** integrations, allowing pastors to reach members via multiple channels. Pricing includes a free tier for basic chat, while paid plans start at $400 per month for the Starter tier, with higher tiers offering advanced features such as AI, bots, and integrations. Drift’s strengths lie in its real‑time engagement and marketing automation, but its cost can be prohibitive for smaller churches, and the platform lacks a dedicated knowledge base feature.

Tidio combines live chat and chatbot functionality into a single platform, making it easy for churches to provide instant support and automate responses to common questions. The platform offers a **drag‑and‑drop chatbot builder** that lets admins create conversational flows without coding. Tidio’s **Live Chat** widget can be embedded on any website, and the platform supports **email integration** for seamless handoff. The knowledge base feature allows churches to publish articles and FAQs that can be accessed by visitors. Tidio’s pricing includes a free tier with limited chat and bot capabilities; paid plans start at $18 per month for the Premium plan and go up to $69 per month for the Pro plan, billed annually. Tidio is well‑suited for small churches that need a simple, cost‑effective solution for both live chat and basic chatbot automation.