# Colliedesk vs Zoho Desk

> Zoho Desk is cheap per user and strong inside the Zoho suite. For a team of five with AI, the per-user price adds up. Here are the numbers, with sources.

Source: https://colliedesk.com/vs/zoho-desk
Updated: 2026-10-16

## The short answer

- **Choose Zoho Desk** if you already run Zoho CRM or Zoho One, or you have one to three agents and the free plan is enough.
- **Choose Colliedesk** if you have 4 to 10 agents, want AI without moving up a plan tier, and want your data in an open database you can self-host. Colliedesk is alpha; read the status table first.

## Price, side by side

Zoho showed us prices in euros, per user per month, billed annually, on 16 October 2026. Your region may show another currency.

| | Zoho Desk | Colliedesk |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free (3 users), Express €7 (max 5 users), Standard €14, Professional €23, Enterprise €40 per user per month | Cloud Team: $49 per workspace per month, or $490 per year, up to 10 agents, 100 GB of attachments. Team 25: $99 per month, or $990 per year, up to 25 agents, 250 GB. No per-agent fees. Founding customers: $100 per year, locked for life. |
| AI | Zia on Professional and Enterprise; Express AI agents with your own key or Zoho's LLM | Included (coming after beta). LLM cost +30% on our key, or bring your own key. |
| Free option | Free plan for 3 users; 15-day trial | Self-host free, every feature. Cloud: 14-day free trial, no card. |
| Source code | Proprietary | Open source, AGPL-3.0. Self-host or use Cloud. |

### What five agents pay

| Team | Zoho Desk Professional (with Zia) | Colliedesk Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| 5 agents | 5 × €23 = **€115 per month** | $49 per month + AI usage |
| 10 agents | 10 × €23 = **€230 per month** | $49 per month + AI usage |

## Leaving: what Zoho Desk gives you

- Only the **primary contact** can create and download a backup.
- The backup is a ZIP of **CSV files per module**, up to **10 million records**; a custom backup covers up to **31 days**.
- **Attachments are not in the file.** It holds secure download links; you fetch each file separately.
- The file stays available for **7 days**.

Your data lives in PostgreSQL. Self-hosted, you can take a database dump at any time.

## What Colliedesk does today

| Capability | Colliedesk |
|---|---|
| Shared inbox: replies, private notes, status, priority, assignee, tags, search, bulk actions | **Available now** (alpha) |
| Email channel (inbound and outbound, threading) | **Available now** (alpha) |
| Freshdesk importer with reconcile report | **Available now** (alpha) |
| Saved replies, attachments, live updates and browser notifications | **Available now** (alpha) |
| Passwordless sign-in, revocable sessions, isolated workspaces, full export | **Available now** (alpha) |
| One-command install and published container image | **Available now** |
| Colliedesk Cloud with a 14-day free trial, then Team or Founding | **Available now** (alpha) |
| Cc on replies, new conversation from the inbox, contact history | **Beta** (0.1.0) |
| Upgrade guide, upgrades tested on real data | **Beta** (0.1.0) |
| AI draft replies, triage, auto-answer with a human in the loop | **Coming after beta** |
| Knowledge base and public help center | **Coming after beta** |
| Automations, macros, SLA, business hours, CSAT and reports | **Coming later** |
| Zendesk and Help Scout importers, live chat widget | **Coming later** |

## Sources

Read on 16 October 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before you decide.

- Zoho Desk pricing: [zoho.com/desk/pricing](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html)
- Express plan: [zoho.com/desk/express](https://www.zoho.com/desk/express/)
- Backups: [help.zoho.com, backing up your help desk data](https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/data-administration/backup-and-data-archive/articles/backing-up-your-help-desk-data)

## Questions people ask

### Is Zoho Desk cheaper than Colliedesk?

For very small teams, yes. Zoho Desk has a free plan for 3 users and Express from €7 per user per month (up to 5 users). From 4 agents on Standard (€14 per user, billed annually, read on 16 October 2026), the per-user bill passes Colliedesk's flat $49 per workspace.

### Which Zoho Desk plan has Zia AI?

Zoho's pricing page lists Zia on Professional and Enterprise. Express uses AI agents with your own model key or Zoho's LLM.

### Can I export everything from Zoho Desk?

Zoho Desk backups are a ZIP of CSV files per module, up to 10 million records, created and downloaded only by the primary contact. Attachments are not in the file: it holds secure download links, so you fetch the files separately. The backup file is available for 7 days.