Best Grindstone Alternatives & Competitors for 2025

Zendesk offers a powerful, all-in-one solution for organizations aiming to enhance their customer support through an integrated omnichannel platform that consolidates interactions from email, chat, social media, and phone into a single interface. Its robust customization options allow businesses to modify ticket fields, automate their workflows, and build tailored dashboards, ensuring the software aligns perfectly with unique operational demands. Additionally, AI-driven automation boosts efficiency by managing routine tasks and prioritizing tickets, which helps increase both agent productivity and customer satisfaction. Designed for scalability and ease of use, Zendesk supports companies ranging from startups to large corporations while maintaining strong security and compliance standards suitable for diverse industries.

• Multi-channel Support Management
• Customizable Workflows
• Third-party Integrations
• AI Agents with Essential and Advanced Plans
• Knowledge Article Editor
• AutoQA for Voice with Scoring
• Workforce Management with Audit Logs
• Customizable Ticket Forms

Zendesk’s pricing is based on per-agent or per-user monthly fees, with annual subscriptions offering better rates. The Support Team plan starts at $19 per agent, providing basic ticketing and multi-channel support. The Support Professional tier, at $55 per agent, adds business hours setup, customer satisfaction surveys, and SLAs. For larger organizations, the Support Enterprise plan costs $115 per agent and includes advanced features. Zendesk Sell CRM begins at $19 per user with essential sales tools. Additional add-ons like Zendesk Copilot and Workforce Management are available at extra cost.

VCC Live emerges as a promising solution for organizations seeking a fresh approach to managing customer interactions. Its design appears to cater to the dynamic needs of modern contact centers, offering a platform that supports streamlined communication processes. While specific feature details are not provided, the product is positioned to serve businesses aiming to enhance their contact center efficiency and responsiveness in an evolving digital landscape. The inherent versatility of VCC Live invites prospective users to explore how a unified software solution could elevate their operational capabilities.

• Omnichannel customer communication across channels
• Intelligent automatic call distribution system
• Real-time live performance monitoring dashboards
• Advanced performance analytics for optimization
• Seamless integration with leading CRM
• Secure data protection and compliance
• Dynamic session routing and queuing
• User-friendly interface enhancing agent efficiency

VCC Live offers three distinct pricing plans structured on a per-seat model, meaning costs vary by the number of users. The Essentials Plan supports effective outbound campaigns and basic communications with email support and voice recordings. The Advanced Plan enhances operations by adding intelligent IVR, expanded data handling, and a personal consultant. The Multichannel Plan further extends capabilities for seamless, cross-channel communications including automated SMS, dynamic templates, and professional support. Specific pricing details are available on request, ensuring tailored solutions to meet varied organizational needs. Please contact VCC Live now.

Hiver revolutionizes email management by converting it into an effective customer support platform without the need for additional software. Its standout feature is the seamless collaboration it fosters, allowing teams to easily assign and delegate emails, effectively transforming ordinary inboxes into dynamic ticketing systems. Automation plays a crucial role in boosting productivity, with some businesses experiencing efficiency improvements of up to 250% by automating routine tasks such as ticket distribution. Additionally, Hiver offers comprehensive ticket tracking and strong SLA management, ensuring timely responses and enhancing overall service quality.

• Omnichannel Shared Inbox consolidates multiple channels.
• Live Chat with AI delivers real‑time engagement.
• Customer Portal empowers self‑service.
• Ticketing System streamlines issue resolution.
• AI Copilot supports agent responses.
• Automations optimize workflow efficiency.
• Integrations connect 100+ applications.
• Analytics and Reporting visualize performance.

Hiver’s pricing structure caters to varying business needs using flexible subscription plans. The Free plan offers essential email management features for users starting out. The Lite option ($19 per user monthly) grants extended shared inbox and multi-channel support, while the Growth plan ($29 per user monthly) builds on these features with advanced analytics and reporting. The Pro plan ($49 per user monthly) expands capabilities with AI tools and custom reports. For large-scale operations, the Elite plan is available upon inquiry, and a 7-day free trial of Elite features is offered.

Vision Helpdesk is presented as one option in the realm of help desk software that prospective customers might consider when evaluating solutions for managing support operations. Though the specific details remain limited, the product is implied to cater to businesses seeking a dependable platform for organizing and streamlining customer inquiries. Its conceptual framework suggests a focus on simplicity and effectiveness in addressing support needs across various channels. Overall, Vision Helpdesk appears as a candidate designed to help organizations enhance their customer service functions, making it a potential fit for companies looking to optimize their help desk systems.

• Mobile User Support for Accessibility
• Fully Customizable Ticket and Workflow
• Role, Access, and Security Management
• Detailed Reporting and SLA Management
• Real-Time Dashboards with Data Insights
• Customer Self-Service Portal and Tracking
• Automated Ticket Workflow and Escalations
• Robust, Seamless Third-party Application Integration

Vision Helpdesk offers varied plans to meet different business needs. Starter Help Desk provides ticketing, knowledgebase, and workflow management at $12 per staff monthly, or $8 on annual billing with a one-time $200 option. The Pro plan adds staff collaboration, task management, and ticket billing for $20 per staff. Satellite, at $24 per staff, features multi-company support. Pro Service Desk at $32 includes incident and asset management, while the Ent plan at $48 introduces change and release management. Live Chat software is available at $20 per staff monthly for businesses.

Salesforce Service Cloud positions itself as a dynamic help desk solution designed to enhance how companies manage customer support, offering an ecosystem that streamlines interactions and resolution processes. Its architecture emphasizes an integrated framework aimed at improving response efficiency while accommodating the varied needs of modern service teams. The platform is built to be scalable and adaptable, making it a compelling option for businesses seeking a comprehensive tool that consolidates support functions into one cohesive system. Prospective customers interested in help desk software will find that its design promises to simplify service management, helping to transform customer challenges into opportunities for lasting engagement.

• Salesforce Lightning Console Unified Interface
• Intelligent Omni-Channel Case Routing System
• Comprehensive Customer Case Management Solution
• Robust Enterprise Knowledge Management Repository
• Seamless Cloud Telephony Integration Capability
• Real-Time Customer Live Agent Support
• Efficient Global Self-Service Customer Portal
• Custom Reports And Dashboards Analytics

Salesforce Service Cloud offers five pricing plans. The Starter Suite costs $25 per user per month, providing essential case and task management. The Pro Suite, at $80 per user monthly, adds telephony integration and customizable dashboards. Enterprise Edition is $165 per user monthly and features trusted AI with advanced reporting. The Unlimited Edition, priced at $330 per user monthly, enhances chat support and includes Einstein Bots, while Einstein 1 Service Edition at $500 delivers digital channels and state-of-the-art AI assistance. All plans are billed annually with a free trial available.

Zoho Desk emerges as a tailored solution within the realm of help desk software, designed to streamline how customer support teams address and resolve issues. Its multifaceted interface and integrated approach offer a cohesive environment for businesses seeking efficiency and clarity in their support workflows. The platform's structure aims to seamlessly blend intuitive usability with the demands of modern customer engagement, ensuring that teams can focus on effective service delivery. Overall, Zoho Desk presents itself as a compelling option for organizations dedicated to elevating their help desk operations.

• Extensive Interface Customization & Personalization
• User-Friendly Online Ticket Submission Experience
• Omnichannel Customer Support Integration
• Intelligent Automated Workflow Issue Routing
• Robust Comprehensive Knowledge Base Repository
• Interactive Self-Service Customer Portal
• Instant Real-Time Notification Alerts System
• Comprehensive SLA Monitoring, Management & Analysis Tools

Zoho Desk’s pricing tiers cater to various business needs. The Free plan supports up to three agents, offering essential features. The $7 Express package extends functionality for small teams with social channels and workflows. At $14 per agent, the Standard plan introduces advanced ticket management and customizable dashboards. The Professional tier, priced at $23, enhances collaboration with multi-department ticketing and automatic time tracking. For larger organizations, the Enterprise plan at $40 per agent delivers AI, help centers, and advanced reporting. A generous free trial allows exploration of the software’s capabilities.

NICE inContact CXone stands out as a versatile cloud-based contact center platform that integrates multiple functionalities into one cohesive system. It streamlines customer interactions across various channels—such as voice, chat, email, and social media—ensuring that customers are connected with the most suitable agents quickly and efficiently. The platform supports flexible operations by enabling rapid agent deployment from any location, which is especially beneficial for remote or distributed teams. Additionally, CXone’s embedded AI and analytics tools help enhance customer experience while optimizing workforce performance and reducing costs associated with traditional contact center infrastructure.

• Omnichannel Routing
• AI-Driven Sentiment Analysis
• Workforce Management (WFM)
• Real-Time Analytics and Reporting
• Automation and Self-Service
• Flexible Cloud Deployment
• Customizable Agent Desktop
• Pre-Built Integrations Marketplace

NICE inContact CXone offers a range of Mpower pricing plans based on a per-agent, per-month model. The Digital Agent plan is priced at $71, focusing on digital channels. Voice Agent costs $94 and supports live and self-service voice interactions. The Omnichannel Agent, combining both digital and voice features, is $110. More comprehensive suites include the Essential Suite at $135, Core Suite at $169, Complete Suite at $209, and Ultimate Suite at $249, each adding advanced capabilities. A free trial is also available.

ConnectWise ScreenConnect is designed to streamline remote support for IT professionals by enabling instant connections that minimize downtime and eliminate delays during assistance sessions. Its unattended access feature is particularly valuable, allowing technicians to manage devices remotely outside regular hours without interrupting users. The platform includes powerful tools such as session recording, secure file transfers, and a "Backstage" mode that lets support staff access system management functions discreetly. Additionally, ScreenConnect integrates smoothly with other ConnectWise products and offers customizable branding, ensuring a cohesive and professional support experience.

• Backstage Mode
• Unattended Access
• Wake-on-LAN
• Agent-free Connectivity
• Multi-device Compatibility
• AES-256 Encryption
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Drag and Drop File Transfer

ConnectWise ScreenConnect offers three main remote support plans billed annually. The One Plan costs $324 and includes basic features like single license use, multi-monitor support, and file transfer. The Standard Plan, priced at $504, supports multiple technicians with added capabilities like session recording and remote command line. The Premium Plan, at $624, enhances the Standard Plan with advanced features for comprehensive support. For unattended access, pricing ranges from $30 to $1,250 monthly, scaling by the number of agents. A 14-day free trial is available for evaluation.

InvGate offers a powerful combination of IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Asset Management (ITAM) tools designed to enhance organizational efficiency. Its intuitive interface simplifies ticket handling and accelerates agent onboarding, while centralizing crucial information to speed up issue resolution. The platform also fosters collaboration by allowing agents to tag team members and share context seamlessly. Additionally, automation features reduce manual tasks and ensure SLA compliance, and integrated analytics deliver real-time insights that help managers optimize operations.

• Incident Management
• Service Request Management
• Change Management
• Knowledge Base
• SLA Management
• Reporting and Analytics
• Integrated Asset Management
• Self-Service Portal

InvGate presents a structured pricing approach designed to suit companies of varying sizes. The Starter plan is offered at $17 per agent per month, billed annually with a minimum requirement of five agents, and includes essential features like dynamic ticket management and IT asset control. The Pro plan, priced at $40 per agent monthly for organizations with 6 to 50 agents, adds ITIL-aligned workflows, enhanced automation, and premium support. For larger needs, the Enterprise plan offers customized quoting with options including unlimited agents and on-premise hosting. Contact InvGate for details.

Freshservice emerges as an IT service management solution designed to streamline and support essential IT operations. It positions itself as a tool that promises to simplify complex IT workflows while aiming to boost overall organizational efficiency. The platform’s approach appears to focus on delivering adaptable functionalities that can be aligned with the dynamic needs of modern IT environments. In essence, Freshservice offers prospective customers a broad-ranging solution tailored to address critical IT management challenges.

• Real-Time Integrated Incident Management Module
• Flexible, Scalable SLA Management System
• Dynamic Comprehensive Knowledge Management Repository
• Centralized Unified Service Request Catalog
• Intelligent AI-Powered Service Management Solution
• Efficient Workflow Automation Engine Tool
• Robust IT Asset Lifecycle Management
• Seamless API and Integrations Framework

Freshservice presents four pricing plans tailored to varied IT service management needs. The Starter plan at $19 per agent per month, billed annually, covers essential incident management, a knowledge base, and a self-service portal. The Growth plan at $49 enhances capabilities with asset management, employee onboarding, and customization. The Pro plan at $95 per agent monthly introduces project management, change and release controls, plus advanced analytics. The Enterprise plan at $119 delivers comprehensive solutions including effective compliance tools and dedicated support. A 14-day free trial enables complete evaluation before commitment.