Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Zendesk comparison

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Salesforce Sales Cloud

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Salesforce Sales Cloud and Zendesk compete in the CRM and customer service solutions category. Salesforce appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and extensive customization capabilities.

Features: Salesforce Sales Cloud offers extensive customization, robust CRM tracking, and flexible integration capabilities into the platform. Zendesk's valuable features include ease of use, intuitive ticket management, and integration with various SaaS products.

Room for Improvement: Salesforce Sales Cloud is criticized for its complexity, steep learning curve, and high cost. Challenges with integration and data management are noted. Zendesk needs improvements in pricing, enhanced analytics, and better integration flexibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Salesforce Sales Cloud is primarily deployed on the public cloud, offering varied levels of technical support. A strong community is available for assistance. Zendesk offers flexible deployment with praised customer service and technical support, providing both hybrid and private cloud solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce Sales Cloud is a premium solution with high licensing costs, offering significant productivity and efficiency boosts to large enterprises but challenging for smaller organizations. Zendesk's pricing is competitive, focusing on user satisfaction and efficiency gains though positioned high-end for enterprise solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Salesforce Sales Cloud vs. Zendesk Report (Updated: January 2026).

Salesforce Sales Cloud vs. Zendesk

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.5

Salesforce Sales Cloud enhances sales efficiency and data management, offering cost-effective solutions for non-profits with productivity benefits.

Sentiment score

6.0

Zendesk provides significant ROI with cost savings, productivity boosts, and improved efficiency through better ticket management and supportive sales team.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a fantastic tool but requires disciplined data entry by sales personnel and operations teams to maintain data quality.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

We are not just implementing Salesforce Sales Cloud; we need to understand what the customer wants to achieve in 5 to 10 years.

Kamal Deep

Founder and Salesforce Consultant at SaaSnic

I can tell you that we probably saved at least three employees full-time with the ticket management and the automation and the macros and the user follow-up being built in.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Consultant and Startup Founder at AimHi Enterprises

Time saved is definitely a benefit because it puts all of our tickets in one spot.

reviewer2795478

Technical Solutions Lead at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

I feel that Zendesk helped us set up our platform for providing support way faster than other platforms due to its easy configuration.

Filipe Abreu

Junior system analyst at Wevt clous

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.9

Salesforce Sales Cloud offers efficient support, with faster responses for premium users, while community resources enhance regular support experiences.

Sentiment score

6.2

Zendesk support is praised for responsiveness and availability but criticized for slow responses and lack of personal interaction.

I wouldn't say you go to Salesforce Sales Cloud for their customer support unless you purchase one of their premier plans, which is additional money.

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

Support requires a subscription and when taken, the service is pretty nice.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

There appears to be a lack of connection between the bot and the agents, making it feel scripted rather than helpful.

Technical Support Engineer/ QA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

The technical support provided by Zendesk has been very satisfactory.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Their support team from Zendesk is excellent, similar to what you have in Freshdesk.

Anita Orioma

Customer Success Manager at Mimshackworks Endeavors

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Salesforce Sales Cloud offers strong scalability, accommodating growth and varied business sizes, though some users face reporting and data challenges.

Sentiment score

7.2

Zendesk is adaptable and scalable for diverse organizations, handling growth well but posing challenges in cost and customization.

Salesforce is highly scalable and operates efficiently.

AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture

Salesforce Sales Cloud is totally cloud native, requiring no additional effort for scalability.

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

Salesforce Sales Cloud's scalability is impressive as it grows easily with my organization's needs.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

We have not hit a peak or a turn yet that Zendesk has not been able to go with us or been able to grow with us in the process, change or pivot that the company is making.

Dimitri Cooper

Project Manager III at City of Union City Government

Zendesk can scale from very small companies to very large ones.

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Zendesk's scalability is excellent.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Technical Support Engineer/ QA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.1

Salesforce Sales Cloud is praised for its reliability, minimal downtime, high performance, and effective issue resolution, ensuring stability.

Sentiment score

7.8

Zendesk is reliable and stable, with minor issues and rare outages, communicated promptly via Twitter, ideal for small businesses.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is very stable.

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

I have not experienced any degradation in Salesforce's performance.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture

They are always informing us with a status update and an ETA, and the turnaround time is usually within the same day with no extended downtime that would cause a detriment to our company.

Dimitri Cooper

Project Manager III at City of Union City Government

Zendesk is quite stable; we experience major outages only once or twice a year, making it very reliable.

Technical Support Engineer/ QA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

The stability has been quite reliable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Room For Improvement

Salesforce Sales Cloud struggles with integration, high costs, and usability; users desire better mobile, reporting, and AI features.

Zendesk users seek enhancements like efficient ticket merging, advanced reporting, better integrations, improved usability, and AI features.

If you're looking at other tools out there, for example SalesLoft or HubSpot, it's much easier to build those workflows and do automation.

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

Compared to AWS, it is slower, which could be a hindrance.

AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture

With today's generative AI capabilities like ChatGPT, it should be possible to directly communicate with the software rather than navigating through the entire system manually.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

Zendesk could actually support HTML on the tickets so we could format our text better than the current options such as size, bold, italic, or underscored, because the text processing is too simple.

Filipe Abreu

Junior system analyst at Wevt clous

Zendesk is missing an AI aspect that could help provide quick answers based on the knowledge housed within the platform.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Technical Support Engineer/ QA at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Zendesk is amazing, and because they are always working on a new upgrade or a new integration, they are very forward-thinking from an engineering perspective.

Dimitri Cooper

Project Manager III at City of Union City Government

Setup Cost

Salesforce Sales Cloud is costly, but negotiating can secure discounts; value justifies pricing, challenging affordability for smaller businesses.

Zendesk's pricing is high but flexible, justified by its value in saving time and enhancing customer experience.

Without negotiation, costs can become expensive.

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

This happened for the first time because of the new CEO, Arundhati, who revolutionized pricing strategies, allowing discounts of 60-70% for Salesforce Sales Cloud in India.

Kamal Deep

Founder and Salesforce Consultant at SaaSnic

Salesforce Sales Cloud is extremely expensive.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

It is not the cheapest solution nor the most expensive, but it provides value for money.

CEO at Etcetera Networks

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Zendesk was quite expensive.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Consultant and Startup Founder at AimHi Enterprises

Valuable Features

Salesforce Sales Cloud enhances productivity with customizability, automation, integration, data analytics, and efficient communication for optimal sales management.

Zendesk enhances productivity with customizable ticket management, CRM integrations, automation, and multi-channel support for improved customer satisfaction.

Its easy-to-navigate interface aids in delivering clear vision and organization, especially for sales and business management.

AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture

Being able to pull reports in Salesforce Sales Cloud based on any of the fields that we have there and then building logic on those fields saves me time and also gives me visibility into what's going on with my teams across multiple departments, which is very helpful for us.

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

The Einstein Analytics and the inbuilt reporting are very useful for keeping track of pipeline movement.

For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report

Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7

It allows us to handle more support cases with fewer people due to its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities.

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Zendesk is way cheaper than other ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow, providing a good platform at a lower price so we could offer good support with a low budget for the license.

Filipe Abreu

Junior system analyst at Wevt clous

Being able to put response counters on certain tickets and have certain ones that are high priority and have a tighter SLA than lower priority items, being able to categorize them as a question versus an urgent request, and being able to bucket them as feature requests or product enhancements.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Consultant and Startup Founder at AimHi Enterprises

Categories and Ranking

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Ranking in CRM

1st

Ranking in Sales Force Automation

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

118

Ranking in other categories

Opportunity Management (1st), Conversation Intelligence Software (2nd)

Zendesk

Ranking in CRM

8th

Ranking in Sales Force Automation

4th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM Customer Engagement Centers (4th), Help Desk Software (4th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (6th), Reporting (10th), Knowledge Management Software (3rd), Community Platforms (1st), AI Customer Support (7th), AI IT Support (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 2.1%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zendesk is 1.2%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

CRM Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Salesforce Sales Cloud	2.1%
Zendesk	1.2%
Other	96.7%

CRM

Featured Reviews

Uses data-driven insights to improve workflows and highlights a need for simpler automation tools

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

Salesforce Sales Cloud can be improved in several areas. First, the UI is an area for enhancement. Even though they've launched Lightning, it's clunky at times with page load speeds. It also needs to be made extremely more user-friendly. For new people using Salesforce Sales Cloud, there is a steep learning curve. Additionally, giving non-admins the ability to make changes on the fly is something that I feel is necessary. Currently with Salesforce Sales Cloud, you need to have a consultant. It's hard to build the flows or workflows. Making it easier for that end-user who's not so technically minded to help themselves is essential. I choose seven out of ten because I think you need a consultant or a consulting company to help you build it out. Certain changes should be made much easier and more user-friendly where an admin can do it. The automation processes need to be much simpler. If you're looking at other tools out there, for example SalesLoft or HubSpot, it's much easier to build those workflows and do automation.

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Macros and automation have streamlined workflows and reduced manual effort across support teams

Consultant and Startup Founder at AimHi Enterprises

The ability to communicate on the Zendesk ticket through the actual user software, so TOPs, would have been helpful. Somehow seeing a user's ticket history within our app would have been beneficial. That is the only thing that I do not think existed at the time that might have been helpful. Some people struggled with Zendesk, but it was always easy enough to show them how to use it and what they were missing. The only times we really had people report concerns about it was when they did not understand that it could do that or how to use it in that way.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	26
Large Enterprise	40

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	36
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	11

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Salesforce Sales Cloud?

The features of Sales Cloud most useful for testing and running email campaigns are highly valuable.

What needs improvement with Salesforce Sales Cloud?

What is your primary use case for Salesforce Sales Cloud?

Salesforce Sales Cloud serves as our primary tool for our sales team and reviews team to document and keep all our information in one place as a source of truth. We use it to manage our business pr...

What do you like most about Zendesk Support?

I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zendesk Support?

From what I recall, the experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Zendesk was quite expensive and that is what prohibited us from expanding usage of it into more users and using more o...

What needs improvement with Zendesk Support?

I wish there was a more easily dynamic tool. Currently, it is quite difficult because not all the tools are labeled. A feature that would be beneficial is if hovering over an icon would tell you wh...

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Product Reports

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Download Salesforce Sales Cloud product report

Download Zendesk product report

Also Known As

Sales Cloud, SFDC, Salesforce

Zendesk Support, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Sell

Overview

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive tool lauded for its customization, ease of use, and integration capabilities. Its cloud-based nature offers seamless access and scalability, helping manage leads, opportunities, and workflows efficiently. Powerful reporting and dashboards enhance visibility and productivity.

Salesforce Sales Cloud serves as an essential aid for companies aiming to streamline sales processes. It integrates sales and marketing, manages customer data, and supports automation, which increases efficiency. Despite its expense and complex interface, its ability to forecast, track customer engagement, and automate key workflows stands out. Companies encounter challenges with system costs and integration issues, particularly regarding third-party applications and mobile functionality. Reporting and dashboards offer significant insights, although room for improvement exists. Licensing costs and storage fees are considerations for prospects, alongside the need for improved training and AI features. Users maximize the platform for sales pipeline management, forecasting, and operational analytics.

What are the most important features?

Customization: Tailor the platform to fit exact business objectives.
Integration: Seamlessly connect with apps and platforms, improving workflow.
Automation: Streamline lead management and workflows, reducing manual tasks.
Reporting and Dashboards: Gain insights for informed decision-making.
Cloud-based Access: Ensure scalability and accessibility from anywhere.

What benefits can users expect?

Enhanced Productivity: Automation and robust tracking improve efficiency.
Increased Sales Efficiency: Manage pipelines and opportunities seamlessly.
Better Forecasting: Advanced features provide valuable foresight into sales trends.
Operational Efficiency: Analytics and reporting fortify strategic planning.

Organizations across industries utilize Salesforce Sales Cloud from finance to healthcare for business development and CRM tasks. It is integral to managing accounts, leading pipelines, and aligning sales with marketing strategies. Firms improve customer relations and operational efficiency through its analytics and reporting capabilities.

Salesforce

Zendesk Support is intuitive, and it's built with support agents in mind. Everything they need lives in a single, dynamic help desk interface so it's easy to be productive and manage customer interactions.

Sample Customers

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kuoni Global Travel Services, Financial Times, Just Eat, Jobsite, H.R. Owen, PlayerLayer, O2, DMGT, Philips, Xtreme.ie, Business Stream, Remote Asset Management, Dialogue Group

Mailchimp, Tesco, Vimeo, Instacart, Mediaocean, Slack, Uber

Salesforce Sales Cloud vs. Zendesk