Zendesk alternative with a phone system and CRM
Zendesk is hosted customer service software with tickets, a help center, messaging, telephony and AI agents – you pay for every person who answers requests (agent). If you run a large support team with many channels and fixed processes, it serves you well. The-Y CRM is for teams whose customers come in via WhatsApp, phone and email at the same time – with a built-in phone system, deals and invoices in one tool, at a flat price: hosted by us with Cloud Pro (servers in Vienna) or self-hosted.
The difference in one sentence
At Zendesk you pay per agent: telephony starts with Suite Team, a phone menu (IVR) only with Suite Professional or an add-on, numbers and minutes cost extra, and Zendesk is retiring its sales CRM Sell in 2027. The-Y CRM is inbox, phone system with IVR and CRM in one – at a flat price, free plan included.
Why The-Y CRM exists
I'm Thomas Nuri Yilmaz, founder of The-Y, and until September 2026 I was Head of IT at Dove Touristik. In 2024 I faced exactly this question: I was looking for a ticketing system, tested osTicket, then Zammad, and found Chatwoot while searching for a respond.io alternative. I ran Zammad, Chatwoot and n8n myself. What I was missing was everything in one place: WhatsApp, phone and email in one inbox, with a phone system of its own. Today we at The-Y no longer work with any of these tools – we work with The-Y CRM.
Zendesk and The-Y CRM compared
Zendesk according to its official pricing page with plan comparison, customer agreement and help center, accessed 26 Oct 2026 (sources below). Prices in euros per agent per month as zendesk.de shows them: Support Team €19, Suite Team €55, Suite Professional €115 billed annually, €25 / €69 / €149 billed monthly; zendesk.com shows the same amounts in US dollars. The pricing page doesn't say whether prices are net; per the customer agreement, taxes come on top. Phone numbers, call minutes, SMS and Meta's WhatsApp fees cost extra. “Not found” means: not found in the official sources. Details on The-Y CRM as of version 1.1.53 (25 Oct 2026).
Stay with Zendesk if …
- you run a large support team with fixed processes – Zendesk offers, for example, skills-based routing, up to 5 help centers in 40+ languages and up to 100 light agents (from Suite Professional),
- you want AI agents for chat and email from a single vendor – automated resolutions are included in every plan,
- you want to choose the data location between the US, EEA, UK, Japan and Australia – The-Y Cloud Pro always runs in Austria (Vienna data centre),
- you need X, WeChat or LINE, or want to use the 1,000+ ready-made apps in the Zendesk Marketplace,
- you don't want to use Alpha software – The-Y CRM is Alpha.
Choose The-Y CRM if …
- your team makes its own calls and needs a phone menu (IVR), queues and voicemail – with no per-agent surcharge and for WhatsApp calls too,
- you want deals, pipeline and invoices (right up to the export for your tax advisor) in the same tool – Zendesk is retiring its sales CRM Sell in 2027,
- you want to use your own phone line for inbound and outbound calls – at Zendesk, your own line (SIP-IN) only works for inbound calls, according to the help center,
- you'd rather pay a flat fee than per agent: self-hosted €10 a month or €240 once, hosted with Cloud Pro €20 a month – however big your team is.
Zendesk telephony: plans, IVR and costs
At Zendesk, telephony starts with Suite Team (€55 per agent per month billed annually): answer calls in the browser or forward them to a phone, with voicemail and call recording. A phone menu (IVR) only comes with Suite Professional (€115 per agent per month) or with the Contact Center add-on (€82 per agent per month). Zendesk bills phone numbers and call minutes on top, based on usage; according to the help center your own line (SIP-IN) works for inbound calls only, and the Support Team plan has no telephony. In The-Y CRM the phone system with IVR, queues and voicemail is part of every plan, free plan included; your number comes from your own SIP provider, for inbound and outbound calls. More on this: virtual phone system for small business.
Example: 5 people, WhatsApp and phone
Call minutes and Meta's WhatsApp fees come on top with every tool. With The-Y you pay them directly to your phone provider and to Meta, with no markup. At Zendesk, Zendesk bills numbers and minutes based on usage; according to the help center your account manager explains how Meta's WhatsApp fees are billed. Since 1 Oct 2026 Meta also charges for replies within the 24-hour window; the first 1,000 per number per month are free. Those 1,000 are Meta's free allowance – not to be confused with the limit of The-Y Free (1,000 outgoing messages per month across all channels). All the details, with a calculator for every country: What The-Y CRM really costs. For up to 3 people, The-Y Free (€0) is enough – in our cloud or self-hosted with a free key.
Don't want to run a server yourself? Take Cloud Pro.
We host The-Y CRM for you – one price per company, all users and brands included, 10 GB storage, updates and backups, servers in Austria (Vienna data centre). Messages and call minutes with no volume limits: WhatsApp, SMS, phone and AI run on your own accounts, and Meta and your providers bill you directly – with no markup. You can have up to 10 simultaneous calls.
€20 a month during Alpha and Beta – the price stays as long as your subscription runs without interruption; €40 from the Live release. Or €240 a year (€480 from Live). Incl. VAT, businesses only, cancel any time, effective at the end of the paid period.
How it works: create a free account, then book Cloud Pro in the app under Settings → License. You can take your data to your own server any time – it's the same software. Extra storage (+10 GB for €3 a month) and automation packs (€5 a month) can be added; custom quotas and prices on request: sales@the-y.at.
Test it in about 30 minutes
- Create a free account on crm.the-y.at.
- Connect a mailbox, WhatsApp number or phone – guides in the documentation.
- Invite your team and see if it fits. Contacts and companies can be imported via CSV.
Like it? Then move to your own server – free with a free key (same limits as Free) or without limits with the self-hosting licence (guide, server requirements) – or stay in our cloud and book Cloud Pro in the app for your whole company.
Frequently asked questions
Can I self-host The-Y CRM?
Yes, with Docker on your own server – in two ways: free with a free key (created in the app after sign-up; the same limits as Free: 3 users, 1,000 outgoing messages across all channels and 200 outgoing call minutes per month, 2 simultaneous calls, 2 GB; no support, feedback during the Alpha is welcome) or without usage limits with the self-hosting licence for €10 a month or €240 one-time (during Alpha and Beta; from the Live release €20 or €480). The €10 and the €240 get you the same licence – one as a subscription, the other perpetual.
Is The-Y CRM also available hosted for more than 3 people?
Yes, with Cloud Pro: we host The-Y CRM for you in Austria (Vienna data centre) – unlimited users and brands included, 10 GB storage, updates and backups. It costs €20 a month during Alpha and Beta (the price stays as long as your subscription runs without interruption; €40 from the Live release) or €240 a year – incl. VAT, businesses only. Messages and call minutes have no volume limits, because WhatsApp, SMS, phone and AI run on your own accounts. You can have up to 10 simultaneous calls. Free in the cloud covers up to 3 users (1,000 outgoing messages across all channels and 200 outgoing call minutes per month, 2 simultaneous calls, 2 GB storage). You book Cloud Pro in the app under Settings → License; custom quotas on request at sales@the-y.at.
Zendesk has telephony too – what's different?
Yes, from Suite Team (€55 per agent per month billed annually) you answer calls in the browser at Zendesk, with voicemail and call recording. A phone menu (IVR), business hours and callback requests only come with Suite Professional (€115 per agent per month), according to the plan comparison; an advanced IVR is also available with the Contact Center add-on (€82 per agent per month). Zendesk bills phone numbers and call minutes on top, based on usage. According to the help center, your own line (SIP-IN, “Bring Your Own Carrier”) works for inbound calls only. In The-Y CRM the phone system is built in, IVR included, on the free plan too – and since version 1.1.45 also for WhatsApp calls. All you need is a phone number from a telephony provider – currently sipgate, Zadarma or Twilio, more to follow.
Does Zendesk have a CRM for deals?
Zendesk Sell was Zendesk's separate sales CRM. According to its announcement of 9 Sep 2025, Zendesk is retiring Sell on 31 Aug 2027 and recommends Pipedrive instead. In Zendesk Suite you manage contacts and organisations; we didn't find deals, pipeline or invoices in the Suite plan comparison. In The-Y CRM, contacts, companies, deals, pipeline, invoices and appointments are in the same tool – plus payments, open items, dunning, receipts and an export for your tax advisor (DATEV, BMD).
What does WhatsApp cost?
The-Y charges nothing extra. You pay Meta's fees directly to Meta. At Zendesk, according to its help center, Meta's fees are separate from your Zendesk fees, and your account manager explains how they are billed. Since 1 Oct 2026 Meta also charges for replies within the 24-hour window; the first 1,000 per number per month are free. Those 1,000 are Meta's free allowance – not to be confused with the limit of The-Y Free (1,000 outgoing messages per month across all channels). Details on the costs page.
Can I use my existing WhatsApp number?
Yes. If you already use the WhatsApp Business app, you can keep it: The-Y CRM connects the number via Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform as well, replies you send from your phone also appear in the CRM, and up to 180 days of history are imported. If the number runs in the personal WhatsApp app, you first switch it to the WhatsApp Business app or release it from WhatsApp – that's Meta's rule for the Business Platform and applies just the same with Zammad, Chatwoot or Twilio. The number stays yours.
What happens to my licence if The-Y ceases to exist?
Then all self-hosted installations – with a free key, a monthly licence or a lifetime licence – first get a final update that removes the licence check and all usage limits. After that they keep running for free, without limits and indefinitely; your data is on your server anyway. This is also in our Terms of Use. If you use Free or Cloud Pro in our cloud, you can export your data at any time.
Switching from Zendesk – step by step
Each step takes about 5 to 10 minutes in The-Y. It can take longer if the WhatsApp number's two-step PIN has to be switched off first or if you take a phone number from Zendesk with you. Save your data in time: per the customer agreement you can export it until 30 days after the end of your term.
- Bring your contacts (about 5–10 min): At Zendesk, you export your customers (called “users” there) and organisations as a JSON or XML file under Admin Center → Account → Tools → Reports. The account owner first has to ask Zendesk support to enable this export; according to the help center it isn't available on Team plans – there it only works via the API. Zendesk itself only offers a CSV file of customers with the older “Customer Lists” add-on, so you convert the JSON or XML file into a CSV file first. In The-Y, under Contacts → “Import” you upload the CSV file, and the same works for companies and deals. A dry run first shows row by row what will be created or updated. Phone numbers are converted to international format so The-Y recognises customers when they message you on WhatsApp.
- Reconnect your email (about 5–10 min): Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com with “Connect with Microsoft”, no password needed; all other mailboxes via IMAP/SMTP. If you choose “Whole history”, The-Y also fetches the emails still in the mailbox's inbox. If you forward emails to Zendesk today, switch the forwarding off afterwards. Guide →
- Phone via your SIP line (about 10 min, longer with a port): Add the line from your phone provider (currently sipgate, Zadarma or Twilio) and link your number to that line at the provider. If your number comes from Zendesk today, request the port at your new provider. According to the help center, Zendesk approves the release within 24 hours if your account is in good financial standing; the new provider sets the timeline. After that the number stays with your provider. Guide →
- Move your WhatsApp number (about 5–10 min, plus any waiting time): At Zendesk, according to the help center, the WhatsApp account sits in your own Meta Business Manager and Zendesk is your provider for the connection. To switch, turn off two-step verification for the number in WhatsApp Manager. If the number was set up earlier in a WhatsApp account managed by Zendesk, first ask Zendesk support to switch off the PIN. In The-Y, click “Connect WhatsApp” and choose your business, your WhatsApp account and the number in Meta's window. If the number still has a two-step PIN, enter it afterwards in the “Existing PIN” field. After that the number runs on your own Meta account and Meta bills you directly. Guide →
- Swap the website chat (about 5–10 min): Replace the Zendesk widget on your website with The-Y's web chat – with a chat link, QR code and guides for website builders. Guide →
What doesn't come along
- Your ticket history from Zendesk – there is no import for it. The exception is email still in the mailbox (step 2).
- You set up macros, triggers and automations again in The-Y.
Seen enough? Try it yourself.
Click through the inbox, phone system and deals with sample data and see whether it suits your team better than Zendesk – everything is deleted after 24 hours.
Prefer to do it together? We set it up with you by video call – in your browser, nothing to install. Mon–Fri 10–12 and 14–17 (Vienna time).
More comparisons
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Sources (as of 10/2026)
- Pricing, plans, add-ons (Copilot, Contact Center) and plan comparison (telephony, channels, help center, CSAT, AI, light agents, data location), 14-day trial, startup programme, terms, currencies: zendesk.de/pricing (euro view; zendesk.com/pricing in US dollars), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Customer agreement (automatic renewal, cancellation, no refunds, agents can't be reduced, taxes, export until 30 days after the end): Zendesk Customer Agreement, accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Telephony: plans, phone numbers and call minutes as usage charges: Getting started with voice support and Zendesk Talk billing FAQ (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Your own line via SIP-IN (“Bring Your Own Carrier”, inbound only): Adding a SIP-IN line (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Porting a number, including away from Zendesk: Porting numbers for Zendesk Talk (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- WhatsApp channel (plans, your own Meta Business Manager, not at the same time in the WhatsApp Business app, no WhatsApp calls): Adding WhatsApp channels to the Agent Workspace (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Moving a WhatsApp number (Zendesk as Business Solution Provider, two-step PIN): Migrating WhatsApp numbers (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Meta's WhatsApp fees from 1 Oct 2026, separate from Zendesk fees: announcement of 10 Aug 2026 (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Data export (JSON, CSV, XML; plans; enabled by support) and exporting customers: Exporting ticket, user, or organization data, exporting a list of users and Customer Lists (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Zendesk Sell retired on 31 Aug 2027 (announced 9 Sep 2025, Pipedrive as replacement): Announcing the retiring of Zendesk Sell (help center), accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Data location, regions and exceptions: Regional Data Hosting Policy, accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Server example: netcup.com, as on our costs page
Zendesk is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison is independent and made to the best of our knowledge; please report errors to office@the-y.at and we'll correct them right away.