Quivr vs Zendesk AI: Why We Built Something Different

I've had this conversation a hundred times. A support leader tells me they're using Zendesk, they're curious about AI, and they ask: "What's different about Quivr?"

The honest answer? Everything. But let me start with the part that matters most to your CFO.

The $55 That Becomes $165

Zendesk advertises their Suite plans starting at $55/agent/month. Sounds reasonable, right?

But wait, there's more. Every time their AI resolves a ticket automatically? That's another $1.50 to $2.00 per resolution. On top of your monthly fees.

Let me do some quick math. If you have 10 agents and resolve 2,000 tickets per month with AI:

And that's before storage fees, security add-ons, and marketplace apps.

What Users Actually Say

Here's where it gets ironic. Zendesk—a company that sells customer service software—has a 1.3/5 rating on Trustpilot.

“

It is ironic that Zendesk, a 'customer service' company has some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced.

Anonymous Reviewer·Trustpilot

On Reddit, the complaints about their AI are even more specific:

“

The AI Copilot feels bolted on—you have to open side panels, manually trigger actions, and the custom answer flow builder is painful to navigate.

Reddit User

“

After using Zendesk for 4 years, the support became progressively slower and robotic. We get an AI bot that doesn't solve anything.

4-Year Zendesk Customer

This isn't cherry-picking. Browse G2 reviews yourself. You'll see the same patterns: complex pricing, AI that doesn't feel native, support that doesn't support.

The Problem With Legacy AI

Zendesk was founded in 2007. That's almost two decades ago—before the iPhone existed, before cloud computing was mainstream, before anyone knew what GPT meant.

They built a ticketing system. A good one, actually. But then AI happened, and they had to retrofit it.

This is the fundamental problem with legacy chatbots: they were designed to deflect, not to solve. They parse keywords instead of understanding intent. They can't query your backend systems. And when they fail, they escalate to humans—which costs you more money.

How We Built Quivr Differently

When we started Quivr, we had one question: what would AI-native customer support look like if we built it from scratch?

No legacy architecture. No features designed for a pre-AI world. Just a system that actually solves tickets.

• Transparent pricing

  Our base subscription is €150/month. That includes six AI agents, custom integrations, premium support, and everything you need to get started. No per-agent fees.
• Usage-based costs

  You pay €1 per auto-resolved ticket. That's it. If our AI solves 2,000 tickets for you this month, you pay €2,000 for those resolutions. If it solves 500, you pay €500.
• No hidden fees

  Ticket routing costs €0.03 per tag. Draft suggestions cost €0.50 per used draft. Analytics? Free. Knowledge management? Free. Everything is documented on our pricing page.

Compare that to Zendesk's maze of plans, add-ons, and per-resolution charges. We've had prospects show us Zendesk quotes that they literally couldn't parse without a spreadsheet.

Le Juge: Quality You Can Trust

Here's what really separates us: we don't just automate—we guarantee quality.

This is why our First Contact Resolution rates are high and our Customer Effort Scores stay low. We're not just deflecting tickets—we're solving them.

5 Minutes to Get Started

Here's something that blows people's minds: you can be up and running with Quivr in under 5 minutes.

I'm not exaggerating. Three steps:

1. 1
   Install the app

   Click 'Install' from the Zendesk or Freshdesk marketplace. One click, done.
2. 2
   Connect your API key

   Paste your API key. We handle the rest—no complex configuration, no IT department required.
3. 3
   You're live

   That's it. Your AI agents are ready to start resolving tickets immediately.

Compare that to Zendesk's AI setup, which typically requires:

• Multiple configuration wizards
• Training on your knowledge base (manual tagging, anyone?)
• Custom flow builders that feel like programming
• Weeks of "implementation support" (sold separately, of course)

We designed it this way on purpose. If our AI is as good as we say it is, you should be able to prove it in an afternoon—not after a 6-week implementation project.

The Numbers Side by Side

Let's make this concrete. Same scenario: 10-agent team, 2,000 AI resolutions per month.

That's roughly half the cost. And with Quivr, your costs scale linearly with value delivered. You only pay when we actually solve something.

The Real Question

Look, I'm not going to pretend Zendesk is a bad product. It's been around for 18 years for a reason. If you're already deeply integrated and happy with it, maybe switching doesn't make sense.

But if you're evaluating AI options—or if you're frustrated with pricing that feels designed to confuse—it's worth seeing what AI-native support looks like.

Or just email me directly: founders@quivr.app. I read every message.