HEAD TO HEAD
Halo (formerly HaloITSM) or Zendesk: which ITSM platform fits your team?
IN SHORT
Halo documents departments beyond IT, incident management, problem management, change management and CMDB where Zendesk does not; Zendesk documents configuration tools for non-specialists where Halo does not. They match on 7 of 13 capabilities. Which matters more depends on your answers in the finder.
By The Ticket Desk · ITSM Compared · Published 2026-10-11
Desk research from public vendor pages, pricing pages and G2 pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not test the products.
How do Halo and Zendesk compare capability by capability?
| Capability | Halo | Zendesk | Differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan or trial | Documented A trial is offered; 30 days with all modules on the 27 September read. Source: Halo pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Documented 14-day trial with Suite Professional features. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Same |
| Published price | Documented £69 per agent a month, UK list, annual; onboarding package required. Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Documented Suite Team $29, Growth $59, Professional $99 per agent a month. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Same |
| Self-service portal or catalog | Documented Employee portal included as standard. Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Documented Employee portal and service catalog from Suite Growth. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Same |
| AI triage and routing | Documented AI triaging included as standard. Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Documented Intent detection; Intelligent Triage on Enterprise. Source: Zendesk AI · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Same |
| AI agents | Documented AI agents; process agents auto-resolve known issues. Source: Halo AI · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Documented AI agents on every Employee Service plan. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Same |
| Configuration tools for non-specialists | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Documented Action builder on every plan; admin copilot from Professional; sandbox on Enterprise. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Differs |
| Departments beyond IT | Documented HR service delivery, finance and legal, facilities included as standard. Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Partly One platform for customer and employee service; HR-specific workflows not detailed. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Differs |
| Incident management | Documented In the single licence. Source: Halo pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Partly Employee request ticketing; ITIL incident management is not named. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Differs |
| Problem management | Documented In the single licence. Source: Halo pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Not in our sources Not listed on the pricing page. | Differs |
| Change management | Documented In the single licence. Source: Halo pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Not in our sources Not listed on the pricing page. | Differs |
| CMDB | Documented CMDB and asset discovery included. Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026 | Not in our sources Not listed on the pricing page. | Differs |
| IT asset management | Documented Assets included. Source: Halo pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Documented IT asset management from Suite Growth. Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 | Same |
| Self-managed option | Not in our sources On-premises is not mentioned on the pages we read. | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Same |
Which rollout milestones does each put on the entry plan?
- On the entry plan
- On a higher plan or as a paid add-on
- Documented, plan not stated
- Not documented on the pages we read
Halo
Zendesk
Halo has 6 milestones on its entry plan; Zendesk has 3.
What do Halo and Zendesk cost?
Halo
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Single plan | £69 per agent/month, billed annually (UK list price; £66 on 27 Sep 2026) |
| Halo Enterprise Package | $1M a year, fixed |
| Trial | Offered |
Source: Halo pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Zendesk
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Suite Team | $29 per agent/month, paid yearly |
| Suite Growth | $59 per agent/month |
| Suite Professional | $99 per agent/month |
| Suite Enterprise + Copilot | Not published |
| Add-on Copilot | $50 per agent/month |
| Trial | 14 days |
Source: Zendesk Employee Service pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
When does Halo fit, and when Zendesk?
Consider Halo if
Teams that want every module, including ESM and CMDB, in one per-agent licence.
Every module, from change management to CMDB and ESM, in one published per-agent price.
Watch for: Everything is switched on in one licence, so there is more to scope before launch, and onboarding packages are required at a bespoke cost.
Consider Zendesk if
Teams already running Zendesk for customers that want employee service on the same platform.
AI agents and an action builder on every Employee Service plan.
Watch for: Change management, problem management and a CMDB are not listed.
Questions readers ask
Is Halo or Zendesk better for a mid-market IT team?
Neither in general. Halo documents departments beyond IT, incident management, problem management, change management and CMDB; Zendesk documents configuration tools for non-specialists. Answer the ITSM fit finder to see which matches your team.
Which is cheaper, Halo or Zendesk?
Halo starts at £69 per agent per month (UK list, billed annually, 11 Oct 2026); Zendesk starts at $29 per agent per month (Suite Team, billed annually). Compare plans at your team size in the ITSM cost calculator.
Do Halo and Zendesk cover change management and a CMDB?
Halo: Yes. Incident, request, problem and change management, major incidents, assets, CMDB and asset discovery are included as standard. Zendesk: Not listed. IT asset management starts on Suite Growth, but change management, problem management and a CMDB are not listed on the Employee Service pricing page.