Respond.io vs Zendesk
Respond.io vs Zendesk, compared side by side on 20 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Respond.io is on 59/100 and Zendesk on 62/100.
Where each one leads
Respond.io
- funding raised: $62.5M against $500K
Zendesk
- domain rating: 93/100 against 74/100
- headcount: 6,706 against 100
At a glance
| Measure | Respond.io | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI-powered customer communication platform. | Cloud-based customer service and engagement platform providing ticketing, messaging, and AI-powered support tools. |
| Category | Customer Service, Artificial Intelligence, Conversational AI, Customer Service Automation | Customer Service, Software, AI, SaaS |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2016 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | San Francisco, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Respond.io | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 100 | 6,706 |
| Total funding | $62.5M | $500K |
| Latest round | Series B | Seed |
| Valuation | $1.1B | $10B |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Respond.io | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 59/100 | 62/100 |
| Traction | 59/100 | 48/100 |
| Team | Not published | 30/100 |
| Search visibility | 23/100 | 33/100 |
| Quality | 78/100 | 81/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (58/100) | C (61/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 74/100 | 93/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Respond.io | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| CDN | Cloudflare | Cloudflare |
| Frameworks | Astro, Tailwind CSS | Next.js |
| Analytics | Not detected | Google Tag Manager |
| Support stack | Not detected | Zendesk |
| Open source | No | Yes |
What users say
| Measure | Respond.io | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Reddit sentimentThreads we track | 1 positive, 0 negative across 2 threads | Not published |
“respondio. Official subreddit for respond.io – the #1 customer conversation management platform. We’re reserving this space for future product discussions, community tips, and support resources.”r/
Respond.io vs Zendesk: common questions
Which is better, Respond.io or Zendesk?
On our 0-100 score Zendesk rates higher (62/100 against 59/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 20 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Respond.io and Zendesk compare on the numbers?
Respond.io leads on funding raised ($62.5M against $500K). Zendesk leads on domain rating (93/100 against 74/100), headcount (6,706 against 100).
What do real users say about Respond.io and Zendesk?
Respond.io: 1 positive and 0 negative mentions across 2 Reddit threads we track.
Read the full Respond.io review and pricing or the Zendesk review and pricing. You can also browse other Respond.io alternatives we track.