Best Zendesk Sell Alternatives in 2027: Top CRMs to Migrate To

In this article, we’ll compare the best Zendesk Sell alternatives with similar functionality, compare them by features, customization, support, and price. After reading this, support admins will get a clear understanding of the most affordable and functional CRM for their specific case.

Here is a brief overview of what tools we are going to cover here:

• CRM and Deals from GrowthDot
• Pipedrive
• HubSpot
• Salesforce
• Zoho
• Freshworks

Besides, you will get the best insights and tools to migrate your data from Zendesk Sell to your preferred CRM for pipeline management. As a result, you may be thinking “Why we haven’t migrated earlier?” We hope we’ll be a part of your right decision.

What happens when Zendesk shuts down?

Considering that Zendesk Sell’s sunset date has long been known, users can face specific difficulties if they are late in exporting data:

Loss of access after the shutdown date. You may have lost your login credentials and integrations. Necessity of data migration Integrations may break Teams can lose historical data for reporting

That’s why Zendesk usually recommends exporting data and migrate to another CRM before the cutoff.

Best Zendesk sell alternatives

CRM and Deals for Zendesk by GrowthDot

CRM and Deals by GrowthDot is an integration deeply embedded in Zendesk Support. You don’t even need to go back and forth between two tabs – Support and Sell, everything is in Zendesk Support on hand.

Benefits of CRM and Deals for Zendesk

• Simple and intuitive interface. No tab switching, and CRM is visible like a native part of Zendesk, not a separate window.
  Read also: Our customer switched to CRM and Deals and took advantage of this time-saving feature
• CRM and Deals are lightweight, lower-cost alternatives to Zendesk Sell, especially for SMBs and support-driven sales teams.
• 360° customer view. Support agents can see all customer interactions, including active deals, previous purchases, customer loyalty data, sales conversations, and communication history.
• Sales forecasting and reporting. With CRM and Deals, support managers can plan revenue by using sales forecasting, analyze conversion rates, track won/lost reasons, monitor pipeline performance, and create reports and insights.
• Omnichannel communication. The app works with Zendesk communication channels, allowing teams to continue handling email and support conversations from the same environment.
• Affordable pricing for growing teams. Compared with enterprise CRM stacks or Zendesk Sell setups, GrowthDot offers a more affordable per-agent pricing model for teams seeking essential CRM functionality without enterprise overhead.
• Easy migration from Zendesk Sell. GrowthDot also highlights migration support from Zendesk Sell, including the transfer of pipelines, deals, contacts, products, and historical sales data.

Best Fit For CRM and Deals are especially useful for small and medium enterprises, support-driven sales teams, and customer success teams. Also, it is a good fit for:

• SaaS companies
• SMBs using Zendesk Support
• companies wanting CRM functionality without adopting a separate CRM platform

Possible Disadvantages of CRM and Deals for Zendesk

Limited Compared to Full Enterprise CRMs

CRM and Deals focus on sales pipeline and deal management within Zendesk rather than serving as a complete enterprise CRM platform.

Best Suited only for Zendesk Users

The product’s biggest advantage is also its limitation: it is tightly integrated with Zendesk. If a company later migrates away from Zendesk, the CRM workflow may require more substantial effort to migrate.

Reporting May Be Less Advanced

The app includes forecasting and reporting features. However, organizations that require highly advanced BI dashboards, complex multi-touch attribution, predictive analytics, and enterprise-grade sales analytics may eventually need external reporting tools or dedicated CRM platforms.

Per-Agent Pricing Can Grow with Team Size

Although CRM and Deals is positioned as more affordable than Zendesk Sell, it still follows a per-agent pricing model. For rapidly growing teams, costs can increase as additional agents require access.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM built around visual pipeline management. It was designed with salespeople in mind, making it one of the most intuitive options for teams transitioning away from Zendesk Sell.

Benefits of Pipedrive

• Visual pipeline management. Pipedrive’s drag-and-drop deal boards closely mirror the Zendesk Sell experience, making the transition feel natural for sales reps who rely on visual workflows.
• Activity-based selling. The platform keeps teams focused on the next action rather than just the outcome — scheduling calls, emails, and follow-ups directly within each deal.
• Automation and workflows. Pipedrive includes built-in workflow automation for repetitive tasks such as follow-up reminders, lead rotation, and deal stage updates.
• Rich integration ecosystem. With 400+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, and Zapier, Pipedrive fits easily into existing tech stacks.
• AI-powered sales assistant. Pipedrive includes an AI assistant that surfaces deal recommendations, highlights at-risk opportunities, and helps sales reps prioritize their day.
• Transparent pricing tiers. Plans range from Essential to Enterprise, allowing growing teams to unlock features progressively without overpaying from the start.

Best Fit For Pipedrive is ideal for small-to-medium sales teams that are purely sales-focused and want a dedicated CRM without the complexity of enterprise platforms. It works especially well for:

• B2B sales teams with structured pipelines
• Teams migrating from Zendesk Sell who want a similar deal-centric UX
• Companies needing strong reporting without a heavy setup

Possible Disadvantages of Pipedrive

• Limited native customer support features. Unlike Zendesk Sell, Pipedrive is purely a sales CRM. There is no native ticketing or support integration, so companies with blended support-and-sales teams may need additional tools.
• Reporting requires higher-tier plans. Advanced reporting and revenue forecasting are locked behind more expensive plans, which can be a barrier for smaller teams.
• Not ideal for complex enterprise deals. Teams with highly customized sales processes or large account management needs may find Pipedrive’s feature set constraining at scale.

Salesforce

Salesforce is the world’s leading enterprise CRM platform. For larger organizations transitioning from Zendesk Sell, Salesforce offers unmatched depth, customization, and scalability. Benefits of Salesforce

• Industry-leading customization. Virtually every aspect of Salesforce can be tailored to match your specific sales process — from custom objects and fields to complex approval workflows.
• Comprehensive ecosystem. Salesforce AppExchange offers thousands of pre-built integrations and extensions, covering everything from CPQ to AI-driven forecasting.
• Advanced analytics with Tableau. Salesforce’s acquisition of Tableau gives enterprise users access to world-class business intelligence tools that go far beyond standard CRM reporting.
• AI with Salesforce Einstein. Built-in AI tools assist with lead scoring, opportunity insights, deal forecasting, and next-best-action recommendations.
• Scalability. Salesforce is built to support organizations of any size, from growing mid-market companies to global enterprises with thousands of sales reps.
• Strong community and support. Salesforce’s Trailblazer community, documentation, and ecosystem of certified partners make it one of the best-supported platforms available.

Best Fit For

Salesforce is the right choice for larger enterprises or fast-scaling companies that need deep customization, complex process automation, and advanced reporting. It suits:

• Enterprise sales organizations
• Companies with complex, multi-stage deal cycles
• Organizations that need deep integration with ERP or custom internal systems

Possible Disadvantages of Salesforce

• High cost and complexity. Salesforce is one of the most expensive CRM platforms on the market, and implementation typically requires dedicated admins or a consulting partner.
• Steep learning curve. The platform’s depth is also its greatest barrier. New users often require significant training before reaching full productivity.
• Overkill for smaller teams. For SMBs or support-driven sales teams, Salesforce’s overhead — both financial and operational — can far outweigh its benefits.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a feature-rich, budget-friendly platform that has become a popular choice for businesses seeking a capable Zendesk Sell replacement without enterprise-level pricing.

Benefits of Zoho CRM

• Competitive pricing. Zoho offers one of the most affordable pricing structures among full-featured CRM platforms, with plans suitable for small teams and large organizations alike.
• Broad feature set. Lead management, deal tracking, workflow automation, email integration, social media monitoring, and AI-powered insights are all included across its plan tiers.
• Zia AI assistant. Zoho’s built-in AI, Zia, can predict deal outcomes, detect anomalies in sales activity, suggest optimal contact times, and automate data entry.
• Deep integration with the Zoho ecosystem. Companies already using Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, or other Zoho apps will find native integrations that reduce setup time significantly.
• Highly customizable. Custom modules, fields, layouts, and workflows allow teams to shape Zoho CRM around their specific processes rather than adapting to the tool.
• Omnichannel engagement. Zoho CRM supports outreach across email, phone, live chat, social media, and webforms from a single interface.

Best Fit For

Zoho CRM is well-suited for budget-conscious SMBs, teams already embedded in the Zoho ecosystem, and companies that need broad CRM functionality without the price tag of enterprise alternatives.

It is a good choice for:

• Mid-sized businesses seeking an affordable all-rounder
• Teams wanting strong customization at a lower cost
• Companies looking to standardize on the Zoho product suite

Possible Disadvantages of Zoho CRM

• UI can feel dated. Some users find Zoho’s interface less polished than competitors like HubSpot or Pipedrive, which can slow onboarding.
• Support quality varies by plan. Responsive, prioritized support is typically limited to higher-tier plans, which can be frustrating during initial setup.
• Integration complexity outside Zoho. While the Zoho ecosystem integrates smoothly, connecting Zoho CRM to third-party tools outside that ecosystem can sometimes require more configuration effort.

Freshworks CRM (Freshsales)

Freshsales, part of the Freshworks suite, is a modern, AI-powered CRM that balances ease of use with a solid feature set. For teams leaving Zendesk Sell, it offers a familiar deal-pipeline experience with built-in telephony and communication tools.

Benefits of Freshsales

• Built-in phone and email. Unlike many CRMs that require third-party integrations for calling, Freshsales includes a native phone system and two-way email sync out of the box.
• Freddy AI. Freshsales’ AI engine assists with lead scoring, deal insights, activity capture, and next-step suggestions, helping reps focus on the highest-value opportunities.
• 360° contact view. Sales reps get a complete picture of each contact, including website activity, email engagement, previous conversations, and deal history.
• Unified Freshworks ecosystem. Companies using Freshdesk for customer support can integrate it with Freshsales to align the support and sales teams on shared customer data.
• Easy migration and onboarding. Freshsales offers data import tools and guided onboarding, reducing the friction of switching from Zendesk Sell.
• Flexible free plan. A generous free tier makes Freshsales accessible for small teams testing the platform before committing.

Best Fit For

Freshsales is a strong option for teams that want a modern, clean CRM with built-in communication tools and a straightforward migration path from Zendesk Sell.

It works particularly well for:

• Inside sales teams that rely heavily on calls and email outreach
• Companies already using Freshdesk for customer support
• SMBs that want AI-powered insights without enterprise complexity

Possible Disadvantages of Freshsales

• Advanced features locked behind higher plans. AI-powered forecasting, advanced workflows, and custom reporting require Growth or Enterprise plan subscriptions.
• Smaller integration ecosystem. Compared to HubSpot or Salesforce, Freshsales offers a more limited range of third-party integrations, which may be a constraint for complex tech stacks.
• Reporting depth. While reporting capabilities have improved, power users with complex analytics needs may find the dashboards less sophisticated than dedicated BI tools or enterprise CRM platforms.

How to Migrate from Zendesk Sell

Regardless of which alternative you choose, data migration is often the most stressful part of the transition. Here are the key steps to ensure a smooth move:

1. Export your data early. Before the August 31, 2027 shutdown, export all contacts, deals, notes, pipelines, and historical activity logs from Zendesk Sell.
2. Audit what you actually need. Not all historical data needs to be migrated. Use the transition as an opportunity to clean up duplicate contacts, closed-lost deals, and outdated records.
3. Use a dedicated migration tool. Several platforms, including GrowthDot, offer purpose-built migration tools that automatically map Zendesk Sell data fields to your new CRM’s structure.
4. Test before going live. Run a test migration with a small data subset first to verify that fields, pipelines, and relationships are mapped correctly.
5. Train your team. A new CRM is only as effective as the team using it. Invest in onboarding sessions before the cutoff date so reps are productive from day one.

Final Thoughts

There is no single “best” Zendesk Sell alternative — the right choice depends on your team size, budget, existing tech stack, and how deeply your sales and support processes are intertwined. If your team lives inside Zendesk Support, CRM and Deals by GrowthDot offers the most seamless transition. If you need a pure sales CRM, Pipedrive is a natural fit. For companies wanting to consolidate their entire go-to-market stack, HubSpot or Salesforce provides the broadest coverage.

Whatever you decide, the key is to act well before the August 31, 2027 deadline — giving your team time to migrate cleanly, train effectively, and hit the ground running in your new CRM.