Solves vs Zoho Desk, told straight.
Zoho Desk is a capable helpdesk inside one of the largest software suites going, with a free edition for up to three agents. Solves is deliberately narrow: an email-first, multi-brand, UK-first support desk. This page sets out where each one is the better choice, using only figures we have verified.
Zoho Desk figures verified on 13 June 2026. Re-check current pricing on the Zoho Desk site before you decide.
The short answer
Two good tools for different jobs
Zoho Desk and Solves are not really chasing the same buyer. Zoho Desk is the support layer of a sprawling suite, the natural pick if you already live in Zoho or want many channels under one roof. Solves does one thing: turn support email into owned, timed, multi-brand tickets for a small UK team.
If you want a free three-agent helpdesk that plugs into CRM, accounts and dozens of other Zoho apps, Zoho Desk is a sensible, well-supported choice, and this page will not pretend otherwise. If most of your support is email, you run more than one brand, and you want UK pricing without learning a large platform, Solves is built for exactly that.
The honest summary: Zoho Desk wins on breadth and on its free edition for three agents; Solves wins on focus, multi-brand and UK fit. Read on for where each line of that holds, with the verified detail behind it.
Side by side
Solves and Zoho Desk at a glance
A plain comparison of where each tool sits. Zoho Desk figures verified on 13 June 2026; this is not a claim of feature parity.
| Solves | Zoho Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Starter at GBP 29, paid from the start (3 users, 1 brand, 1 mailbox, 1,000 tickets a month) | Free edition for up to 3 agents, no stated expiry |
| Primary focus | Email-first support tickets only | Helpdesk inside the wider Zoho suite |
| Channels | Email only, by design (no chat, phone or social) | Multi-channel as part of the broader Zoho platform |
| Multi-brand | Core: per-brand mailboxes, signatures, saved replies, one unified queue | Available within Zoho Desk editions; not the core selling point |
| Pricing model | GBP team bands, ex VAT, no per-seat penalty for helpers | Per agent, paid editions from around USD 14 per agent a month |
| SLAs on the free tier | SLA timers ship on Solves (first-response and resolution, breaching view) | Not in the free edition; SLAs are a paid feature |
| UK fit | UK-first: GBP ex VAT, designed for UK SMEs | Global product, region-priced; not UK-specific |
| Migration from a shared inbox | Shipped: forwarding-first mailbox setup off Gmail or Outlook | Import tooling within the Zoho ecosystem |
Competitor facts last verified 13 June 2026. Re-check the vendor's current plans before deciding.
Solves does not claim feature parity with Zoho Desk or the wider Zoho suite. If you need many channels or the rest of the Zoho apps, Zoho is the better fit.
Where Zoho Desk wins
Be honest: Zoho Desk is the better pick here
There are clear cases where we would point you to Zoho Desk rather than Solves. Pretending otherwise would not help you choose.
The wider Zoho suite
Zoho Desk is one app in a very large family: CRM, books, projects, campaigns and dozens more. If you already run your business on Zoho, or you want your helpdesk, sales and accounts sharing one account and one billing relationship, that breadth is a real advantage that a single-purpose tool like Solves cannot match. Solves connects to the focused set of services it needs and stops there, on purpose.
A free edition for three agents
The Zoho Desk pricing comparison lists a free edition for up to three agents with no stated expiry, covering email ticketing, comments and a basic Help Centre. For a very small team that wants a free, multi-channel-capable desk inside a recognised suite and does not need SLAs, automation or real-time collaboration on day one, that free edition is a genuine reason to start with Zoho Desk. Solves has a Starter at GBP 29, so it is honest to call Zoho Desk the more generous free option for three agents.
Channels beyond email
If your customers expect live chat, phone or social alongside email, the broader Zoho platform handles that. Solves does not, and never will pretend to. When the requirement is genuinely omnichannel, Zoho is the safer choice.
Where Solves wins
Where the narrow tool pulls ahead
Solves is not trying to be a smaller Zoho Desk. It is a different shape: built for a small UK team whose support is email, often across more than one brand.
Email-first, with nothing to wade through
Solves does one job well. Shared inboxes such as support@, info@ and accounts@ become owned tickets with assignment, states, priority, tags, saved replies, public replies and private notes, saved queue views and SLA timers. There are no chat widgets, phone trees or channels you will never switch on. A new agent is productive the same day because there is far less product to learn.
Multi-brand as a first-class feature
Multi-brand is core to Solves, not a higher-tier add-on. Each brand keeps its own support address, sender name, signature and saved replies, and your team works every brand from one unified queue with a brand badge on each ticket. The composer is locked to the ticket's brand and mailbox, so a reply for one brand cannot quietly go out as another. For an agency or a group running several identities, that is the day-to-day difference.
UK-first pricing
Solves prices in GBP ex VAT with VAT-visible invoices, and ships first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view that surfaces overdue tickets. The plan is a team band, not a per-seat charge, so a colleague who helps clear a busy Monday does not cost you a full extra licence. For a UK SME that is sized to its team, not its peak headcount.
Privacy you can describe plainly
Customer support content is encrypted at rest with per-organisation keys, access is limited to authorised users, and logs hold metadata only, never message bodies or email addresses. We describe what is actually built rather than claiming certifications or hosting brands we do not have, and we are working towards the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility target.
What ships in Solves
The features behind the email-first claim
Everything here is live in Solves today. Things on the roadmap are kept off this list on purpose.
Owned email tickets
Shared inboxes become tickets with assignment, states, priority and tags, so nothing slips between mailboxes.
Saved replies
Reusable replies scoped to a brand or shared across the organisation, with no leftover placeholders to tidy up.
Replies and private notes
A hard separation between public replies and internal notes, with collaborators who can add notes only and a stale-reply guard.
Saved views and filters
Build the queues your team actually works, then return to them in one click instead of rebuilding a filter each time.
SLA timers
First-response and resolution timers with per-brand or organisation targets, and a clear view of what is breaching.
Multi-brand
Per-brand mailboxes, brand-locked sending, contact history by brand and one unified queue across every brand you can access.
Guided mailbox setup
Forwarding-first setup with plain-English DNS checks; live sending stays gated until a mailbox passes.
Reports
See volume, response times and where SLAs are at risk, without exporting anything to a spreadsheet first.
Audit history
A metadata audit trail of who did what, so changes to a ticket or a brand can be accounted for.
On moving from Zoho Desk
A guided import from another helpdesk is on the roadmap and in pilot, not a finished one-click transfer, so we will not claim a working Zoho Desk migration. What is shipped is moving off a Gmail or Outlook shared inbox with forwarding-first mailbox setup, and for an early move we set up your brands and mailboxes with you.
How to decide
A three-question gut check
Is your support mostly email?
If yes, Solves fits. If you need live chat, phone or social in the same tool, the wider Zoho suite is the better fit.
Do you run more than one brand?
If you answer from several support addresses as several identities, Solves treats that as a core job rather than a paid add-on.
Do you want UK pricing?
If GBP ex VAT and first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view matter, Solves is built around them.
FAQ
Solves vs Zoho Desk questions
Does Zoho Desk have a free plan?
Yes. The Zoho Desk pricing comparison lists a free edition for up to three agents with no stated expiry, so in practice it is forever-free. It covers email ticketing, comments and a basic Help Centre, but it does not include SLAs, automation or real-time collaboration. If three agents and the Zoho ecosystem suit you, that free edition is a genuine reason to choose Zoho Desk. Verified on 13 June 2026.
Is Solves cheaper than Zoho Desk?
It depends on your team and what you need. Zoho Desk paid editions start around USD 14 per agent each month and scale per seat, so cost grows with headcount. Solves uses GBP team bands: Starter at GBP 29, Team at GBP 79, Growth at GBP 149 and Agency/MSP at GBP 299 a month, all ex VAT, with twelve months for the price of ten on annual billing. A band can be the better deal for a small team that picks up occasional helpers, because you are not paying per seat for them.
Can Solves do live chat and phone like the wider Zoho suite?
No, and that is deliberate. Solves is email-first: it turns shared support inboxes into owned, timed tickets with replies, private notes, SLAs and multi-brand. It does not run live chat, phone, social or any contact-centre channel. Zoho Desk sits inside a much larger Zoho suite that reaches well beyond email. If you want those channels in one place, Zoho is the broader platform.
Which is better for running several brands?
Multi-brand is core to Solves, not a top-tier add-on. Each brand keeps its own support address, sender name, signature and saved replies, while your team works every brand from one unified queue, with a guard that stops a reply going out as the wrong brand. If most of your support is email and you run more than one brand, that is the case where Solves is built to shine.
Can I move from Zoho Desk to Solves today?
A guided import from another helpdesk is on the roadmap and in pilot, not a finished self-serve transfer, so we would not claim a one-click Zoho Desk migration. What is shipped and works now is moving off a Gmail or Outlook shared inbox using the forwarding-first mailbox setup, with plain-English DNS checks before live sending is allowed. For an early move we set up your brands and mailboxes with you.
Is Solves a UK product?
Yes. Solves is UK-first: prices are in GBP ex VAT, with first-response and resolution SLA timers and a breaching view that surfaces overdue tickets, and it is designed for UK SMEs. Customer content is encrypted at rest with per-organisation keys, access is limited to authorised users, and logs hold metadata only, never message bodies or email addresses.
Try the email-first option
Start at £29, or let us set up your brands and mailboxes with you. If Zoho Desk is the better fit for you, we will say so.