A Zendesk Chat alternative as it retires, $5 a month

What Zendesk announced

Read from Zendesk’s help centre on 3 November 2026. Zendesk may change its plans, so check its pages for your own account.

On 4 August 2026 Zendesk announced the removal of Zendesk Chat for messaging-eligible customers: “Zendesk Chat is retiring on January 31, 2028.” Full access to the Chat dashboard continues “until July 28, 2028”. Zendesk’s announcement.
“If you don’t voluntarily migrate, Zendesk will migrate your instance automatically.” Banners appear in the product 60 days in advance. Zendesk’s FAQ.
For customers who can’t migrate, Zendesk says: “We’d love for you to upgrade to Zendesk Suite. If not, you’ll lose all access to Chat in January 2028”.
The announcement adds: “We’ll be announcing a separate removal of Chat for customers with the legacy Chat-only plan.” If that is your plan, check Zendesk’s pages for your date.

Your options

Move to Zendesk messaging or Suite. This is the path Zendesk offers. Suite Team costs $55 per agent a month billed yearly, or $69 monthly, as of 21 October 2026 (Zendesk pricing). It is a full help desk, which is the right size for a support team.
Use SignalGood. It is for one person who answers from their phone, or for two or three people in a Telegram group on the Team plan. Visitors write in a chat window on your site, the message arrives in your Telegram, and your reply shows up in the window. $5 a month per website, or $50 a year, after 14 days free with no card. Team is $15 a month or $150 a year.
Use a tool with a team inbox. If more people than a small group need to answer, in an inbox on the web, tawk.to or Crisp do that well. See SignalGood and tawk.to and SignalGood and Crisp, or Tidio and Chatgram.

Who SignalGood is for, and who it isn’t for

It suits you if

You are one person, or two or three of you can answer from a Telegram group.
You already use Telegram, or don’t mind installing it.
You want a small chat with no badge and no per-agent price.

It doesn’t suit you if

You need a team inbox on the web with many agents. SignalGood has none: even a group on Team is still Telegram.
You need an inbox that takes replies by email. A visitor can leave an email to get your answer sent there too, but replying to that email does not reach you. Otherwise the answer waits 7 days in the chat.
You need your old Zendesk chats inside the new tool. SignalGood can’t import them.

Your visitors don’t need Telegram. You do, because that is where you answer.

Switch in about five minutes

Step 1: Export your Zendesk chats if you want a copy. The new chat starts empty.
Step 2: Add SignalGood next to Zendesk Chat. Paste one line before the end of your page, or on WordPress use the plugin. Every platform has a short guide. Both chats can run for a day while you check.
Step 3: Tap “Continue with Telegram” and send yourself a test message from your own website. It arrives in Telegram, and your reply appears in the chat.
Step 4: Then remove Zendesk Chat. Take its code out of your site’s header, or on WordPress deactivate the Zendesk Chat plugin.
Not sure which Zendesk code is the chat?
The Zopim code (v2.zopim.com or $zopim) is classic Zendesk Chat. The script static.zdassets.com/ekr/snippet.js is Zendesk’s Web Widget, which may also be running Zendesk messaging or help-centre search, so check in Zendesk Admin which widget it is before you remove it. That way you don’t delete a support widget that still works.

Your line looks like this, with your own site code where it says your-site-id:

Example

<script src="https://signalgood.com/s/your-site-id.js" async></script>

Start free to get your lineYour own line is under Install in Your websites.

Questions

When exactly does Zendesk Chat stop?

Zendesk’s announcement of 4 August 2026 says: “Zendesk Chat is retiring on January 31, 2028.” Full access to the Chat dashboard continues “until July 28, 2028”. That announcement is for customers who can move to Zendesk messaging. Zendesk also says: “We’ll be announcing a separate removal of Chat for customers with the legacy Chat-only plan.” If that is you, read Zendesk’s own pages for your date.

What happens if I do nothing?

Zendesk’s FAQ says: “If you don’t voluntarily migrate, Zendesk will migrate your instance automatically.” It says banners appear in the product 60 days in advance. For customers who can’t migrate it says: “We’d love for you to upgrade to Zendesk Suite. If not, you’ll lose all access to Chat in January 2028”.

Can I keep my old Zendesk chats?

SignalGood can’t import them, so export them from Zendesk first if you want to keep them. A new SignalGood chat starts empty.

Do my visitors need Telegram?

No. Visitors just type in the chat window on your website. You are the one who needs Telegram, because that is where their questions arrive and where you answer.

Can two people answer?

Yes, on the Team plan, which is $15 a month or $150 a year per website. Instead of your own chat with SignalGood, the messages arrive in a Telegram group you add SignalGood to, and anyone in the group can reply. There are no seats and no shared web inbox: it is still Telegram. If more people than a small group need to answer, tawk.to or Crisp suit you better.

What if a visitor leaves before I answer?

Your answer waits for them for 7 days and shows up if they come back to your site on the same browser. A visitor can also leave an email if they want your answer sent there too. It is optional, and replying to that email does not reach you.

New to the idea? Read how Telegram live chat works.