Brandwave

Salesforce vs Zendesk:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Salesforce had more branded searches than Zendesk among self service portals worldwide. Salesforce had about 2.9 million branded searches, while Zendesk had 301,000. Salesforce made up 55.3% of all self service portal searches we track, and Zendesk accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about self service portals, Zendesk appeared in three of the five answers and Salesforce in two. Zendesk was mentioned before Salesforce in every answer.

Among self service portals worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Salesforce, about 10 searches for every 1 for Zendesk

Salesforce 2.9M searchesZendesk 301K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Zendesk, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Salesforce in 2

Zendesk in 3 of 5Salesforce in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Zendesk, named ahead of Salesforce in every answer

Zendesk first in 2Salesforce never first

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Top self service portals in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Zendesk was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Salesforce was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Zendesk was listed before Salesforce in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Zendesk1st
  2. ServiceNow2nd
  3. HubSpot3rd
  4. Freshdesk3rd
  5. ManageEngine3rd
  6. Salesforce6th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Zendesk3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Salesforce2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • HubSpot2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • ServiceNow1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Freshdesk1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • ManageEngine1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about self service portals

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Salesforce or Zendesk more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Salesforce and Zendesk by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six self service portals we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Salesforce and Zendesk among self service portals worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Salesforce, Zendesk. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSalesforceHubSpotServiceNowZendeskFreshdeskManageEngine
Oct 202549.3%30.4%9.1%7.5%2.3%1.4%
Nov 202549.5%30.2%9.1%7.5%2.3%1.5%
Dec 202552.2%26.3%9.7%7.9%2.4%1.5%
Jan 202649.4%30.8%9.2%7.6%1.9%1.2%
Feb 202653.4%27%9.9%6.7%1.7%1.3%
Mar 202649.5%30.6%9.2%7.5%1.7%1.5%
Apr 202649.8%31.1%11.4%5.1%1.3%1.3%
May 202652.1%26.6%12%6.6%1.4%1.3%
Jun 202649.1%30.7%11.3%6.2%1.5%1.2%
Jul 202653.9%27.6%10.2%5.6%1.4%1.3%
Aug 202654.9%28.2%8.5%5.7%1.4%1.4%
Sep 202655.3%28.9%7.1%5.8%1.8%1.1%

How has the Salesforce and Zendesk comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Salesforce was ahead of Zendesk in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salesforce’s share of searches among self service portals worldwide moved from 49.3% to 55.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4M to 2.9M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zendesk’s share of searches among self service portals worldwide moved from 7.5% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 369K to 301K.

How did search popularity change for self service portals worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Salesforce’s share of searches among self service portals worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 49.1% to 55.3% in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Zendesk worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 369K to 301K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

36 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Salesforce’s and Zendesk’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Salesforce

34 branded search terms

  • agentforce
  • app salesforce
  • data cloud salesforce
  • experience cloud
  • marketing cloud
  • sales cloud
  • sales cloud salesforce
  • salesforce
  • salesforce agentforce
  • salesforce app
  • salesforce cloud
  • salesforce commerce cloud
  • salesforce cpq
  • salesforce crm company
  • salesforce crm management
  • salesforce crm software
  • salesforce customer 360
  • salesforce customer management
  • salesforce customer relationship
  • salesforce customer relationship management
  • salesforce customer relationship management system
  • salesforce data cloud
  • salesforce einstein
  • salesforce experience cloud
  • salesforce for crm
  • salesforce health cloud
  • salesforce marketing cloud
  • salesforce platform
  • salesforce relationship management
  • salesforce sales cloud
  • salesforce service cloud
  • salesforce software
  • salesforcecpq
  • service cloud

Zendesk

2 branded search terms

  • zendesk
  • zendesk suite

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among self service portals

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