tawk.to vs Zendesk:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Zendesk had more branded searches than tawk.to among live chat platforms worldwide. Zendesk had about 301,000 branded searches, while tawk.to had 90,500. Zendesk made up 69.2% of all live chat platform searches we track, and tawk.to accounted for 20.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about live chat platforms, tawk.to appeared in all five answers and Zendesk in four. tawk.to was mentioned before Zendesk in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
Zendesk, about 3 searches for every 1 for tawk.to
Who does AI mention more?
tawk.to, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
tawk.to, named ahead of Zendesk in every answer
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Top live chat platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, tawk.to appeared in all five answers. Zendesk was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. tawk.to was listed before Zendesk in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- tawk.to5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Zendesk4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
LiveChat4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Intercom4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Tidio3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Crisp3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
LiveAgent2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Olark1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Drift0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about live chat platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which live chat platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best live chat platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best live chat platform for website support?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“live chat platform”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best live chat software”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is tawk.to or Zendesk more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for tawk.to and Zendesk by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine live chat platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Zendesk, tawk.to. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Zendesk | tawk.to | Tidio | LiveAgent | Crisp | Olark | LiveChat | Drift | Intercom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 73% | 12% | 9.8% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 0.71% | 1.3% | 0.17% | 0% |
| Nov 2025 | 69.2% | 13.9% | 11.4% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.67% | 1.2% | 0.14% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 71.7% | 14.4% | 9.6% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 0.57% | 0.69% | 0.14% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 73.9% | 12.1% | 9.9% | 1.6% | 0.98% | 0.58% | 0.72% | 0.12% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 74.2% | 10% | 10% | 1.6% | 1% | 0.71% | 2.4% | 0.15% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 75.9% | 8.3% | 10.2% | 1.7% | 1% | 0.6% | 2% | 0.18% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 71.1% | 9.6% | 14.3% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.69% | 0.84% | 0.14% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 76.8% | 8.4% | 10.3% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 0.61% | 0.92% | 0.12% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 71.9% | 14.4% | 7.9% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 0.57% | 1% | 0.09% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 72.2% | 14.5% | 7.9% | 2.4% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.17% | 0% |
| Aug 2026 | 73% | 12% | 8% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 0.56% | 0.86% | 0.12% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 69.2% | 20.8% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 0.76% | 0.44% | 0.23% | 0.09% | <0.01% |
How has the tawk.to and Zendesk comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Zendesk was ahead of tawk.to in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, tawk.to’s share of searches among live chat platforms worldwide moved from 12% to 20.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 90.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zendesk’s share of searches among live chat platforms worldwide moved from 73% to 69.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 369K to 301K.
How did search popularity change for live chat platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, tawk.to gained share of searches among live chat platforms worldwide, from 12% to 20.8%.
In September 2026, Zendesk lost share of searches among live chat platforms worldwide, from 73% to 69.2%.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using tawk.to’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.
Other head-to-heads among live chat platforms
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