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DoableModerateHelpdesk
Zendesk logo

Replace Zendesk

www.zendesk.com

Zendesk is the bigger, pricier incumbent missing next to Freshdesk above: per-agent pricing runs $19–$115+/month across the Team-to-Enterprise tiers, with AI features billed separately and often unpredictably. Review volume is substantial — G2 4.3/5 (~6,700 reviews), Capterra 4.4/5 (~4,000) — and while aggregate scores look strong, the most consistent written complaint is that 'the real bill lands well above the headline plan price' once per-agent seats, the Explore reporting add-on, and AI usage fees stack up. Setup and governance complexity is the second most common complaint, particularly for smaller teams configuring triggers, SLAs, and routing for the first time.

Ticketing & omnichannel inboxSLA policies & automated routingKnowledge base & help centerReporting & analytics (Explore add-on)AI-assisted replies & botsApp marketplace & API integrations
Founding cohort0 / 5

Be the first founding member for this build.

Reserve a founding seatInterested as a late joiner
Cost to develop
Estimated build
€45,000
Per founder (≈5 cohort)
~€9,000
split across the founding cohort
You pay now, per year
€22,000
≈ €75/user · ~25 users
5-year ROI
Stay on the SaaS
€110,000
Switch to us
€21,500
€22,000
€11,500
Yr 1
€44,000
€14,000
Yr 2
€66,000
€16,500
Yr 3
€88,000
€19,000
Yr 4
€110,000
€21,500
Yr 5

Cumulatively cheaper from year 1 onward.

Reserve a founding seatInterested as a late joiner
Savings calculator

See what you'd actually save over 5 years

Show values in
Tool to replace
Zendesk
25
€75

What if…

€22,500/yr€2,500/yrafter year 1
Year 1: you save €11,000Payback: month 65-year saving: ~€91,000
Stay on SaaS
Your own system
Cumulative cost
€22,500
€11,500
Yr 1
€45,000
€14,000
Yr 2
€67,500
€16,500
Yr 3
€90,000
€19,000
Yr 4
€112,500
€21,500
Yr 5

Assumes 1/5 share of the build, €2,500/yr flat run fee. SaaS list price held flat (conservative: most vendors raise 5–15%/yr).

Get this as a cohort proposal
How we work together

Three steps, no surprises

01

We scope what you use

We map the features your team actually relies on, not the whole bloated product.

02

We build & you co-fund

Senior engineers rebuild it AI-fast. Founders share the cost and shape the first release.

03

We launch & run it

We host and run it for you for a low fixed annual fee, with our support behind it.

Ownership model

What is actually yours

What is yours

  • Your data, fully exportable
    Download everything, anytime. No vendor holds your history hostage.
  • A licence that outlives us
    Your contract includes a source-code escrow clause: the code is deposited with an independent escrow agent before go-live, so your access is contractually protected even if Rollout IT ever stops trading.
  • Your own isolated instance
    Separate servers, separate database, separate backups. Not shared infrastructure.

How the model stays fair

  • Platform IP stays with Rollout IT
    That is what keeps your build cost low and improvements flowing. You are not buying the source code, and you do not need to.
  • No per-seat. Price fixed for 10 years.
    Add your whole team for free. Your fee is locked from day one, no annual hikes.
  • We build it and run it
    Security patches, uptime, scaling: all covered by the flat annual fee. No developer retainer needed on your side.

What you keep from Zendesk

The features your team actually uses, scoped with you before the build, on infrastructure your team controls.

  • Ticketing & omnichannel inbox
  • SLA policies & automated routing
  • Knowledge base & help center
  • Reporting & analytics (Explore add-on)
  • AI-assisted replies & bots
  • App marketplace & API integrations

What we fix

The pain points that come with renting per-seat SaaS, gone on day one.

  • Per-seat pricing abolished: one flat annual fee, whole team included.
  • Annual price hikes eliminated: your fee is fixed for 10 years from day one.
  • Data no longer locked in, fully exportable anytime, no export fees.
  • Vendor dependency removed: your access is contractually protected, even if we stop trading.
  • Roadmap influence added: founding members shape the initial feature set.
Get involved

Pick your path

~€9,000per founder to start (≈5-founder cohort), then ~€2,500/yr
  • A fixed annual fee, with no more growing per-user licensing
  • Influence over the first feature set
  • Revenue share (5%) from late joiners until you recover half your spend
  • Zero-risk to apply, and we follow up within 48 hours
Reserve a founding seat

More helpdesk tools to compare

Not ready to commit?

Drop your work email and we'll let you know the moment a cohort starts forming or this build is ready to join.