Better analytics.
A fraction of the cost.
Zendesk Explore is bundled into expensive per-agent plans and requires hours of setup. TicketBoard gives small teams the ops view they actually need — ready in minutes, €19/mo flat.
Free plan available · No credit card required · Connect in <5 minutes
Side-by-side comparison
The full picture across pricing, setup, features, and fit.
| TicketBoard You're here | Zendesk Explore (Lite / Professional / Enterprise) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Price model | Flat €19/mo — not per agent | Per agent, per month (via Zendesk Suite) |
| Entry price (5 agents) | €19/mo total | $275–$575/mo (Suite Team → Pro) |
| Price for 10 agents | Still €19/mo | $550–$1,150/mo |
| Custom reporting access | All views included, Free & Plus | Requires Suite Professional ($115/agent/mo) Lite has no custom reports |
| Free tier | Yes — all features, 1 month of data | Lite included in Suite Team ($55/agent/mo) No custom reports, 24h data refresh |
| Requires Zendesk plan upgrade | No — works on any Zendesk plan | Yes — full analytics needs Suite Pro+ |
| Money-back guarantee | 14-day full refund on Plus | Per Zendesk contract terms |
| Setup & experience | ||
| Time to first dashboard | Under 5 minutes | Hours — you build reports from scratch |
| Pre-built ops views | Yes — ready on first login | Pre-built dashboards exist, but limited and not ops-focused |
| Report builder | No — opinionated pre-built views | Yes — drag-and-drop, 500+ options |
| Learning curve | None — just connect and read | Steep for custom reports; Explore query language is complex |
| Maintenance required | None — we maintain the views | Yes — custom reports break when Zendesk schema changes |
| Core analytics | ||
| Ticket volume trends | ✓ | ✓ |
| First reply time | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resolution time | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlog tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reopen rate | ✓ | Build it yourself |
| CSAT tracking | ✓ | ✓ (Suite Pro+) |
| Agent performance per agent | ✓ volume, reply times, reopen rates | ✓ (build the report) |
| Organization-level breakdown | ✓ pre-built, highest-touch accounts | Build it yourself |
| Tag & topic explorer | ✓ tag volume trends, emerging issues | Build it yourself |
| Ticket creation heatmap | ✓ by day of week & hour | Not available |
| Macro & automation usage | ✓ 7d & 30d usage counts | Not available |
| Resolution time distribution | ✓ full bucket breakdown | Build it yourself |
| Talk / Chat / Guide analytics | Tickets only | ✓ (Professional+) |
| SLA tracking | Not yet | ✓ (Professional+) |
| Forecasting / "What if" analysis | Not available | ✓ (Professional+) |
| Workflow | ||
| Drill from metric to tickets | ✓ one click from any metric | Limited — no link to live Zendesk tickets |
| Ticket search & filtering | ✓ by status, org, assignee, date | Report-level filters only |
| CSV export | ✓ | ✓ |
| PDF export | ✓ one-click full dashboard PDF | Per-report PDF/image export |
| Share with non-Zendesk users | ✓ via PDF export | Requires Explore Enterprise ($169/agent/mo) |
| Slack digest (automated) | ✓ weekly/monthly, built-in | Email delivery only (Explore Enterprise) |
| Slack slash commands | ✓ /ticketboard recap, status | Not available |
| Data refresh rate | Every 6 hours | 24h (Lite) / Hourly (Pro) / Real-time (Enterprise) |
| Data history | 1 month (Free) / 24 months (Plus) | Full history (within plan retention) |
The pricing gap is bigger than it looks
Zendesk Explore is not a standalone product. It's bundled inside Zendesk Suite — and the plan tier you need for real analytics is expensive.
Flat. Not per agent. Not per seat.
- ✓ 24 months of Zendesk data
- ✓ All charts & dashboards
- ✓ Agent & org breakdowns
- ✓ Slack weekly digest
- ✓ PDF export
- ✓ Ticket search & CSV export
- ✓ Works on any Zendesk plan
- ✓ Priority email support
Free plan available. No credit card required.
Suite Professional — minimum for custom reports
- · Explore Lite (included in $55/agent Suite Team): no custom reports
- · Explore Professional ($115/agent): custom reports, hourly refresh
- · Explore Enterprise ($169/agent): real-time, external sharing
-
Example: 5 agents on Suite Pro $575/mo5 × $115
-
Example: 10 agents on Suite Pro $1,150/mo10 × $115
Note: Zendesk Suite bundles support + analytics + channels. You're not just paying for Explore.
TicketBoard is an add-on to your existing Zendesk subscription, not a replacement. It works alongside your current Zendesk plan — on Suite Team, Support Professional, or anything else. You get better analytics without upgrading Zendesk.
Where TicketBoard pulls ahead
Specific things you get in TicketBoard that Explore doesn't offer.
Zero setup — ready in minutes
Connect your Zendesk API key and get a full ops dashboard immediately. No report builder, no formulas, no configuration. Explore requires building every report from scratch.
Metric → tickets in one click
When first reply time spikes, click through to the exact tickets driving it. Explore shows numbers — TicketBoard shows numbers and the tickets behind them.
Slack-native reporting
Automated weekly digest posted to your Slack channel. Use /ticketboard recap for an on-demand summary. Explore's scheduled delivery requires Enterprise ($169/agent/mo) and email only.
Share with anyone — no Zendesk seat needed
Export the full dashboard as a PDF in one click and share with founders, managers, or clients. Explore's external sharing requires Enterprise; email delivery requires Professional.
Ticket heatmap — no Explore equivalent
See when tickets arrive by day and hour. Know when to staff, identify quiet windows. This pre-built view doesn't exist in Explore.
Macro & automation usage counts
Every macro, automation, and trigger with 7-day and 30-day usage counts. Know what's active, what's stale. Explore has no equivalent view.
Choose the right tool for your situation
TicketBoard is the better fit if…
- 2–30 agents, no dedicated analytics person
- Any Zendesk plan — you don't want to upgrade just for reports
- You need KPIs ready on first login, not after hours of setup
- Your team runs on Slack and wants metrics delivered, not fetched
- Flat pricing matters — €19/mo regardless of agent count
Zendesk Explore is the better fit if…
- Already on Suite Pro and actively using Explore
- Need Talk, Chat, or Guide analytics
- Have a dedicated analyst to build and maintain reports
- Need SLA tracking or multi-source data (CRM, billing)
Frequently asked questions
Does TicketBoard replace Zendesk Explore?
No — TicketBoard is an add-on. Your Zendesk subscription and Explore access stay exactly as they are. TicketBoard reads your Zendesk data via API (read-only) and provides a separate dashboard focused on ops and team performance. Think of it as "Explore, but pre-built, faster to read, and with a Slack integration."
Do I need to be on a specific Zendesk plan?
No. TicketBoard works with any Zendesk subscription — including Support Team ($19/agent), Suite Team ($55/agent), and upward. You don't need Suite Professional to get useful analytics. That's the point.
I'm already on Suite Professional and have Explore. Why would I use TicketBoard?
Because Explore still requires you to build every report. TicketBoard gives you pre-built ops views (agent performance, org breakdown, heatmap, tag explorer, macro usage) that you'd otherwise spend hours configuring in Explore — and that many teams never get around to building. At €19/mo, it's often worth running both.
How does data access work? Is it safe?
TicketBoard uses read-only Zendesk API access — we never modify your Zendesk data. Your API credentials are encrypted at rest (Fernet encryption). Data is stored in isolated tenant databases. All connections are HTTPS/TLS.
How long does setup take?
Under 5 minutes. Create an account, paste your Zendesk subdomain and API token, and the initial sync runs automatically. You'll see your first charts within minutes.
What's the data refresh frequency?
TicketBoard syncs your Zendesk data automatically every 6 hours. Incremental syncs only fetch new or updated tickets, so they're fast. For most support ops use cases — daily reviews, weekly reports — 6-hour refresh is more than sufficient.
Can I try before I pay?
Yes. The Free plan gives you full access to all features with 1 month of historical data — no credit card required. You can also explore the live demo without creating an account.
Better analytics start today — free.
Connect your Zendesk account in minutes. No credit card, no long-term commitment.