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HubSpot vs Zendesk: startup credits compared

Side-by-side amounts, eligibility and access paths, both verified against the official program pages.

HubSpotUp to 90% off year one, 50% off year two, 25% off year threeVerified Nov 3, 2026ZendeskFree Suite Professional + Copilot (up to 50 agents) for 6 months; up to 2 years via partnersVerified Nov 3, 2026

At a glance

FactHubSpotZendesk
ValueUp to 90% off year one, 50% off year two, 25% off year threeFree Suite Professional + Copilot (up to 50 agents) for 6 months; up to 2 years via partners
TypeDiscountFree plan
Duration1 year6 months
StagesPre-seed, Seed, Series A, BootstrappedPre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+
RegionsGlobalGlobal
Max funding raisedNot statedNot stated
Max company ageNot stated10 years
Ways to get it
  • Apply directly — Up to 90% off year one with verified venture funding
  • Approved HubSpot for Startups partners (e.g. Y Combinator, MaRS, Endeavor) — Up to 90% off year one, 50% year two, 25% year three
  • Mercury — Up to 30% off
  • Apply directly — 30% off first year (Bootstrap Program)
  • Apply directly — 6 months free
  • Zendesk VC and accelerator partners — Up to 2 years free
Requirements
  • Net-new HubSpot customer purchasing Professional or Enterprise products
  • Pre-seed, seed or Series A funding for the 90% tier
  • Affiliation with an approved partner OR verified venture funding
  • Annual commitment
  • Net-new Zendesk customer (no existing paid subscription)
  • Outside funding received: angel, pre-seed, seed, Series A or Series B
  • Fewer than 250 employees; 50-249 employees requires a partner referral
  • Company under 10 years old
Not eligible
  • Series B or later companies
  • Starter-level products
  • Existing signed HubSpot contracts (discount cannot be added retroactively)
  • Existing paid Zendesk customers
  • Companies past Series B
  • Bootstrapped companies with no outside funding (the program page requires outside funding)
VerificationVerified· Nov 3, 2026Verified· Nov 3, 2026

Which should you pick?

The two programs are not directly comparable on dollar value. Both accept the same range of funding stages. HubSpot credits last longer (12 months versus 6). If you qualify for both, there is usually no reason not to apply to both; the programs are independent.

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