Freshdesk is a powerful support tool that speeds up the resolution of customer service requests. It’s also relatively inexpensive and easy to use, which makes it a great CRM for small companies.
That being said, for a variety of reasons, the software may not be the answer for your business.
After all, there are plenty of similar options that can help you reach the same goals at a lower cost. How are you supposed to know if Freshdesk is the best option for you?
Fortunately—
We’ve done the research and come up with the best Freshdesk competitors for you to consider.
In this article, we’ll review the following Freshdesk alternatives:
| Platform | G2 rating | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio | 4.7/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Chatbot automation |
| Zendesk | 4.3/5 ⭐️ | Free trial available | Multi-channel support |
| Zoho Desk | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Multiple third-party integrations |
| HubSpot Service Hub | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Conversational tools |
| Salesforce Service Cloud | 4.3/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | Social networking plug |
| Intercom | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | Free trial available | Lead qualification |
| LiveAgent | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Proactive live chat capability |
| Happyfox | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | IT service desk |
| Kustomer | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | CRM functionality |
| HelpScout | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | Free trial available | Shared inbox |
Interested in more help desk software solutions? Check out these articles:
Let’s dive into the in-depth reviews of the best Freshdesk competitors.
10 Best Freshdesk Alternatives
Freshdesk is a popular tool among cloud-based customer service software. In fact, it makes up 2.85% of CSM market share! After all, it offers all the help desk basics.
But you may need more than that for your company. Or, you want to see whether you made the right choice.
So—
Let’s see what’s available out there.
1. Tidio
Rating: 4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,410+ reviews)
Tidio increases your business’s customer support capabilities through intuitive live chat software, AI chatbot tools and automated helpdesk. Real-time chat enables you to connect with customers proactively, whereas bot automation allows your business to be available 24/7.
But—we aren’t going to toot our own horn here. There are plenty of more appropriate places for it.
Instead, you can try our platform for free and compare your experience to the reviews left by thousands of users. Then, you can decide for yourself whether we deserve this position on the list.
Main features:
- AI and NLP chatbots
- Fully customizable live chat widget
- Smart helpdesk workflows
- Mobile app for iOS and Android available
- Visitor notifications for proactive support
- Shared inbox for all client communication
- Free
- Email marketing ($10/mo)
- Starter ($29/mo)
- Automation ($29/mo)
- Growth ($59/mo)
- Lyro AI ($39/mo)
- Tidio + (starting from $499/mo)
Scale your business with real-time chat and automations
Read more: Learn how to use Tidio’s helpdesk tools to the fullest. Also, check out eye-oo increased sales by $177K thanks to Tidio.
2. Zendesk
Rating: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (5,820+ reviews)
Zendesk offers two options: Zendesk Support, a simple help desk ticketing system, and Zendesk Support Suite enhanced with omnichannel functionality.
This is a great Freshdesk alternative because of its omnichannel communication tools and advanced automation features. These features can help you streamline the workflow of your customer support team and increase agent productivity. On top of that, Zendesk is available in a wide range of languages for higher convenience if your business runs internationally.
Pros:
- Includes customer self-service portal for automated interactions
- Integrates with WhatsApp for SMS messaging
- Customizable alerts and comprehensive conflict management
- Provides knowledge base FAQs
Cons:
- Technical difficulties reported by some customers
- A bit expensive for small businesses
- Free 6-month trial
- Basic Plan ($19/mo/agent)
- Suite Team ($69/mo/agent)
- Suite Growth ($115/mo/agent)
- Suite Professional ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Enterprise
- Suite Enterprise Plus
Read more: Check out the reviews about the best Zendesk alternatives for your company.
3. Zoho Desk
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (5,410+ reviews)
Zoho Desk is a customer support tool that aims to empower small and medium-sized businesses. You can manage your support tickets by embedding the help desk to your website and watching all requests automatically converted to tickets. Moreover, you can set up a workflow to assign tickets according to specific groups, or originating from a certain region.
From there, the concerned agent can respond to the ticket, or assign it to another team member. Therefore, this Freshdesk alternative is useful as a primary support tool with a company website, and a dedicated support team within the organization.
Pros:
- Organize and prioritize tickets
- Subscription-based notifications
- Help desk CRM and Gmail integration
- Automatic ticket assignment
Cons:
- Customization can be rigid compared to other platforms
- Occasional system hitches and slow loading
- Free version available
- Free 15-day trial
- Zoho Desk Express ($9/mo/user)
- Standard ($18/mo/user)
- Professional ($30/mo/user)
- Enterprise ($45/mo/user)
4. HubSpot Service Hub
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (2,235+ reviews)
HubSpot is one of the most widely known inbound marketing platforms. The CRM package offers some of the most comprehensive functionalities, including SLA management tools and hundreds of integrations (with Hotjar, Scripted, and Zapier, to name just a few). It’s one of the software that can suit the needs of businesses of all sizes.
This is one of the best Freshdesk alternatives that assists support teams in scaling their operations through automation. And startups with limited budgets can take advantage of the features in the Service hub’s free plan.
Pros:
- Voice over IP (VoIP) software available
- Works with other HubSpot subscriptions
- Canned responses generated on chat
- Easy to set up and install
Cons:
- Very limited onboarding and customer support with a free package
- Paid plans become very expensive quickly
- Free version available
- Starter ($20/mo/seat)
- Professional ($100/mo/seat)
- Enterprise ($130/mo/seat)
Read more: Learn more about the reviews and comparison of the best HubSpot alternatives.
5. Salesforce Service Cloud
Rating: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (3,700+ reviews)
Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM software. It allows support agents to collaborate more effectively with your sales team and find out more about customer journeys, including purchase history and information on products. This ensures support reps give priority to key clients.
This is one of the Freshworks alternatives that provides unique functionality for managing ticket assignments and case escalation. Also, using standard developer tools, you can automate workflows based on business requirements. Moreover, the platform supports advanced reporting and analytic features.
Pros:
- Customization using Salesforce features like Flows and LWC
- Consolidation of different functions onto a single dashboard
- Multiple third-party app integrations
- AI-powered chat assistant
Cons:
- Requires more custom fields for reporting
- Lack of chat surveys
- Starter Suite ($25/mo/user)
- Professional ($80/mo/user)
- Enterprise ($165/mo/user)
- Unlimited ($330/mo/user)
- Einstein 1 service ($500/mo/user)
Read more: Discover the best AI customer support software available on the market and choose the right one for your business.
6. Intercom
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (2,955+ reviews)
What sets Intercom apart from the other Freshchat alternatives is its diversity and adaptability, which makes it perfect for SaaS companies. You can use this customer engagement software for better project management and to provide self-service to your website visitors.
Intercom has all the bells and whistles expected of a CRM system. But they also offer a lead qualification system that can help users drive more real-time sales. The focus on customer experience stays consistent, but extra effort is placed on nurturing the most qualified clients.
Pros:
- Lead qualification features
- Sales-oriented service packages
- Great customization options
- Various integrations (Slack, Salesforce, etc.)
Cons:
- Relatively high cost in comparison to competitors
- Steep learning curve
- Free 14-day trial
- Essential ($39/mo/seal)
- Advanced ($99/mo/seat)
- Expert ($139/mo/seat)
Read more: Check out the top Intercom alternatives with pros, cons, and pricing compared.
7. LiveAgent
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (1,485+ reviews)
LiveAgent is a Freshdesk competitor that offers packages with chatbots and ticket routing. This help desk software assists your support agents with ticket management to prioritize customer conversations.
If you’re looking for a free CRM service to test before adopting it in your business, LiveAgent is a great place to start. Their free service is surprisingly complete with bots, ticketing, and prioritization. It’s simple enough that anyone can use it to improve their business’s customer relations at a low cost.
Pros:
- Built-in call center with call details automatically recorded
- Automatic customer callbacks enabled
- Social media integrations like Facebook Messenger
- In-app gamification features
Cons:
- There are fewer features than many alternatives
- Limited integrations and interoperability
- Free version available
- Small business ($15/mo/agent)
- Medium business ($35/mo/agent)
- Large business ($59/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($85/mo/agent)
Read more: Learn all you need to know about helpdesk management and get some useful tips to make it a success.
8. Happyfox
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (240+ reviews)
Happyfox is a SaaS help desk software used in IT departments to replace old and non-performing ticketing systems. Your employees can enjoy a unified user experience portal to report all their IT-related customer issues with ease. While the software is useful as an internal help desk, it also acts as a customer portal for diverse sectors.
This alternative to Freshdesk centralizes all consumer communication, eliminating the need for support emails which limits the delays. Admins can assign tickets to different departments, customize the platform using smart rules, and deploy auto-tagging for priority tickets. The software promotes transparency within an organization by accurately tracking tickets and correspondence between team members and clients.
Pros:
- Slack integration available
- Ability to create triggers based on certain criteria
- Automated ticket assignment
- CRM capabilities
Cons:
- Delayed ticket notifications to agents
- Inaccurate ticket due dates lead to missed resolution deadlines
- Mighty ($39/mo/agent)
- Fantastic ($59/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($79/mo/agent)
- Enterprise Plus ($99/mo/agent)
9. Kustomer
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (410+ reviews)
Kustomer is a CRM software designed to manage high-volume requests and consolidate all customer data within a single dashboard. The tool is suitable for organizations that are scaling rapidly and need help in taking care of the influx of support requests.
This Freshdesk alternative utilizes AI throughout its platform to remove redundant tasks, respond to mundane questions, enhance customer satisfaction (CSAT), and improve your service management. You can create consumer profiles in the system that include previous interactions, order history, shipping information, and browsing activity. Your client service team can use this data to resolve support tickets more efficiently.
Pros:
- Routing capabilities to distribute workload across the team
- Ability to add multiple shared mailboxes
- Customizable insight cards for key information
- Data permissions for agent access
Cons:
- Limited theme options
- Lack of a social media monitoring feature
- Enterprise ($89/mo/user)
- Ultimate ($139/mo/user)
10. HelpScout
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (400+ reviews)
HelpScout is a cloud-based customer support software known for its simplicity. The platform improves communication efficiency for teams that rely heavily on email as their primary support channel. Its collaborative workspace has been praised by users and reviewers alike.
This Freshdesk competitor allows service teams to work out of a shared inbox, assign conversations, and forward them to relevant departments. Its self-service capabilities include a knowledge base and help documentation. Moreover, the software simplifies the categorization and tracking of tickets, making it easy for your employees to monitor support metrics.
Pros:
- Agents can embed internal notes to support conversations
- Admins can set varying levels of permissions for reps
- Ticket segmentation into groups available
- In-built, ready-to-use email templates
Cons:
- Lack of an effective spam filter
- Native reports require more custom fields and tags
- Free 15-day trial
- Standard ($25/mo/user)
- Plus ($50/mo/user)
- Pro (Contact sales)
Did you know that…
Customer self-service is becoming a key trend among consumers. According to a study by Higher Logic, over 79% of consumers expect businesses to offer self-service support tools to help users find answers without contacting the support team.
How to choose the best Freshdesk alternative for your business?
Choosing the right software requires you to assess the needs of your company and which help desk solution solves them best. And your needs are most often dependent on the size of your organization.
Here are factors to consider based on your company size.
Small businesses
A small business typically experiences low ticket volumes, and saddling it with enterprise-level capabilities is unnecessary. Instead, the priority should be easy-to-use software, with a collaborative inbox, and basic reporting feature that come with an affordable monthly subscription.
Best option: Zoho Desk is a suitable option for small businesses due to its intuitive user interface, shared inbox, and custom analytics.
Medium businesses
A medium-sized company should look for flexible software with robust functionality. This is a scaling business that requires omnichannel support for the influx of support requests. The desired software should provide automated workflows and complex analytics as well as omnichannel capabilities.
Best option: Tidio provides multi-channel capabilities, feature-based pricing plans and chatbot automation.
Did you know that…
A Forrester Opportunity Snapshot study revealed that 38% of clients expect customer service agents to know their identity and interaction history.
Large enterprises
A large firm requires a system that can handle high volumes of tickets across different regions, and multiple product lines. A company this size needs a cloud-based customer service software with strong customization, APIs, integration capabilities, and next-level support services.
Best option: Salesforce is a great option that provides enterprise-level businesses with multiple integrations and customizable workflows.
Freshdesk alternatives: key takeaway
If Freshdesk doesn’t seem to be the right fit for your business, there are many alternatives you can consider. Depending on the scale of your organization, some of the following options may address your support needs.
Here are the Freshdesk competitors you should have a look at:
- Tidio
- Zendesk
- Zoho Desk
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Intercom
- LiveAgent
- Happyfox
- Kustomer
- HelpScout
Tidio is one of the best alternatives to Freshdesk due to its user-friendly interface, unique features, and scalable platform.
Why not give it a try today?
Scale your business with real-time chat and automations
