Freshdesk Alternatives (2026)

Freshdesk started as the affordable Zendesk alternative. Over the years, it’s grown into a feature-rich platform—and inherited many of the same problems it was trying to solve.

If you’re looking for Freshdesk alternatives, you’re probably running into one of these issues:

• Per-agent pricing that creeps up — What started at $15/agent is now $49-$79/agent for the features you actually need
• Feature gating — Basic features locked behind expensive tiers
• Multi-brand limitations — Need multiple brands? That’s Pro plan or higher
• Upsell fatigue — Constant prompts to upgrade for features that should be standard

Freshdesk isn’t a bad product. But for many teams, there’s a better fit—whether that’s simpler, cheaper, or better suited to specific workflows.

This guide breaks down the best Freshdesk alternatives by use case.

Quick Comparison: Top Freshdesk Alternatives

Tool	Best For	Pricing Model	Starting Price	Multi-brand
Zendesk	Enterprise, full suite	Per-agent	$55/agent/mo	Enterprise
Help Scout	Simple support	Per-user	$20/user/mo	Plus plan+
Dispatch Tickets	Multi-brand, SaaS	Per-ticket	$29/mo (1k tickets)	All plans
Zoho Desk	Budget/Zoho users	Per-agent	$14/agent/mo	Enterprise
Intercom	PLG, in-app messaging	Per-seat + usage	$74/seat/mo	Yes
Gorgias	Ecommerce	Per-ticket	$10/mo (50 tickets)	Yes
HappyFox	Mid-market	Per-agent	$29/agent/mo	Enterprise
LiveAgent	All-in-one	Per-agent	$9/agent/mo	Yes

Why Companies Leave Freshdesk

1. The Pricing Tier Trap

Freshdesk’s pricing looks attractive at first:

• Free: Up to 10 agents
• Growth: $15/agent/month
• Pro: $49/agent/month
• Enterprise: $79/agent/month

The problem? Essential features are locked to higher tiers:

• Custom reports → Pro ($49)
• Multiple SLAs → Pro ($49)
• Multiple brands → Pro ($49)
• Sandbox → Enterprise ($79)
• Skill-based routing → Enterprise ($79)

A “simple” 10-person team that needs custom reports and multi-brand is looking at $490/month minimum—not the $150 they expected.

2. Feature Bloat

Like Zendesk, Freshdesk has grown complex. Freshworks now sells:

• Freshdesk (helpdesk)
• Freshchat (messaging)
• Freshsales (CRM)
• Freshmarketer (marketing)
• Freshservice (ITSM)

This sprawl means the core helpdesk experience has gotten harder to navigate. Features feel scattered, and you often need multiple products for what should be one workflow.

3. Interface Fatigue

Freshdesk’s interface was refreshed in recent years, but many users find it still feels cluttered. Common complaints:

• Too many menus and options
• Slow page loads
• Mobile app is limited
• Dashboard customization is confusing

4. Support Irony

Support software companies often have mediocre support themselves. Freshdesk users report long response times, scripted answers, and difficulty reaching humans—especially on lower tiers.

Best Freshdesk Alternatives by Use Case

Best for Simplicity: Help Scout

Why it works: Help Scout takes the opposite approach from Freshdesk. Instead of adding every possible feature, they focus on doing email support really well. The interface is clean, setup takes hours not days, and your team can be productive immediately.

Pricing: $20-$65/user/month

Pros:

• Genuinely simple to use
• Beautiful, clean interface
• Great knowledge base (Docs)
• Excellent for small teams
• Fast setup

Cons:

• Still per-user pricing
• Limited customization
• API is basic
• Reporting is less detailed
• Multi-brand needs Plus plan ($40/user)

Best for: Teams under 20 people who want to provide great email support without complexity.

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Best for Enterprise: Zendesk

Why it works: If you’ve outgrown Freshdesk’s capabilities and need enterprise features, Zendesk is the obvious step up. It has the deepest feature set, largest ecosystem, and most integrations of any helpdesk.

Pricing: $55-$115/agent/month

Pros:

• Most comprehensive feature set
• Huge app marketplace
• Advanced automations and workflows
• Strong analytics and reporting
• Large ecosystem of consultants/experts

Cons:

• Expensive
• Complex to set up and maintain
• Per-agent pricing at premium rates
• Can be overkill for small teams

Best for: Companies with 50+ agents, complex workflows, and budget for enterprise software.

Read more: Zendesk Alternatives →

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Best for Multi-Brand/SaaS: Dispatch Tickets

Why it works: Dispatch Tickets solves the multi-brand problem that plagues both Freshdesk and Zendesk. Multi-brand is included on every plan (including free), pricing is per-ticket instead of per-agent, and the API-first design makes it easy to embed into your product.

Pricing: Free (100 tickets/mo); $29/mo (1,000 tickets); $99/mo (10,000 tickets)

Pros:

• Per-ticket pricing—not per-agent
• Unlimited team members on all plans
• Multi-brand included, not gated
• API-first architecture
• Open source customer portal
• Transparent, predictable pricing

Cons:

• Newer product (launched 2026)
• Smaller ecosystem
• Fewer native integrations (but API compensates)
• No phone channel yet

Best for: SaaS companies, agencies, franchises, and anyone managing multiple brands who doesn’t want to pay enterprise prices for basic multi-brand support.

Try Dispatch Tickets free →

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Best for Budget: Zoho Desk

Why it works: If you want the cheapest paid option, Zoho Desk delivers. Starting at $14/agent/month, it offers solid features at rock-bottom prices. Even better if you’re already using Zoho CRM, Books, or other Zoho products.

Pricing: Free (3 agents); $14-$40/agent/month

Pros:

• Lowest per-agent pricing
• Good feature set for the price
• Excellent Zoho ecosystem integration
• Self-hosted option available

Cons:

• Interface feels dated
• API capabilities limited
• Multi-brand requires Enterprise ($40/agent)
• Support quality varies

Best for: Budget-conscious teams or companies already deep in the Zoho ecosystem.

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Best for Ecommerce: Gorgias

Why it works: Gorgias is purpose-built for ecommerce. Deep Shopify and BigCommerce integrations let agents see orders, process refunds, and modify shipments without leaving the helpdesk. It’s what Freshdesk would look like if it only served online stores.

Pricing: $10-$900/month based on ticket volume

Pros:

• Native ecommerce integrations
• Order management built-in
• Per-ticket pricing model
• Revenue tracking and attribution
• Macros pull in order data automatically

Cons:

• Only useful for ecommerce
• Expensive at high volume ($900/mo for 5000 tickets)
• Limited use outside ecommerce

Best for: Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento stores that want tight integration between support and orders.

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Best for In-App Messaging: Intercom

Why it works: If you want to combine support with in-app messaging, onboarding, and product tours, Intercom does it all in one platform. The chat-first approach works well for SaaS companies where users are already in your product.

Pricing: $74/seat/month + resolution fees

Pros:

• Best-in-class in-app messaging
• Product tours and onboarding included
• Strong automation (Fin AI agent)
• Modern, polished interface
• Good for product-led growth

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Pricing is complex (seat + usage)
• Ticketing is secondary to chat
• Can feel sales-focused

Best for: Well-funded SaaS companies that want messaging, support, and onboarding in one platform.

Read more: Intercom Alternatives →

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Best for All-in-One: LiveAgent

Why it works: LiveAgent bundles helpdesk, live chat, call center, and social media into one platform. If you need true omnichannel support without paying for multiple tools, it’s worth considering.

Pricing: $9-$49/agent/month

Pros:

• Everything in one platform
• Lower price than buying separate tools
• 200+ integrations
• Good live chat
• Built-in call center

Cons:

• Interface is dated
• Jack of all trades, master of none
• Per-agent pricing
• Multi-brand requires higher tiers

Best for: Teams that need chat, email, phone, and social in one tool and don’t want to stitch together multiple products.

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Best for IT Teams: Jira Service Management

Why it works: If your support is internal (IT helpdesk) rather than customer-facing, Jira Service Management might be a better fit. Deep integration with Jira for development teams, ITIL-aligned workflows, and asset management.

Pricing: Free (3 agents); $17.65-$44.27/agent/month

Pros:

• Native Jira integration
• ITIL-aligned for IT teams
• Good for internal support
• Asset management included
• Development workflow integration

Cons:

• Not designed for customer support
• Interface is complex
• Overkill for simple needs
• Learning curve

Best for: IT teams doing internal support who already use Jira for development.

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Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature	Freshdesk	Help Scout	Zendesk	Dispatch Tickets	Zoho Desk	Gorgias
Pricing model	Per-agent	Per-user	Per-agent	Per-ticket	Per-agent	Per-ticket
Starting price	$15/agent	$20/user	$55/agent	$29/mo flat	$14/agent	$10/mo
Free tier	Yes (10)	No	No	Yes (100 tickets)	Yes (3)	No
Multi-brand	Pro ($49)	Plus ($40)	Enterprise	All plans	Enterprise	Yes
API quality	Good	Basic	Good	Excellent	Limited	Good
Setup time	Days	Hours	Weeks	Hours	Days	Hours
Best for	SMB	Simple	Enterprise	SaaS/Multi-brand	Budget	Ecommerce

Freshdesk vs Zendesk: Which to Migrate To?

This is the most common comparison, so let’s address it directly:

Factor	Freshdesk	Zendesk
Price	Cheaper at entry level	More expensive overall
Features	Good, growing	Most comprehensive
Complexity	Medium	High
Multi-brand	Pro tier ($49)	Enterprise only
Ecosystem	Growing	Largest
Support	Mixed reviews	Mixed reviews

Choose Freshdesk if: You want similar features to Zendesk but cheaper, and you’re okay with some feature limitations.

Choose Zendesk if: You need the most powerful features, largest integration ecosystem, and have budget for enterprise pricing.

Choose neither if: You’re frustrated with per-agent pricing, feature gating, and complexity. Consider per-ticket alternatives like Dispatch Tickets or Gorgias.

Questions to Ask Before Switching

1. Why are you leaving Freshdesk?

• Price? → Look at Zoho Desk, Dispatch Tickets, or Help Scout
• Complexity? → Help Scout is simpler
• Multi-brand? → Dispatch Tickets includes it on all plans
• Ecommerce features? → Gorgias is built for it

2. What’s your team structure?

• Just support agents? → Per-agent pricing is fine
• Engineers, PMs, founders also need access? → Per-ticket or flat pricing saves money

3. How many brands/products do you support?

• One brand → Any tool works
• Multiple brands → Dispatch Tickets (included) or pay for Pro tiers elsewhere

4. What channels do you need?

• Email only → Help Scout is great
• Email + chat → Most tools cover this
• Email + chat + phone + social → LiveAgent or Zendesk

5. What’s your actual volume?

• Under 100 tickets/month → Free tiers work
• 100-1000 tickets/month → Mid-tier plans
• 1000+ tickets/month → Compare per-ticket vs per-agent math

Migration Considerations

What typically migrates well:

• Ticket history (most have importers)
• Customer data and contacts
• Knowledge base articles
• Basic canned responses/macros

What usually needs rebuilding:

• Complex automations and triggers
• Custom reports
• Integration workflows
• SLA configurations

Estimated timeline:

• Small team (< 10 agents): 1-2 weeks
• Medium team (10-50 agents): 2-4 weeks
• Large team (50+ agents): 1-2 months

The Bottom Line

Freshdesk is a solid product that’s become a victim of its own success. The feature bloat, tier gating, and per-agent pricing that many users complain about are symptoms of trying to be everything to everyone.

The best alternative depends on what you need:

• Want simpler? → Help Scout
• Want more powerful? → Zendesk
• Want multi-brand without enterprise pricing? → Dispatch Tickets
• Want cheaper? → Zoho Desk
• Want ecommerce-specific? → Gorgias
• Want in-app messaging + support? → Intercom

Most alternatives offer free trials. Test with real tickets before committing.

Related Comparisons

• Freshdesk Alternatives for Small Business
• Freshdesk Alternatives for Startups
• Freshdesk Alternatives for Ecommerce
• Freshdesk Alternatives for SaaS
• Freshdesk vs Zendesk
• Zendesk Alternatives
• Intercom Alternatives