Freshchat vs Freshdesk
Compare Freshchat and Freshdesk on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Freshchat
Freshworks live chat — free up to 10 agents; Growth $19, Pro $49, Enterprise $79 agent/mo annual.
Best for
- • Freshworks customers wanting live chat as the primary purchase
- • Teams needing free up-to-10-agents entry with clear upgrade path
- • Website and in-app messaging with bot deflection
Starting from $0.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Freshchat is better for
- ✓ Free plan
Freshdesk is better for
- ✓ Ticketing depth
- ✓ Knowledge base
- ✓ SLA & routing
- ✓ Ecommerce helpdesk
Tie
- • Live chat
- • Omnichannel inbox
- • AI features
Choose Freshchat if: Freshworks customers wanting live chat as the primary purchase
Choose Freshdesk if: SMB and mid-market teams needing a modern helpdesk with clear per-agent pricing
Freshdesk
Helpdesk and omnichannel ticketing from Freshworks — Growth from $19/agent/mo annual with 14-day trial.
Best for
- • SMB and mid-market teams needing a modern helpdesk with clear per-agent pricing
- • Freshworks customers wanting ticketing as the primary support job
- • Teams that need omnichannel inbox depth without Zendesk Suite pricing at the top
Starting from $19.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Freshchat and Freshdesk. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Freshchat researched starting price from $0/mo; a free plan is researched; Freshdesk researched starting price from $19/mo. Better value depends on plan rungs and add-ons.
FreshchatDependsFreshdeskDepends - Freshchat
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Freshchat researches a free plan; Freshdesk does not research a free plan.
FreshchatStrongerFreshdeskWeaker - Depends
Agent / licence minimum
Per-agent floors, conversation/ticket caps, and small-team billing traps.
Check agent minimum for Freshchat and Freshdesk on current vendor packaging.
FreshchatDependsFreshdeskDepends - Freshdesk
Ticketing depth
Queues, macros, assignment, and ticket workflow depth.
Stronger ticketing availability
FreshchatWeakerFreshdeskStronger - Tie
Live chat
Website/in-app messenger, routing, and canned replies.
Freshchat and Freshdesk have the same researched availability on live chat (Freshchat: supported; Freshdesk: supported); shared inbox (Freshchat: supported; Freshdesk: supported).
FreshchatTieFreshdeskTie - Freshdesk
Knowledge base
Help center, Docs, and customer self-service portals.
Stronger knowledge base availability
FreshchatWeakerFreshdeskStronger - Tie
Omnichannel inbox
Email, chat, social, and messaging in one agent workspace.
Freshchat and Freshdesk have the same researched availability on omnichannel inbox (Freshchat: supported; Freshdesk: supported); shared inbox (Freshchat: supported; Freshdesk: supported).
Freshchat7/10Freshdesk8/10 - Freshdesk
SLA & routing
SLA policies, skills-based routing, and escalation rules.
Stronger sla routing availability
FreshchatWeakerFreshdeskStronger - Freshdesk
Ecommerce helpdesk
Order, refund, and storefront context in the agent inbox.
Stronger ticketing availability
FreshchatWeakerFreshdeskStronger - Tie
AI features
Useful AI for the primary job — not marketing fluff.
Freshchat and Freshdesk are close on ai features (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Freshchat7/10Freshdesk7/10 - Tie
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Freshchat and Freshdesk are close on integrations (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Freshchat8/10Freshdesk8/10
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