Freshdesk AI reviews 2025: Features, pricing, and a better alternative

Freshdesk is a huge name in the helpdesk space, and for good reason. But as more businesses try to level up their support with AI, many are taking a closer look at Freshdesk's own AI, known as Freddy AI.

On paper, adding AI directly into the helpdesk you already use sounds like a great idea. The reality, though, seems to be a bit more complicated. Digging through user reviews, you start to see a pattern: a system that can be buggy, pricing that’s hard to predict, and support that sometimes goes missing when you need it most.

This guide is an honest dive into Freshdesk AI reviews, cutting through the marketing fluff to see what people are actually saying. We’ll walk through Freddy AI's features, unpack its pricing model, and look at its biggest limitations. Most importantly, we'll show you that sometimes the best solution isn't to replace your helpdesk, but to add a specialized AI tool that actually gets the job done.

What is Freshdesk AI (Freddy AI)?

So, what exactly is Freddy AI? It’s Freshdesk’s built-in artificial intelligence engine, designed to automate tasks and help customer service teams run a little smoother. It’s not one single thing but a bundle of features that fit into two main buckets:

1. Freddy AI Agent (for your customers): This is the part of the AI that talks directly to your customers. It's the engine behind the self-service chatbots on your website, email, and social media. The idea is to handle common, repetitive questions instantly, which frees up your human agents to tackle the trickier problems.

2. Freddy AI Copilot (for your agents): Think of this as a sidekick for your support team. It works inside the helpdesk to help agents work faster and more consistently. It can suggest replies, summarize long email chains, and handle routine tasks like tagging tickets.

Put together, these features are supposed to make support teams more efficient and cut down on manual work. But how do they actually perform when put to the test?

A deep dive into Freshdesk AI features

Let's break down the main features of Freddy AI and see how Freshdesk's promises stack up against what users are actually saying on sites like Reddit, G2, and Capterra.

Ticketing, automation, and workflow management

Freshdesk says its AI can streamline your workflow by automatically routing, categorizing, and prioritizing tickets. The goal is simple: get the right ticket to the right agent, faster.

But when you read user reviews, you get a different picture. Many people find the platform complicated, with a steep learning curve that makes setting up simple workflows a huge time-eater. One review on Desk365 mentioned that Freshdesk's complexity can be "overwhelming for new users." On top of that, some of the automations aren't as smart as you'd hope. A G2 review pointed out that agents still have to manually merge similar tickets, a tedious job that a good AI should be able to handle. To make things worse, many of the most useful automation features are locked away in the pricier Pro and Enterprise plans.

AI chatbot and self-service capabilities

Freddy AI's chatbots are built to offer 24/7 support by pulling answers from your knowledge base. It’s a great concept, but the execution can be a real headache.

One small business owner on Reddit said the chatbot setup was so buggy it was unusable, pointing out that "the website just stops working" and "their own demo chatbot even has broken elements." This gets at a core problem: Freddy AI is completely reliant on a knowledge base that you have to build and maintain by hand. If your articles are out of date, the bot gives bad answers.

This is where a modern tool can make a world of difference. An AI like eesel AI doesn't just train on your help center. It connects to all your company's knowledge at once, including past support tickets, internal wikis like Confluence or Google Docs, and your help articles. By learning from the real conversations your team has had, eesel AI understands context and gives much more accurate answers. The best part? You can connect it to your Freshdesk account and have it up and running in minutes, not weeks.

An infographic from eesel AI showing how it connects to multiple knowledge sources to provide comprehensive answers, a key point in Freshdesk AI reviews.

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Reporting and analytics

Freshdesk gives you analytics to track key support stats like agent performance and ticket volume. But once again, users often find that what they get doesn't quite live up to the promise.

A G2 review called the reporting system "overly complex" and said that getting a simple data export is "extremely inconvenient." Others have noted that your options for digging deeper into the data are pretty limited unless you upgrade to the most expensive plans. This often means you’re left guessing, unable to get the insights you need to actually improve your support.

This is another spot where a dedicated AI tool has a clear edge. eesel AI has a Simulation Mode that lets you test your setup before a customer ever sees it. You can run the AI over thousands of your past tickets to get a solid forecast of its resolution rate and how much money it could save you. It’s a risk-free way to see what it can do. On top of that, eesel AI's reporting is designed to give you clear action items, highlighting the specific gaps in your knowledge so you know exactly what to work on next.

A screenshot of the eesel AI simulation mode, a feature highlighted in Freshdesk AI reviews as a better alternative for testing automation.

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The true cost: Breaking down Freshdesk AI pricing

Freshdesk's pricing is one of the biggest pain points for its users. It can be confusing, and the final bill is often way higher than what people expect.

Freshdesk's AI pricing plans

Getting access to Freshdesk's AI isn't as simple as picking a plan. The AI features are sold as expensive add-ons to their already pricey helpdesk plans. Here’s a quick look, based on their official pricing page:

Plan Component	Cost (Billed Annually)	What It Includes	Key Limitation
Pro Plan Base	$49/agent/month	Advanced ticketing, custom reporting	AI is not included.
Enterprise Plan Base	$79/agent/month	Everything in Pro + skill-based routing	AI is not included.
Freddy AI Copilot Add-on	+$29/agent/month	Agent-assist features like reply suggestions.	Only available on Pro and Enterprise plans.
Freddy AI Agent Add-on	$100 per 1,000 sessions	Customer-facing chatbot interactions.	Pay-per-use model can lead to unpredictable costs.

So, to get the full suite of AI features on their Pro plan, you're looking at $78 per agent, per month, plus whatever you spend on chatbot sessions. This quickly makes Freshdesk one of the pricest options out there, especially if your team is growing.

Hidden costs and user complaints

Users often feel like the pricing is misleading. As one G2 review put it, "the cost quickly adds up as you add essential features that are surprisingly considered add-ons."

That frustration only gets worse when you hear about their customer support. In that same Reddit thread, multiple users complained about getting no support at all, with tickets going unanswered for weeks. In one really shocking case, a user said Freshworks closed their account right after they asked for a higher bot session limit, leaving them completely in the dark.

That's a whole different world from how eesel AI handles pricing. All eesel AI plans include every feature (AI Agent, Copilot, Triage, and more), with a simple price based on a monthly interaction limit. The biggest difference? There are no fees per resolution or per session. Your bill won't suddenly jump just because you had a busy month. Plus, with flexible month-to-month plans, you aren't locked into a long-term contract, so you can adjust as your needs change.

A screenshot of eesel AI's transparent pricing page, which Freshdesk AI reviews often compare favorably to Freshdesk's complex model.

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A better alternative to Freshdesk's native AI

It's pretty clear that while Freshdesk is a solid helpdesk, its native AI has some serious catching up to do. So, what's the move? It isn't to tear out your entire support system and start over. It's to add a powerful, specialized AI that works seamlessly with the tools you already have.

Why native helpdesk AI is limiting

When you're locked into a single company's ecosystem, you often run into a few common problems:

• Slow innovation: All-in-one platforms just can't move as fast as companies that are 100% focused on AI.

• Rigid workflows: You have to change your processes to fit their tool, instead of having a tool that adapts to you.

• Siloed knowledge: The AI is usually stuck inside the helpdesk, unable to tap into all the useful information you have in other company docs and apps.

Augment your helpdesk with eesel AI in minutes

One Reddit user nailed it when they said: "whatever platform you choose, you should probably pick up a third party app instead of native AI."

This is exactly what eesel AI was built for. It's designed to be a powerful, specialized AI for your existing helpdesk, not a replacement. Instead of being limited to a single knowledge base, eesel AI connects to all your tools, Freshdesk tickets, Google Docs, Confluence, Slack conversations, and more, to give customers answers that are both accurate and complete.

Here's how eesel AI solves the biggest issues with Freshdesk AI:

1. Go live in minutes: The setup is genuinely self-serve. You can connect your accounts and launch your first AI agent without ever needing to talk to a salesperson. It’s a world away from the "painful" and buggy setup Freshdesk users complain about.

2. Unify all your knowledge: By pulling information from all the places your team works, eesel AI makes sure customers get comprehensive answers based on the absolute latest information.

3. Maintain total control: eesel AI lets you decide exactly which types of tickets the AI should handle. You can use its prompt editor to define the AI's personality, tone of voice, and the specific things it's allowed to do.

The difference in philosophy is clear. Freshdesk AI relies on a limited, static knowledge base, which often leads to incomplete answers. eesel AI creates a dynamic, unified knowledge layer across all your apps, which results in answers that are actually helpful.

This video explains how Freshdesk's Freddy AI is designed to enhance customer service through smart automation features.

Final thoughts: Look beyond native AI for better support

Freshdesk is a capable helpdesk, but when it comes to its AI, user reviews show it has some serious drawbacks. From a buggy interface and a steep learning curve to poor support and a pricey, unpredictable billing model, Freddy AI often doesn't live up to its promises.

For most businesses, the smartest move isn't to get locked into one platform's ecosystem. By adding a specialized, third-party AI tool on top of your existing helpdesk, you get more power, more flexibility, and complete control over your support automation.

Ready to see what a truly powerful AI can do for your support team? Explore eesel AI's AI Agent for Freshdesk or start your free trial today.