The 7 best Freshdesk alternatives for customer service in 2025

Freshdesk is a huge name in customer support, and for a while, it seemed like the default choice. It's loaded with features, no doubt. But if you're here, you probably know it's not always the perfect fit.

Maybe you're tired of navigating a clunky interface or feel like onboarding new agents takes forever. Or maybe you're just over the pricing model that feels like a game of whack-a-mole, every time you need a new feature like chat or AI, another cost just pops up.

If any of that rings a bell, you’re in the right place. You need a tool that grows with you, not one that holds you back. That's why I've done the digging to give you a clear, honest comparison of the 7 best Freshdesk alternatives for 2025. We’ll look at who they're for, what they do best, and what they'll actually cost you.

What is a helpdesk?

Before we jump in, let's get on the same page real quick. A helpdesk is basically your command center for customer support. It pulls all your customer questions, from email, chat, social media, you name it, into one organized place. The goal? To turn that chaos into trackable tickets your team can actually solve without losing their minds. These days, they also come with self-service knowledge bases, live chat, and (most importantly) AI to handle the repetitive stuff.

Why you might need Freshdesk alternatives

If you’re looking for a change, you’re not alone. Many growing teams hit a wall with Freshdesk for a few common reasons.

The user experience can feel clunky and disconnected

Freshdesk is powerful, sure, but that power can make the interface feel bloated and overwhelming, especially for new agents. The bigger headache is that key tools like chat (Freshchat) and voice (Freshcaller) are often entirely separate products. This forces your team to constantly jump between different systems just to do their job.

The costs can be unpredictable

That initial price tag for Freshdesk’s basic plans looks tempting, but the real cost can sneak up on you. Need their AI assistant, Freddy? That’s an add-on. Want more channels or agents? The price jumps. This makes budgeting a nightmare and basically penalizes you for growing your team.

Onboarding new agents takes too long

With so many features and settings, new hires can’t just log in and start helping customers. The time it takes to get them fully trained can be a real drag on your team’s productivity, especially when ticket volumes are rising.

The automation feels rigid

While Freshdesk has automation, setting up the rules can feel stiff and complicated. The built-in AI doesn't always have the flexibility to handle your specific business logic without a lot of manual tweaking, leaving your team handling more tickets than they really need to.

Our criteria for choosing the best Freshdesk alternatives

To find the best options out there, I focused on what really matters to a modern support team. Here’s how I judged the tools on this list:

• How fast can you actually get started? We looked for tools that don't need a developer on speed dial or a three-month onboarding project just to get going.

• Is the AI genuinely helpful? Does the platform have smart automation that’s actually easy to use? We focused on AI that’s both powerful and flexible, not just a gimmick.

• Does it play well with others? How well does it connect with the tools you already use every day, like Slack, Confluence, or your other systems?

• Is the pricing straightforward? We prioritized solutions with clear, predictable pricing models that don’t hit you with surprise fees or expensive, must-have add-ons.

The best Freshdesk alternatives at a glance

Tool	Best For	Starting Price (Paid)	Key Differentiator
eesel AI	Teams wanting to add powerful AI to their existing helpdesk	$299/month	Integrates with your current tools in minutes, no migration needed.
Zendesk	Enterprise teams needing a highly customizable, all-in-one platform	$55/agent/month	Massive integration marketplace and advanced enterprise features.
Help Scout	Growing teams that value a simple, human-centric approach	$50/month (contact-based)	Clean, email-like interface with predictable, all-inclusive pricing.
Intercom	Businesses focused on proactive support and live chat engagement	$29/seat/month	Best-in-class messenger and proactive, behavior-based messaging.
Zoho Desk	Teams already in the Zoho ecosystem or needing a budget-friendly option	$7/user/month	Deep integration with Zoho CRM and a generous feature set for the price.
Hiver	Teams that want to manage support directly within Gmail/Google Workspace	$19/user/month	Turns Gmail into a powerful, collaborative helpdesk.
Gorgias	E-commerce stores using Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento	$10/month (ticket-based)	Deep e-commerce integrations for one-click order management.

The 7 best Freshdesk alternatives in 2025

1. eesel AI

Overview:

eesel AI takes a totally different approach. Instead of making you switch helpdesks, it works with the one you already have. Think of it as a smart layer that plugs into your existing tools like Freshdesk or Zendesk, along with all your other knowledge sources, like Confluence, Google Docs, past tickets, and PDFs. This means it can start automating frontline support and helping your agents from day one, without the pain of a full migration.

Why it's a top Freshdesk alternative:

• It solves the biggest migration headache. Forget about those month-long onboarding projects. eesel AI is built to be self-serve, so you can get it up and running in minutes. Its one-click integrations mean you can go from sign-up to automating tickets in under an hour, which is pretty much unheard of in this space.

• You're in complete control. Tired of rigid automation? eesel AI’s workflow engine lets you decide exactly which tickets the AI should handle. You can start small, automating simple things like password resets, and have it escalate everything else. Or you can build out complex rules to tag, route, and close tickets. It’s a level of flexibility that many built-in AI assistants lack.

A screenshot showing the customization rules in eesel AI, a great Freshdesk alternative.

• It unifies all your scattered knowledge. This is where eesel AI really stands out. It doesn't just learn from your help center; it learns from everything. By analyzing your past ticket resolutions, internal wikis, and even random Google Docs, it builds a complete picture of your business. This helps it give much more accurate and contextual answers than AIs that are siloed within a single helpdesk.

An infographic showing how eesel AI unifies knowledge, making it one of the best Freshdesk alternatives.

• You can test it risk-free. One of the scariest parts of launching AI is unleashing it before it’s ready. eesel AI has a simulation mode that lets you test it on thousands of your past tickets. You can see exactly how it would have responded and get a clear forecast of your automation rate before it ever talks to a real customer. Plus, the pricing is a flat monthly fee with no charges per resolution, so your bill won't skyrocket after a busy month.

The simulation mode in eesel AI, a key feature for teams considering Freshdesk alternatives.

Pricing:

eesel AI’s plans include all its core products like AI Agent, Copilot, and Triage.

• Team: Starts at $299/month ($239/month billed annually) for up to 1,000 AI interactions.

• Business: Starts at $799/month ($639/month billed annually) for up to 3,000 interactions and adds key features like training on past tickets and AI Actions.

• Custom: Available for enterprise needs with unlimited interactions and advanced features.

2. Zendesk

Overview:

Zendesk is the 800-pound gorilla in the customer service world. It’s an incredibly powerful and scalable platform that's a good fit for large, enterprise teams that have outgrown Freshdesk and need deep customization and a huge ecosystem of integrations. If you can dream it, you can probably build it with Zendesk.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: It’s built to scale and can handle massive ticket volumes. The reporting and analytics are top-notch, and its marketplace has over 1,500 apps, so it connects to just about anything.

• Cons: All that power comes with a serious price tag and a famously complex setup. Don't expect to be up and running in a day; most Zendesk projects take weeks or even months. Also, while their native AI is getting better, it doesn't have the same easy setup or ability to learn from multiple knowledge sources like a specialized tool like eesel AI does.

Pricing:

Zendesk has a few plans, but for the full experience, you’ll want to look at their Suite plans.

• Suite Team: Starts at $55/agent/month (billed annually).

• Suite Growth: $89/agent/month (billed annually).

• Suite Professional: $115/agent/month (billed annually).

• They also offer more limited, support-only plans starting at $19/agent/month.

3. Help Scout

Overview:

If you think most helpdesks feel overly complicated and robotic, Help Scout will be a welcome change. It's designed to feel less like a ticketing system and more like a shared email inbox. It’s perfect for teams who want to keep that personal, human connection with their customers.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: The user interface is clean, intuitive, and super easy to learn. The pricing is refreshingly straightforward and predictable, with a model based on how many customers you help (contacts), not how many agents you have. Their support team is also known for being one of the best in the business.

• Cons: The trade-off for simplicity is a lack of some advanced features. Its automation is more basic, and you won't find things like community forums or built-in phone support.

Pricing:

Help Scout uses a unique contact-based pricing model.

• Free: A free plan is available for up to 100 contacts per month.

• Standard: Starts at $50/month, which includes 100 contacts. Additional contacts are tiered.

• Plus: Starts at $75/month, also including 100 contacts, with access to more advanced integrations and features.

4. Intercom

Overview:

Intercom is more than just a helpdesk; it's a platform for real-time customer engagement. It’s known for its best-in-class website messenger and is built for teams that want to proactively engage visitors, onboard new users, and drive sales right through chat.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: It's fantastic for proactive support with pop-ups and messages based on user behavior. Its AI chatbot, Fin, is one of the more capable ones on the market, and the platform is great for companies that talk to users inside their app.

• Cons: Intercom can get expensive, fast. The per-seat cost is just the beginning; its AI is priced per resolution, which can lead to some eye-watering bills. It's also less focused on traditional email ticketing, which might not be ideal for teams with high email volume.

Pricing:

Intercom's pricing is modular and can be a bit confusing.

• Essential: Starts at $29/seat/month, plus a $0.99 fee for every resolution handled by Fin AI Agent.

• Advanced: $85/seat/month, plus the per-resolution AI fee.

• Expert: $132/seat/month, plus the per-resolution AI fee.

5. Zoho Desk

Overview:

Zoho Desk is Zoho’s answer to the customer service world, and it packs a ton of features for a very competitive price. It’s a great choice for small to medium-sized businesses, especially if you're already using other tools in the huge Zoho ecosystem (like Zoho CRM).

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: It’s one of the most affordable full-featured Freshdesk alternatives you can find. It connects smoothly with other Zoho apps, giving you a complete view of the customer. Higher plans even include a pretty decent AI assistant named Zia.

• Cons: While powerful, the user interface can feel a bit dated and cluttered compared to more modern tools. With so many features and options, the setup process can get pretty involved.

Pricing:

Zoho Desk is known for its great value.

• Free: A generous free plan is available for up to 3 agents.

• Express: Starts at $7/user/month (billed annually).

• Standard: $14/user/month (billed annually).

• Professional: $23/user/month (billed annually).

• Enterprise: $40/user/month (billed annually).

6. Hiver

Overview:

Hiver is made for teams that live and breathe in Google Workspace. It cleverly turns your familiar Gmail inbox into a real helpdesk, adding features like ticket assignment, collision detection, and analytics right where your team already works. There's no new software to learn.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: The learning curve is basically zero for anyone who knows how to use Gmail. It’s great for internal collaboration and keeps all your communication in one central spot.

• Cons: Its biggest strength is also its main limitation. It's only an option for teams on Google Workspace. It might not have the raw power of a standalone platform for very large or complex support operations.

Pricing:

Hiver has a plan for just about every stage of growth.

• Free: A forever-free plan with unlimited users and basic features.

• Lite: Starts at $19/user/month (billed annually).

• Growth: $29/user/month (billed annually).

• Pro: $49/user/month (billed annually), which includes chatbots and CSAT surveys.

• Note: Their AI features are available as a $20/user/month add-on.

7. Gorgias

Overview:

Gorgias is a helpdesk built from the ground up specifically for e-commerce stores. It integrates deeply with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento, pulling customer order data right into the support ticket. This lets agents check shipping status, process a refund, or edit an order without ever leaving the conversation.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: The e-commerce integrations are second to none. It has powerful automations designed for common retail questions like "Where is my order?" and can turn social media comments into trackable tickets.

• Cons: The ticket-based pricing can be unpredictable and get expensive during busy seasons like Black Friday. It's also so specialized that it isn't a great fit for businesses outside of e-commerce.

Pricing:

Gorgias's pricing is based on your monthly ticket volume.

• Starter: $10/month for 50 tickets.

• Basic: $50/month for 300 tickets.

• Pro: $360/month for 2,000 tickets.

• Advanced: $900/month for 5,000 tickets.

• Additional fees apply for overages and add-ons like voice and SMS.

How to choose from the best Freshdesk alternatives

Okay, that's a lot of options. Making a decision can feel tough, but it really comes down to asking a few key questions.

• Talk to your team. Seriously, don't pick a new tool in a silo. Your agents are the ones who will use it all day. Let them test drive your top contenders and give you honest feedback. Getting them on board is half the battle.

• Think about your workflow. This is the big one. Are you so fed up with your current system that you're ready to start completely fresh? Or is your workflow mostly okay, but just in need of a serious AI boost? A tool like eesel.ai is perfect for that second scenario, letting you add powerful AI to your current setup without the massive disruption of a full migration.

• Map out the real cost. Look past the per-agent price. Add up the costs for all the add-ons you'll actually need (chat, AI, integrations), and try to estimate any potential AI usage fees. This will give you the true cost and help you avoid any nasty surprises down the road.

• Plan for the future. The tool that works for you today might not be the right one in a year. Pick a solution that can grow with your team, your ticket volume, and your customers' needs.

This video provides a great overview of some of the top Freshdesk alternatives available for your customer support needs.

Freshdesk alternatives: It's not about more features, it's about the right workflow

Look, finding the right tool isn't about chasing the longest feature list. The best Freshdesk alternative is the one that actually fits how your team works, solves your real problems, and just makes life easier for your agents.

The biggest hurdle with most alternatives is the painful, time-consuming migration. You have to move years of data, retrain your entire team, and rebuild all your workflows from the ground up. It’s a huge project that can take months.

But what if you could get all the benefits of powerful AI without that migration nightmare?

Ready to add controllable AI to your existing support channels without the headache? Try eesel AI and see how much you can automate in just a few minutes.