My top 3 Freshworks alternatives
By Jean-Loup Karst, Co-founder @Secret
Zendesk
When I have all of those channels (email, forms and live chat) that go into one queue, I find that Zendesk's suite has provided me with the most organized "all items are a ticket" process. I really like how I can create macros to help me quickly reply to repetitive questions and use these in conjunction with trigger based automated routing to auto triage (example: Tag "Billing", Route to Billing Group, Start SLA Clock). Their Help Center / knowledge base works well at deflecting redundant "Where is my invoice?" type of tickets. Reporting makes it easy to track First Response Time per Channel. Pricing is very transparent: Suite Team ($55/agent/month), Growth ($89), Professional ($115) and Enterprise pricing is quote.
Hubspot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub clicks for me when support must live on the same contact record as marketing and sales activity. I can turn emails and chats into tickets, publish a knowledge base, and run customer feedback (CSAT/NPS-style) without exporting data to a separate helpdesk. The paid tiers are seat-based: Starter starts at $9/seat, Professional at $90/seat (with SLAs), and Enterprise at $150/seat (with setup fees and added AI tooling).
ServiceNow
ServiceNow is where I go when “support” really means standardized service delivery across IT and other internal teams. The feature set is built around a service catalog for requests, incident management for break/fix, change management for controlled rollouts, and asset management tied back to a CMDB-style inventory. I also like that self-service knowledge is treated as part of the workflow, not a bolt-on. It’s typically quote-based, so I only recommend it when process rigor matters more than getting live in a week.
List of Alternatives to Freshworks
Here are some of Freshworks's top competitors in the Lead Management category: Zendesk, Hubspot Service Hub, ServiceNow or Freshdesk.
Create a customer success support suite that is accessible and available to your customers at all times.
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Get deal for freeZendesk leverages AI to ensure you can be available on any channel, at any time, quickly addressing your customers' requests and resolving their problems.
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Knowledge base
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Integration
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Multichannel support
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Ticketing system
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Customization and branding
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Reporting and analytics
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Customer engagement
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Automation and workflow
Suite Enterprise
Contact salesSuite Team
$55 per user per monthSuite Growth
$89 per user per monthSuite Professional
$115 per user per monthMerissa Schmitt
Forms & Conditional Fields Capture Context Upfront (Joinsecret Bonus)
Zendesk has done a good job for us on both support and light internal workflows. The forms and conditional fields help capture the right details upfront, so agents spend less time chasing context. We also got the first six months through Joinsecret, which was a nice bonus rather than the reason we chose it
June 15, 2026
Why is Zendesk a good alternative to Freshworks?
I recommend Zendesk as a Freshworks alternative when the support org’s biggest pain is operational: too many channels, inconsistent replies, and no consistent automation. I like it for teams doing true omnichannel (email + web + chat) because everything can land in one ticketing system with macros and trigger workflows that standardize triage and responses. It’s also a fit when procurement wants predictable per-agent pricing: $55/agent/month (Suite Team), $89 (Growth), $115 (Professional), then Enterprise via sales. If you’re currently paying Freshworks add-ons per agent (like Freddy Copilot at $29/agent/month annually), I find Zendesk easier to budget because the suite packaging is more explicit.
What are the differences between Zendesk and Freshworks?
Alternatives listed on the page: Freshdesk, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Jira, Manageengine servicedesk plus, Freshsales Suite, QuickBooks, Zoho Desk, Intercom, Salesforce Service Cloud, Hubspot Service Hub, LiveAgent, Slack, ClickUp, Zoho, Freshservice, Insightly. Zendesk vs Freshworks is mainly “CX suite first” versus “suite of Fresh* apps.” Zendesk Suite pricing is per agent and starts at $55/agent/month (Team), then $89 (Growth) and $115 (Professional). Freshdesk (a common Freshworks entry point) shows a free tier and paid tiers like Growth ($18/agent/month), Pro ($59), and Enterprise ($95) on the same page, which is a different budget profile. On AI, Freshworks often positions Freddy as an add-on (for example, Freddy Copilot at $29/agent/month annually) rather than “always included,” so costs can shift depending on how many agents you license.
Transform customer service into customer success
30% off Service Hub Professional and Enterprise plans for 1 year
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Get deal for freeHubSpot Service Hub is a customer service software that helps businesses manage and connect with their customers. It offers features like ticketing, customer feedback, knowledge base and reporting. The software aims to provide a better customer experience by streamlining customer service processes and improving customer satisfaction. It integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot products for a complete CRM solution.
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Customer feedback
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Live chat and conversational bots
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Automation tools
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Knowledge base
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Ticketing system
Jose C
Top-Notch Support and Satisfaction: A HubSpot Service Hub Review
Lastly, the support we've received from HubSpot has been top-notch. Any issues we've had have been resolved quickly and efficiently. Overall, I couldn't be happier with HubSpot Service Hub.
October 20, 2024
Why is Hubspot Service Hub a good alternative to Freshworks?
I point people to HubSpot Service Hub when they’re a small GTM team (sales + marketing + support) and they’re tired of syncing “who is this customer?” across tools. Service Hub’s ticketing, knowledge base, customer feedback, and chat/bot workflows work best when they live on the same contact/company record as deals and lifecycle stage. The pricing model is also a clear signal: if you’re comfortable buying support capacity as seats (Starter from $9/seat; Pro from $90/seat; Enterprise from $150/seat, with SLA features called out on Pro), it’s easy to map cost to headcount and service process maturity.
What are the differences between Hubspot Service Hub and Freshworks?
HubSpot Service Hub vs Freshworks is “CRM database as the product” versus “helpdesk/ITSM products that can integrate with CRM.” HubSpot’s platform pricing on the page is packaged as a “Customer Platform” (e.g., Starter at $20/user/month; Professional at $1,300/month; Enterprise at $4,300/month). Service Hub’s own tiers are seat-based (Starter from $9/seat; Professional from $90/seat; Enterprise from $150/seat) and Professional is where SLA features show up. Freshworks tends to split capabilities across Freshdesk/Freshchat/Freshsales/Freshservice, and then layer Freddy AI features (like agentic workflows and “Command Center” concepts) across the suite. If you want one contact timeline powering tickets, deals, sequences, and support, HubSpot feels more “single object model” than Freshworks.
ServiceNow offers a comprehensive platform that serves as a single solution for your enterprise service management needs. Whether you're a large corporation or a growing business, ServiceNow has the tools to streamline and optimize your daily operations.
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Automation and workflow
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Self-service knowledge base
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Reporting and analytics
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Asset management
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Multichannel support
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Service catalog
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Change management
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Incident management
Ursa M
The Invaluable Role of ServiceNow's CMDB in IT Infrastructure Management
As a system administrator, I find the configuration management database (CMDB) in ServiceNow invaluable. It helps us maintain an up-to-date inventory of our IT infrastructure
August 11, 2024
Why is ServiceNow a good alternative to Freshworks?
I like ServiceNow as a Freshworks alternative for ops and IT orgs that already think in “service catalog + CMDB + controlled change,” not just “tickets.” If you need request fulfillment through a catalog, formal incident and change management, asset management, and knowledge built into the service workflow, ServiceNow matches that operating model. This is the choice I’d make for a larger company where audits, approvals, and impact analysis matter and where multiple departments will share one service management backbone (IT, workplace, security, etc.). Freshworks can do ITSM via Freshservice at a transparent per-agent price, but I reach for ServiceNow when the organization wants deeper enterprise service management patterns even if it means quote-based licensing and a heavier implementation.
What are the differences between ServiceNow and Freshworks?
ServiceNow vs Freshworks is a scale and governance choice. ServiceNow is framed as enterprise service management with core blocks like incident management, change management, a service catalog, asset management, and a self-service knowledge base. Freshworks can cover ITSM via Freshservice, which publicly lists Starter ($19/agent/month), Growth ($49), Pro ($99), and Enterprise as custom-priced, and it explicitly calls out Freddy AI inclusion/usage at the Enterprise level. The big practical difference I notice is CMDB-centric process depth: ServiceNow expects you to model services/assets and route work through standardized flows, while Freshworks is usually faster to stand up for smaller teams that mainly need ticketing plus a service catalog.
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Salesforce is a widely-used cloud-based CRM platform that helps businesses organize customer data, manage sales and marketing workflows, and provide consistent support across different channels.
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Salesforce is not the simplest tool on day one, but once our team got used to dashboards, opportunity tracking, and activity history, it became the system everyone actually checks before making decisions
June 22, 2026
What's the difference between Salesforce and Freshworks?
See the full comparison between Freshworks & Salesforce
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May 27, 2026
What's the difference between HubSpot and Freshworks?
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Get deal for freeJira is a powerful project management tool designed to help your team organize, track, and manage their work efficiently. It offers versatile features for breaking down complex projects into manageable tasks, setting milestones, and mapping dependencies.
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I’ve been using Jira for project management recently, and honestly, it’s just a genuinely good product. When you are managing moving parts and need to keep everything on track, having a tool that is actually useful—rather than just another administrative burden—makes all the difference. One of the biggest surprises for me was the onboarding experience. Powerful project management software usually comes with a reputation for being overly complex, but Jira actually has a very easy learning curve. It’s incredibly easy to learn and understand right out of the gate. You don't have to spend weeks reading documentation to figure out how to set up a sprint or manage a backlog; the core mechanics just make sense. A huge part of why it's so accessible comes down to the front-end experience. It features a really nice, clean user interface that gets out of your own way. I absolutely love the design and the customization options. You can tailor your boards, fields, and workflows to fit your exact operational style, rather than being forced to adapt your process to fit the software. The real magic happens when you start expanding its capabilities. Jira connects seamlessly with just about every other app you might be using. By hooking it up to the rest of your tech stack, it adds so much more functionality, turning it from a simple task tracker into a centralized hub for your entire workflow. Overall, it’s a highly effective platform that successfully balances deep customization with an easy-to-digest design. Highly recommended.
May 4, 2026
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is a comprehensive IT help desk software that combines asset and project management capabilities. It offers tools for incident, problem, change, and release management. It also includes features for contract management, purchase order management, and knowledge base creation. The software is designed to streamline IT service operations, improve productivity, and reduce downtime.
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Seamless Integration: A Unified IT Management System Review
The software's integration with other IT management tools is seamless. This has helped us create a unified IT management system
September 29, 2024
Freshsales Suite uses the power of artificial intelligence to make salespeople's jobs easier with more complete and reliable automations (lead generation, lead qualification, automated scenarios, lead scoring, etc.).
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$71 / user / monthPres. Berry Adams
Clear Marketing-to-Sales Context with Forms and Campaign Tracking (Lower-Risk Pro Trial via Joinsecret)
One thing Freshsales Suite does well is connecting marketing and sales activity, so when a lead fills out a form or clicks a campaign email the rep has context right away, and in our case the reduced Pro pricing via Joinsecret helped us test the more advanced features without much risk
June 20, 2026
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Get deal for freeQuickbooks is a software that will allow you to manage your accounting quickly and easily. Record your expenses with simple photos, analyze your cash flow, manage your unpaid bills, and many other tasks that will simplify your accounting life.
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QuickBooks has been reliable for keeping our books in one place, especially with receipt capture and expense tracking. The mobile app is handy when I am out of the office, and syncing is usually smooth. I also happened to get a reduced rate for the first 6 months through Joinsecret, which made trying it feel pretty low risk
June 22, 2026
Zoho Desk brings exceptional value by providing a comprehensive help desk software solution that enables businesses to deliver exceptional customer support. With features like ticket management, workflows, AI-powered self-service options, multichannel support, and robust reporting and analytics, Zoho Desk helps businesses streamline their support processes, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive growth.
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Streamlining Customer Interactions: A Standout Social Media Integration
The social media integration is a standout feature, allowing us to manage customer interactions across different platforms from one place
September 16, 2024
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Intercom has worked well for both support and success in our case because conversations, banners, and automated check-ins all live in the same system, and while it is not the cheapest option, getting started via Joinsecret with a year covered on the Advanced plan and 300 monthly Fin resolutions included gave us enough runway to implement it properly before paying full price
May 28, 2026
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With LiveAgent, improve your customer support by offering the ability to respond to more tickets efficiently, and in less time.Communicate with customers across all channels from a single inbox: your customer service team will love this tool.
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June 20, 2026
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May 27, 2026
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June 23, 2026
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One thing I appreciated was that we found Zoho through Joinsecret and ended up with roughly $3,000 in credits across the first year, which gave us breathing room while setting everything up. That mattered because Zoho has a lot of options, and having a cushion let us test automations before committing to a final process
June 21, 2026
What's the difference between Zoho and Freshworks?
See the full comparison between Freshworks & Zoho
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Get deal for freeFreshservice's no-code, intuitive, and intelligent solution leverages AI to help companies of all sizes be more efficient, effective, and achieve a better ROI.
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$99 / user / monthCordelia S
Exceeding Expectations: My Rewarding Experience with FreshWorks CRM
My experience with FreshWorks CRM has been incredibly enlightening and rewarding. Initially, I was attracted by their promises of effortless recurring ticket creation and seamless integration with FreshDesk. Once the sales transaction was completed, it became clear that these were not just promises, but realities. When I encountered issues and reached out for help, I was met with a comprehensive and highly efficient support system. Even better, when I pointed out areas for improvement and suggested changes, I was met with open ears and a proactive response. My emails and calls were promptly attended to, and it was evident they were genuinely interested in addressing my concerns and improving the situation. This level of customer service and accountability is absolutely commendable. It's heartening to see a company that initially seemed reliable exceed their promises and take responsibility for their continuous improvement. My experience with FreshWorks CRM has been a dream, and I strongly encourage others to consider engaging with them.
October 20, 2024
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July 30, 2024
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