While Freshdesk offers a range of features and functionalities, businesses may consider alternatives for reasons like:
- the need for more advanced features,
- customisation options,
- scalability to accommodate growing customer bases,
- or integration capabilities with existing systems and tools.
For decades, Freshdesk has been a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. However, as businesses evolve and their needs change, exploring alternatives to Freshdesk becomes essential to finding the right fit for specific requirements.
This blog will explore 9 alternatives to Freshdesk Ticketing System, considering features, scalability, integration capabilities, and overall user experience.
The table below provides a concise comparison of Freshdesk alternatives. We’ll follow up with detailed descriptions of each alternative.
Top 9 Freshdesk Ticketing System Alternatives
Systems | Pros | Average Rating (G2, Capterra & Gartner) | Pricing |
Leadsquared | AI Automation & integration with Sales CRM | 4.38 | Upon Request |
Zendesk | Insights on agent’s performance, customer trends & Flexibility to tailor workflows | 4.4 | $19 |
Hubspot | Integration with Hubspot’s Service CRM & Automation Capabilities | 4.37 | $45 |
Helpscout | User Friendly Interface and Extensive Knowledge Base | 4.53 | $20 |
Jira Service Management | Integration with Atlassian's ecosystem & Customized options for users | 4.45 | $20 |
Zoho Desk | AI-powered automation for smart ticket routing and resolution | 4.42 | $12 |
Kayako | Omnichannel Support with integrated live help desk | 4.42 | $15 |
Intercom | Automated Messaging & targeting capabilities | 4.55 | $39 |
1. LeadSquared
LeadSquared’s Service CRM provides comprehensive customer support, covering everything from ticket creation to resolution. It simplifies the customer support process with complete ticket management from start to finish.
Website Link – LeadSquared
Why is LeadSquared a better alternative to Freshdesk?
LeadSquared offers a comprehensive ticketing solution with omnichannel support, CRM integration, and a 360-degree customer view. The in-built AI automation helps streamline tasks and potentially reduce resolution times, which can improve customer service and satisfaction.
Pros:
- Omnichannel Support & AI-powered automation
- Parent-child ticketing system
- Customer Testimonial: “LeadSquared has transformed our efficiency dramatically.”
Cons:
- Limited customization options compared to other ticketing systems.
- The user interface for the mobile app can be improved.
- User Feedback: ” Third party integration with LSQ takes time”
Pricing:
Upon Request
Ratings (LeadSquared overall):
- G2: 4.3/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- TrustRadius: 8.7/10
2. Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Service Cloud is a comprehensive customer service platform that offers a robust ticketing system alongside features like a knowledge base, self-service portal, and community management. It’s designed to streamline customer support interactions and improve agent productivity.
Why is Salesforce Service Cloud a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Salesforce Service Cloud stands out for its scalability, powerful automation, and tight integration with the broader Salesforce ecosystem. Businesses looking for a feature-rich solution that can grow with their needs will find Service Cloud compelling.
Pros:
- Manages high volumes of customer inquiries across various channels like email, phone, social media, and web chat.
- Automates repetitive tasks like ticket routing, assignment, and even initial response generation using AI.
- Customer Testimonial: The CRM is very beneficial to store data of all the customers and what’s happening with them, so the person who might work on a particular account for prospecting can make some note about it and follow-up at the particular date mentioned
Cons:
- Compared to simpler ticketing systems, Service Cloud has a broader feature set that might require more training for agents.
- Extensive customizations may involve IT expertise or additional costs for consulting services.
- User Feedback: Comparatively the price for the services they offer along are quite high rather than the other clouds services that are available in the market.
Pricing:
Salesforce Service Cloud pricing varies based on the chosen edition (Essentials, Professional, Enterprise) and number of users. It typically starts at around $45 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.5/5
- Capterra: 4.7/5
- TrustRadius: 8.8/10
3. Zendesk Support Suite
Zendesk is a popular cloud-based customer support platform that offers a user-friendly ticketing system at its core. It boasts features like omnichannel support, agent collaboration tools, and reporting & analytics.
Why choose Zendesk ticketing?
Zendesk excels in offering a balance of powerful features with a user-friendly interface. Businesses seeking a comprehensive yet approachable solution for managing customer requests will find Zendesk a strong choice.
Pros:
- Provides valuable insights into agent performance, customer trends, and overall support effectiveness.
- Offers flexibility to tailor workflows, automation, and reporting to fit business needs.
- Customer Testimonial: “I’ve seen first-hand the benefit of using a ticketing system over a shared inbox to help the flow of information, and having all of your communications in one spot definitely can help with agent efficiency”
Cons:
- The free plan offers basic features and limited customization options.
- More robust enterprise plans might be necessary for very high-volume support needs.
- User Feedback: “Customers that attempt to use Zendesk as their primary customer database oftentimes need to take additional measures to keep user data in sync with other systems”
Pricing:
Zendesk Ticketing offers a free plan with limited features. Paid plans start at $19 per monthly agent, with additional features and functionalities unlocked in higher tiers.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.3/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- TrustRadius: 8.9/10
4. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub is a part of the HubSpot CRM suite, offering tools for customer service, ticketing, and knowledge base management. It’s designed to help businesses deliver exceptional customer experiences and improve customer satisfaction.
Website Link – Hubspot
Why is HubSpot Service Hub a better alternative to Freshdesk?
HubSpot Service Hub is more than just a ticketing system. It bridges the gap between departments by integrating with your existing marketing and sales tools. This allows for a unified view of customer interactions, streamlining the ticketing process and potentially improving the overall customer journey.
Pros:
- Integration with HubSpot CRM for unified customer management.
- Efficient ticketing and automation capabilities.
- Customer Testimonial: “HubSpot’s Service Hub ticket manageability and process flow and how it has enhanced our existing service process through UI Views, lists, reporting, and dashboards”
Cons:
- Advanced features may require additional training for users.
- Customization options can be limited in certain areas.
- User Feedback: “ I don’t like how they make you setup automations that you cannot trust. I have contacted support quite a few times since the automation stopped working, so I must keep track if they still work. If not, I must disable it and activate it again. It’s not always trustworthy.”
Pricing:
$45 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.3/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- TrustRadius: 8.6/10
5. Help Scout
Help Scout is a customer service software designed for businesses focusing on delivering personalized customer support. It enhances customer interactions through collaborations and communication, particularly through its efficient ticketing system.
Website Link – Help Scout
Why is Help Scout a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Help Scout’s intuitive interface and focus on personalized customer interactions make it a preferred choice for businesses looking for simplicity and effectiveness in customer service.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface with a focus on collaboration.
- Extensive knowledge base capabilities.
- Customer Testimonial: ” We are using help scout as our Live Chat Support channel, and for our knowledgebase. When our team is not available to provide support, there we have our Knowledgebase integrated with the Live Chat widget, which helps us to reduce the support requests”
Cons:
- Lack of advanced automation features compared to some competitors.
- Reporting tools may require improvement for detailed analysis.
- User Feedback: ” The interface is still seems to be old to me, it can be improved with easy navigation like other tools”
Pricing:
Pricing:
Pricing details are customized based on the company size and requirements, starting at around $20 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.5/5
- Capterra: 4.6/5
- TrustRadius: 8.5/10
6. Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management, formerly known as Jira Service Desk, is a popular IT service management (ITSM) tool that helps teams deliver great service experiences. It offers features like incident management, change management, and automation workflows.
Website Link – Atlassian
Why is Jira Service Management a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Jira Service Management is highly customizable, scalable, and integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian products, providing a robust ITSM solution for organizations of all sizes.
Pros:
- Flexible and customizable workflows.
- Integration with Atlassian’s ecosystem for enhanced collaboration.
- Customer Testimonial: “We use this for helping serve our customers with a knowledge base and support ticket portal, so they can raise tickets and request in line with contract SLA’s and to keep them simple and easy to review at any time”
Cons:
- The steeper learning curve for advanced customization.
- Requires familiarity with the Jira ecosystem for optimal use.
- User Feedback: “Customer Service portal could be a little bit easier to customise/manage“
Pricing:
$20 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.5/5
- Capterra: 4.4/5
- TrustRadius: 8.9/10
7. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is a cloud-based help desk solution that offers ticketing, knowledge base, and customer self-service capabilities. It’s designed to streamline customer support operations and improve agent productivity.
Website Link – Zoho Desk
Why is Zoho Desk a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Zoho Desk’s intuitive interface, AI-powered automation, and extensive customization options make it a competitive choice for businesses seeking efficient customer support solutions.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface and user-friendly design for easy adoption.
- AI-powered automation for smart ticket routing and resolution.
- Customer Testimonial: “Revolutionising customer support by having SLA’s supervisor rules and time-based actions and reminders to keep agents on top of cases”
Cons:
- Using advanced features and customization options may require some learning curve.
- Limited integration options compared to other platforms.
- User Feedback: “One downside is the limited integration options with certain third-party applications, which can sometimes hinder our ability to fully integrate our support system with other tools we use”
Pricing:
Starts at $12 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.4/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- TrustRadius: 8.7/10
8. Kayako
Kayako is a customer service platform that offers help desk, live chat, and customer engagement tools. It’s designed to help businesses deliver personalized and efficient support experiences.
Website Link – Kayako
Why is Kayako a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Kayako’s focus on omnichannel support, automation, and customizable workflows makes it a strong contender for businesses looking to streamline customer support operations.
Pros:
- Omnichannel support with integrated help desk, live chat, and social media engagement.
- Automation features for ticket routing, responses, and follow-ups.
- Customer Testimonial: ” The most helpful feature is that Kayako assigns the order of priority for almost all the tickets according to the tasks. It gets the job done so efficiently that I only need give my attention to some, which requires a human touch”
Cons:
- Advanced features and customization options may require technical expertise.
- Cost may be higher for advanced plans and additional features.
- User Feedback: “There are some bugs that happen in Kayako from time to time which interferes in assigning the priority. It can be made better by issuing an updated software patch. Other than that, the software is really good!”
Pricing:
Starts at $15 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.4/5
- Capterra: 4.5/5
- TrustRadius: 8.7/10
9. Intercom
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that enables businesses to communicate with customers through ticketing systems across various channels, including chat, email, and social media, to provide personalized support and improve customer engagement.
Website Link – Intercom
Why is Intercom a better alternative to Freshdesk?
Intercom’s focus on conversational support and proactive engagement tools makes it an excellent choice for businesses looking to enhance customer communication and build relationships.
Pros:
- Conversational support tools for real-time interactions.
- Automated messaging and targeting capabilities.
- Customer Testimonial: ” What I like best about Intercom is that it has categories wherein you can easily see the new and old messages. It also provides easier navigation for the user. I often use Intercom because it is great for business and entrepreneurial experience. Providing support for the customers has been really manageable and light because of having intercom by my side”
Cons:
- Pricing can be higher for small businesses.
- Learning curve for advanced features like automation.
- User Feedback: ” Bugs. They are everywhere. Updates may be lost, updates may be rejected by intercom because of server-side exceptions, or mysterious thing called “concurrent updates” when there is just a single update”
Pricing:
$39 per user per month.
Ratings:
- G2: 4.6/5
- Capterra: 4.6/5
- TrustRadius: 8.9/10
Find the Perfect Fit: Freshdesk Alternatives
When exploring Freshdesk alternatives, it’s essential to consider various factors to ensure the chosen solution meets your business requirements. Key considerations include ticketing features like automation, SLA management, omnichannel support, reporting and analytics capabilities, integration options with CRM and other tools, pricing plans that fit your budget, and customer feedback and reviews to gauge user satisfaction.
Factors to Consider:
- Team Size & Complexity: Simple systems work well for smaller teams, while larger teams might benefit from more robust features.
- Customer Service Metrics: Customer service metrics are the compass guiding you within your ticketing system. They reveal areas for improvement, highlight agent strengths, and ultimately show you how effectively you’re resolving customer issues.
- Features & Functionality: Prioritize the features most important for your support needs (e.g., omnichannel support, automation, reporting).
- Ease of Use: Consider how easy it will be for your team to learn and adopt the new system.
- Budget: Ticketing systems come in a variety of price ranges. Determine your budget and compare pricing models of potential alternatives.
- Scalability: Will the system be able to grow with your business needs?
Customer Service Experience Revolution – Leadsqaured’s Service CRM
A seamless customer experience is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. Traditional ticketing systems often fall short, leaving both customers frustrated and your support team overwhelmed.
We recently embarked on a journey to find a superior solution, and after exploring a vast array of ticketing software, LeadSquared stood out as the clear frontrunner.
LeadSquared empowers you to connect seamlessly with your customers, whether they prefer email, phone, social media, or live chat. This eliminates confusion and ensures every inquiry receives prompt attention.
With LeadSquared, your ticketing system seamlessly integrates with your CRM, providing your support team with a rich 360-degree view of each customer along with Omnichannel Support. This allows them to personalize interactions, anticipate needs, and exceed expectations.
Schedule a demo today and discover how LeadSquared can transform your customer support!
