"One of the drawbacks of Freshdesk is that it can become quite expensive as you scale up, especially when you need advanced features that are only available in higher-tier plans. Some reporting and analytics features, while useful, could be more customizable for complex business needs. At times, it feels like there is a bit of a learning curve to fully unlock the platform's potential."
You’ll find comments like these all over the review platforms. And it’s not just one or two frustrated users—it’s a pretty common theme among businesses that start out with the Freshdesk ticketing system, get impressed by its shiny features, and then hit a wall as their support needs grow.
So, what’s the real deal with the Freshdesk ticketing system? Is it worth the investment for your business in 2025? Or are there better options out there?
Let’s take a closer look.
Freshdesk ticketing system overview
If you’ve spent any time researching helpdesk tools, chances are you’ve come across Freshdesk. It’s a cloud-based customer support platform from Freshworks, designed to help support teams manage tickets, automate workflows, and serve customers across multiple channels.
Here are some of the core features Freshdesk offers:
- Omnichannel support — handle queries from email, chat, social, phone, and more
- AI features — powered by Freddy AI to suggest replies and automate responses
- Team collaboration — internal notes, shared inboxes, and task assignments
- Self-service portal — including a knowledge base and community forums
- Marketplace integrations: Supports 1,000+ apps to extend functionality.
It’s no surprise that Freshdesk is often mentioned alongside Zendesk and other big names such as Help Scout and Zoho Desk in the helpdesk tool comparisons.
Freshdesk pricing: What you need to know
Freshdesk’s pricing looks reasonable at first glance, but things can escalate quickly as you scale.
- The Free plan offers basic ticketing with limited capabilities.
- Paid plans start at $15/agent/month (Growth), but key features like advanced automation, custom reporting, and multiple products only unlock at higher tiers.
- The Pro and Enterprise plans, at $49 and $79 per agent per month respectively, are where Freshdesk starts to resemble big-budget solutions like Zendesk.
👉 Don’t miss our Freshdesk Pricing Breakdown for a detailed look at what’s included in each plan—and where the hidden costs can add up.
What do Freshdesk helpdesk software users struggle with?
While Freshdesk comes packed with features, the biggest challenge is… well, unlocking all of them without breaking the bank.
Many users find that:
- You need to upgrade to higher-tier plans to access advanced automation and reporting
- Custom reports and analytics aren’t as flexible for complex use cases
- The UI has a learning curve—especially for new teams trying to move fast
These issues frequently appear on review platforms like G2, Capterra, and Reddit discussions.
Freshdesk can be expensive, especially for small businesses with limited budgets. While there is a free version available, it has limited functionality, and more advanced features require a paid subscription
The price we paid for Freshdesk's services feels out of sync with the value we got.
Businesses that start with Freshdesk for its strong features often switch later due to rising costs and complexity.
Is Freshdesk worth the price for growing teams?
If you’re a growing business looking to scale your support operations, Freshdesk might check all the right boxes—at first. It’s a polished, full-featured product with a strong reputation.
But here’s the catch: as your needs grow, so do your costs.
Many businesses end up upgrading to more expensive tiers just to access features like advanced automation, custom roles, or reporting tools that should arguably be standard. That’s when Freshdesk starts to feel less like a good deal and more like an expensive commitment.
If you’re still comparing options, these head-to-head reviews may help:
Why is Desk365 a smarter, simpler alternative?
Features
$12
/agent/month billed annually
$49
/agent/month billed annually
Microsoft Teams App for Agents
Create tickets from Microsoft Teams
Email Ticketing
Customer Support Portal
Knowledge Base
Automations
SLAs
Inc. Reminders & Escalations
(Only on Pro & Enterprise plans)
Custom Ticket Forms
(Only on Pro & Enterprise plans)
Custom Roles
(Only on Pro & Enterprise plans)
Free Plan Available
While Freshdesk aims for a broader feature set, Desk365 is laser-focused on delivering a modern, AI-powered helpdesk experience that doesn’t overwhelm or overcharge.
Here’s why more teams are giving it a go:
- Built-in AI assistant handles repetitive queries, summarizes tickets, and even drafts KB articles
- Automation is simple to set up with dynamic ticket forms and email workflows
- Reports that make sense — no PhD in dashboards required
- Tight Microsoft 365 integration — especially useful for Teams-based support
- Starts at just $12/user/month — no surprise costs for “premium” features
👉 See the full Reddit discussion comparing Desk365 and Freshdesk
Real-world proof: How Concurrent streamlined support with Desk365
Don’t just take our word for it—let’s look at how a real company is scaling support with Desk365.
Concurrent, a hybrid Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) with 65 agents across 39 departments, was struggling with chaotic email threads, slow response times, and siloed communication across teams like finance, compliance, and tech.
They evaluated multiple tools but chose Desk365 for its ease of use, native Microsoft 365 integration, and powerful reporting.
With Desk365, Concurrent:
- Onboarded 65+ agents in record time
- Automated routing across departments
- Used SLA alerts and canned responses to improve efficiency
- Leveraged built-in reports to monitor agent workload and plan hiring
Thinking of switching? Here’s how to migrate from Freshdesk to Desk365
Migrating from Freshdesk might sound like a big task—but with Desk365, it’s simpler than you think.
Whether you’re managing a small support team or a large organization, Desk365 offers step-by-step helpdesk migration support, easy-to-follow guides, and zero setup costs to make the switch smooth and stress-free.
Here’s what the typical migration process looks like:
- Import your data from Freshdesk — including contacts, companies, and tickets
- Skip manual contact imports with Microsoft Entra ID sync for automatic provisioning
- No setup fees — Desk365 is ready to go out of the box with full migration support included
- Leverage our API and webhooks to migrate smoothly from Freshdesk
Want a quick walkthrough?
Final thoughts
Freshdesk is still a solid choice if you want a feature-rich, well-established helpdesk platform—and you’re okay paying extra to get the most out of it.
But if you’re scaling fast, working within a budget, or simply want something that just works (without needing weeks of setup), Desk365 might be the smarter option .
After all, when you get everything you need—AI, automation, chat, email, reports—at a more affordable price, why pay more?
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