If you’re on the hunt for an IT service management (ITSM) solution, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Freshservice—Freshworks’ cloud-based helpdesk and ITSM platform. But before you lock in a subscription, one big question looms: is it actually worth the price?
In this blog, we’ll break down Freshservice’s pricing structure, highlight the key features you get at each tier, and help you figure out whether it’s the right fit for your business. We’ll also explore what to watch out for—like hidden costs or feature limitations—and how it stacks up against other popular ITSM tools like ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, and Zendesk.
Whether you’re scaling up your support team, revamping your internal IT workflows, or just need to get out of spreadsheet chaos, this guide will help you make a smart, informed decision.
Detailed breakdown of Freshservice pricing plans
Freshservice offers four main pricing tiers designed to meet different business needs—from small IT teams to large enterprises with complex workflows. Pricing is typically per agent, per month, and billed either monthly or annually (with a discount for annual billing). Here’s what each plan includes:
1. Starter plan– Best for small teams or startups
Approx. $19/agent/month (annual billing)
This is the entry-level plan that gives you the basics of IT service management without too much complexity.
What you get:
Incident management (ticketing)
Knowledge base
SLA management
Workflow automation (basic)
Mobile app
Self-service portal
What’s missing:
No change/problem management
Limited customization
No advanced automation or analytics
2.Growth plan – Ideal for growing teams
Approx. $49/agent/month (annual billing)
This is the most popular plan, offering a full ITIL-aligned feature set and customization options.
What you get (everything in Starter, plus):
Everything in the $19 plan
Service catalog
Asset management (includes 100 managed assets)
Purchase order management
Employee onboarding
Portal customization
Multiple SLAs and business hours
Approval workflows and business rules
MSP mode
2,000 orchestration transactions/mo/account
What’s missing:
No problem/change/release management
No project or contract management
Still lacks advanced analytics and access control
3. Pro plan – For large or complex IT operations
Approx. $89/agent/month (annual billing)
Meant for enterprise environments that need more automation, deeper insights, and advanced change controls.
What you get (everything in Pro, plus):
Everything in the $49 plan
Problem, change, and release management
Project management
Software license and contract management
Alert management
Analytics Pro
Access controls Pro
Team dashboards
IP range restrictions
5,000 orchestration transactions/mo/account
What’s missing:
Freddy AI tools not included
Sandbox and audit logs not available
SaaS management is an add-on
4. Enterprise plan – Tailored for unique enterprise needs
Approx. $109/agent/month (annual billing)
This is the top-tier enterprise plan offering AI support, full orchestration, and enterprise-grade control.
What you get:
Everything in the $89 plan
Freddy virtual agent (MS Teams, Slack – 2,000 suggestions/mo/account)
Freddy agent assist (beta)
Sandbox environment
Audit logs
20,000 orchestration transactions/mo/account
What’s missing:
SaaS management is still an add-on
Heaviest features may require setup and support
| Feature | Starter | Growth (Team) | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (per agent/mo, annual billing) | $19 | $49 | $99 | Custom (~$109+ or more) |
| Core ITSM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Asset Management | ❌ | ✅ (up to 100 assets) | ✅ (unlimited with asset packs) | ✅ |
| Service Catalog | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Workflow Automation | ✅ (~1,000 auto-transactions) | ✅ (~2,000 auto-transactions) | ✅ (~5,000 auto) | ✅ (~20,000 auto) |
| Change & Release Management | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Project Management | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Advanced Analytics | Starter Analytics | Starter Analytics | Pro Analytics | Pro Analytics + AI Insights |
| Virtual Agent (AI Agent) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (add‑on) | ✅ (1,200 sessions/year) |
| Freddy AI Copilot | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Add-on: $29/agent/mo) | ✅ (Optional) |
| Freddy AI Insights | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (Included in Insights) | ✅ |
Is Freshservice really worth it?
Source: Gartner
More and more teams are making the move from Freshservice to Desk365 — not because they’re giving up on ITSM-level support, but because they’re finding that Desk365 now offers the right mix of structure, simplicity, and value. While Freshservice is a solid, ITIL-aligned platform with deep features like problem management, release tracking, and a full CMDB, the reality is that many IT teams just don’t need all of that complexity day to day.
Desk365 has grown into a capable alternative that covers the essentials: SLAs, change and approval workflows, automation, a knowledge base, and even time tracking. It’s also much more approachable — lighter to manage, easier to set up, and built to work naturally inside Microsoft Teams. For organizations already living in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, that seamless integration really matters.
On top of that, Desk365 includes helpful AI features like ticket summarization and auto-drafting at no extra cost, whereas Freshservice locks similar tools behind an add-on. So for many teams, the switch isn’t about stepping down — it’s about choosing a platform that’s faster, more focused, and better aligned with how their support operations actually work.
| Feature | Desk365 | Freshservice |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✔️ Free for 3 agents & 50 tickets/month | ❌ No free plan |
| Simpler Setup & Onboarding | ✔️ Very easy, no-code, instant onboarding | ⚠️ More complex setup; better with IT expertise |
| Ticket Management (Email, MS Teams, Web) | ✔️ Native and seamless | ✔️ Available in all plans |
| Create Ticket from Microsoft Teams | ✔️ Native, works inside Teams | ✔️ Via connector, not native |
| Deep Microsoft Teams Integration | ✔️ Strong native support | ✔️ Basic integration |
| Knowledge Base | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Workflow Automation | ✔️ Basic in Standard, Advanced in Plus | Basic to AI-Orchestration by plan |
| SLA Management | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Custom Ticket Forms / Roles | ✔️ | ✔️ Pro+ only |
| Customer Portal / Widgets | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Change Management | ✔️ | ✔️ Pro+ only |
| Asset Management (CMDB) | ❌ | ✔️ Pro+ only |
| Service Catalog | ❌ | ✔️ Pro+ only |
| Advanced Automation (AI / Orchestration) | ✔️ Advanced rules & triggers in Plus | ✔️ Enterprise only |
| Analytics & Reporting | ✔️ Custom + Scheduled exports | ✔️ Varies by plan (basic to advanced) |
| Custom Roles & Permissions | ✔️ | ✔️ Pro+ only |
| Security (IP Whitelisting, Audit Logs) | ✔️ ePHI fields in Plus | ✔️ Enterprise only |
| CSAT Surveys | ✔️ | ✔️ Enterprise only |
| Time Tracking & Tasks | ✔️ | ✔️ Enterprise only |
| Microsoft Entra ID Sync | ✔️ | ✔️ Via integrations |
| Adaptive Cards Support | ✔️ Fully supported in MS Teams | ❌ Not supported |
| Power Automate Integration | ✔️ Native support | ❌ Not natively supported |
| Support Level | ✔️ Free setup & priority support (even in free plan) | Standard to premium depending on plan |
| Responsiveness & Feature Updates | ✔️ Fast, agile team, quick rollouts | ⚠️ Slower updates unless on higher plans |
Want to see how much you can save? Use our Freshservice price calculator to compare your current costs with Desk365’s clear, affordable pricing.
Desk365 is ideal if…
You primarily operate within Microsoft Teams and want a seamless, native ticketing experience inside Teams.
Cost matters — at $12–20/agent/month, it’s one of the most affordable helpdesk platforms with strong core capabilities.
You need change/approval workflows, AI ticket summaries, automated routing, and other modern features — now included in their Plus plan.
You value rapid product improvement — Desk365 releases new features regularly, closing the gap with bigger ITSM tools.
You want AI support (summarization, auto-drafting, etc.) without enterprise pricing.
Freshservice is better suited if…
You require mature ITIL-aligned modules like problem, change, release, and extensive asset/license management — critical for IT ops or MSPs.
You need deep orchestration, third-party integrations, sandbox environments, or multi-department support.
You rely on robust reporting, analytics, and custom dashboards for decision-making.
You’re building a scalable enterprise ITSM platform that supports global teams, SLAs, audit logs, and complex workflows — even at higher costs ($49–$99+/agent/month).
Save up to 60% of your customer support cost with Desk365!
Desk365 offers a comprehensive set of features starting at $12. It’s an affordable and effective solution that can meet your ticketing system needs without breaking the bank.
Omni-Channel
- Microsoft Teams Ticketing
- Email Ticketing
- Customer Support Portal
- Web Form/Web Widget
- Unified Inbox
Process Automation
- Workflow Automation
- Multiple Business Hours
- Custom Response Templates
- Canned Responses
- Tasks/To-do Lists
- 'Share To' Tickets
- Time Tracking
- SLA Management & Business Hours
- SLA Reminders & Escalations
- Multiple SLAs
- SLAs in Automations
Ticket Management
- Change/Approval Management
- Round Robin Ticket Assignments
- Load Based Ticket Assignments
- Ticket Watchers
- Multiple Groups/Departments
- Draft with AI
- AI Agent
- Collision Detection
- Closure Rules
- Knowledge Base
Data & Analytics
- Customer Surveys & Reports
- Ticket Trend Reports
- Productivity/SLA Reports
- Export Data
- Scheduled Reports
- Import Data
Customization
- Custom Email Servers
- Custom Domain
- Custom Ticket Fields
- Custom Forms
- Custom Roles
- Custom Reports & Graphs
- Remove Desk365 Branding
Integrations
- Entra ID Single Sign-on
- Microsoft Entra ID Sync
- API Access
- Web-hooks
- Power Automate Connector
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Plugin
Support
- Free Setup and Installation
- Priority Support
Seeking a more cost-effective alternative to Freshservice?
Try Desk365 — start a free 21-day trial today and experience a modern, affordable helpdesk designed to help you connect with your customers effortlessly.
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