Alternatives / Freshdesk
A Freshdesk alternative when chat, not email, is where your customers ask
Freshdesk is an email-first help desk. Ticketing, a shared inbox, SLA policies, routing, and a customer portal are its core. Its Freddy AI Agent, as listed on the Freshdesk pricing page, is an Email AI Agent that replies to tickets. Live chat and messaging are sold separately, as Freshchat or the Freshdesk Omni suite.
SupportHQ is the other shape. The AI agent is the product, it answers on your website, in Telegram, and in Discord, and every plan includes thousands of conversations at a flat price. It has no email inbox. If most of your support arrives by email, that gap matters more than any price difference on this page.
The comparison below quotes the Freshdesk pricing page as of the date shown. Where Freshdesk does not publish a detail, this page says so.
Freshdesk pricing quoted from its pricing page as of October 1, 2026. Prices change. Check the source before deciding.
SupportHQ vs Freshdesk at a glance
Freshdesk is an email ticketing help desk with an AI agent sold in session packs. SupportHQ is a chat-first AI agent with an inbox and flat pricing. Pick by where your customers write to you.
| SupportHQ | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plan. No per-seat fees, no per-resolution fees. | Per agent per month, plus Freddy AI Agent session packs and an optional Copilot add-on per agent. |
| Entry price | Starter $29/month or $290/year. Growth $49/month or $490/year. | Growth $19 per agent/month, Pro $55, Enterprise $89, all billed annually. The page says annual billing saves 20%. Monthly prices are not shown in the page text. |
| Team seats | Unlimited team members on every plan. | Every agent needs a paid license. Day passes for occasional agents cost $2 (Growth), $7 (Pro), or $12 (Enterprise) per pass. |
| AI agent pricing | Included. 2,000 conversations/month on Starter, 3,000 on Growth. Resolving more costs nothing extra. | 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions are included once per account, not every month. After that, sessions cost $49 per 100. A session is a 72-hour window from the customer's first email. Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent/month billed annually (Pro and Enterprise). |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial. Card required, not charged if you cancel before it ends. | 14-day trial with Enterprise plan access. No free plan is listed on the pricing page. |
| Channels | Website widget, Telegram (chats and groups), Discord (servers). WhatsApp coming soon. | Email ticketing and shared inbox. Live chat and messaging are sold separately, as Freshchat or the Freshdesk Omni suite, not priced on this page. Telegram and Discord are not listed. |
| Human handoff | On every plan. The agent escalates with its own reason, urgency, and summary into a unified inbox. Team notified by email, Telegram, or SMS. | Full ticketing with intelligent routing on Pro and skill-based routing on Enterprise. |
| How the AI answers | Answers only from approved content: files, synced website, articles, past conversations. Says when it does not know. | Freddy AI Agent replies to emails with resolutions and is managed in AI Agent Studio. Sources are not detailed on the pricing page. |
Feature by feature
| Feature | SupportHQ | Freshdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plan | Per agent + AI session packs |
| Entry paid price | $29/month total (unlimited members) | $19 per agent/month (billed annually) |
| Team of 5 in the inbox | $29/month, unlimited members | 5 agents on Growth: $95/month (billed annually) before AI sessions |
| AI conversations included | 2,000/month on Starter, 3,000/month on Growth | 500 sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 |
| Email ticketing | No | Yes, the core of the product |
| Live chat on your website | Yes | Sold separately, as Freshchat or the Freshdesk Omni suite |
| Telegram and Discord | Yes, both | Not listed |
| SLA policies and routing | No SLA engine | Yes (multiple SLA policies on Pro) |
| Agent escalates on its own with reason and summary | Yes, on every plan | Not described on the pricing page |
| Free trial | 7 days, card required | 14 days (Enterprise features) |
When Freshdesk is the better choice
- Email is your main support channel and you need real ticketing with statuses, SLAs, and routing.
- You want the AI agent to reply to support emails, which SupportHQ does not do.
- You need a customer portal, multilingual help desk, or collaborators on tickets.
- You already run other Freshworks products and want one vendor across them.
When SupportHQ is the better choice
- Your customers ask on your website, in Telegram, or in Discord, not by email.
- You want AI conversations included every month, not a one-time allowance followed by session packs.
- You want the whole team in the inbox without buying a license per agent.
- You want the agent to escalate on its own with a reason and summary, and your team notified by email, Telegram, or SMS.
Switching from Freshdesk
- Bring your content. Point SupportHQ at your public help center or website to sync it, upload exported articles as files, or write articles directly. The agent answers only from what you approve.
- Add the widget. One script tag on your site. Connect Telegram and Discord in a few clicks if your customers are there.
- Set escalation rules. Plain English, per channel. Start strict and relax as the knowledge base covers more.
- Run both during the trial. Keep Freshdesk live for 7 days while you compare answers, handoffs, and the bill.
For the reasoning behind flat pricing, read how AI support pricing models compare. For the full plan detail, see pricing.
FAQ
Is Freshdesk cheaper than SupportHQ?
For one agent on email, Freshdesk Growth is $19 per month billed annually, which is less than SupportHQ Starter at $29. The gap closes with team size: five Freshdesk agents cost $95 per month, billed annually. AI also costs extra on Freshdesk after the first 500 sessions, at $49 per 100. SupportHQ includes 2,000 conversations a month on Starter.
Does SupportHQ have email ticketing like Freshdesk?
No. SupportHQ has a unified inbox for conversations from your website widget, Telegram, and Discord. It does not receive or send support email, and it has no SLA engine. If email is your main channel, Freshdesk is the better fit.
Are the 500 Freddy AI sessions included every month?
No. As of the date on this page, the Freshdesk pricing page says the 500 free Freddy AI Agent sessions are limited to once per account. After that you buy session packs at $49 per 100 sessions, valid for your payment cycle.
Can SupportHQ answer from my Freshdesk knowledge base?
Yes, if it is public. Sync the help center URL as knowledge, upload exported articles, or write articles in SupportHQ. The agent answers only from that content and says when it does not know.
Can I run both during the trial?
Yes. Keep Freshdesk for email and put SupportHQ on your website, Telegram, or Discord for 7 days. The SupportHQ trial needs a card, and you are not charged if you cancel before it ends.