In the era of "call culture, “Consumers are not afraid to post negative reviews of companies with poor customer service. The difficulty lies in maintaining multichannel customer support, and this is where customer support software comes in.
I spent some time testing two of the most popular platforms on the market:Zendeskjcool table. That's how they accumulate.
The Zendesk integration is easier to use
Freshdesk is cheaper and offers a free plan (but it's pretty limited)
Respond to tickets faster with Freshdesk
Zendesk makes collaborating on tickets easy
With Zendesk, you can connect with customers through more channels
Zendesk offers more diverse filters for ticket dashboard views
Overview of Zendesk vs Freshdesk
Once upon a time, the differences between Zendesk and Freshdesk were clear. Zendesk was the powerhouse in terms of efficiency and robust features, while Freshdesk was the simpler, less expensive alternative. But Freshdesk has come a long way since its launch in 2010. Here's a handy table that highlights some of the key points of comparison between Freshdesk and Zendesk, but read on to delve deeper.
cool table | Zendesk | |
---|---|---|
configuration and integration | ⭐⭐ No structured onboarding experience; Robust training library available but can be overwhelming | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Structured integration with guided demos and a robust training library |
Prices | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Profitable; free plan available with limitations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not a free plan but you get more for your money |
ticket management | ⭐⭐⭐ Canned answers are easy to organize and type; Team collaboration on tickets is limited | ⭐⭐⭐ Saved answers require more manual effort to find and type; Team collaboration on tickets is seamless |
Support-Chat | ⭐⭐⭐ Intuitive chat interface but requires separate app integration; offers fewer communication channels | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intuitive chat interface and supports more channels |
Theaterkasse | ⭐⭐⭐ Basic filters available for quick ticket views | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Various filter options available for quick ticket views |
Before I dive deeper, I want to clarify one more thing: for the purposes of this comparison, “Zendesk” only refers to Zendesk for the service; "Freshdesk" means the Freshdesk Omnichannel Suite. It's a little confusing because Zendesk for Service is the product's technical name, but it's often referred to simply as "Zendesk". In addition, the company name is also Zendesk. Rather, Freshdesk is a product of Freshworks.
While Zendesk and Freshworks offer other products, this article only focuses on their customer service software.
WasNODifferences between Zendesk and Freshdesk
If you're looking for a tiebreaker between Freshdesk and Zendesk, skip this section.
Knowledge Base and Self-Service:Both offer interior and exterior accommodations.knowledge bases, so customers and employees can access troubleshooting guides, FAQs, or other important information they may find useful.
Reports and data analysis:Zendesk and Freshdesk come with pre-built dashboards and report templates, or you can create your own.
(Video) FreshDesk VS ZenDesk 2023 | Which Is Better?Application integrations:Both platforms have over 1,000 apps covering a variety of categories, and both apps integrate with Zapier.
The Zendesk integration is easier to use
Freshdesk and Zendesk offer training resources to get you started, but the Zendesk integration is easyEasier.
First off, Freshdesk doesn't have a clear onboarding timeline. I had to contact the support team to be redirected to the training resource database as it wasn't clear how to find it. While the database offers step-by-step instructions and a separate video library to help you get set up, I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of documentation and the learning style, allowing you to choose your own adventure.
Zendesk, on the other hand, offers a structured and easy-to-navigate onboarding experience with guided tours at almost every step.
Zendesk claims that you can get an overview of its features and set up some key tasks in under an hour. The first half is true, but the last statement is a bit misleading. Of course, you can connect Zendesk to your website and social channels within an hour, which is important for your customers to be able to interact with you. However, you need more time to set up the backend to keep your customer support team running smoothly.
Thankfully, both Freshdesk and Zendesk are fairly intuitive to use, but the onboarding support is still worth considering, especially if you're a larger company that can't afford to spend time helping new hires.
Freshdesk is cheaper and offers a free plan (but it's pretty limited)
Freshdesk was founded in part in response to the rising Zendesk prices, so it's not surprising that Freshdesk remains the most affordable option.
Comparing top-of-the-line plans with similar features, Freshdesk costs $99/agent/month versus Zendesk's $150/agent/month (both billed annually).
Neither company offers a free plan for their omnichannel products, but Freshdesk allows you to use the individual products that make up their omnichannel suite (support desk and contact center) for free. But there are some caveats:
Support Desk is only free for 10 agents;
Reports and analytics are limited to ticket volume trends;
Customization is not an option; It is
Support Desk and Contact Center cannot be accessed on one platform, so you must switch between them.
If you don't need all the bells and whistles and your budget is limited, Freshdesk can save you a lot of money in the long run. If you want a complete and customizable support platform, Zendesk is worth the higher price.
Respond to tickets faster with Freshdesk
If you have a lot of customer conversations with customer service reps and want to resolve tickets faster, Freshdesk takes the lead.
Freshdesk makes it easy to create and organizeprepared answers(ie answer templates that you create yourself). Ticket Response Quick Actions allow you to use a keyboard shortcut to quickly find and insert canned answers and solution articles (i.e., Freshdesk's guess of the best knowledge base article for the question at hand).
Zendesk's version of autoresponders, called "macros," cannot be invoked with a keyboard shortcut. Also, the macros are simply listed alphabetically with no further organization or order, making finding the correct answer more complicated and time-consuming. For what it's worth, Zendesk automatically fills in the most commonly used macros at the top of the list.
If you don't have many standard replies to dig into or if you tend to send the same three to five messages, both apps will get the job done.
Zendesk makes collaborating on tickets easy
When it comes to seamless team collaboration, Zendesk shines.
Zendesk has a very cool feature called "Side Chats" that allows you to discuss a ticket with other team members via email, Slack, or any other child ticket (i.e. a ticket created from a side chat) directly from Zendesk . All side conversations also appear directly on the ticket as a comment, but remain hidden from the customer.
Note: You cannot use the Zendesk Support mobile app to create, view, or reply to side conversations.
Freshdesk offers something similar to Freshconnect: a Freshworks app that integrates with Freshdesk and allows teams to collaborate on tickets right inside Freshdesk. But the conversations only take place in the Freshconnect app. You can also integrate Freshconnect with popular communication apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams, but this will only notify you that there is a new message or reply waiting in Freshconnect. For example, if you get a notification in Slack that you have a new message on Freshconnect, you need to go to Freshconnect in Freshdesk to view the message and reply.
When your customer support team receives a large number of tickets, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in a ticket at any given time, especially when you have to switch between apps to manage it.jGet help from other teammates. If that's the case for you, Zendesk is a game changer.
With Zendesk, you can connect with customers through more channels
While Freshdesk and Zendesk allow you to engage with customers through popular communication channels—email, Twitter, live chat, and AI-powered chatbots—Zendesk continues to offer thisAdvance paymentChannels including Text, WhatsApp and Line. This is one of the many reasons why we named Zendesk as one of theBest live chat apps for customer support..
And on a nitpicky note, Freshdesk uses Freshchat, another Freshworks app that integrates with Freshdesk, to communicate with customers. Chat support is now easily integrated into Zendesk. While not necessarily a deal breaker, the overview of all the different Freshworks products really confused me, especially when I looked up articles on how to use each product.
Zendesk offers more diverse filters for ticket dashboard views
Both Freshdesk and Zendesk offer simple and intuitive ways to filter and save ticket views, but Zendesk offers more filtering and customization.
In Freshdesk, the ticket dashboard is simple. You can sort and filter tickets by dozens of metrics based on what's most important to your task (agent, status, pending response, etc.).
Zendesk, on the other hand, allows you to organize your tickets based on several customizable conditions. You can also rearrange the arrangement of fields in the Zendesk ticket dashboard.
Note: Freshdesk allows you to filterjSave views directly from the ticket dashboard. Zendesk, on the other hand, forces you to navigateadministration centerto create new ticket views.
Both platforms integrate with Zapier
No matter what customer service software you choose, you want it to work well with the rest of your technology stack. dressingZapier, you can automate your team's processes by connecting Freshdesk and Zendesk with the other apps you use most. Here are some resources to get you started:
5 ways to automatically optimize your Zendesk tickets
6 ways to automate Freshdesk
Zapier is the leader in no-code automation and integrates with over 5,000 apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Build secure, automated systems for your mission-critical workflows across your organization's technology stack.Learn more.
FreshDesk vs. Zendesk: Qual devo usar?
When comparing Freshdesk to Zendesk, there is no obvious winner. It all depends on the needs and priorities.
For smaller, growing teams on a budget, Freshdesk is easy and affordable. For teams that want the best value for their resources (and have the space), Zendesk is the best choice.
Related reading:
zendesk x intercom
The best customer service software.
(Video) ZenDesk vs FreshDesk - Which One Is Better?
This article was originally published in December 2018 by Jeremy Moser. The last update was in November 2022.
FAQs
Which is better Zendesk or Freshdesk? ›
Freshdesk offers more automated options while Zendesk only includes pre-defined responses and business rules. On the other hand, Zendesk dives deeper into customer support and offers a separate set of features for voice, live chat and messaging, email support.
What is better than Freshdesk? ›Zendesk offers more integrations than Freshdesk offers as well as the option to create custom integrations.
Why choose Freshdesk? ›Freshdesk is a better option than handling support through email. The app keeps responses from customers together and offers useful features for sharing support responsibilities with other agents. The “Solutions” section is helpful to customers and the solutions can be easily linked or added to customer responses.
Is Zendesk like Freshdesk? ›Zendesk also offers additional alignment functionality through their Collaboration add-on which provides the ability to share with team members across departments. If advanced functionality is needed, Zendesk is a strong Freshdesk alternative. Freshdesk is known as a relatively easy and intuitive to use tool.
Which ticketing system is best? ›- Best Overall: Freshdesk.
- Runner-Up: Zendesk.
- Best Value: Kayako.
- Best Price: Zoho Desk.
- Best for Email Support: JitBit.
- Best For Ease of Use: HappyFox.
Knowing the basic elements required to provide good customer service, Freshdesk offers a forever-free plan—for up to 10 agents—that'll help small businesses and startups to start off on the right foot when it comes to delivering effortless customer experiences.
Why should I choose Zendesk? ›It's flexible and easy to build on, and gives people the tools and freedom to try new ideas. With custom metrics, custom reports, and flexible data visualizations, Zendesk reporting enables teams to make sense of the information that matters to them.
Does PayPal use Freshdesk? ›Manage PayPal payments inside Freshdesk. Refund payments, manage subscriptions, send invoices and much more!
Is Freshdesk an Indian company? ›US Company or India Company
We decided to incorporate Freshdesk in the US.
- The uniqueness of your business will suffer because there are way too many knowledge bases with the same design all over the web, which are also easily accessible.
- You may spoil user experience by long waiting of page loading.
Why is Zendesk so popular? ›
It provides both your support and customers with easily searchable detailed information. The Chat and Talk modules provide you with channels where you can connect with your customers. Zendesk Chat lets you engage customers over mobile apps, popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, and even over websites.
Who uses Freshdesk? ›Company Name | Website | Contact Info |
---|---|---|
Biztalk 360 | www.biztalk360.com | +44 1689 666575 |
Chargebee | www.chargebee.com | (877) 303-1133 |
Cisco | www.cisco.com | (408) 526-4000 |
Earth911 | www.earth911.com | (972) 464-0004 |
- Uber.
- Pinterest.
- Shopify.
- Twitter.
- Instacart.
- Slack.
- Stripe.
- reddit.
N) on Tuesday completed its sale to a group of private equity firms led by Hellman & Friedman and Permira in a deal valued at $10.2 billion after prolonged pressure from activist investor Jana Partners. As part of the deal, Zendesk shareholders received $77.50 per share in cash.
Does IKEA use Zendesk? ›You do not have to worry about purchasing, installing, licensing and upgrading software. Several large companies in Sweden, including Ikea and SAS, use Zendesk to increase the quality of their customer service.
Which ticketing tool does Amazon use? ›osTicket - Support Ticketing System + Support.
What ticketing system does Google use? ›Is there a Google ticketing system? Google Workspace does not provide a ticketing system. There are no Google applications support ticket systems for firms that use Gmail to manage customer support inquiries from their customers. Indeed, the Google helpdesk provides customer service via other Google apps.
What is the best omnichannel ticketing system? ›With omnichannel support, built-in tracking, and massive integration capabilities, it's no wonder that ZenDesk is the best help desk ticketing system for most businesses. Zendesk is a dream tool for managers and support agents alike.
How safe is Freshdesk? ›All data at rest is encrypted using AES-256-bit standards with the keys being managed by AWS Key Management Service. All data in transit is encrypted using FIPS-140-2 standard encryption.
Is Freshworks better than Salesforce? ›Salesforce is the worldwide market-share CRM leader, but if you're starting out with your relationship management efforts, Freshworks CRM is the better deal with affordable pricing and uniform customer support options.
Does Freshdesk use AWS? ›
Today, Freshdesk supports more than 28,000 customers and uses Amazon EC2 Reserved Instances to lower its infrastructure cost by 75%. The company also uses AWS OpsWorks to automate the entirety of its code deployments.
What is the disadvantage of Zendesk? ›One of the drawbacks of Zendesk is that it doesn't provide a secure way for us to send data. So, we usually use a secure SharePoint folder link. We put that in the Zendesk ticket so that the requester has a secure way of getting to their data. The dashboard could be better.
What is the limitation of Zendesk? ›Volume limitations
4,000 concurrent conversations/with 200,000 total conversations per day. 500 configured integrations (web/mobile/social). 1,000 steps/nodes in a messaging bot.
The top Zendesk competitor is Freshdesk as it offers a robust interface and powerful features that can rival Zendesk. From ticket management and multi-channel support capabilities to knowledge base creation and community portal tools, this application is a well-rounded solution for all of your help desk requirements.
Is Freshdesk a CRM tool? ›Freshdesk is a helpdesk system and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution that simplifies customer service for your team and helps them provide a great customer experience.
Is Freshdesk easy to use? ›Freshdesk provides an easy-to-use platform for managing customer support. The UI is intuitive and the variety of features such as multi-channel support, automation, and reporting make it a comprehensive solution. The platform can be a bit slow at times and the integration with other tools could be improved.
Is Freshdesk a SaaS? ›Is Freshdesk a SaaS? Yes, Freshdesk is a fast-growing SaaS product specializing in customer service and support ticketing. It is a cloud-based customer support software that is both feature-rich and easy to use.
Is Freshdesk a unicorn? ›Freshworks (earlier called Freshdesk) has long been the torch bearer of the Indian SaaS ecosystem. It was India's first SaaS unicorn, and paved the way for a second wave of young SaaS players who are on the way to making India a SaaS powerhouse.
Did Freshworks steal from Zoho? ›Zoho's lawsuit alleged that Freshworks employees uploaded some 4,000 leads from the Zoho CRM into the Freshworks CRM. Zoho then suggested that the “stolen” leads helped Freshworks earn the trust of investors, which helped to propel its IPO. Freshworks did in fact go public.
Is Freshworks a loss making company? ›Freshworks' Loss Narrows 58% YoY To $58.3 Mn In Q3 2022, Revenue Jumps 33%
Does DHL use Freshdesk? ›
Freshdesk is used by over 50,000 customers, including Bridgestone, HP, Harvard University, and DHL.
What is unique about Freshworks? ›Freshworks creates cloud-based software solutions for businesses. Founded in Chennai, India, in 2010 as Freshdesk, the company has a product suite ranging from sales CRM software to recruitment tools and customer-support helpdesk software.
What is special about Freshworks? ›Unlike legacy software, Freshworks builds tech that works for everyone, making it easy for IT, customer service, sales, marketers, and HR to do their job and delight their customers. More than 50,000 companies use Freshworks' SaaS to enable a better customer experience (CX, CRM) and employee experience (ITSM, HRSM).
What will happen to Zendesk? ›Zendesk will operate as a privately held company and will remain headquartered in San Francisco. Qatalyst Partners and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to Zendesk in connection with the transaction. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as Zendesk's legal advisor.
Does Apple use Zendesk? ›At this point, your Zendesk instance is integrated with Apple Business Chat. But you'll still need to design, configure, and test the messaging experience with help from Zendesk and get your integration approved by Apple.
Is Zendesk a Chinese company? ›Zendesk, Inc. is an American company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides software-as-a-service products related to customer support, sales, and other customer communications. The company was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2007.
How long has Freshdesk been around? ›The Freshdesk story began in mid 2010. By early 2011, Freshdesk had a six-member team, including three developers, 1 UI/UX person, 1 QA person who doubled up as a customer support rep. In Girish's case, the journey from 350 customers in January 2012 to 33,000 customers at present is nothing short of extraordinary.
What is similar to Freshdesk? ›- #1 DragApp.
- #2 ProProfs Help Desk.
- #3 SpiceWorks.
- #4 osTicket.
- #5 Zammad.
- #6 Zoho Desk.
- #7 HubSpot Service Hub.
- #8 Vision Helpdesk.
Freshworks is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses due to its pricing, essential CRM features and user-friendliness. Freshworks is a great option for those who are new to CRM systems or who want an easily customizable platform to monitor and track sales and provide good customer service.
Does Netflix use Zendesk? ›Use Zendesk and the Partner Portal user interface to create and manage support tickets for the Open Connect team.
Is Zendesk a unicorn? ›
Zendesk: A Brief History. Zendesk is the rare unicorn that started not only outside of Silicon Valley but outside of the United States entirely.
Which is better Salesforce or Zendesk? ›Salesforce Service Cloud and Zendesk are equally excellent platforms, offering powerful core features. Zendesk is great for those who need an easy-to-setup help desk. Meanwhile, Salesforce Service Cloud is better for getting that 360-degree view of each customer's requests.
Does Microsoft use Zendesk? ›We're excited to announce the release of the new Zendesk integration for Microsoft Teams! This integration brings your communication and support solutions together to enable employees to work wherever they're most productive.
Why Salesforce is better than Zendesk? ›The Zendesk CRM platform emphasizes sales and does not offer many features for marketing. So for the Salesforce vs Zendesk discussion from the features standpoint, Salesforce provides a better 360° customer visibility that enables users to market their product well and also use impactful tools to increase sales.
How reliable is Zendesk? ›Reviews from Pandia
“Zendesk is one of the most popular help desk software that has been used by thousands of big companies around the world. It offers reliable service with complete features designed to help your company build better relationships with your customers.” — Jay.
Airbnb began using Zendesk Support to deliver consistent, high-quality customer service in the early days and also used Zendesk Guide for its knowledge base. Given Airbnb's global reach, the company needed a solution that could easily scale at pace with its phenomenal growth.
Does Zoom use Zendesk? ›With the Zendesk for Zoom Phone app, you can seamlessly access the power of Zoom's platform from within Zendesk. After installing, please visit the Zendesk Marketplace and install the Zoom Phone app to complete installation of the integration.
Does Shopify use Zendesk? ›Shopify rolls out Zendesk to create more upsell and cross-sell opportunities. Shopify retired Desk.com and rolled out Zendesk in just one day, creating a unified workspace for sales, support, and customers to connect.
What is Zendesk best for? ›What is Zendesk used for? Zendesk is a complete customer service solution that's easy to use and scales with your business. Learn more about Zendesk for Service. Zendesk Sales CRM enhances productivity, processes, and pipeline visibility for sales teams.
What is the advantage of Zendesk? ›Zendesk helps you resolve customer issues in an optimal way by offering you a range of features like analytics, knowledge-base, messaging, etc. Analytics on Zendesk let you quickly access the customer data and thereby make appropriate decisions to improve customer experience and retain them.
Why is Zendesk so good? ›
It's flexible and easy to build on, and gives people the tools and freedom to try new ideas. With custom metrics, custom reports, and flexible data visualizations, Zendesk reporting enables teams to make sense of the information that matters to them.
Who is Zendesk competitor? ›Freshdesk is probably the closest competitor to Zendesk in terms of full-scale help desk functionality.
Who needs Zendesk? ›RETAILERS. From grocery stores to clothing companies, Zendesk clients include retailers across the globe who have become more customer-centric with each ticket.
Why did airbnb choose Zendesk? ›Scaling fast with Zendesk
Given Airbnb's global reach, the company needed a solution that could easily scale at pace with its phenomenal growth. “Scalability and reliability and 24/7 uptime were big factors,” said Shirley Lin, product lead for the Support Products Group, of Airbnb's decision to initially adopt Zendesk.