What it costs, and when
Verified 2026-08-22.
| Freshdesk | Moorline | |
|---|---|---|
| Free access | 1 to 2 agents, first 6 months | 30-day refund, no questions |
| Entry paid tier | about $19/agent/mo | $9/mo flat |
| Billed per seat | Yes | No |
| Platform | Web only | Native macOS |
| Your mailbox | Forwarded into theirs | Read over IMAP, stays yours |
The free tier is a real argument, and a short one
Six months of free ticketing is worth taking seriously when you are pre-revenue. The thing worth planning for is what happens at the end of it: you have six months of conversation history inside Freshdesk, an MX or forwarding setup pointing at them, and a decision to make under mild pressure.
Moorline never creates that moment, because it never held anything. Your mail is on your mail host the entire time. Cancelling is uninstalling an app.
Ticket statuses against loop states
- Freshdesk: Open, Pending, Resolved, Closed. Fields designed so a supervisor can see who owes what.
- Moorline: Needs you, Waiting on them, Reply owed, Closed. Fields designed so one person can see who is still hanging.
“Reply owed” is the one that has no equivalent. It is the state where you fixed the bug, shipped it, and the person who reported it does not know yet. In a ticket system that conversation was marked Resolved when the work finished, and it looks exactly like one where you actually replied.
Questions people actually ask
Is Freshdesk still free?
Not in the way it used to be. The Free Program now covers 1 to 2 agents for the first 6 months, where it was once an open-ended free plan for up to 10 agents. If you are choosing a tool on the strength of a free tier, check the current terms rather than an older comparison article, because this is the detail most of them are stale on.
What does Freshdesk cost after the free period?
Paid plans start around $19 per agent per month and rise with automation, custom roles and analytics. For one person the practical question is not the number but whether a ticketing help desk is the shape you want at all.
Is Moorline cheaper than Freshdesk?
At $9 a month flat against roughly $19 per agent, yes, but not by enough to be the reason. Freshdesk's free period is genuinely cheaper than Moorline for six months. The difference worth deciding on is that Freshdesk forwards your support address into their system and gives you tickets, while Moorline reads your own mailbox and tracks whether a customer has been told.
Can I try Moorline before paying?
Yes, there is a 30-day refund on any charge, no reason needed. If a ticketing help desk turns out to be what you wanted, nothing is lost: your mail never moved.
Plan details are from Freshworks’ own pricing and support documentation, read on 2026-08-22.