Zendesk and Freshdesk at a glance
| Zendesk | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan (yearly) | Support Team, $19 per agent a month | Growth, $19 per agent a month |
| Paid plans | Support Team, Suite Team, Suite Professional, Suite Enterprise | Growth, Pro, Enterprise |
| Free plan | None | A free program for up to 2 agents for the first 6 months. It is not on the pricing page; you switch to it from inside an account, under plans and billing. |
| Free trial | 14 days of Suite Professional with Copilot. No free plan. | 14 days of Enterprise. |
| Your email address | Forwards your address into their inbox | Forwards your address into their inbox |
| Mac app | Web only. | Web only. The mobile apps are iPhone and Android. |
What each costs per year
| Plan, per year | 1 person | 3 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk Support Team | $228 | $684 | $2,280 |
| Freshdesk Growth | $228 | $684 | $2,280 |
| Zendesk Suite Team | $660 | $1,980 | $6,600 |
| Freshdesk Pro | $660 | $1,980 | $6,600 |
| Freshdesk Enterprise | $1,068 | $3,204 | $10,680 |
| Zendesk Suite Professional | $1,380 | $4,140 | $13,800 |
Read the rows in pairs. Zendesk Support Team sits beside Freshdesk Growth and Suite Team beside Pro, at identical yearly totals, so the table cannot choose for you: the plan descriptions below have to. The first pair that differs is the top published tier, where 3 people pay $3,204 a year for Freshdesk Enterprise and $4,140 for Zendesk Suite Professional.
On monthly billing Freshdesk is the cheaper of the two at every rung: $23 against $25, $66 against $69, and $107 against $149.
Every plan, side by side
Zendesk
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Team | $19 | $25 | Email ticketing only, 5 AI resolutions per agent a month. No messaging or live chat. |
| Suite Team | $55 | $69 | Messaging and live chat, AI agents, telephony and omnichannel routing. |
| Suite Professional | $115 | $149 | SLAs, skills-based routing, IVR, AI writing tools, 10 AI resolutions per agent a month. |
| Suite Enterprise | Sales only | Sales only | Sold through sales, with Copilot included. No public price. |
Freshdesk
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $19 | $23 | Ticketing, automations, 500 AI Agent sessions included once per account. |
| Pro | $55 | $66 | Multilingual help desk, custom dashboards, intelligent routing, multiple SLA policies, Copilot available. |
| Enterprise | $89 | $107 | Skill-based routing, sandbox, audit logs and AI insights. |
Prices are in US dollars per agent per month, read from Zendesk’s and Freshdesk’s pricing pages on 27 September 2026.
Both ladders moved recently, so an older comparison may quote different tiers. Freshdesk: Prices rose in 2026: Growth from $15 to $19, Pro from $49 to $55 and Enterprise from $79 to $89 on annual billing. Freshworks’ own page description still says "starts at $15". Zendesk: Suite Growth has disappeared from the public pricing page, and Suite Enterprise no longer shows a price.
AI charges
Both charge for AI by use and both sell Copilot as a per-agent add-on on their upper tiers. They count different things: Zendesk bills AI resolutions, from an allowance that renews per agent each month; Freshdesk bills AI Agent sessions, from an allowance granted once per account.
- Zendesk: AI resolutions past the included ones: $1.50 each committed, $2.00 pay as you go. Copilot: $50 per agent a month on annual billing, Suite Professional and up only.
- Freshdesk: Extra AI Agent sessions: $49 per 100. An email session is a 72-hour window. Freddy AI Copilot: $29 per agent a month on annual billing, $35 monthly, Pro and Enterprise only.
Which one fits which team
- Choose the Zendesk Suite if you need messaging, live chat and phone in one place, or you are building a large operation that will want IVR, workforce and contact centre tools later. A full customer-service platform: ticketing, routing, SLAs, reporting, voice, and a workforce to run it.
- Choose Freshdesk if support is mostly email tickets and you want SLA policies and routing without paying for a suite, or you are two agents who want to run it on real customers for months before paying. A conventional ticketing help desk with a generous entry price and a deep feature list above it.
- Choose neither if the support team is you. Both are priced for coordinating agents, and one person pays for that coordination with nobody.
That last case is the one Moorline is built for, and the Freshdesk alternative page sets it out without the sales voice.
Questions people ask
Is Freshdesk cheaper than Zendesk?
Not at the bottom of the ladder. On yearly billing Zendesk Support Team and Freshdesk Growth are both $19 per agent, and Zendesk Suite Team and Freshdesk Pro are both $55. Billed monthly, Freshdesk is a little cheaper at each of those rungs. The real gap is at the top: Freshdesk Enterprise is $89, while Zendesk Suite Professional is $115 and Suite Enterprise is sold through sales.
What is the difference between Zendesk and Freshdesk?
Both are ticketing help desks, and they spend the same money differently. Zendesk's second tier, Suite Team, adds messaging, live chat and telephony; its SLAs start at Suite Professional. Freshdesk's second tier, Pro, adds multiple SLA policies, intelligent routing and the option to add Copilot, and its entry plan already has one SLA policy. Zendesk goes further on channels; Freshdesk puts service rules lower down the ladder.
Does Freshdesk or Zendesk have a free plan?
Freshdesk has a free program rather than a free plan. A free program for up to 2 agents for the first 6 months. It is not on the pricing page; you switch to it from inside an account, under plans and billing. The permanent free plan ended on 9 June 2025, replaced by the 6-month free program. Zendesk offers only a trial: 14 days of Suite Professional with Copilot. No free plan.
How do Zendesk and Freshdesk charge for AI?
Both meter it. Zendesk counts AI resolutions and includes a small monthly allowance per agent: AI resolutions past the included ones: $1.50 each committed, $2.00 pay as you go. Copilot: $50 per agent a month on annual billing, Suite Professional and up only. Freshdesk counts AI Agent sessions from a one-off allowance per account: Extra AI Agent sessions: $49 per 100. An email session is a 72-hour window. Freddy AI Copilot: $29 per agent a month on annual billing, $35 monthly, Pro and Enterprise only.
Which is better, Zendesk or Freshdesk?
Neither is better across the board. For a team that needs chat, messaging and phone together, the Zendesk Suite is the more complete platform. For a team working mostly in email tickets that wants SLA policies and routing without paying for a full suite, Freshdesk gets there at a lower tier. For one person answering their own customers, neither is priced for you.