Top 4 Freshdesk Alternatives for Customer Service in 2024

Contact center software is a crucial asset for businesses that pursue proactive customer service solutions like Freshdesk which offer contact center AI tools. However, while Freshdesk can be a comprehensive tool for some, it might not be the perfect fit for every business. Different businesses have varying needs, and what works for one might not necessarily work for another.

There are numerous great customer service software alternatives to Freshdesk. In this article, we delve into the 4 best Freshdesk alternatives for customer service software.

Comparison of Freshdesk and Top 4 Alternatives

Table 1. The total number of reviews and average rating of Freshdesk and the top 4 Freshdesk alternatives

Table is sorted according to number of reviews, except the sponsors.

*_{Review counts are from software review platforms Capterra and G2 as of 2023/09/12.}

Freshdesk Evaluation

Features

– Intelligent chatbots

– Customer feedback and survey tools

– 1000+ software integrations

– 50+ supported languages

– Self service options

– Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn integration

User ratings

– G2: 4.4/5¹

– Capterra: 4.5/5²

Pricing

– Starting from $15 per seat/month

– 21 days free trial

Cons

– Some users find Freshdesk’s customization very limited.³

– Although Freshdesk’s starting price looks cheaper compared to the other 5 alternatives, it can get very expensive when integrating additional features and increasing the agent number.

4 Best Freshdesk Alternatives

1- Salesforce Service Cloud

Features

– Intelligent chatbots (in premium plans)

– Customer feedback and survey tools (in premium plans)

– Software integrations (not detailed)

– 30+ supported languages

– Self service options (add-on)

– Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube integration

User ratings

– G2: 4.2/5⁴

– Capterra: 4.4/5⁵

Pricing

– Starting from €25 per seat/month

– 30 days free trial

Pros

– Free trial period is longer than the other alternatives.

– Salesforce Service Cloud offers social customer service capabilites that enable users communicating with service agents across a wide range of social media channels.

– The platform offers generative AI assistance to its users, which is appreciated by its users.

Cons

– Salesforce Service Cloud can require additional packages to have the best of its capabilities.

– Small business users have difficulty in using Desk.com, which is a small business version of Salesforce Service Cloud.

– Some users find it hard to set up and get used to the platform.⁶

Sponsored:

Salesforce is the CRM market leader and Salesforce Service Cloud platform designed specifically for customer service and support with AI-driven assistants. Service Cloud enables workflow automation for many branches of customer service by streamlining customer support processes, managing cases, and centralizing customer interactions and data in one unified platform.

2- Intercom

Features

– Customer feedback and survey tools (add-on)

– 350+ software integrations

– 35+ supported languages

– Self service options

– Facebook and Instagram integration

User ratings

– G2: 4.5/5⁷

– Capterra: 4.5/5⁸

Pricing

– Contact Intercom for pricing

– 14 days trial for 2 seats

Pros

– Users state that the Intercom platform has a user friendly interface and it is easy to navigate.⁹

Cons

– Pricing policy is not transparent.

– Some users indicate that the tool can slow down occasionally.¹⁰

For more on Intercom and its alternatives, please read our data-driven and transparent article on Intercom Alternatives.

3- Hubspot Service Hub

Features

– Intelligent chatbots

– Customer feedback and survey tools (in premium plans)

– 1000+ software integrations

– 10+ supported languages

– Self service options

– Facebook integration

User ratings

– G2: 4.4/5¹¹

– Capterra: 4.4/5¹²

Pricing

– Starting from $150/month (up to 5 seats)

– Free version available

Pros

– HubSpot Service Hub offers integration possibilities with other business apps and software.

– Users find HubSpot’s knowledge base very successful.¹³

Cons

– Hubspot Service Hub’s social media integrations are limited.

– Its multilingual options are limited.

– Users complain that the interface is too complicated to proceed smoothly.¹⁴

For more on HubSpot and its alternatives, please read our data-driven and transparent article on HubSpot Alternatives.

4- Zoho SalesIQ

Features

– Intelligent chatbots

– 30+ software integrations

– 28+ supported languages

– Real-time visitor tracking

– Multimedia customer support including voice notes and screen share 

– Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr integration

User ratings

– G2: 4.4/5¹⁵

– Capterra: 4.5/5¹⁶

Pricing

– Starting from $7/month (per agent)

Pros

– Users find the real-time view of website visitors, location tracking, and chat capabilities beneficial for sales and support.

– Zoho is cost-effective, making it accessible for small businesses.

Cons

– Zoho Desk for customer service is criticized for not having a learning platform similar to competitors like Salesforce or Microsoft.¹⁷

– Creating analytics reports and performance evaluations in Zoho is noted as challenging, particularly due to the lack of drag-and-drop functionality.¹⁸

What is customer service software?

Customer support software, sometimes known as customer service software, is a specialized platform utilized by companies to manage customer conversations and address their support requests. This software typically encompasses a broad range of features, including:

– Systems for managing tickets

– Live chat options

– Omnichannel support across email, SMS, and telephone

– Integration with social media

– The ability to establish a knowledge base

The main aim of such software is to streamline the process of addressing customer queries and complaints, thereby improving service quality and customer engagement.

Employing customer service software has numerous advantages:

– It enables the streamlined and centralized handling of customer inquiries, thereby shortening response times and elevating service standards.

– It facilitates comprehensive analytics and reports, allowing businesses to monitor service quality, pinpoint recurring problems, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

– It automates routine customer service operations, allowing customer support agents to concentrate on more challenging issues and a shortened customer service education.

What are the key components of customer service technology?

Two primary technological solutions integral to effective customer service are:

1- Customer service software

Providing customer support across multiple platforms and keeping up with rising customer demands can be demanding for customer service teams. To counter this issue, many companies employ a customer service software solution. These tools streamline support tasks, boost response speed, and augment customer satisfaction.

It is not possible to list all the features of a customer service platform in an article, as these are complex tools that include a variety of features. However, typically, customer service software includes these main features:

– Omnichannel support

– Ticketing system

– Automated intelligent routing

– Integration with CRM

– Live chat and chatbots

– Reporting and analytics of customer data

– Customization

Nevertheless, additional unique features are necessary to choose the best software from a sea of options. Some extra features that could serve as selection criteria include:

– Conversational AI/Intelligent chatbots

– Tools for customer satisfaction surveys and feedback

– Integration capabilities with various other software

– Multilingual support

– Integration with social media

– Customer self-service options

2- Customer self service tools

Customer self-service tools are designed to empower customers to access information and complete tasks without the need for live interaction with a customer support team. These tools can either be integrated into customer service software or used separately. They encompass:

– Automated responses

– Knowledge base articles

– Customer forums

– Chatbots

– A customer portal

The primary benefit of these tools is their ability to provide immediate assistance. There are also additional software solutions such as help desk software, contact center software, etc. for customer service operations other than customer service software.

Given these points, below we assessed Freshdesk’s customer service software and its alternatives.

For more on customer service

• Top 10 Customer Service Software
• Top 7 Contact Center Software Tools 
• Top 10 Tools for Contact Center Automation
• Top 8 Customer Feedback Tools

Transparency Statement

AIMultiple works with numerous software vendors such as Salesforce.

If you need help in finding vendors, we can help:

External Links

• 1. “Freshdesk Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 13 September 2023.
• 2. “Freshdesk Pricing, Alternatives & More 2023.” Capterra. Accessed 13 September 2023.
• 3. “Freshdesk Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 13 September 2023.
• 4. “Salesforce Service Cloud Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 13 September 2023.
• 5. “Salesforce Service Cloud Pricing, Alternatives & More 2023.” Capterra.
• 6. “Salesforce Service Cloud Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 7. “Intercom Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 8. “Intercom Pricing, Alternatives & More 2023.” Capterra, 16 March 2023. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 9. “Intercom Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 10. “Intercom Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 11. “Hubspot Service Hub Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 12. “Hubspot Service Hub Pricing, Alternatives & More 2023.” Capterra. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 13. “Hubspot Service Hub Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 14. “Hubspot Service Hub Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 15. “Zoho SalesIQ Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 16. “Zoho SalesIQ Pricing, Alternatives & More 2023.” Capterra. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 17. “Zoho SalesIQ Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.
• 18. “Zoho SalesIQ Reviews 2023: Details, Pricing, & Features.” G2. Accessed 12 September 2023.