Zendesk vs. Freshdesk: Choosing the Best Customer Service Software

Both Zendesk and Freshdesk are popular, well-reviewed customer service software platforms designed to help businesses handle customer inquiries more effectively.

But choosing the right software for your needs can be challenging. This comprehensive comparison examines key aspects like pricing, features, automation, and customer support to help you make the best decision for your business.

Pricing: Value for Your Money

Both software options utilize a "pay-per-agent" pricing model, meaning you only pay for the number of agents using the system.

Zendesk offers three main pricing tiers:

• SuiteTeam: $49 per agent/month (billed annually) - includes ticketing, messaging, and a single help center.
• SuiteGrowth: $79 per agent/month (billed annually) - adds multiple help centers, automated answers, and a self-service portal.
• SuiteProfessional: $99 per agent/month (billed annually) - includes integrated community forums, private conversation threads, and advanced voice capabilities.

Freshdesk offers five pricing tiers, including a free option:

• Sprout: Free - includes unlimited agents, email and social ticketing, and knowledge base creation.
• Blossom: $15 per agent/month (billed annually) - adds automation, business hours, and marketplace apps.
• Garden: $35 per agent/month (billed annually) - includes time tracking, CSAT surveys, performance reports, and custom app creation.
• Estate: $49 per agent/month (billed annually) - adds custom roles, reports, dashboards, and collaborators.
• Forest: $99 per agent/month (billed annually) - unlocks advanced features like IP range detection, email bots, HIPAA compliance, and skill-based routing.

When comparing pricing, Freshdesk offers more affordable options with similar core features, making it a more budget-friendly choice for startups and small businesses.

Feature Set Comparison: What's Included

To get a clear picture of what you get at the lower pricing tiers, we'll compare Zendesk's SuiteTeam ($49/month/agent) with Freshdesk's Blossom ($15/agent/month):

Zendesk SuiteTeam Features

• Ticketing System: Collect customer queries from various channels like email and social media.
• Flexible Messaging: Agents can interact with customers across web, mobile, and social platforms.
• Single Help Center: Create a knowledge base to help customers find answers independently.
• Automation: Up to 50 AI-powered automated answers to streamline responses.
• Applications: Access a large marketplace of apps and integrations to customize your customer support system.
• Customer Support: Online, email, and phone support is included.

Freshdesk Blossom Features

• Ticketing System: Email and social ticketing for initial customer support.
• Messaging: Support across multiple channels like chat, phone, email, social media, and WhatsApp.
• Help Center: Create a knowledge base for self-service support.
• Automation: "Scenario automation" to automate tasks within tickets.
• Applications: Access to a marketplace of "hundreds" of apps, with custom app creation available at a higher tier.
• Customer Support: Email and phone support included.

Freshdesk provides a comparable feature set at a significantly lower price point, offering strong value for its price.

Zendesk vs. Freshdesk: Addressing Gaps

While both software options offer robust features, user feedback reveals some minor areas for improvement:

Zendesk

• Complexity: Some users find the software's complexity challenging, especially for beginners.
• Ticket Management: Users request more filters and options for organizing tickets.

Freshdesk

• User Experience (UX): Occasional reports of slow UX and limited support for certain features.
• Usability Issues: Some users report issues with search functionality and ticket organization.

While these gaps exist, they are not significant enough to drastically favor one software over the other.

Customer Support: How Do the Platforms Support Their Users?

Both Zendesk and Freshdesk offer customer support to their users.

Freshdesk provides email support even with the free plan, and phone support is included with all paid plans. Zendesk offers a wider range of support options at the lowest tier, including email, chat, SMS, and voice support.

User experiences with customer support can vary, but both platforms offer free trial periods to allow users to test the waters before committing to a paid plan.

G2 and Capterra Ratings: What Do Users Think?

Both software platforms consistently receive positive ratings on popular review sites like G2 and Capterra:

G2 Ratings

• Freshdesk: 4.4 out of 5 stars (over 2,000 reviews)
• Zendesk: 4.2 out of 5 stars (over 2,000 reviews)

Capterra Ratings

• Freshdesk: 4.5 out of 5 stars (over 2,300 reviews)
• Zendesk: 4.3 out of 5 stars (over 2,500 reviews)

Freshdesk consistently outperforms Zendesk in terms of user ratings, suggesting a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Support Capacity: Handling High Volumes

Both software platforms are capable of handling high volumes of customer support requests, particularly with their higher-priced plans.

Zendesk

Zendesk's enterprise-level pricing tiers offer increased capacity for larger businesses. Companies like Netflix and Uber rely on Zendesk, demonstrating its scalability.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk offers "Omnichannel" features designed to enhance support capacity. For instance, the Estate Omnichannel plan automatically includes messaging capabilities.

Ultimately, both options provide adequate support capacity with flexible pricing plans.

Plan Flexibility: Scaling Your Customer Support

Both Zendesk and Freshdesk allow for easy scaling as your business grows. Their flat-rate pricing model allows you to add agents as needed.

Zendesk's lower-tier plans offer a more comprehensive feature set, making it a good choice for companies with complex customer support needs.

Making Customer Service Simple

Choosing the right customer service software can significantly impact your business's ability to provide excellent support. By comparing pricing, features, automation, and customer support, you can make an informed decision and choose the software that best aligns with your specific needs and budget.

If you're looking for an affordable option with solid features, Freshdesk is a strong contender. If you require more advanced features and have a larger budget, Zendesk might be a better fit.

Ultimately, both platforms provide the tools and resources to improve your customer service operations. Take advantage of free trial periods to get hands-on experience and find the perfect solution for your business.