# Freshdesk vs Zendesk

| Attribute | Freshdesk | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 63.8 (42% (low)) | 68.2 (69% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A customer service platform that combines AI agents, team collaboration tools, and third-party app integrations to automate and enhance support operations. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What is Freshdesk?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Freshdesk offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at £15 per agent per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"Is Freshdesk free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Freshdesk. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What platforms does Freshdesk support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Freshdesk, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"Can Freshdesk be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Freshdesk, including MCP-connected AI tools and apps, Slack, Freshcaller and Freshservice. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What does Freshdesk integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"A cloud platform that deploys AI agents to handle customer and employee service requests. Agents improve with each interaction, manage high volumes autonomously, and operate across voice and digital channels without requiring technical configuration. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://www.zendesk.com","question":"What is Zendesk?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zendesk offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.zendesk.com","question":"Is Zendesk free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Zendesk. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.zendesk.com","question":"What platforms does Zendesk support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Zendesk, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.zendesk.com","question":"Can Zendesk be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA for Zendesk. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Zendesk not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.zendesk.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Zendesk have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A customer service platform that combines AI agents, team collaboration tools, and third-party app integrations to automate and enhance support operations. | A cloud platform that deploys AI agents to handle customer and employee service requests. Agents improve with each interaction, manage high volumes autonomously, and operate across voice and digital channels without requiring technical configuration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ai_agent":true,"free_tier":true,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":true,"sla_routing":true,"automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` | `{"hosting":"cloud","ai_agent":true,"free_tier":true,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"omnichannel":true,"knowledge_base":true,"voice_telephony":true,"deployment_model":"cloud_managed_saas","automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 1,800 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"MCP-connected AI tools and apps"},{"name":"Slack","native":true,"category":"chat"},{"name":"Freshcaller","native":true},{"name":"Freshservice","native":true}]` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"£15/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Ticketing & shared inbox","Customer portal & knowledge base","Out-of-the-box analytics & reporting","Threads & tasks","Roles & permissions"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Launch AI-powered service over email","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"£39/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Multilingual helpdesk","Custom dashboards & reporting","Intelligent routing","Multiple SLA policies","External collaborators"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":39,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Scale AI-powered service across your business","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"£67/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Freddy AI Insights","Skill-based routing","Sandbox","Audit logs","Allowed domains & IP whitelisting"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":67,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Deliver enterprise-grade, AI-powered service","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Freddy AI Copilot","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":23,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Additional AI Agent sessions","components":[{"per":{"qty":100,"unit":"sessions"},"kind":"metered","amount":36,"currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Day passes","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1.5,"currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Connector app tasks","components":[{"per":{"qty":5000,"unit":"tasks"},"kind":"metered","amount":65,"currency":"GBP"}]}],"summary":"From £15/agent/month billed annually. 14-day free trial.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://freshdesk.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T11:47:05.273Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.zendesk.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T16:47:54.531Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | no | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Customer Support)

| Capability | Freshdesk | Zendesk |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Ticket / case management | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Channels** |  |  |
| Live chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared inbox | - | - |
| Omnichannel (email+chat+social+voice) | - | ✓ |
| Voice / telephony | - | ✓ |
| **Self-service** |  |  |
| Self-service knowledge base | - | ✓ |
| **Automation** |  |  |
| SLAs, triggers & routing | ✓ | - |
| Automation / macros | ✓ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| AI agent / copilot | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Reporting & dashboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | - | Cloud only |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SSO / SCIM | - | - |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Public API | ✓ | - |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:06:37.378Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*