# Freshdesk vs Zoho Desk for help desk software

Freshdesk and Zoho Desk are closely matched for core workflows. Both support email ticketing, shared inbox, knowledge base, slas, and ticket routing. Zoho Desk has confirmed free plan, live chat, phone support, and whatsapp support.

## Key decision points

- Zoho Desk has confirmed free plan; free plan is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Zoho Desk has confirmed live chat; live chat is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Zoho Desk has confirmed phone support; phone support is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Zoho Desk has confirmed whatsapp support; whatsapp support is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.

## Choose Zoho Desk if…

- Choose Zoho Desk if confirmed free plan matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Zoho Desk if confirmed live chat matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Zoho Desk if confirmed phone support matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Zoho Desk if confirmed whatsapp support matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.

## Features

| Feature | Freshdesk | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Email ticketing | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Shared inbox | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/)) |
| Live chat | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Phone support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| WhatsApp support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Social media support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Knowledge base | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Customer portal | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Not confirmed |
| SLAs | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/)) |
| Ticket routing | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Automation | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/)) |
| Macros | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Not confirmed |
| AI replies | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Not confirmed |
| AI ticket summaries | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| CSAT | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Custom fields | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Multiple brands | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |
| Multilingual support | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Freshdesk | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRM integrations | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/)) |

## Technical

| Feature | Freshdesk | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Webhooks | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |

## Platforms

| Feature | Freshdesk | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile apps | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)) | Not confirmed |

## Pricing

| Feature | Freshdesk | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |

## Evidence

- **Freshdesk — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticketing Handle customer escalations with our award-winning ticketing system that enables intelligent prioritization, assignment, and tracking of tickets. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Email Support your customers across multiple email channels.”
- **Freshdesk — Shared inbox:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Shared inbox Boost team collaboration and simplify communications with a shared inbox for your support team to collaborate and respond to incoming emails. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Shared inbox:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “All your support conversations, one tidy inbox Bring customer conversations from every channel, organized in one contextual workspace.”
- **Zoho Desk — Live chat:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Business Messaging Embed a live chat widget on your website or app to engage in real-time conversations with logged-in customers and seamlessly convert chats into support tickets.”
- **Zoho Desk — Phone support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Telephony Integrate with leading telephony providers and set up a toll-free number to provide inbound and outbound phone support to your customers.”
- **Zoho Desk — WhatsApp support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Instant messaging Communicate with customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WeChat, and Line from Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging module.”
- **Zoho Desk — Social media support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Social media Respond to brand mentions and support tickets received from Instagram, Facebook, and X using Zoho Desk's social media module.”
- **Freshdesk — Knowledge base:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Knowledge base Create knowledge base articles to help your customers find answers to their inquiries independently. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Knowledge base:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Knowledge base Create a repository of help articles, guides, and FAQs so customers can find assistance anytime.”
- **Freshdesk — Customer portal:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Customer portal Create a place for customers to submit tickets and self-serve information, powered by a robust knowledge base. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Freshdesk — SLAs:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple SLA policies Create multiple SLA policies to accomodate the expectations of different kind of customers and different agent shifts, products etc. ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — SLAs:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Commit Set service level agreements with automated escalations and deadline tracking.”
- **Freshdesk — Ticket routing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticket dispatch Categorize, prioritze, and route tickets to the rights teams by creating your own business rules. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Ticket routing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Skill-based assignment Automatically route tickets to agents based on their proficiency and availability.”
- **Freshdesk — Automation:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Automations Save time and effort by automating repetitive and important tasks like follow-ups, escalations, and other tasks. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Automation:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Orchestrate Auto-trigger actions based on events and guide teams through step-by-step resolution processes.”
- **Freshdesk — Macros:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticket templates Create templates with pre-filled information like subject, description and ticket properties and use them to quickly create tickets and/or send emails. ✓ ✓”
- **Freshdesk — AI replies:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Email AI Agent * Email AI Agent that engages in back-and-forth replies, responds with the right resolution, and captures feedback. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Freshdesk — AI ticket summaries:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Summarization assistant * Catch up on long conversations in seconds with contextual summaries to respond with confidence. ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — AI ticket summaries:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Generative AI (BYOK) Connect your OpenAI (Availability: US, EU, AU, IN, JP, CA, UAE DCs ) or DeepSeek (Availability: CN DC) API key to enable GenAI capabilities such as customer sentiment analysis, contextual ticket summarization, and smart reply suggestions.”
- **Freshdesk — CSAT:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/. Evidence: “95%+ CSAT Understand what drives customer service performance with AI Insights that spot trends and uncover root causes.”
- **Zoho Desk — CSAT:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Customer happiness ratings Automate the process of asking customers to rate the service upon ticket closure or after each response.”
- **Freshdesk — Custom fields:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Advanced custom fields Collect customer information unique to your business by creating custom fields for these details. ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Custom fields:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Custom lookup fields Establish a one-to-many relationship between data fields across different modules.”
- **Zoho Desk — Multiple brands:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Multi-brand help center Create self-service portals for multiple brands within the same Zoho Desk account.”
- **Freshdesk — Multilingual support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Multilingual Help Desk Configure your helpdesk to work in multiple languages, so you can provide support in the languages your customers and agents speak. ✓ ✓”
- **Zoho Desk — Multilingual support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Multilingual help center Publish Knowledge Base articles in over 40 languages.”
- **Zoho Desk — CRM integrations:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Deeply integrated Integrates with 360+ apps, including the Zoho ecosystem and your existing stack.”
- **Zoho Desk — Webhooks:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Webhooks Send automated messages or information to third-party apps every time an event occurs in Zoho Desk.”
- **Freshdesk — Mobile apps:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/. Evidence: “Mobile Apps”
- **Zoho Desk — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Zoho Desk Free Edition Easy email ticketing, right out of the box! Zoho Desk's free plan offers three user licenses to help you start small and grow your support team. ₹ 2,600 Free Forever”