Plain, the API-first customer infrastructure platform for B2B SaaS, analyzed 619 sales conversations with 456 B2B companies across 2025-2026 to understand what drives teams to leave Freshdesk — and where they end up. This guide ranks the 12 strongest alternatives based on real switching data, structural fit for B2B workflows, and AI readiness.

Every recommendation below is informed by data on which tools teams actually migrate to, which incumbents are easiest to leave, and which pain patterns trigger the switch. Across those 619 conversations, 59% of B2B support teams reported high-severity pain with their current tools.

TL;DR: Which Freshdesk Alternative Should You Pick?

• If you support B2B customers in Slack, Teams, or Discord and want flexibility → Plain — API-first infrastructure across Slack, Teams, Discord, email, and in-app. AI included, no per-session charges.

• If Slack shared channels are your entire support motion → Pylon — Slack-native with growing multi-channel support and account-level intelligence.

• If AI deflection is the top priority → Intercom — Fin is the strongest AI agent for autonomous ticket resolution. Expect lock-in.

• If you need the largest integration ecosystem → Zendesk — 1,500+ apps, mature reporting, enterprise certifications. Per-agent pricing scales expensively.

• If you're already in HubSpot → HubSpot Service Hub — unified CRM context with free tier. Outgrow it around 10-20 agents.

• If budget is the primary constraint → Zoho Desk — free tier for 3 agents, $14/agent/month Standard plan. No Slack support.

• If engineering runs support on Jira → Jira Service Management — free for 3 agents, native Jira integration. Non-technical staff will struggle.

All 12 tools are ranked below with switching data from 619 B2B sales conversations. Keep reading for the full breakdown.

Why Are B2B Teams Leaving Freshdesk in 2026?

Workflow inflexibility at scale

The most common complaint from Freshdesk teams in our dataset is not pricing or missing features — it is inflexibility. SLA logic that cannot handle pod-based routing, reporting that requires manual CSV exports, and notification systems that silently drop tickets. One Mid-Market SaaS company evaluated five alternative platforms after discovering that Freshdesk's workflow engine could not support their segmented routing and escalation model — leading to missed tickets and unreliable reporting.

In analysis of 619 B2B sales conversations, the most common pain pattern from Freshdesk teams was "things falling through the cracks": lost Slack threads, tickets with no ownership, and SLA logic that could not keep up with how the team actually worked. This pattern appeared in roughly 40% of all interviews across the dataset.

AI pricing that punishes usage

Freshdesk's Freddy AI Copilot adds $29/agent/month on top of Pro or Enterprise plans. AI Agent sessions cost $100 per 1,000 sessions and expire at the end of each billing cycle with no rollover. If sessions run out mid-month, AI stops working until new packs are purchased. A 10-agent team on Pro + AI Copilot pays approximately $9,360/year — a 59% increase over the base Pro plan at $5,880/year. Session-based AI pricing creates unpredictable budgeting: a product launch or service incident can spike your AI bill with no cap. (Ferndesk pricing analysis)

Per-seat pricing is a dead end

Gartner predicts 70% of businesses will prefer usage-based pricing over per-seat models by 2026. Credit-based pricing models grew 126% year-over-year in 2025 across the PricingSaaS 500 Index. The core issue: when an AI agent handles the work of five support reps, charging per seat punishes customers for becoming efficient. Meanwhile, corporate IT budgets grow at 2.8% annually while SaaS vendors hike prices 9-25%. (GrowthUnhinged: State of SaaS Pricing 2025)

Freshworks is going upmarket

Freshworks' revenue growth decelerated from 21% year-over-year in 2024 to 11-12% by Q3 2025. Total 2025 revenue hit $838.8M, with profitability improving to a 21.2% non-GAAP margin — suggesting cost optimization over innovation investment. More tellingly, over 60% of ARR now comes from companies with 250+ employees. Smaller B2B teams — the ones most likely to feel Freshdesk's workflow limitations — are being deprioritized. (Freshworks 2025 annual results)

What Should You Look for in a Freshdesk Alternative?

Before evaluating specific tools, anchor on five criteria that separate modern B2B support platforms from legacy help desks:

• Slack and Teams-native support. 54% of B2B buyers now prefer live Slack communications for resolving issues. If your team runs on Slack, the alternative must be Slack-native — not a Slack integration bolted onto an email-first platform.

• AI without per-session billing. Freshdesk's session-based AI pricing is an industry outlier. Most modern platforms include AI capabilities in the base price. Look for AI that handles triage, drafting, and deflection without metered billing.

• API extensibility. 82% of organizations describe themselves as API-first in 2025, up from 66% in 2023. Your support platform should match — with a real API, not a limited REST endpoint with rate caps.

• Pricing that scales with value. Per-seat pricing penalizes growth. Look for usage-based, flat-rate, or tiered models that do not charge more as your team becomes more efficient with AI.

• A real migration path. The hardest part of switching is historical data. Ask any vendor about import tools, custom field mapping, and cutover timelines before committing to a trial.

12 Best Freshdesk Alternatives at a Glance

1. Plain

Plain is customer infrastructure. A builder-friendly, composable, API-first platform that unifies Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, email, and in-app support into a single system. Used by Vercel, Ashby, n8n, Cursor, and Raycast, Plain is built for B2B teams that need to build support workflows, not adopted someone else's.

Best for: B2B SaaS teams that support customers in Slack, Teams, or Discord, not just email. Need deep API access, and want to bring their own AI models or customize every workflow.

Pros:

• GraphQL API with no rate limits — full programmatic control over every object, unlike Zendesk's 20 requests/minute cap

• Slack, Teams, Discord, email, and in-app support are all native — not add-ons or integrations

• Ari (customer-facing AI) and Sidekick (internal AI assistant) included without per-session charges

• 100ms keyboard-first interface built for speed, with Workflow Builder for no-code automation

• MCP integration, Customer Cards, and Lookup (codebase search) for deep engineering context

• Enterprise security from day one with SOC 2 Type 2, SSO, and custom contracting

Cons:

• Smaller integration marketplace than Zendesk or Intercom — relies on API extensibility instead

• Newer platform — less established brand recognition than legacy incumbents

• Best fit is B2B SaaS — not optimized for B2C or e-commerce use cases

Pricing: Starting at $35/mo with a 14-day free trial. Startup-friendly tiers available — talk to the team for more information.

Why teams choose Plain over Freshdesk: In roughly 40% of Freshdesk customers, the trigger was the same pattern: customer messages falling through the cracks in Slack, no ownership, no tracking, threads getting lost. Freshdesk's Slack integration is an afterthought — Plain was built for Slack-first support from day one. The difference shows in how threads become trackable issues with SLAs, routing, and full context, without leaving the channel where the conversation started.

For more on API-first approaches, see our guide to API-first support platforms.

2. Zendesk

Zendesk is the largest player in help desk software with the deepest integration ecosystem — over 1,500 apps in their marketplace. For large teams that need pre-built connectors to every tool in their stack, Zendesk's breadth is hard to match.

Best for: Teams with 50+ agents that need a mature ecosystem and do not rely heavily on Slack-based support.

Pros:

• Largest integration marketplace with 1,500+ pre-built connectors

• Mature reporting and analytics with custom dashboards

• Strong knowledge base and self-service portal tools

• Established vendor with enterprise security certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA)

Cons:

• Per-agent pricing scales expensively — Enterprise Suite starts at $115/agent/month

• Slack support is an add-on, not native — the #1 complaint in our data

• AI features (Advanced AI) cost extra at $50/agent/month on top of base plans

• Complex admin interface requires dedicated Zendesk administrators at scale

Pricing: Growth at $19/agent/month, Suite Professional at $55/agent/month, Suite Enterprise at $115/agent/month (annual billing).

For a deeper comparison, see our guide to the best Zendesk alternatives for B2B.

3. Intercom

Intercom is the strongest chat-first platform with genuinely capable AI. Fin, their AI agent, handles real deflection at scale — and that capability creates legitimate lock-in that teams should evaluate carefully before adopting.

Best for: B2C or high-volume B2B teams where in-app chat is the primary support channel (PLG) and AI deflection rates matter most.

Pros:

• Fin AI deflection is best-in-class — handles complex multi-turn conversations, not just FAQ lookup

• Strong in-app messenger with product tours, tooltips, and onboarding flows built in

• Conversation-first data model keeps context together across channels

• Modern UI that agents generally prefer over Zendesk

Cons:

• Per-seat pricing starts at $39/seat/month, but rises steeply with per-resolution add-ons

• Slack support is limited — not a native Slack-first platform

• Fin creates real lock-in — teams fear losing deflection rates if they switch

• API rate limits and customization constraints frustrate engineering-led teams

Pricing: Essential at $39/seat/month, Advanced at $99/seat/month, Expert at $139/seat/month (annual billing). Fin AI usage adds $0.99 per resolution-based costs.

See our full breakdown of Intercom alternatives for B2B SaaS.

4. Front

Front started as a shared inbox tool and has expanded into customer operations. Its strength is collaborative email workflows — multiple team members can work on the same conversation with shared drafts, comments, and assignments. The product struggles when teams need support beyond email.

Best for: Teams whose support motion is primarily email-based with collaborative drafting needs.

Pros:

• Shared inbox collaboration with internal comments, shared drafts, and @mentions is genuinely excellent

• Familiar email-like interface requires minimal training

• Strong rule-based routing for email workflows

• CRM-like contact management built into the inbox

Cons:

• Slack support is disjointed — a common trigger for teams leaving Front

• Reporting limitations force manual weekly exports for productivity metrics

• Reliability issues reported by teams at scale — bugs in notifications and workflow triggers

• Per-seat pricing at $19-$229/seat/month depending on tier

Pricing: Starter at $19/seat/month, Growth at $59/seat/month, Scale at $99/seat/month, Premier at $229/seat/month (annual billing).

5. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot Service Hub makes sense for teams already deep in the HubSpot ecosystem — CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub. The shared CRM database means support agents see the full customer journey. Outside the HubSpot ecosystem, it is a mid-tier help desk competing against purpose-built tools.

Best for: Teams already using HubSpot CRM that want support in the same platform without a third-party integration.

Pros:

• Free tier is genuinely useful — shared inbox, basic ticketing, and contact management at no cost

• Unified CRM context means agents see marketing, sales, and support history in one view

• Breeze AI for conversation summaries and suggested replies included in higher tiers

• Strong knowledge base builder integrated with the support portal

Cons:

• Advanced features are paywalled aggressively — Professional starts at $90/month for just 5 users

• Slack integration is basic — not a real Slack-native support workflow

• Reporting is CRM-oriented, not support-oriented — lacks the depth of purpose-built tools

• Performance degrades with large ticket volumes — built as a CRM add-on, not a support engine

Pricing: Free tier available. Starter at $15/month (2 users), Professional at $90/month (5 users), Enterprise at $150/month (10 users).

6. Pylon

Pylon is the self-proclaimed "Zendesk Killer," with strong Slack-native ticketing and a growing multi-channel footprint across Teams, email, chat, and Discord. The product is purpose-built for B2B shared channel workflows — turning Slack threads into trackable tickets with routing, SLAs, and account-level intelligence.

Best for: B2B teams that run the majority of customer support in Slack shared channels and want a platform built specifically for a customer success motion.

Pros:

• Deep Slack-native ticketing — threads become tickets without leaving Slack, with strong shared channel management

• Expanding multi-channel support across Slack, Teams, email, chat, Discord, and more

• Account Intelligence with health scoring, churn risk detection, and unified customer views

• Active product development with frequent feature releases and growing ecosystem

Cons:

• Slack-first architecture — while other channels are supported, the product experience is strongest in Slack. Teams with equal weight across email and Slack may find the balance uneven

• API extensibility is limited compared to API-first platforms — sales data shows "low rate limits" and "syncing issues" as recurring feedback from engineering-led teams

• Custom pricing with limited public information makes cost comparison difficult during evaluation

Pricing: Starting at $59/seat/mo + $50/seat/mo for AI agent

For more on Slack-based support, see our comparison of Slack support tools for B2B.

7. Help Scout

Help Scout is the most approachable help desk for small teams. Clean interface, fast setup, reasonable pricing, and enough automation to handle a growing queue without dedicating someone to admin. It does what it does well — the question is whether you will outgrow it.

Best for: Small teams (under 15 agents) that want simplicity over power and primarily handle email-based support.

Pros:

• Intuitive interface that requires almost no training to adopt

• Beacon widget for in-app help and knowledge base search is well-implemented

• AI Assist for drafting and summarization included in higher plans

• Per-user pricing at $22/month is reasonable for small teams

Cons:

• Limited automation and workflow capabilities compared to Zendesk or Plain

• Slack integration is basic — not suitable for Slack-first support motions

• Reporting lacks depth for teams that need to measure SLA compliance or agent productivity granularly

• API is functional but limited — not built for engineering-led customization

Pricing: Standard at $22/user/month, Plus at $44/user/month, Pro at $65/user/month (annual billing).

8. Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce Service Cloud is enterprise-grade CRM infrastructure with service capabilities layered on top. It is the tool of choice for large organizations already running Salesforce for sales and marketing. For B2B support specifically, it is often the wrong tool in the wrong context.

Best for: Large enterprises (500+ employees) with deep Salesforce CRM investments where support data must live in the same Salesforce instance as sales and marketing data.

Pros:

• Deep CRM integration — support agents see the full customer lifecycle in one system

• Einstein AI for case classification, next-best-action, and knowledge recommendations

• Enterprise security and compliance certifications for regulated industries

• Massive customization potential through Salesforce's declarative and programmatic tools

Cons:

• Not built for support workflows — configuration for basic ticketing requires significant admin effort

• Slow iteration cycles — changing a workflow requires Salesforce admin expertise, often with weeks of lead time

• No Slack-native support — the Slack integration is limited to notifications, not conversational support

• Per-user pricing starts low ($25/user/month) but enterprise costs balloon to $300+/user/month with add-ons

Pricing: Essentials at $25/user/month, Professional at $80/user/month, Enterprise at $165/user/month, Unlimited at $330/user/month (annual billing).

9. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is the budget winner. A free tier for up to 3 agents, a $14/agent/month Standard plan with real automation capabilities, and tight integration with the broader Zoho ecosystem. If cost is the primary constraint, Zoho Desk delivers more value per dollar than any tool on this list.

Best for: Budget-conscious teams under 10 agents that need basic ticketing and email support without Slack or Teams requirements.

Pros:

• Genuinely useful free tier for up to 3 agents with email ticketing

• $14/agent/month Standard plan includes workflow automation, SLA management, and customer happiness ratings

• Zia AI assistant for sentiment analysis and anomaly detection included in higher tiers

• Tight Zoho ecosystem integration — CRM, Projects, Analytics all connected natively

Cons:

• No Slack-native support — Zoho Desk is email and portal-first

• Interface feels dated compared to modern competitors

• Advanced features require Enterprise tier at $40/agent/month, eroding the cost advantage

• Limited B2B-specific workflows — no shared Slack channel management, no multi-channel thread stitching

Pricing: Free (3 agents), Standard at $14/agent/month, Professional at $23/agent/month, Enterprise at $40/agent/month (annual billing).

10. DevRev

DevRev takes a different angle: support and product development in one platform. Tickets are linked directly to product issues, feature requests flow from support conversations into the engineering backlog, and the AI (Turing) uses product context to answer support questions. It is the most product-led option on this list.

Best for: Product-led growth companies where support, product feedback, and engineering work need to be tightly coupled in one system.

Pros:

• Support-to-product feedback loop is native — tickets link directly to product issues without integration

• Turing AI uses product and code context to suggest answers and auto-triage

• Built for DevOps-adjacent teams — familiar patterns for engineering-led organizations

• Modern architecture with real-time collaboration features

Cons:

• Smaller ecosystem and community — newer platform with fewer integrations

• Slack integration is limited compared to native Slack-first tools

• Learning curve for teams coming from traditional help desk workflows

• Custom pricing with limited public information makes cost comparison difficult

Pricing: Custom pricing based on team size and usage.

11. Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is the natural choice when customer support lives inside the engineering backlog. If your team already runs on Jira for development work, JSM adds a service layer on top — incidents, requests, and changes flow through the same system engineers use daily.

Best for: Engineering-run support teams where support tickets need to live in the same Jira instance as development work.

Pros:

• Free tier for up to 3 agents with full ITSM capabilities

• Deep Jira integration — support tickets become engineering issues without manual handoff

• Atlassian Intelligence for AI-powered triage and suggested resolutions

• Strong incident management workflows for SRE and DevOps teams

Cons:

• Non-technical support staff struggle with Jira's complex interface and terminology

• Customer-facing experience is limited — the portal is functional but not polished

• Slack integration is an add-on through Halp or third-party tools, not native

• Pricing jumps steeply from free to Standard ($22/agent/month) with significant feature gating

Pricing: Free (3 agents), Standard at $22/agent/month, Premium at $49/agent/month, Enterprise (custom).

12. ClearFeed

ClearFeed is a Slack-native support tool focused on turning Slack conversations into structured tickets. It is lighter-weight than Pylon, with strong SLA tracking and Slack-native workflows. The scope is deliberately narrower — ClearFeed does Slack ticketing and does it well, without trying to be a full platform.

Best for: B2B teams that want lightweight Slack ticketing and SLA tracking without the overhead of a full help desk platform.

Pros:

• Clean Slack-native ticketing with SLA tracking and escalation rules

• Strong analytics for Slack-based support metrics (response time, resolution time, SLA compliance)

• Lightweight setup — faster to deploy than full-platform alternatives

• Competitive pricing for teams that only need Slack support

Cons:

• Slack-only — no email, Teams, Discord, or in-app support

• Limited API and extensibility compared to API-first platforms

• Narrower feature set — no knowledge base, no customer portal, no in-app widget

• Smaller company and ecosystem — less long-term certainty than established vendors

Pricing: Custom pricing based on team size.

For more on managing support across Slack at scale, see our guide on how to scale customer support in Slack.

How Do You Migrate from Freshdesk Without Losing Data?

The biggest switching barrier is not cost or capability — it is the fear of losing historical data. Here is the practical migration path that B2B teams follow:

Phase 1: Export and map (Week 1). Export tickets, contacts, and knowledge base articles from Freshdesk. Map your custom fields, tags, and SLA configurations to the new platform. Most modern tools (including Plain, Zendesk, and Intercom) offer CSV import or API-based migration tools.

Phase 2: Start with one channel (Weeks 1-2). Do not migrate everything at once. Start with your highest-pain channel — for most B2B teams, that is Slack. Run the new platform alongside Freshdesk for one channel while keeping Freshdesk active for email and portal. This reduces risk and lets your team adjust.

Phase 3: Expand and cut over (Weeks 2-4). Once the first channel is stable, migrate email and portal traffic. Set up redirects. Import historical tickets if the new platform supports it. Most teams complete a full cutover in 2-4 weeks.

FAQ: Freshdesk Alternatives

What is the best free alternative to Freshdesk?

Zoho Desk offers a free tier for up to 3 agents with basic email ticketing and a knowledge base. HubSpot Service Hub has a free plan with shared inbox and contact management. Jira Service Management is free for up to 3 agents with ITSM capabilities. For B2B teams that need Slack-native support, Plain offers a startup-friendly entry point with multi-channel coverage across Slack, Teams, Discord, and email.

Why are companies switching from Freshdesk in 2026?

Four factors dominate. First, workflow inflexibility — SLA logic, routing, and reporting that cannot keep up with how modern B2B teams work. Second, per-seat pricing that scales poorly as teams adopt AI and automate more volume. Third, Freddy AI session costs ($100 per 1,000 sessions with no rollover) that create unpredictable bills. Fourth, Freshworks' strategic pivot to enterprise — over 60% of their ARR now comes from 250+ employee companies, deprioritizing the smaller B2B teams that feel these limitations most acutely.

Is Zendesk better than Freshdesk for B2B support?

Zendesk has a larger integration ecosystem (1,500+ apps) and more mature enterprise features. However, it shares the same fundamental model: per-agent pricing, email-first architecture, and AI as an expensive add-on. In conversations with Zendesk customers, the #1 frustration was the inability to support customers natively in Slack. If your primary issue with Freshdesk is per-seat pricing or lack of Slack support, Zendesk may not solve either problem. Modern B2B teams increasingly look at API-first or Slack-native alternatives rather than migrating between legacy help desks.

What is the best Freshdesk alternative for Slack-based support?

Plain is the strongest option for teams that need Slack-native support plus Microsoft Teams, Discord, and email in the same platform — all channels are native, not add-ons. Pylon is purpose-built for Slack-native B2B support and strong for teams where every customer has a dedicated Slack channel. ClearFeed is a lighter-weight Slack ticketing layer with strong SLA tracking. Freshdesk's Slack integration is an add-on bolted onto an email-first architecture — conversations do not maintain full context between Slack and the ticketing system.

How much does it cost to switch from Freshdesk?

Migration cost is primarily time, not money. Most B2B teams complete a phased migration (starting with Slack, then adding email) in 2-4 weeks. The tools themselves often cost less than Freshdesk once AI and add-on pricing are factored in — Freshdesk Pro + AI Copilot runs $9,360/year for a 10-agent team before session overages. The bigger risk is not the cost of switching — it is the cost of staying on a platform where AI bills are unpredictable and workflow inflexibility compounds as your team grows.

Is Freshdesk good for B2B SaaS companies?

Freshdesk was built for high-volume B2C and SMB support — email ticketing, portal-based workflows, and agent-centric routing. It works for B2B teams with simple requirements, but the architecture shows its origins as companies scale. The three most common friction points for B2B SaaS teams are Slack support (Freshdesk's Slack integration is an add-on, not a native channel), workflow flexibility (SLA logic and routing cannot handle pod-based or account-based models), and API extensibility (rate limits and REST-only access constrain engineering-led teams). If your support motion is primarily email-based with straightforward routing, Freshdesk performs well. If your customers expect real-time Slack support, or your engineering team needs to build custom workflows via API, the architectural limitations compound as you grow.

Which Freshdesk alternative has the best AI?

Intercom's Fin is the strongest standalone AI for deflection — it handles complex multi-turn conversations and genuinely reduces ticket volume. Plain's Ari is composable AI that works across Slack, Teams, and email without per-session charges, paired with Sidekick (internal AI assistant) and Lookup (codebase search). Freshdesk's Freddy charges $100 per 1,000 sessions with no rollover — an outlier pricing model that most modern alternatives have avoided. Gartner predicts 60% of brands will use agentic AI for one-to-one interactions by 2028 — the question is whether your platform's AI architecture can evolve with that shift or locks you into today's pricing model. (Gartner, January 2026)