BoldDesk vs Freshdesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Freshdesk grades higher than BoldDesk: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Freshdesk grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BoldDesk
Help desk with per-agent pricing or unlimited agents plus AI credits
Freshdesk
Email ticketing help desk with a knowledge base and AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick BoldDesk if
- Fits if you have a support team that wants SLAs and automation rules
- Works for teams moving off another help desk, since migration is free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is none
- Pricey if you lean on AI, because credits run out and extra ones cost $40 per 1,000
- Watch out: seats on the AI plans are for named people, and the fair usage policy bars shared logins
- Watch out: on the per-agent plan, SMS and voice need an integration
Pick Freshdesk if
- Fits if your support team works mainly from email
- Works for teams that want a help center and ticket portal on the $19 plan
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if most of your customers reach you by chat or WhatsApp, which needs Freshdesk Omni from $29 an agent
- Pricey if you want AI help drafting replies, at $29 an agent extra ($35 monthly) and not on Growth
- Skip it if you lean on the AI agent: 500 sessions are free once per account, then $49 per 100
- Tight if you need round-robin routing, several SLA policies or custom dashboards, which start on Pro at $55
- Watch out: the $19 is the yearly price, monthly billing costs more, and there's no free plan after the 14-day trial
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABoldDeskFair | 2.4GPAFreshdeskFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$35 an agent a month on annual billing sits between the $29 middle and the $39 where the dearer quarter starts. The AI plans start at $99 a month for 500 credits. | CGrowth is $19 an agent a month billed yearly, a little under this category's middle of $24, and paying monthly loses the 20% yearly discount. A portal and knowledge base are included, but chat means Freshdesk Omni from $29. |
| Free plan and trial | C15-day free trial of the per-agent plan, no card required. No free plan. | CA 14-day free trial of the Enterprise plan with no card needed, so you see everything. There's no free plan, and the 500 free AI agent sessions come once per account, not every month. |
| Features | CTicketing, automation, SLAs, a knowledge base, reporting and free migration. SMS and voice come through an integration on the per-agent plan. | CEmail ticketing, a shared inbox, a portal and knowledge base, routing, SLAs, reports and an email AI agent. The gap is named in the listing: chat and messaging channels aren't in Freshdesk at all, they're sold as Freshdesk Omni. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Channels, SLAs and automation rules all need setting up. | B4.5 from 2,996 App Store ratings for the agent app. Emails turning into tickets is a simple idea to pick up, and occasional helpers can come in on day passes instead of full seats. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 6 integrations on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Stripe. There's no desktop app, so it stops at a B. |
| Best for | a support team wanting a per-agent help desk | email support with a help center from day one |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BoldDesk and Freshdesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
BoldDesk starts at $35 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Freshdesk starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Freshdesk scores higher and starts $16 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 18 score higher than BoldDesk for less, and 1 scores higher than Freshdesk for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BoldDesk also covers live chat, whatsApp messaging and ticketing.
- Freshdesk also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| BoldDesk | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $35 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly) | $19 per agent / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 15-day trial of the per-agent plan, no card required | 14-day free trial of the Enterprise plan, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Syncfusion | Freshworks Inc. |
| Price read from | bolddesk.com | freshworks.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BoldDesk
- There is no free plan; the per-agent plan has a 15-day trial and the AI plans offer a free trial.
- AI features run on credits: the AI plans include 500 to 2,500 a month and extra credits cost $40 per 1,000.
- Agent seats on the AI plans are for named people, and the vendor's fair usage policy bars shared logins.
- On the per-agent plan SMS and voice come through an integration rather than a built-in channel.
Freshdesk
- Freshdesk plans are built around email; chat and messaging channels come with Freshdesk Omni, from $29 per agent / month billed annually.
- Only 500 AI agent sessions are free, once per account; after that sessions cost $49 per 100.
- Freddy AI Copilot costs $29 per agent / month billed annually ($35 monthly) and is not offered on Growth.
- The pricing page shows annual prices only; monthly billing costs more, as the page offers 20% off for paying annually.
Key features
BoldDesk
- Omnichannel ticketing
- Email, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and web forms feed one ticket queue, with mobile apps and an SDK.
- Automation and SLAs
- Workflow automation, round-robin and skill routing, SLA reminders and escalations, business hours and ticket macros.
- AI agents on credits
- A response agent, a background agent and an assist agent run on AI credits, which the per-agent plan sells at $40 per 1,000.
- Knowledge base
- A public or private multilingual knowledge base with article approval and versioning, and an embeddable widget.
- Reporting
- Dashboards for SLA performance, agent and team activity and CSAT, with scheduled reports and custom dashboards.
- Free migration
- The vendor offers free migration and onboarding from other help desks, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Freshdesk
- Ticketing and shared inbox
- Incoming emails become tickets that can be prioritized, assigned and tracked, with internal threads and linked tasks for teammates.
- Freddy AI Agent for email
- An email AI agent replies to customers and works through back-and-forth threads. Each account gets 500 sessions once; more cost $49 per 100.
- Customer portal and knowledge base
- Customers submit tickets and read help articles in a portal. Pro adds portal branding, community forums and article versioning.
- Routing and SLAs
- Business rules dispatch tickets on every plan. Pro adds round-robin and load-balanced assignment and multiple SLA policies; Enterprise adds skill-based routing.
- Freddy AI Copilot
- A paid add-on from Pro up that drafts replies, summarizes long threads, translates in 60+ languages and suggests similar tickets.
- Reports and dashboards
- Standard reports and real-time dashboards on all plans, with custom dashboards on Pro and conversational AI insights on Enterprise.
Plans
BoldDesk
Enterprise (per agent)$35
per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Every help desk feature, unlimited tickets and up to 10 brands; AI is a separate credit add-on.
Scale AI$99
per month for 500 AI credits, billed annually ($116 billed monthly)
Unlimited human agents, an email AI agent, ticketing, knowledge base and workflow automation.
Momentum AI$499
per month for 1,000 AI credits, billed annually ($587 billed monthly)
Adds an AI agent on chat, WhatsApp, social and SMS, auto-assignment, multiple SLAs and CSAT surveys.
Enterprise AI$999
per month for 2,500 AI credits, billed annually ($1,175 monthly)
Adds multi-brand help desk, HIPAA compliance, ticket approvals, agent shifts and custom dashboards.
Freshdesk
Growth$19
per agent / month, billed annually
Email ticketing and a shared inbox, a customer portal and knowledge base, standard reports, threads and tasks, and roles.
Pro$55
per agent / month, billed annually
Adds a multilingual help desk, custom dashboards, round-robin routing, multiple SLA policies, community forums and 5,000 outside collaborators.
Enterprise$89
per agent / month, billed annually
Adds Freddy AI Insights, skill-based routing, a sandbox, audit logs, IP allowlisting and an approval step for knowledge base articles.
Ways to pay less
BoldDesk
- Annual discount
15% off with yearly billing
Yearly billing saves 15% on the AI plans ($99, $499 and $999 against $116, $587 and $1,175 monthly) and about 13% on the per-agent plan.
- Other savings
Free migration and contract cover
For teams moving from Zendesk, Freshdesk or another help desk, BoldDesk migrates the data free and covers up to 6 months of remaining contract fees.
Freshdesk
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Freshdesk's pricing page offers 20% off when plans are paid annually rather than monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BoldDesk or Freshdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Freshdesk is cheaper to start with: $19 a month for each person, against $35 a month for each person for BoldDesk. BoldDesk starts at $35 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly), and Freshdesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, BoldDesk or Freshdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BoldDesk nor Freshdesk has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.