Faveo Helpdesk vs Hesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Faveo Helpdesk grades higher than Hesk: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Faveo Helpdesk grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Faveo Helpdesk
Help desk and service desk, cloud-hosted or self-hosted
Hesk
PHP help desk you host yourself, or a flat-fee cloud version
Which one is for you
Pick Faveo Helpdesk if
- Fits if you have 1 or 2 agents and want SLAs and automation for free
- Works for teams that want the choice of cloud or their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 2 agents on the free plan, since it stops at 2
- Skip it if you want the AI assistant on a normal plan, as it appears only on Enterprise, sold through sales
- Watch out: GST is shown as extra, and prices appear with a crossed-out higher figure the vendor gives no end date for
- Watch out: self-hosted source code access, a staging licence and an account manager are only on Enterprise Pro at custom prices
Pick Hesk if
- Fits if you want a basic ticket system with no per-agent fee
- Works for a team with a server and someone to run it
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you have no server or tech help, because the free edition includes no hosting, installation or backups
- Too light for a team that wants automation and integrations, as none are on record
- Watch out: a licence only removes branding links and adds support, it unlocks no features
- Watch out: on Hesk Cloud, email-to-ticket is off by default and you must contact Hesk to turn it on
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFaveo HelpdeskGood | 2.4GPAHeskFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AStartup is $6 an agent a month on annual billing, under 60% of the $19 where support tools' cheaper quarter starts. SME is $10, and a self-hosted Startup licence is $179 an agent, once. | ACloud is $29.99 a month for up to 10 agents, about $6 a seat for a team of five, under 60% of the $19 where support tools start. The self-hosted licences are $49.99 and $199.99 once. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Freelancer plan is free for 2 agents with ticket forms, SLAs, workflow automation and reports, and a 14-day trial of the paid ones. The 2-agent cap is the edge. | BThe free edition costs nothing to install on your own PHP and MySQL server. You handle hosting, updates and backups, so it is free only if you have a server. |
| Features | CSLAs, workflow automation, reports, channels and a choice of cloud or self-hosted. The Elea AI assistant and chatbot are on Enterprise only. | CTickets, a built-in knowledge base, self-hosted or cloud, language packs. Some cloud-only modules, such as escalation and surveys, cannot move to a self-hosted install. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Cloud signup is quick, but the self-hosted option needs a server. | DNo store rating on record. The free edition needs a PHP and MySQL server and you run the install. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 3 integrations on record. | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations on record. |
| Best for | a tiny support team wanting a free help desk | a small team wanting a plain ticket system |
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: Faveo Helpdesk and Hesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
Faveo Helpdesk starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hesk starts at $29.99 a month and scores 1.7.
Faveo Helpdesk scores higher and starts $23.99 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, none scores higher than Faveo Helpdesk for less, and 35 score higher than Hesk 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
- Faveo Helpdesk is open source, according to its own site.
- Faveo Helpdesk also covers workflow automation and reports.
- Hesk also covers help center.
At a glance
| Faveo Helpdesk | Hesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly) | $29.99 per month for up to 10 agents (Hesk Cloud) |
| Free plan | Freelancer plan: free for 2 agents, with ticket forms, SLAs, workflow automation and reports. | Hesk Free: install it on your own PHP/MySQL server at no cost; you handle hosting, updates and backups. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Ladybird Web Solution Pvt Ltd | Hesk |
| Price read from | faveohelpdesk.com | hesk.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Faveo Helpdesk
- The free Freelancer plan stops at 2 agents.
- The Elea AI assistant and chatbot appear only on Enterprise, which is sold through sales.
- Pricing shows GST as extra, and prices appear with a crossed-out higher figure; the vendor gives no end date for it.
- Self-hosted source code access, staging license and account manager are only on Enterprise Pro, at custom prices.
Hesk
- The free edition includes no hosting, installation, backups or email-to-ticket setup; the license does not cover them either.
- A license only removes branding links and adds support; it activates no new features.
- Cloud-only features such as the escalate and survey modules cannot be exported to a self-hosted install.
- Email-to-ticket on Hesk Cloud is switched off by default and has to be enabled by contacting Hesk.
Key features
Faveo Helpdesk
- SLA management
- SLA process management with reminders and escalation, alongside dynamic ticket forms and approval workflows.
- Workflow automation
- Automation rules, canned responses and automatic ticket assignment cut manual triage; round-robin and skill-based routing start on SME.
- Reports and dashboards
- In-depth reports, average handling time and custom dashboards come with every plan, and agent and group performance views are listed.
- Channels
- Startup adds a WhatsApp channel, and SME adds omni-channel integration for support across messaging channels.
- Elea AI assistant
- Elea AI and an AI-powered chatbot are listed on the Enterprise plan.
- Cloud or self-hosted
- Run it as the vendor's cloud service, or install it yourself with a perpetual per-agent license.
Hesk
- Ticket management
- Customers submit tickets that staff track, assign and answer, with canned responses and automatic assignment to cut repeat typing.
- Built-in knowledge base
- A self-help knowledge base sits alongside the ticket form so customers can find answers before they write in.
- Self-hosted or cloud
- Run it on your own PHP/MySQL hosting, or choose Hesk Cloud in a US, EU or Australian data center.
- Flat pricing without per-agent fees
- Cloud plans set a staff limit (10, 50 or 200 agents) and a flat monthly or yearly price, rather than charging each agent.
- Cloud-only modules
- Cloud Pro and MAX add escalation, survey and recurring-ticket modules; the site says some modules are not available self-hosted.
- Language packs
- The site lists packs for more than 35 languages that can be enabled in the admin settings.
Plans
Faveo Helpdesk
Freelancer$0
Free for 2 agents; the page shows a crossed-out $10 beside it. Includes SLAs, automation and reports.
Startup$6
per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
Adds WhatsApp channel, attachment scanner and auto ticket assignment; page shows a crossed-out $9.
SME$10
per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)
Adds omni-channel, LDAP, Microsoft Entra ID, round-robin and skill-based routing; crossed-out $14 shown.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited agents, ad hoc approval, custom JavaScript, the Elea AI assistant and an AI chatbot.
Self-hosted Startup$179
per agent, one-time fee
Perpetual license for your own server; SME is $199 per agent. The page shows crossed-out $224 and $249.
Hesk
Hesk Free$0
Self-hosted help desk and knowledge base on your own server, with Powered by Hesk links shown.
Hesk Cloud$29.99
per month for up to 10 agents, billed monthly
Hosted by Hesk with 10 GB of uploads, unlimited tickets and a statistics module. $299 a year if prepaid.
Hesk Cloud Pro$49.99
per month for up to 50 agents, billed monthly
Adds escalate and survey modules and recurring tickets, with 50 GB of uploads. $499 a year if prepaid.
Hesk Cloud MAX$99.99
per month for up to 200 agents, billed monthly
Everything in Pro for large teams, with 200 GB of uploads. $999 a year if prepaid.
Website License$49.99
one-time, one self-hosted installation
Removes the Powered by Hesk branding and adds a year of email support; unlocks no new features.
Advanced License$199.99
one-time, five self-hosted installations
Branding removal on five installations and five years of support from the Hesk team.
Ways to pay less
Faveo Helpdesk
- Annual discount
Lower per-agent rate on yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Startup from $7 to $6 and SME from $11 to $10 per agent a month on the cloud plans.
Hesk
- Annual discount
Prepay a year of Hesk Cloud and save
Annual prepayment costs $299 (Cloud), $499 (Pro) or $999 (MAX), which the page says saves $60, $100 and $200 against monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Faveo Helpdesk or Hesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Faveo Helpdesk starts at $6 per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly), and Hesk starts at $29.99 per month for up to 10 agents (Hesk Cloud). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Faveo Helpdesk or Hesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Faveo Helpdesk and Hesk have a free plan.
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.