Is Freshdesk free? What it actually costs in 2026
Yes, there is a free tier — with limits.
Per-agent/month, billed annually: Growth $19, Pro $55 (most popular), Enterprise $89 (monthly billing runs roughly 20% higher on each tier). There is no permanent free plan any more — the current free offer is $0 for 1-2 agents for 6 months only, after which it converts to a paid tier. Freddy AI Copilot is a separate $29/agent/month add-on (Pro/Enterprise only, assignable per-agent rather than account-wide), and Freddy AI Agent sessions are billed at $49 per 100 sessions after a one-time 500-session trial allowance. Verified directly against freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing, July 2026.
When paying is still the right call
If your team is already relying on Freddy AI Copilot's reply-drafting and summarization inside daily workflows, needs Freshdesk Omni's unified channel routing across email/chat/phone/social, or you're a small team that genuinely fits inside the 1-2 agent free window while you evaluate options, Freshdesk remains a solid, well-supported choice — its admin UI and onboarding are still easier for a non-technical team than standing up and maintaining a self-hosted system.
What you are locked into
Tickets, contacts, and knowledge-base content live in Freshworks' cloud; CSV and API export exist but there's no one-click path to a self-hosted platform, and automations (scenario rules, dispatch'r, business rules) are Freshdesk-specific and need to be rebuilt elsewhere. Email-based systems like FreeScout tend to migrate the most directly since the underlying model (shared mailbox → conversation) is the same shape.
If you would rather not pay: Zammad
Zammad
A full-featured, AGPL-licensed help desk with ticketing, a knowledge base, and multi-channel inboxes.
Free to self-host with unlimited agents; optional managed cloud plans start around €19/agent/month and Zammad also sells paid support contracts for self-hosted installs.
See all 4 Freshdesk alternatives comparedCompare the free options head-to-head
Pricing is verified against the vendor's published figures and dated above. Vendors change prices — confirm current numbers with Freshworks Inc. before you commit. More help desk & customer support decisions on Macrostack.