# Zendesk vs Freshchat: Pricing and AI Costs

Source: https://insertchat.com/compare/zendesk-vs-freshchat

> Zendesk’s per-agent suites with paid automated resolutions, against Freshchat’s per-agent plans with Freddy AI session packs.

Zendesk suits support teams that need tickets, telephony, IVR, and several help centers in one suite. Freshchat suits teams that want a free plan for up to 10 agents and low-cost messaging with Freddy AI. InsertChat is the stronger third option when AI must answer calls too, from $98 per month.

Zendesk details checked on October 13, 2026 from [Zendesk’s public pricing page](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/); Freshchat details checked on October 13, 2026 from [Freshchat’s public pricing page](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/). Prices are in USD as listed; vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with each linked source.

## Zendesk vs Freshchat vs InsertChat at a glance

| Compared | Zendesk | Freshchat | InsertChat |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Per agent: Support Team $19, Suite Team $55, and Suite Professional $115 a month billed annually ($25, $69, and $149 monthly); Suite Enterprise through sales ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Per agent: Free for up to 10 agents; Growth $19, Pro $49, and Enterprise $79 a month billed annually ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing)) |
| What is metered | Agents, plus AI automated resolutions: 5 per agent a month included on Support Team and Suite Team and 10 on Suite Professional, then $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Agents, plus Freddy AI Agent sessions: the first 500 included, then $49 per 100 ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing#channel-costs)) |
| Channels | Email on every plan; messaging, live chat, and telephony from Suite Team; social channels and WhatsApp with additional fees; text messages as an add-on ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Web and mobile chat and email on every plan; Messenger, Instagram, SMS, WhatsApp, LINE, and Google Business Messages from Growth; voice through Freshcaller ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)) |
| Human handoff | Ticket routing on every plan; omnichannel routing from Suite Team ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Shared inbox on every plan, including Free ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)) |
| Knowledge sources | AI Knowledge Base from Suite Team; 1 help center on Suite Team and up to 5 on Suite Professional ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Not verified | Website URLs, documents, questions and answers, audio and video files, and product information (1,000 sources on Pro) ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/knowledge)) |
| Booking | Not verified | Not verified | Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling)) |
| Entry price | $19 per agent a month billed annually (Support Team); Suite Team, with messaging and telephony, $55 ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Free for up to 10 agents; Growth $19 per agent a month billed annually, with Freddy AI Agent ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing)) |
| Notable limits | Phone numbers, call minutes, text messages, and WhatsApp carry extra fees; Copilot is $50 per agent a month on Professional and above ([source](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/)) | Freddy AI Agent is not on Free; Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent a month on Pro and Enterprise; Freshcaller voice starts from $15 per agent a month ([source](https://www.freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing/)) | Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing#channel-costs)) |

“Not verified” means our check did not confirm this detail. Ask the vendor before deciding.

## How Zendesk and Freshchat compare

### Five agents and 300 AI conversations

Zendesk Suite Team: five agents at $55 billed annually is $275, with 25 automated resolutions included; the other 275 at $1.50 committed add $412.50, for $687.50. Freshchat Growth: five agents at $19 is $95, and 300 sessions fit inside the first 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions it lists as included. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 3 seats and 5,000 monthly AI credits.

[Estimate your InsertChat usage](https://insertchat.com/pricing#usage-estimate)

### Messaging channels

Freshchat adds Messenger, Instagram, SMS, WhatsApp, LINE, and Google Business Messages from Growth. Zendesk includes email on every plan, with messaging and live chat from Suite Team, and social channels and WhatsApp at extra fees. InsertChat covers website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp with calls.

[How the shared inbox works](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)

### AI add-ons

Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent a month on Pro and Enterprise, and Zendesk’s Copilot is $50 per agent a month on Professional and above. InsertChat includes AI answers and team handoff on every plan.

### Keep your helpdesk

A team on Zendesk can keep its queue: InsertChat creates, looks up, replies to, and updates Zendesk tickets while its AI answers first.

[InsertChat’s Zendesk actions](https://insertchat.com/integration/zendesk)

## Zendesk, Freshchat, or InsertChat?

### Choose Zendesk if

- Your team runs on tickets and needs IVR, skills-based routing, or several help centers.
- You want telephony inside your helpdesk.
- You want 5 to 10 automated resolutions per agent included each month.

### Choose Freshchat if

- You want a free plan for up to 10 agents.
- You want LINE and Google Business Messages next to WhatsApp and SMS.
- You need conversations translated across more than 45 languages, listed on Pro and Enterprise.

### Choose InsertChat if

- You want AI answering phone calls in the same product as chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp.
- You want one flat plan: Pro is $98 per month with 3 seats and 5,000 monthly AI credits.
- You want the assistant to book appointments, with optional approval.

## Compare each one with InsertChat

- [InsertChat vs Zendesk](https://insertchat.com/alternatives/zendesk): Helpdesk suite priced per agent, with AI agents billed per automated resolution.
- [InsertChat vs Freshchat](https://insertchat.com/alternatives/freshchat): Messaging helpdesk priced per agent, with Freddy AI Agent sessions sold in packs of 100.
- [InsertChat pricing](https://insertchat.com/pricing): Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits, from $98 per month, plus a usage estimator for your own call and chat volume.

## Is Freshchat cheaper than Zendesk?

On listed prices, yes: Freshchat is free for up to 10 agents, then $19, $49, or $79 per agent billed annually, while Zendesk runs $19, $55, or $115 per agent billed annually. Zendesk charges $1.50 to $2.00 per automated resolution past its allowance; Freshchat sells Freddy sessions at $49 per 100 after the first 500. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits for calls and messages.

## Which one includes voice?

Zendesk lists telephony from Suite Team, with phone numbers and minutes as add-ons. Freshchat sells voice through Freshcaller, from $15 per agent a month. InsertChat’s AI receptionist answers your number on every paid plan.

## Is Freddy AI on Freshchat’s free plan?

No. Freshchat lists Freddy AI Agent on Growth, Pro, and Enterprise, with the first 500 sessions included and $49 per 100 after that. Freddy AI Copilot is a separate $29 per agent a month on Pro and Enterprise.

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