Freshworks vs Kustomer - Tested and Compared

Freshworks - a quick overview

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Founded in 2010 in Chennai, India by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy, Freshworks delivers cloud-based software for customer support, IT service management, CRM, and e-commerce marketing. Now headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freshworks powers over 72,000 businesses worldwide, including brands like Disney and Pepsico, with intuitive tools such as Freshdesk, Freshservice, Freshsales, and Freshchat.

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Freshworks is designed for customer support teams, IT professionals, sales, and marketers, offering features like AI-powered assistance (Freddy AI), omnichannel support, robust analytics, and seamless integrations across its product suite. Recognized as the first Indian SaaS company to list on Nasdaq, Freshworks continues to innovate in the customer engagement space.

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In the following section, we’ll explore Freshworks’ features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Kustomer and Ringy.io.

Freshworks CRM Features

• Freshworks CRM AI-Powered Lead Scoring and Deal Insights prioritizes high-potential prospects and flags at-risk deals to focus sales effort and predict deal outcomes.
• Freshworks CRM Omnichannel Sales Engagement unifies email, phone, chat, SMS, and social messaging for consistent, trackable customer conversations.
• Freshworks CRM Automated Sales Sequences and Workflows schedules follow-ups, reminders, and actions with customizable rules to reduce manual tasks and maintain cadence.
• Freshworks CRM Advanced Reporting and Analytics delivers dashboards, curated and custom reports, and forecasting to monitor performance and trends.
• Freshworks CRM Integrated Telephony (Freshcaller) enables in-CRM calling with logging, recordings, and analytics to centralize interactions and context.

Best for small to mid-market sales organizations that need unified multichannel communication, automated cadences, predictive prioritization, built-in calling, and performance tracking within a single, configurable CRM.

Freshworks: Key Pros and Cons

Pros

• Faster onboarding, Quick setup and onboarding, so teams can go live with minimal admin.
• Easier daily work, Easy-to-use interface, helping generalist teams move faster than more power-user-centric tools.
• Quicker resolutions, Automation and ticket workflows, which speed responses even if the other product leans harder into AI.
• Less tool switching, Marketplace integrations, which cut manual connectors compared with leaner stacks.
• Unified visibility, Omnichannel support, so email, chat, and social sit in one queue unlike single-channel alternatives.

Cons

• Slower resolutions from Customer support responsiveness, which can prolong outages versus products with faster help.
• Work disruptions from Bugs and reliability issues, reducing trust compared with more stability-first platforms.
• Surprise change risk with Feature deprecation, unlike Ringly.io’s transparent update policy that limits unexpected breaks.
• Extra setup time for Advanced workflow design, where AI-first rivals may automate edge cases better.
• Migration friction and risk in Data export and payment security, which may push compliance-focused teams to alternatives.

Best for small to mid-size support teams needing fast setup and unified channels; consider alternatives prioritizing transparent roadmaps, deeper AI automation, or stricter export and compliance controls if reliability and change management are top concerns.

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Kustomer - a quick overview

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Founded in 2015 by Brad Birnbaum and Jeremy Suriel in New York City, Kustomer is a customer service CRM platform designed to deliver seamless, personalized support by unifying customer interactions across channels. It empowers support, sales, and marketing teams in industries like e-commerce and retail to enhance customer satisfaction through advanced automation and a 360-degree customer view.

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With over 1,000 companies using Kustomer, including major brands like Amazon and FedEx, the platform stands out for its omnichannel capabilities and contextual conversation management. After being acquired by Meta in 2020, Kustomer spun out in 2023 to focus on AI-driven customer experience innovation.

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The following section will explore Kustomer’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Freshworks and Ringly.io to highlight their relative strengths and weaknesses.

Kustomer Features

• Kustomer Unified Customer Timeline consolidates email, chat, social, SMS, and voice into a single view, giving agents full context for faster, more accurate resolutions.
• Kustomer CRM and Case Management centralizes customer history, purchases, and preferences, reducing tool switching and enabling informed decisions during support.
• Kustomer Custom Workflows and Automation automates repetitive tasks and data-driven triggers, improving consistency and shortening handle times.
• Kustomer Omnichannel Routing and Assignment directs conversations by skills, workload, or customer profile, improving response speed and relevance across channels.
• Kustomer Integrations and Extensibility connects with Shopify, Slack, Salesforce, and APIs, supporting complex workflows and unified reporting.

Suitable for support teams managing complex, multi-channel interactions at scale, including enterprises requiring unified customer data, automation, routing, and integrations across existing systems.

Kustomer: Pros and Cons from Real-World Use

Pros

• More context in every interaction, Unified customer view, helping agents resolve issues without switching tools compared with the alternative.
• Less manual work on routine tasks, Automation and workflows, boosting consistency while the alternative focuses on out-of-the-box routing.
• Reach users on their preferred channel, Omnichannel support, fitting teams that value breadth over a lighter setup.
• Quicker handoffs and answers, Shared inbox and internal knowledge, improving collaboration on complex cases.
• More natural conversations, Conversation-based model, enabling personalized help when ticket-first systems feel rigid.

Cons

• Slower onboarding for new agents, Learning curve, which the alternative (e.g., Ringly.io) often reduces with simpler setup.
• Extra effort to get smart routing, Manual configuration for advanced workflows, delaying value until rules are tuned.
• Occasional slowdowns under load, Performance stability, adding overhead during peak periods.
• Higher total cost at scale, Pricing and add-ons, making lean teams consider the alternative’s transparent tiers.
• Limited insights without customization, Out-of-the-box reporting, pushing some teams to build or integrate analytics.

Best for multichannel support teams managing complex histories. Consider alternatives if you need faster onboarding, built-in dynamic routing, or more predictable pricing for smaller teams.

Pricing - Freshworks vs Kustomer

Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.

Freshworks pricing

Kustomer pricing

Ringly.io pricing

Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms—or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.

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Online customer reviews: Freshworks vs Kustomer

Freshworks vs. Kustomer: Summary

Freshworks is best for fast setup, modern UI, and large teams needing robust support and marketplace integrations. Kustomer excels at a unified customer timeline and CRM-like context. Choose Freshworks for multi-brand scale; pick Kustomer for deep, conversational service and agent context.

What users are saying about Freshworks

"Much easier to use" – Anonymous (G2 Reviewer) The Freddy AI and interface are updated, making it easier to use and understand than before. More Marketplace integrations help teams work more effectively.

"Features deprecated without notice" – Anonymous (G2 Reviewer) Certain features were removed without advance notice, giving teams little time to adapt and disrupting workflows that relied on service-based features.

What users are saying about Kustomer

"Unified view of every interaction" – Kustomer User (TrustRadius) The customer-centric timeline delivers a unified view of interactions and data, giving agents deep context without extra navigation, even in complex cases.

"Missing the mark for multiple service lines" – Anonymous (TrustRadius Reviewer) Strong overall, but managing multiple service lines or unique stores under one account is limited; competitors like Freshdesk handle this better.

What users are saying about Ringly.io:

Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.

"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.

"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."

"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.

"How to automate customer service? -> Ringly.io" - Sidra Husnain, Founder.

Freshworks vs Kustomer: Which is best for you?

Here is a quick guide to who gets the most value from Freshworks, Kustomer, and Ringly.io. Use this to match features, pricing, and setup to your team size and goals.

Who Freshworks is best for…

• Small to midsize support teams that want fast setup and an easy UI across email, chat, and social.
• Sales teams that need built in calling, AI lead scoring, and automated cadences in one CRM.
• Companies that value lots of marketplace apps and an all in one vendor for support, IT, and CRM.
• Budget minded teams that can start on free or low cost tiers and upgrade as they grow.

Who Kustomer is best for…

• Ecommerce and retail teams handling complex, multichannel conversations every day.
• Support orgs that want a unified customer timeline and CRM level context in every interaction.
• Enterprises that need custom workflows, skills based routing, and deep integrations.
• Teams ready for annual contracts and a longer setup to unlock advanced automation.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• Small teams that want AI phone agents live fast with a 14 day trial and a simple Start plan.
• Growing brands, especially ecommerce, that need cart recovery and order status calls with self learning AI on month to month terms.
• Large companies that want custom agents, integrations, and a dedicated Slack channel on the Scale plan.
• Any business that wants clear, usage based pricing and quick ROI from automated calls.

Why Ringly.io fits most teams: it is easy to launch, priced simply, and built to drive results with AI phone agents for support and sales. You can start small, scale to enterprise, and avoid long contracts while keeping total cost predictable.

Why Ringly.io is a Better Choice

Highly Rated: 4.8/5

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Founded in 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Maurizio Isendoorn and Ruben Boonzaaijer, Ringly.io is revolutionizing e-commerce customer service with AI phone agents. Designed for online businesses, Ringly handles customer calls on autopilot—solving support issues, recovering abandoned carts, and even boosting sales—at just 20% of the cost of human agents.‍

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With 2,300+ customers, Ringly.io is the go-to solution for e-commerce stores looking to scale without scaling their support team. With award-winning technology (BubbleCon 2024's "Most Innovative App"), Ringly.io transforms your phone system into a revenue-driving powerhouse—without the headaches of traditional call centers.‍

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Features that make Ringly.io the #1 alternative to Freshworks and Kustomer:

No-code setup, instant results – Ringly.io is ready to go in minutes. Just add your website, docs, or text—no engineering required—and your AI phone agent instantly understands your business. It even updates automatically as your website changes.‍‍‍

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AI-powered sales & support – Ringly.io does both inbound and outbound calls. Recover 35%+ of abandoned carts with automated follow-up calls, provide real-time order tracking from Shopify, and convert more customers with personalized AI-driven conversations—not just reactive support.‍‍

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Advanced analytics for smarter decisions – Ringly.io gives you real-time call data, customer intent tracking, and performance reports—helping you optimize support and sales strategies.‍‍‍

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Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.‍

Conclusion: Freshworks vs. Kustomer vs. Ringly.io

All three platforms can level up your customer support stack. The right pick comes down to channels, setup time, automation depth, and pricing flexibility.

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For most teams, the fastest time-to-value comes from a simple launch, clear pricing, and automation that pays for itself. That’s where Ringly.io’s AI phone agents quietly stand out.

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• Freshworks — Choose it if you want quick onboarding, a familiar omnichannel suite, and lots of marketplace apps at budget-friendly tiers. Best for SMB support and IT teams that value breadth over deep customization.
• Kustomer — Choose it if you need a unified customer timeline, complex routing, and enterprise-grade workflows. Best for larger teams that can invest in annual contracts and a longer setup for advanced automation.
• Ringly.io — Choose it if you want AI phone agents live in minutes, usage-based pricing, and measurable results. Ideal for support and sales calls, abandoned cart recovery, and real-time order status. For e-commerce, Ringly.io is the best tool—hands down.

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Not sure where to start? Launch a 14-day Ringly.io trial to validate ROI before making big platform changes. It’s simple to test, easy to scale, and built to drive outcomes fast.

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