Zendesk vs Freshworks - Which is the best option in 2025?

Zendesk - a quick overview

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Founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007 by Mikkel Svane, Morten Primdahl, and Alexander Aghassipour, Zendesk is a global leader in customer support software. Headquartered in San Francisco, Zendesk empowers over 100,000 companies worldwide to deliver seamless customer experiences through its robust SaaS platform.

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Zendesk’s core function is to streamline customer communications for businesses of all sizes—especially targeting support teams and sales professionals—with features like multi-channel ticketing, workflow automation, AI-powered chatbots, analytics dashboards, CRM integrations, and a customizable help center. Recognized for its innovation and ease of use across industries from ecommerce to enterprise IT services, Zendesk continues to set the standard for modern customer service solutions.

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In the following section we’ll break down Zendesk’s features, pros and cons, pricing details, and user reviews—comparing them directly with Freshworks and Ringly.io so you can see which solution best fits your business needs.

Zendesk's features

• Omnichannel Support: Zendesk unifies customer interactions across email, chat, phone, and social media in a single dashboard. This streamlines support for businesses handling high volumes or multiple channels—something Freshworks also offers, but Ringly.io focuses more on phone automation and e-commerce-specific workflows.
• Ticketing System: Every customer inquiry becomes a trackable ticket for efficient resolution. This is ideal for teams needing structured case management. While Freshworks matches this core helpdesk feature, Ringly.io automates many common requests directly by phone without manual ticket creation.
• Knowledge Base: Zendesk lets you build self-service portals so customers can find answers themselves—reducing agent workload. Freshworks provides similar tools; however, Ringly.io’s AI agent instantly uses your actual website content to answer questions by phone with no training required and daily updates—a much faster way to keep information current.
• Live Chat & Messaging: Real-time chat helps resolve issues quickly on web or mobile. Both Zendesk and Freshworks excel here; Ringly.io instead prioritizes instant voice support with SMS follow-ups rather than live web chat.
• Automations & Macros: Automate repetitive tasks like routing tickets or sending canned responses to boost efficiency. While both competitors offer robust automation rules, Ringly.io takes it further by fully automating entire call flows—including order checks and abandoned cart recovery—without human intervention.
• Reporting & Analytics: Detailed dashboards track team performance, response times, CSAT scores, and more for continuous improvement. Freshworks provides similar analytics; however, neither competitor delivers AI-powered call analysis that breaks down caller mood or conversation outcomes as deeply as what’s built into Ringly.io’s platform.
• Integrations & API Access: Connects seamlessly with popular CRMs (like Salesforce), e-commerce platforms (Shopify), Slack, Zapier—and thousands of other business tools via APIs. Both Zendesk and Freshworks are strong here; yet only Ringly.io allows direct custom actions during live calls (like updating CRMs mid-conversation) without coding knowledge needed.
• Voice Support/Call Center Tools: Offers cloud-based telephony so agents can make/receive calls from anywhere while logging every detail automatically into the system—a must-have for distributed teams. However, these systems still rely heavily on human agents compared to the 24/7 AI-driven voice experience provided by Ringly.io that handles most routine calls autonomously before escalating complex ones when necessary.

Pros

• Easy to use interface – Many users highlight that Zendesk is intuitive for agents, making it simple to manage tickets and daily support tasks.
• Robust ticketing system – The core ticketing features are reliable, helping teams track issues efficiently across multiple channels.
• Strong integrations – Users appreciate how well Zendesk connects with other tools in their tech stack (like order processing or webstores), streamlining workflows.
• Scalable for growing businesses – Companies mention that as they scale up operations or add new channels (chat, phone), Zendesk can handle the increased complexity without major issues.
• Automation capabilities – Automation tools such as macros help reduce repetitive work for agents and speed up responses to customers.

Cons

• High cost for advanced features – Many reviewers note that while basic plans are affordable, adding essential features like AI chatbots or advanced reporting quickly increases costs—sometimes doubling subscription fees. This can be a barrier especially for smaller businesses or those scaling rapidly. Ringly.io’s transparent pricing may offer more predictability here.
• Steep learning curve & complexity – New users often find the platform overwhelming due to its many features; some report needing significant training before feeling comfortable. Advanced customization often requires technical expertise or developer help.
• Clunky analytics/reporting tools – Several users describe reporting as cumbersome; pulling custom reports is tricky without deep knowledge of the system architecture. Some even export data elsewhere because built-in analytics don’t meet their needs. If you value straightforward reporting out-of-the-box, this could be a pain point.
• Slow customer support response times (on non-premium plans) – Multiple reviews complain about slow replies from Zendesk’s own support team—sometimes with 2-day SLAs—and difficulty reaching a human agent unless on higher-tier plans. Documentation is also described as confusing by some users. Ringly.io’s approach emphasizes responsive support regardless of plan tier.
• Customization limitations on lower tiers – While highly customizable at higher levels, small businesses on entry-level plans find themselves locked out of certain key options unless they upgrade—leading to frustration when trying to tailor workflows or branding without extra spend.

These insights reflect what actual customers experience day-to-day—not just feature lists—and should help you weigh whether these tradeoffs align with your business needs compared to alternatives like Ringly.io.

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Freshworks - a quick overview

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Founded in 2010 in Chennai, India, by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy, Freshworks is a leading provider of cloud-based customer engagement software. The company offers a suite of products including Freshdesk, Freshservice, and Freshsales that help businesses manage customer support, IT services, sales automation, and messaging efficiently.

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Serving over 150,000 customers worldwide across various industries and company sizes—from small businesses to enterprises—Freshworks empowers sales teams and customer service departments with AI-powered lead scoring, multi-channel communication tools, email automation, CRM integrations, and advanced analytics. Its user-friendly platform is designed for speed-to-value and affordability.

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In the following section, we will explore Freshworks’ features along with pros and cons, pricing details, and user reviews compared to Zendesk and Ringly.io to help you understand how it stacks up against competitors.

Freshworks's features

• Omnichannel Support – Freshworks brings together email, phone, live chat, social media, and a customer portal into one platform. This unified approach lets agents manage all conversations in a single view for faster responses and less tab-switching. Compared to Zendesk’s similar multi-channel capabilities, Freshworks stands out for its ease of use but can feel less specialized than Ringly.io’s AI-driven phone automation built specifically for e-commerce.
• AI-Powered Automation (Freddy AI) – Freddy AI handles routine queries instantly with conversational bots and provides real-time assistance to human agents through suggestions, summaries, and translations. While Zendesk also offers advanced AI tools at higher tiers, Freshworks makes these accessible across more plans. However, Ringly.io’s agent is pre-trained on your own business content—delivering highly accurate answers without manual setup or hallucinations.
• Ticket Management & Collaboration – Centralized ticketing allows teams to assign tasks based on skills or workload and collaborate efficiently using shared inboxes and threaded conversations. Both Zendesk and Freshworks excel here; however, neither offers the instant order lookup or abandoned cart recovery calls that Ringly.io automates out-of-the-box.
• Self-Service Knowledge Base – Customers can access FAQs or submit tickets via a branded help center with multilingual support. This reduces repetitive questions for both platforms. Unlike Ringly.io’s knowledge base integration—which updates daily from your website—Freshworks requires manual content management to keep information current.
• Workflow Automation & Integrations – Automate assignments, escalations, notifications, and connect with 200+ business apps like Salesforce or Slack through native integrations or API access. While this matches Zendesk in flexibility for large organizations needing custom workflows across departments (HR/IT/Finance), it still relies heavily on agent intervention compared to Ringly.io’s no-code automations that trigger actions during live calls.
• Analytics & Reporting – Advanced dashboards track CSAT scores, response times, ticket trends—and even allow custom object analysis tailored to unique business needs. Both competitors provide deep reporting; however Ringly.io uniquely analyzes every call—including mood detection—to surface actionable insights specific to voice interactions.
• Mobile Accessibility – Native mobile apps let agents respond from anywhere—a must-have feature matched by both Zendesk and Freshworks but not always prioritized by niche solutions. For businesses where most support happens over the phone (like e-commerce), having an always-on AI agent as offered by Ringly.io may reduce the need for constant mobile monitoring altogether.

Freshworks delivers robust omnichannel support with strong automation tools suitable for growing teams seeking an all-in-one solution. Yet when it comes to deeply personalized voice experiences—like recovering abandoned carts via proactive calls or providing real-time order status without human effort—Ringly.io is purpose-built to handle these scenarios automatically while keeping information perfectly up-to-date from your own resources.

Next, let's look at Freshworks's pros and cons. We studied dozens of reviews from real Freshworks users from platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Then we identified commonalities and summarized the main pros and cons of Freshworks based on real user feedback for you here:

Pros

• User-friendly interface – Many users highlight how easy it is to get started with Freshworks products like Freshdesk or Freshsales, noting that the setup process is straightforward even for those new to help desk or CRM tools.
  This ease-of-use helps teams quickly become productive without a steep learning curve.
• Effective automation & workflow features – Users appreciate the ability to configure workflows, automate repetitive tasks, set up sales sequences, and manage support tickets efficiently across teams.
  These automation capabilities save time and reduce manual effort.
• Centralized communication & collaboration – The platform makes it simple to track customer emails/cases in one place. Teams can see unanswered emails easily and maintain consistent responses even when staff are away.
  This improves customer experience by reducing missed communications.
• Strong AI-powered tools (Freddy AI) – Features like Freddy AI are praised for helping draft responses quickly and providing actionable insights through regular reports that inform support strategies.
  AI integration streamlines operations for many organizations.
• Pricing compared to competitors – Several reviewers mention that Freshworks offers relatively lower pricing than some alternatives (like Zendesk), making it attractive especially for small- to mid-sized businesses looking for value.
• Responsive customer support (in some regions) – Some users report fast response times from support agents via chat or email during onboarding or troubleshooting issues.
  Quick assistance can be a major benefit during implementation phases.

Cons

• Lack of seamless integration between modules – Users often cite frustration with incomplete integrations between different parts of the suite (e.g., CRM not syncing well with chat/sales modules).
  This can lead to inefficiencies if your team relies on multiple interconnected tools—a challenge Ringly.io has specifically addressed by offering truly unified experiences across channels.
• User interface quirks & navigation issues – Some find aspects of the UI clunky; examples include confusing ticket filtering in Freshdesk or difficulty opening multiple tickets within a single window.
  These design limitations may slow down power users who need more flexibility in their daily workflow.
• Poor customer service after direct purchase/contract changes – A number of reviewers warn about unresponsive or ineffective customer service when dealing directly with Freshworks rather than through resellers—issues include unanswered questions and unresolved problems over long periods.
  Reliable post-sale support is crucial; Ringly.io’s dedicated success managers ensure continuity regardless of contract channel choice.
• Difficulties managing complex licensing models & unexpected costs – The licensing structure can be complicated (mixing license levels/day licenses), leading some organizations—especially nonprofits—to struggle with cost predictability as needs change over time.
  Transparent pricing models help avoid these surprises.
• Lack of certain integrations out-of-the-box – For example, Microsoft Teams integration was unavailable at launch, requiring workarounds.
  This means extra steps if your stack depends on specific third-party apps.
• Initial setup/import challenges – While onboarding guidance exists, several users ran into snags importing data correctly or finding where files should be uploaded—sometimes needing direct help from support.
• Occasional formatting bugs – Issues such as text formatting errors when sending emails have been reported, which could impact professionalism in external communications.
• Feature gaps compared to marketing promises – A few customers felt that while pricing was attractive, overall experience didn’t always match expectations set by sales materials—especially around advanced features.

Pricing - Zendesk vs Freshworks

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.

Zendesk pricing

Additional Details

• Contract Length / Billing: Most plans are available with monthly or annual billing. Annual commitments typically offer a discount compared to monthly rates.
• Cancellation Fees: If you cancel before the end of your subscription term (especially on annual contracts), you may be required to pay the remaining balance for that term—so penalties can apply if you cancel early. No explicit mention of fees for downgrading between plans.
• Refund Policies: Zendesk will refund any prepaid fees covering the remainder of your subscription term only if you terminate due to Zendesk’s uncured material breach. Otherwise, refunds are generally not provided.

Feature Highlights by Plan
Support/Suite Team: Basic ticketing across multiple channels (email/social), reporting dashboards.
Growth/Professional Tiers: Add advanced automations/workflows, multilingual support (Suite), business rules/performance dashboards.
Enterprise Tiers: Offer customizations tailored to large organizations’ needs.

Note: Prices above reflect annual billing per user/agent. Monthly rates may be higher if not billed annually.

If you need further details about add-ons like AI or workforce management tools ($25–50 extra per agent/month), let me know!

Freshworks 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.

Online customer reviews: Zendesk vs Freshworks

What users are saying about Zendesk:

Total reviews and average rating:
G2: Over 2,000 reviews, 4.2 out of 5 stars
Capterra: Over 2,000 reviews, 4.4 out of 5 stars

"Easily scalable" – Anonymous (Capterra reviewer)
Zendesk is easily scalable customer service software because of the number of features and tiered pricing it offers... loyal customers have used it for years...

"Painfully complex" – Anonymous (GrooveHQ/G2 reviewer)
One customer in particular on G2 found that the tool wasn’t only complex, but that the customer support needed to make sense of all that complexity could have been improved... you practically need a dedicated admin just to keep the lights on...

What users are saying about Freshworks (Freshdesk):

Total reviews and average rating:
G2: Over 2,000 reviews, 4.4 out of 5 stars
Capterra: Over 6,500 reviews, 4.5 out of 5 stars

"Much easier to use" – Anonymous (Capterra reviewer)
When compared to Zendesk which is what we switched from to save money, Freshdesk was much cheaper and our support team found it a bit easier to use...

"Customer service not existing" – Anonymous (Capterra reviewer)
We made the mistake to close our contract directly with Freshworks... their customer service and assistance is not existing; questions remain unanswered... all kinds of problems start for which no solutions are offered...

Both platforms receive high marks for features and usability but show clear trade-offs: Zendesk is praised for its scalability yet criticized for complexity; Freshdesk wins points on ease-of-use and price but draws complaints about inconsistent support quality.

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.

Zendesk vs Freshworks: Which is best for you?

Who Zendesk is best for…

• Large or growing businesses with complex support needs – Zendesk excels when you need a powerful system to handle huge ticket volumes across many channels, and it’s built to scale up as companies expand.
• Teams that need strong integrations and customization – If you want your support system to connect deeply with tools like Salesforce or Shopify and customize workflows, Zendesk’s integration options stand out (especially on higher-tier plans).
• Organizations with technical resources – Zendesk’s many features and flexibility are great if you have IT support or admins who can help manage the platform’s complexity.
• Larger budgets – If cost is less of a concern, Zendesk offers advanced features, reporting, and AI—but keep in mind that the full power comes at higher subscription levels.

Who Freshworks is best for…

• Small to mid-sized businesses – Freshworks is easy to set up and learn, making it a favorite for teams who need to get up and running quickly without a steep learning curve.
• Companies looking for good value – Freshdesk and Freshsales offer solid features at lower price points compared to the competition, making them ideal if you’re budget-conscious but still want reliable support tools.
• Teams seeking all-in-one helpdesk, CRM, and automation – If you want to manage customer support, IT, and sales processes in one system, the Freshworks suite delivers without requiring lots of integrations.
• Businesses needing fast automation and easy workflows – The built-in Freddy AI makes responding to customers faster and helps teams keep things organized with less manual work, especially for repetitive tasks.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• Online stores and e-commerce businesses – Ringly.io is made for merchants who want to recover abandoned carts, answer order status questions, and recommend products—all by phone, automatically.
• Businesses of any size looking for AI phone automation – Whether you’re a small shop or a fast-growing brand, Ringly.io fits because it handles routine calls 24/7 with lifelike AI agents and grows with your needs.
• Teams who value simplicity and fast setup – Ringly.io uses your website’s info to answer questions automatically, so there’s no training or manual setup—just connect, and your agent is ready.
• Those who want transparent pricing and no long-term contracts – With clear, month-to-month pricing and a 14-day free trial, you can start or stop anytime without hidden costs or complicated billing.

Why Ringly.io stands out: If you want a modern support experience that’s easy to launch and doesn’t require a big budget or team, Ringly.io is the most flexible and forward-thinking choice. It brings AI automation that sounds human, is always available, and keeps your customer information up to date—all with simple pricing and top customer reviews. For brands that want to save time, recover lost sales, and deliver instant support, Ringly.io is a smart move for businesses big and small.

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 Zendesk and Freshworks:

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: Which Support Platform Should You Choose?

Now that we’ve compared Zendesk, Freshworks, and Ringly.io side-by-side, it’s clear each brings something unique to the table. But when you break it all down, the best choice comes down to your business goals, use case, and the day-to-day experience you want for your team—and your customers.

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Here are the main takeaways for each platform:

• Zendesk:
  • Powerful, highly customizable, and built for scale—best for large teams with complex workflows, deep integration needs, and IT resources on hand.
  • Great if you have a higher budget and need enterprise-level features, but costs and complexity can add up quickly, especially if you want advanced AI or reporting.
  • Choose Zendesk if you want a longtime industry leader and aren’t as concerned with ease-of-use or quick setup.
• Freshworks:
  • User-friendly, affordable all-in-one suite—ideal for small and mid-sized businesses who need to get started fast and value accessible AI tools.
  • Easy onboarding with solid automation and good value for the price, but some integration and support limitations can pop up as you grow or need more specialized features.
  • Pick Freshworks if you want straightforward support, basic AI, and don’t have steep customization needs.
• Ringly.io:
  • Specially designed for e-commerce and online businesses—delivers instant, human-like AI phone support that works out of the box (no setup, no coding required).
  • Recovers abandoned carts, answers product/order questions, and even drives sales—automatically, 24/7, and always up to date with your latest site info.
  • Perfect for teams of any size who want to save time, scale easily, and get transparent pricing without contracts or complicated onboarding—plus, award-winning support.

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So, when should you go with each?

• Go with Zendesk if you’re a large organization with advanced, multi-channel needs and an IT team to handle setup, customization, and ongoing maintenance.
• Pick Freshworks if you want a friendly, affordable toolkit for basic support and sales, and value fast onboarding over advanced automations or granular control.
• Choose Ringly.io if you want a modern, AI-powered solution that does more, faster—without the learning curve. Especially if you run an online store and want to drive both support and sales on autopilot.

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In short: Zendesk and Freshworks are great for traditional support teams, but they often come with compromises—whether it’s price, complexity, or outdated manual workflows. Ringly.io gives you the next generation of customer engagement: AI agents that sound real, set up in minutes, save you money, and unlock revenue with every call.

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If you want to focus less on admin work and more on growing your business, Ringly.io is the simple, smart way forward.

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