Customer support & helpdesk tools that do the same job, compared by AIME Score.
Freshdesk is a cloud-based helpdesk tool that brings customer conversations from email, phone, and other channels into one place. If it is not the right fit, whether on price, features or the way you work, these 8 customer support & helpdesk tools do the same job. Proven tools come first, then each is ordered by its AIME Score.
| Tool | AIME Score | Reviews | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk (the tool you are replacing) | 74 | Proven | – | One-Person Agency, Solo Founder / Indie Maker |
| Tidio | 79 | Proven | Mentioned | Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Solo E-commerce Seller |
| LiveAgent | 74 | Proven | – | Micro Team (2 to 5), One-Person Agency |
| Gorgias | 71 | Proven | – | Solo E-commerce Seller |
| Zendesk for Customer Service | 71 | Proven | – | Micro Team (2 to 5), One-Person Agency |
| Hiver in Gmail | 70 | Proven | – | Micro Team (2 to 5) |
| LiveChat | 69 | Proven | – | Solo E-commerce Seller, One-Person Agency |
| Dialpad Support | 68 | Proven | – | Micro Team (2 to 5) |
| Groove | 68 | Proven | – | Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Solo E-commerce Seller |
Free plan: mentioned in the tool’s own profile; plans change, so check the tool’s pricing page.
Tidio is an AI-powered customer service platform that combines live chat, chatbot automation, and a help desk into one dashboard.
Compared with Freshdesk: Higher AIME Score (79 vs 74); mentions a free plan, which Freshdesk’s profile does not.
Best for: Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Solo E-commerce Seller, One-Person Agency
LiveAgent is a customer service platform that combines a help desk, live chat, call center, and AI chatbot into one dashboard.
Compared with Freshdesk: Same AIME Score (74); also tagged for Micro Team (2 to 5), which Freshdesk is not.
Best for: Micro Team (2 to 5), One-Person Agency, Solo Founder / Indie Maker
Gorgias is a conversational AI platform for ecommerce brands that handles customer support and drives sales across the customer journey.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (71 vs 74).
Best for: Solo E-commerce Seller
Zendesk for Customer Service is an AI-powered platform that helps businesses manage and resolve customer support inquiries across multiple channels.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (71 vs 74); also tagged for Micro Team (2 to 5), which Freshdesk is not.
Best for: Micro Team (2 to 5), One-Person Agency, Solo Founder / Indie Maker
Hiver in Gmail is a helpdesk tool that turns Gmail into a shared inbox for managing customer support without leaving your email.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (70 vs 74); also tagged for Micro Team (2 to 5), which Freshdesk is not.
Best for: Micro Team (2 to 5)
LiveChat is customer service software that adds live chat and a help desk ticketing system to business websites.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (69 vs 74); also tagged for Micro Team (2 to 5), which Freshdesk is not.
Best for: Solo E-commerce Seller, One-Person Agency, Solo Founder / Indie Maker
Dialpad Support is an AI-powered contact center and customer support platform that connects human agents with AI voice and digital agents.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (68 vs 74); also tagged for Micro Team (2 to 5), which Freshdesk is not.
Best for: Micro Team (2 to 5)
Groove is an AI-native customer support platform where AI agents resolve tickets, monitor accounts, and assist support teams.
Compared with Freshdesk: Lower AIME Score (68 vs 74).
Best for: Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Solo E-commerce Seller
Every tool on this page does the same kind of work as Freshdesk: customer support & helpdesk. Proven tools come first, then the rest, each ordered by AIME Score, the 0 to 100 score we give every tool. Being a partner never changes the order or the score, and partner tools are labeled.
Freshdesk is built for support teams that need to manage customer questions across multiple channels without losing track of anything. It helps teams collaborate on tickets so they can respond to customers faster. It suits businesses of different sizes looking for a central place to handle support requests.
By AIME Score, Tidio (79 of 100) is the top-rated customer support & helpdesk tool we track besides Freshdesk, followed by LiveAgent and Gorgias. The best pick depends on your work: check who each tool is best for below.
Tidio mentions a free plan in its profile. Free plans usually have limits, so check the tool’s pricing page before you commit.
Every tool here does the same kind of work as Freshdesk (customer support & helpdesk). Proven tools (4.0 stars or better from 25 or more verified reviewers) come first, then the rest, each ordered by AIME Score. Partner links never change the order or the score.
