FreshdeskHelpshiftFreshdesk vs Helpshift

Freshdesk vs Helpshift: help desk or in-app support

A help desk against an in-app support for games and apps: one prints a price and one quotes. Where Freshdesk and Helpshift split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Freshdesk if your support is email tickets first and you want SLAs, time tracking and field service in one help desk. Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $275 a month on Freshdesk, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Freshdesk and Helpshift both include email in the price; only Helpshift has website chat and WhatsApp. Neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing Freshdesk against Helpshift, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceFreshdeskFreshdeskHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundEmail tickets · chat is the separate FreshchatIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Growth: email and ticketsQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the price$55/agent/mo · Pro, with Freshchat on topQuote · in-app and web
AI agent$49 per 100 sessions · 500 trial sessions once per accountIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agents$29/agent/mo · Freddy CopilotIn the quote
Free planNone · 14-day trialNone · request pricing

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    As a ticket in an email queue. Chat conversations live in Freshchat and become tickets when escalated. Helpshift raises tickets too, from in-app support for games.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. Freshdesk raises tickets too, from email tickets.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    $19 buys email tickets on Growth. Chat and messaging mean adding Freshchat or an Omni bundle. $275 for five people; Helpshift prints no figure to set beside it.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. No figure for five people here; Freshdesk prints $275.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Freddy AI Agent: 500 trial sessions once per account, then $49 per 100. Freddy Copilot is $29 per agent on top. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats as well.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Freshdesk meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Email and web forms on every plan; chat, WhatsApp and Instagram arrive with Freshchat. Helpshift adds website chat and WhatsApp, which Freshdesk lacks.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. website chat and WhatsApp are here and not on Freshdesk.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Field service, time tracking, SLAs and a marketplace; the wider Freshworks suite for IT and sales. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. Freshdesk is a help desk instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    A day or two: connect the support address, set groups and SLAs, then add Freshchat for the widget. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Freshdesk is a day or two.

Sources: Freshdesk pricing · Helpshift pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Freshdesk ticket view: the queue on the left, the ticket thread and the properties panel
FreshdeskFreshdesk. The Freshdesk ticket view: the queue on the left, the ticket thread and the properties panel
The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data

Pricing references: Freshdesk pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Helpshift pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Freshdesk, Helpshift and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureFreshdeskFreshdeskHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI per agent and per session
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
Not on the pricing page; 14-day trial
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Via Freshchat or Omni
In-app and web
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Core of the product
Included
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via Freshchat or Omni
Included
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Via Freshchat or Omni
Not offered
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not native
Discord instead
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams notifications
Discord as a customer channel
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Freddy, trained on the knowledge base
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
500 one-time trial sessions, then $49 per 100
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Escalates to agents
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Ticket-first
Issues with states
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automations, form-based
Automations and bots
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and CSAT
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile only
Browser only
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Freshdesk if

  • Your support is email tickets first and you want SLAs, time tracking and field service in one help desk.
  • You are already on Freshworks products and want the same admin and billing.
  • It prints its price ($275 a month for five) where Helpshift quotes.
  • Time to the first reply is a day or two here and a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers on Helpshift.

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need website chat and WhatsApp in the price, which Freshdesk does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers here and a day or two on Freshdesk.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $275 a month on Freshdesk, and a quote on Helpshift for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Freshdesk meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats, Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Freshdesk on Pro: $110, $275 and $550 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $230 less than Freshdesk and against a quote on Helpshift for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $455 under Freshdesk.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Freshdesk is a help desk built around email tickets; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Neither has a free plan: Freshdesk offers 14 days of Enterprise, Helpshift no trial. Freshdesk and Helpshift both include email in the price; only Helpshift has website chat and WhatsApp. Neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. Freshdesk ($49 per 100 sessions) and Helpshift (in the quote) both meter AI above the seats. Freshdesk and Helpshift both raise tickets, and neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift ships a desktop app. Freshdesk is a day or two; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

Freshdesk: Freddy AI Copilot $29 per agent per month yearly; 500 AI agent trial sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside Freshdesk's $49 per 100 sessions and Helpshift's in the quote, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    FreshdeskFreshdesk$0.49$245
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    FreshdeskFreshdesk · 14 days of Enterprise
    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Freshdesk vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

Freshdesk is a help desk built around email tickets; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Freshdesk and Helpshift both raise tickets, and neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Freshdesk $19/agent/mo (Growth: email and tickets); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: Freshdesk $55/agent/mo (Pro, with Freshchat on top); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio: Instagram and Telegram, which neither Freshdesk nor Helpshift has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Freshdesk and Helpshift rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

No credit card required