Crisp vs Freshdesk Support Desk — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Crisp starts at $48.6/mo. Freshdesk Support Desk starts at $23/mo. Freshdesk Support Desk is $25.6/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Crisp.
See price history: Crisp · Freshdesk Support Desk
French all-in-one customer messaging platform (live chat + shared inbox + knowledge base). Positioned as the alternative to Intercom at roughly 1/10th the price. Distinctive for its "lifetime deal" mentality — flat pricing per workspace, not per contact or per seat, which lets fast-growing SMBs avoid the Intercom scaling trap. Priced $0-$95/mo per workspace. Popular with SMBs and European e-commerce.
Customer support platform from Freshworks, positioned as the direct alternative to Zendesk at roughly half the price. Distinctive for its unified agent workspace (email, chat, phone, social in one view) and its genuine free tier for up to 10 agents. Priced $15-$79/agent/month (annual billing). Popular with SMBs pivoting from shared inbox tools like Front to real ticketing. Recently added Freddy AI Copilot for automated ticket suggestions.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Crisp monthly | Crisp annual | Freshdesk Support Desk monthly | Freshdesk Support Desk annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Mini / Growth | $48.6 | $48.6 | $23 | $19 |
| Mid tier | Essentials / — | $102.6 | $102.6 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Plus / Pro | $318.6 | $318.6 | $66 | $55 |
| Enterprise | — / Enterprise | — | — | $107 | $89 |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Crisp is worth it if… small businesses and startups (1-30 people) that want live chat + shared inbox + chatbot in one tool — particularly if you're EU-based and value the French-native UX polish. Free tier is usable; Mini covers solo/small; Essentials adds shared inbox and automations; Plus adds AI and MagicReply.
Freshdesk Support Desk is worth it if… support teams (5-100 agents) that need ticketing + knowledge base + light automation without Zendesk's enterprise pricing. Free covers up to 2 agents; Growth adds automations and reports; Pro adds custom roles and multi-product; Enterprise adds sandbox and IP whitelisting.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Crisp is flat rate, Freshdesk Support Desk is per seat.
Choose Crisp over Freshdesk Support Desk if…
Choose Crisp if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (flat rate, from $48.6/mo).
- You match the profile Crisp is built for: small businesses and startups (1-30 people) that want live chat + shared inbox + chatbot in one tool — particularly if you're EU-based and value the French-native UX polish.
- You need a general-purpose customer support option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Freshdesk Support Desk if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $23/mo).
- You match the profile Freshdesk Support Desk is built for: support teams (5-100 agents) that need ticketing + knowledge base + light automation without Zendesk's enterprise pricing.
- You need a general-purpose customer support option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Crisp | Freshdesk Support Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $48.6/mo | $23/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Flat Rate | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 18, 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 18, 2026. Tracked daily.