Comparison last reviewed September 2026
A lot of people searching for a Freshdesk free plan are remembering an older version of Freshdesk, one that had a genuinely free tier for a small number of agents. As of September 2026, that's not what's on the pricing page anymore. Freshdesk's current lineup (per freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing) is three paid tiers starting at $19/agent/month billed annually, with no ongoing free option. New signups get a 14-day trial of the Enterprise plan instead, which then rolls into a paid tier.
We're flagging that up front because a page promising a free comparison that doesn't exist anymore wouldn't be much use to you. Since Freshdesk doesn't currently offer a free tier, the real comparison is between Freshdesk's cheapest paid plan and something that's actually free to start: Ravine Desk's 14-day trial, no credit card required, plus a Solo plan priced for exactly one person doing support.
If you specifically want a permanently free plan for a very small support setup, Freshdesk isn't currently the tool for that. Help Scout's free tier (covered on our Help Scout comparison) is the closer match if that's the deciding factor. If you're open to a low-cost paid plan and want AI-driven ticketing at scale eventually, Freshdesk's Growth tier is a reasonable entry point. If you want the lowest ongoing cost for one person handling client support without agent-count math, that's where Ravine Desk's Solo plan fits.
| Feature | Ravine Desk (Solo) | Freshdesk (Growth) |
|---|---|---|
| Client portal | Included | Included |
| Email-to-ticket | Included | Included |
| Billable hours tracking | Included | Not native |
| AI assistant | Included (briefing + issue analysis) | Included AI Agent session bucket, extra sessions cost more |
| Free-to-start option | 14-day free trial, no credit card | 14-day trial of Enterprise features, converts to a paid plan |
| Pricing model | Flat $15/mo (founding $12/mo) | $19/agent/month, billed annually |
Freshdesk's Growth plan is $19/agent/month billed annually, roughly $228/year for one agent, more if you add a second. There's no month-to-month "stay free forever" path anymore. Ravine Desk's Solo plan is $15/mo (founding price $12/mo) with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required, and the price doesn't change based on billing commitment.
You expect ticket volume to grow fast and want AI-assisted resolution built around a per-agent, per-session model from day one. The Growth plan is a legitimate low end of a platform that scales up with you.
You wanted "free" mainly to try something out before committing (the 14-day trial does that without a card on file), and you want billable hours and a client portal included rather than assembled from add-ons as you grow past a single agent.
For a permanent free plan, see Ravine Desk vs Help Scout, which has one. Or the plain Ravine Desk vs Freshdesk comparison. Back to the full comparison hub.
Plans start at $12/mo · 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Explore