The short answer
- Choose Freshdesk if you need a mature, broad helpdesk today: many channels, a large marketplace and an AI agent you can switch on now.
- Choose CollieDesk if per-agent pricing and paid AI add-ons are the problem, you want your support data in a database you control, and you can plan your move around our roadmap. Or self-host it free and look around.
Price, side by side
Freshdesk prices are per agent per month, billed annually, as published on 14 October 2026.
| Freshdesk | CollieDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Growth $19, Pro $55, Enterprise $89 per agent per month | $10 per workspace per month, or $100 per year. No per-agent fees. Founding customers: $100 per year, locked for life. |
| AI drafting | Freddy AI Copilot $29 per agent per month, add-on for Pro and Enterprise only | Included (coming v0.3). LLM cost +30% on our key, or bring your own key. |
| AI agent | 500 sessions free once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions | Auto-answer with a human in the loop, same AI pricing (coming v0.3) |
| Free option | No free plan on the pricing page; 14-day trial | Self-host free, every feature. |
| Source code | Proprietary | Open source, AGPL-3.0. Self-host or use Cloud. |
What five agents pay
| Team | Freshdesk Pro + Copilot | CollieDesk Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| 5 agents | 5 × ($55 + $29) = $420 per month | $10 per month + AI usage |
| 10 agents | 10 × ($55 + $29) = $840 per month | $10 per month + AI usage |
List prices before tax. AI usage on CollieDesk depends on ticket volume and the model you pick; with your own key it is billed by your provider.
Leaving: what Freshdesk gives you
- The ticket export in the Freshdesk UI gives ticket fields only, as CSV or Excel. It does not include the conversation, and archived tickets are excluded.
- The API lists 100 tickets per page, up to 300 pages (30,000 tickets) per filter, and only the last 30 days unless you pass
updated_since. - Closed tickets with no activity for 120 days are archived and fetched through a separate endpoint.
- API rate limits are 100, 400 or 700 calls per minute on Growth, Pro and Enterprise.
CollieDesk keeps your data in PostgreSQL with an open, documented model. Your data lives in PostgreSQL. Self-hosted, you can take a database dump at any time. The step-by-step guide: migrate from Freshdesk.
What CollieDesk does today
| Capability | CollieDesk |
|---|---|
| Shared inbox: replies, private notes, status, priority, assignee, tags, search | Shipped v0.1 |
| Passwordless sign-in, revocable sessions, isolated workspaces | Shipped v0.1 |
| Email channel (inbound and outbound, threading) | Coming v0.2 |
| Freshdesk importer with reconcile report | Coming v0.2 |
| One-command install and published container image | Shipped |
| CollieDesk Cloud for founding customers | Coming v0.2 |
| AI draft replies, triage, auto-answer with a human in the loop | Coming v0.3 |
| Knowledge base and public help center | Coming v0.3 |
| Automations, macros, SLA, business hours, time tracking | Coming v0.4 |
| CSAT and reports | Coming v0.5 |
| Zendesk and Help Scout importers, live chat widget, MCP server | Coming later |
Sources
Read on 14 October 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before you decide.
- Freshdesk pricing: freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing
- Ticket export (fields only, archived excluded): support.freshdesk.com article 225158
- API pagination, 30-day default, archived tickets: developers.freshdesk.com/api
- API rate limits: support.freshdesk.com article 225439
Questions people ask
What is the best open-source alternative to Freshdesk?
CollieDesk is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) helpdesk built for small teams leaving Freshdesk: flat $10 per workspace per month, AI included at cost, and a Freshdesk importer (coming v0.2). It is pre-alpha today, so check the status table before you switch.
How much does Freshdesk cost for 5 agents with AI?
At list prices read on 14 October 2026: Freshdesk Pro is $55 per agent per month billed annually, and Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent per month. Five agents: 5 × ($55 + $29) = $420 per month.
Is CollieDesk ready to replace Freshdesk today?
Not for most teams. CollieDesk v0.1 has a shared inbox but no email channel yet; email and the Freshdesk importer arrive in v0.2. If your renewal is months away, the founding offer locks $100 per year for life and includes the migration.
Can I get my tickets out of Freshdesk with the full conversation?
Not with the ticket export in the Freshdesk UI: it exports ticket fields to CSV or Excel, without the conversation. The full thread needs the Freshdesk API. See how to migrate from Freshdesk.