Freshdesk vs. Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Freshdesk
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Freshdesk (a product of Freshworks Inc.) is a customer service solution with enterprise capability. Freshdesk unifies channels, conversations, AI capabilities, customer insights, and advanced ticketing into the Freshdesk Command Center so agents are ready to resolve. With Freddy, People-first AI, customer service teams can take AI agents live in minutes to fully resolve complex and simple queries, get response and resolution assistance from AI copilot, and stay ahead with AI insights.…
$18
per month per user
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Spiceworks offers a set of free tools for IT network management and help desk support ticketing. The inventory management system essentially provides comprehensive device information for asset management.
$0
(free for 1-5 Seats)
Pricing
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Editions & Modules
Growth
$18
per month per agent
Pro
$59
per month per agent
Enterprise
$95
per month per agent
Core Plan
$0
Premium
$6
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Considered Both Products
Freshdesk
Chose Freshdesk
Freshdesk was the easiest to set up and was the most straightforward product of all the products we evaluated. It had a better user interface for agents, and provided a great solution to meet our needs at a lower cost than the other products that we evaluated. Freshdesk offers …
Chose Freshdesk
As saied before, Freshdesk is very simple to use. It is very agile to our needs and uses, based on the requests are made from our employees only. So, everything they demand, is a well know task or activity in our duties. Zammad does it very well, but needs an on premises …
Chose Freshdesk
We used to use Spiceworks but it was extremely clunky and not very customisable at the time. When we started looking at other options we ended up focusing on Freshdesk, Zendesk and Zoho as they seemed like the best out of all the ones we found. We eventually went with Freshdesk …
Chose Freshdesk
The ticket system from Freshdesk was a breath of fresh air for us compared to Spiceworks. Freshdesk has yet to crash or stop responding (Spiceworks was on-prem and we had to re-install many times.) The reports were also far more informational to our management than Spiceworks.
Chose Freshdesk
I have no experience using Spiceworks, as the first project I undertook at my current place of employment was researching and implementing the new Freshdesk helpdesk. However, the feedback I have received since the implementation has been that it is simpler to use and has …
Chose Freshdesk
Spiceworks was powerful, but we also found it quite clunky and heavy-duty. Freshdesk is a lot lighter, quicker, and generally feels easier to use.
Chose Freshdesk
We used Spiceworks before Freshdesk because it was free, and we had nothing but trouble out of it. I couldn’t do all the automations I wanted to do, customers found it difficult to use, and the interface was terrible. Since switching to Freshdesk all of those areas are improved …
Chose Freshdesk
These other softwares do some of the same things as Freshdesk, but Freshdesk excels at doing them better. They make it easier to set up, configure, and start using. They make the user interface enjoyable for both technicians and users. These other softwares are largely text …
Chose Freshdesk
Spiceworks was too much work to get off the road and didn't offer much on the user's side. Freshservice is a lot more focused on IT work and I'd recommend starting with it. Desk.com is great for a whole organization, but rules frequently break with a mixed bag of how useful the …
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Chose Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Spiceworks is a great option for a free help desk. In terms of features, it is similar to the free level of Freshdesk. If you want a lot of features and customization though, you should look at JitBit Help Desk or the paid tiers of Freshdesk. Both offer better reporting, …
Chose Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Overall, Spiceworks Help Desk is an easy-to-use option at a GREAT cost. We didn't feel that any other products offered anything that Spiceworks couldn't so we haven't felt the need to explore any more companies. The Spiceworks FREE option is great on its own and it's hard to …
Chose Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
We found that for entry-level SMB in-house needs that Spiceworks had an impressive range of features and options at an unbeatable price-free! For our in-house and multi-tenant needs, we use a different product that is more appropriate to our particular needs, but with no cost …
Chose Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Spiceworks has all of the features we would require. It matched up well in features and definitely price!
Features
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Incident and problem management
Comparison of Incident and problem management features of Product A and Product B
Freshdesk
8.6
197 Ratings
5% above category average
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
8.2
56 Ratings
0% below category average
Organize and prioritize service tickets9.2193 Ratings8.655 Ratings
Expert directory8.1130 Ratings6.348 Ratings
Subscription-based notifications8.43 Ratings6.243 Ratings
ITSM collaboration and documentation7.64 Ratings8.246 Ratings
Ticket creation and submission9.3193 Ratings10.055 Ratings
Ticket response9.1193 Ratings10.054 Ratings
Self Help Community
Comparison of Self Help Community features of Product A and Product B
Freshdesk
8.5
175 Ratings
6% above category average
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
8.7
53 Ratings
8% above category average
External knowledge base8.6159 Ratings8.749 Ratings
Internal knowledge base8.5163 Ratings8.649 Ratings
Multi-Channel Help
Comparison of Multi-Channel Help features of Product A and Product B
Freshdesk
8.9
184 Ratings
11% above category average
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
8.7
53 Ratings
8% above category average
Customer portal9.0156 Ratings9.547 Ratings
IVR9.158 Ratings5.312 Ratings
Social integration8.699 Ratings8.928 Ratings
Email support9.2183 Ratings10.047 Ratings
Help Desk CRM integration8.6117 Ratings9.929 Ratings
Best Alternatives
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Small Businesses
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
SysAid
SysAid
Score 8.9 out of 10
SysAid
SysAid
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(262 ratings)
10.0
(84 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.7
(26 ratings)
10.0
(29 ratings)
Usability
9.4
(43 ratings)
9.6
(10 ratings)
Availability
7.9
(7 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(7 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(42 ratings)
8.7
(26 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.5
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.3
(193 ratings)
10.0
(7 ratings)
Configurability
6.9
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.7
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.2
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.8
(7 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
8.8
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.1
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
FreshdeskSpiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Likelihood to Recommend
Freshworks Inc
Freshdesk is very easy to implement. This tool is very easy to understand and adapt. Omnichannel capability enables keeping a track of every complaint from different channels, including chat, call, email, and social media. Excellent, customizable self-service portal, and AI-powered deflection tools such as Freddy AI, which help advisors provide proper resolution.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
It's a great helpdesk solution - we currently have five years of data within it, roughly 25,000 tickets. The older edition is a great inventory and software license tracking tool. It is easy for users to use the interface and submit tickets and requests on the web, and its email integration is solid. The new version is a below-average system monitoring tool, only giving up/down status and a few other metrics.
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Pros
Freshworks Inc
  • No prior experience with similar platforms is required to use Freshdesk. I found its interface to be quite intuitive, at least for the end user.
  • It's easy to connect with other platforms, so you can sync and manage data from other platforms because the integrations work correctly.
  • Freshdesk's technical support is quite responsive, with short and effective response times. They have easily handled my questions and issues.
  • It has tools for customizing automated chats, answering frequently asked questions before transferring to an agent. Its configuration is extensive and highly customizable.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
  • It helps to multitask, even on the go with the mobile App.
  • We can customize to meet your needs with automated responses, notifications, and templates.
  • Detailed reports allow managers to keep track [of] and analyze data.
  • Allows for a database to store notes helpful for future tickets.
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Cons
Freshworks Inc
  • Freshdesk is buggy, full stop. I don't know how many support tickets I submitted related to user login.
  • There can be a language barrier with support and sales.
  • There were a couple of hours-long outages that significantly impacted my company's customer experience.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
  • I have always wanted a way to redirect a support request into another IS bin, such as a development task.
  • It's possible to extract the data from the Spiceworks database, but it would be helpful if the process to do so were easier.
  • Improved ability to customize the system generated emails to improve the formatting and company branding.
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Likelihood to Renew
Freshworks Inc
We are extremely happy with Freshdesk and can foresee using it for the next year. We might only consider using a different platform if our average daily ticket volume reaches four digits and its AI isn’t enough to handle our needs by then. While we haven’t tested this yet, we have read reviews that it’s AI capabilities are lacking
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
Spiceworks is a free tool, so there would be no hesitation if we are required to upgrade it. We have installed Spiceworks on a dedicated server with more than enough resources to get the most from this tool, so we will have this running in our department for years to come.
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Usability
Freshworks Inc
I gave it a rating of 9 out of 10 because they delivered on everything we asked them to do. Easy to setup, easy to deploy to end users, easy to customize, easy to enter tickets and so much more. Our experience with their support is top notch! After opening a ticket for support they call use back within 10 minutes every time!
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
Spiceworks is user friendly and easy to set up. It can be customized to suit your needs. If there are any problems, you can go to the community forums for support and be in contact with many IT Pros, as well as the Spiceworks support staff and development teams who are always happy to help users out
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Reliability and Availability
Freshworks Inc
I have encountered a lot of errors in the Freshdesk, however, they tend to resolve it on priority or at least they will share the timeline by when this can be resolved. Most of the time the issue has been from the other partner's end. They take time to resolve their vendor issues and they don't have any timelines in case of developed app errors.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
We use it both locally on our own server so up time is decided by us and we also use the hosted help desk. We have never had an outage of that.
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Performance
Freshworks Inc
The reports take a lot of time to download if the time period is large. Also, the tickets take their sweet time to open and load. It is not fast as Zendesk. Only 30 tickets are visible in a single go and there isn't any option to select all. If we need to change the pages and dashboards it takes a lot of time to open.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Freshworks Inc
The main thing about Freshdesk user service is that once a request has been made for information about a feature of the platform, the support team responds to tickets quickly, within a day of writing and submitting them, with information that is concise enough so that there is no need to ask for help on the same topic again.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
Spiceworks has been working out of the box, and some of the basic customizations have been successful with just our internal staff handling. We don't have any other issues with the tool. It provides us with the inventory information we want in a quick and concise report in a variety of formats for our team.
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In-Person Training
Freshworks Inc
Support Team's knowledge and understood the company's requirement, and always shared the insight of the usage of the tool to it s full potential, moreover the team checks periodically to check if we using the tool right and if we are facing any kind of challenges. Also they would update us on new features that can make the work easy.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Freshworks Inc
Video tutorials, questions answers round before and after testing and Fresh desk team would always share best practices on the needs. Furthermore would periodically check if we are able to work smoothly. Would send alerts to known any issues, send recommendation on new features. Freshdesk team always available when we need certain advise.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Freshworks Inc
Our team easily implemented Freshdesk, and as soon as we started, we were pros with it. In a matter of days, we had integrated signatures and canned responses. The biggest problem was the Help Center part, but after some time, that was also integrated. We did not know some features when we started, but that is normal.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
If you can spin up a VM to run it on, you'll thank yourself later. If you have remote sites, set up a local server (or dedicated computer) at each site and set them up as remote collectors for the main site. You'll save time and bandwidth
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Alternatives Considered
Freshworks Inc
Freshdesk has a more modern and intuitive user interface, while Help Scout's interface is simpler and more minimalist.In case of features, Freshdesk offers a wider range of features, includes omnichannel support, AI powered automations, and advanced analytics. Help Scout is more focused on providing a simple and efficient ticketing system.
Read full review
Spiceworks Ziff Davis
EGroupware UI is clunky and hard to use, Jira is great but the pricing is expensive in comparison with spice works that has a free version and you can test it out properly before buying and make a correct decision based on your business plan and company objectives with the right software.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Freshworks Inc
I was not very involved with the purchase/contract (my company purchased Fresjdesk before I was brought on), but I will say that pricing per agent made it difficult to grow our support team. Additionally, we were kind of disappointed after our upgrade because it didn't solve our pain points as much as we expected.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Freshworks Inc
My company had Freshdesk agents from support and success. It's generally difficult to customize permissions for different agent "roles." We were a fully distributed company, so "multiple sites" doesn't apply to us. We found Freshdesk features lacking as we grew our customer base, and adding agents wasn't easy because price steeply increases with number of agents.
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Freshworks Inc
Very professional, they would always ask for the steps followed and where we went wrong, they would politely share the video recording to review in case any other team member faces the same issue
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Freshworks Inc
  • Increased response times - Client Success maintains at 98% SLA for resolution
  • Categorization of feedback and issues - custom ticket fields make it easier for us to review why clients contact us on a high level
  • Standardization of internal procedures via templates, canned responses and automations
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Spiceworks Ziff Davis
  • Positive - Allow organizations to implement structured Help Desk procedures.
  • Positive - IT can begin to quantify their tickets and uncover needs within the organization.
  • Positive - IT can develop a solid roadmap with [the] management of future needs, equipment refresh schedules, etc.
  • Positive - IT can pinpoint employees who may need extra training or updated equipment based on historical ticketing data.
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