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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Airbase vs Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Airbase logo

Airbase

Accounting & Finance

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshworks Customer Service Suite logo

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Customer Support

Unified customer service powered by AI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Freshworks Customer Service Suite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbase airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.; Freshworks Customer Service Suite separate products for support, chat, and CRM create context fragmentation between teams
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, Freshworks Customer Service Suite covers Unified inbox.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Freshworks Customer Service Suite actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Freshworks Customer Service Suite differ
AttributeAirbaseFreshworks Customer Service Suite
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)
CategoryAccounting & FinanceCustomer Support
Founded20172010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Bill payments
  • Expense management
  • Procurement
  • Approvals
  • NetSuite
  • Sage Intacct
  • QuickBooks

Only in Freshworks Customer Service Suite

  • Unified inbox
  • AI-powered chatbot
  • Ticketing system
  • Self-service portal
  • Analytics
  • Automation
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Salesforce

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite
  • Expense reportingnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite
  • Vendor paymentsnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

  • Customer supportnot Airbase
  • Help desknot Airbase
  • Self-servicenot Airbase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbase

  • Airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

  • Separate products for support, chat, and CRM create context fragmentation between teams
  • Add-ons and renewal uplifts typically increase real costs 30-50% above published pricing
  • Customization beyond default configurations requires significant training and consulting fees

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshworks Customer Service Suite review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want bill payments.
Airbase review

Choose Freshworks Customer Service Suite if

  • You need unified inbox.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want ai-powered chatbot.
Freshworks Customer Service Suite review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Freshworks Customer Service Suite better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Freshworks Customer Service Suite at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Freshworks Customer Service Suite?
Freshworks Customer Service Suite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Airbase and Free for Freshworks Customer Service Suite.
Does Airbase or Freshworks Customer Service Suite run on more platforms?
Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android. Freshworks Customer Service Suite runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
Can I use Freshworks Customer Service Suite for free?
Yes. Freshworks Customer Service Suite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbase starts at $29/month.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for spend management, expense reporting, vendor payments. Of those, spend management and expense reporting are not what Freshworks Customer Service Suite is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Freshworks Customer Service Suite cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement. Freshworks Customer Service Suite covers Unified inbox, AI-powered chatbot, Ticketing system, Self-service portal. Both handle Slack, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Freshworks Customer Service Suite: What products are included in Freshworks Customer Service Suite?

The suite includes Freshdesk for support ticketing, Freshchat for live chat and messaging, and Freshsales for CRM. Pricing varies per product based on features and user count.

Source
Freshworks Customer Service Suite: Does Freshworks offer a free tier?

Yes. Freshdesk offers a free plan for 1-2 agents for 6 months. Paid plans start at $19/agent/month for Growth tier.

Source
Freshworks Customer Service Suite: Does Freshworks integrate with Slack?

Yes. Freshworks offers official Slack integration via the Freshdesk and Freshservice Slack apps, enabling ticket creation, notifications, and agent messaging directly in Slack.

Source
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Related pages

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