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Telecommunications · head to head

Bandwidth vs Freshservice

Bandwidth logo

Bandwidth

Telecommunications

Voice, messaging and emergency calling APIs run on the company's own US carrier network

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Freshservice logo

Freshservice

Customer Support

Modern IT service management

From
$19/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bandwidth commercial terms are negotiated contracts rather than a published rate, so a small team cannot start without going through a sales process.; Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • They diverge on capability: Bandwidth covers Owned US carrier network, Freshservice covers Incident management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bandwidth and Freshservice actually diverge.

Attributes where Bandwidth and Freshservice differ
AttributeBandwidthFreshservice
Starting priceOn request$19/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, RubyWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryTelecommunicationsCustomer Support
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Bandwidth

  • Owned US carrier network
  • Programmable voice
  • Messaging APIs
  • Emergency calling
  • Global numbering

Only in Freshservice

  • Incident management
  • Asset management
  • Change management
  • Knowledge base
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

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

Bandwidth

  • Unified communications and contact centre providers needing wholesale voice termination under their own brandnot Freshservice
  • Enterprises with high call volumes where a wholesale margin on every minute is materialnot Freshservice
  • VoIP deployments with US emergency calling obligations requiring E911 and dynamic locationnot Freshservice
  • Platforms needing local numbers across many countries from a single suppliernot Freshservice

Freshservice

  • IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot Bandwidth
  • Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot Bandwidth

Where each one falls short

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

Bandwidth

  • Commercial terms are negotiated contracts rather than a published rate, so a small team cannot start without going through a sales process.
  • US A2P messaging still requires 10DLC brand and campaign registration, and those fees plus per-segment carrier surcharges are charged on top of the negotiated message rate.
  • The self-serve developer experience is weaker than the aggregators it competes with, so teams prototyping quickly start elsewhere and migrate later, if ever.
  • Its owned-network advantage is a United States advantage; international coverage arrived through the Voxbone acquisition and does not rest on the same model.
  • Committed volume pricing means an organisation whose traffic falls short of forecast pays for capacity it did not use.

Freshservice

  • Change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • Every plan includes only 100 ITAM asset units, with more sold separately regardless of tier
  • Orchestration transactions are metered monthly, from 1,000 on Starter to 20,000 on Enterprise, with extra packs at $250 per 1,000
  • The Freddy AI copilot is a $29 per agent per month add on on top of Pro or Enterprise
  • Sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only, which carries no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

Bandwidth

On request
  • Bandwidth$undefined/year
    • Committed volume contracts quoted per customer
    • Per-minute and per-message rates negotiated by destination
    • US 10DLC registration and carrier surcharges billed in addition

Freshservice

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Incident management
    • Knowledge base
    • Self-service portal
  • Growth$49/month
    • Asset management
    • Approval workflows
    • SLA management
  • Pro$95/month
    • Problem management
    • Change management
    • Release management
  • Enterprise$119/month
    • Freddy AI
    • Audit logs
    • Custom SSL

Which should you pick?

Choose Bandwidth if

  • You need owned us carrier network.
  • You work on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Ruby.
  • You also want programmable voice.
Bandwidth review

Choose Freshservice if

  • You need incident management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want asset management.
Freshservice review

Questions people ask

Is Bandwidth or Freshservice better?
Neither clearly leads. Bandwidth starts at On request and Freshservice at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bandwidth or Freshservice?
Bandwidth starts at On request and Freshservice at $19/month.
Does Bandwidth or Freshservice run on more platforms?
Bandwidth runs on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Ruby. Freshservice runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Bandwidth best used for?
Bandwidth is most often used for unified communications and contact centre providers needing wholesale voice termination under their own brand, enterprises with high call volumes where a wholesale margin on every minute is material, voip deployments with us emergency calling obligations requiring e911 and dynamic location, platforms needing local numbers across many countries from a single supplier. Of those, unified communications and contact centre providers needing wholesale voice termination under their own brand and enterprises with high call volumes where a wholesale margin on every minute is material are not what Freshservice is typically brought in for.
What can Bandwidth do that Freshservice cannot?
Bandwidth covers Owned US carrier network, Programmable voice, Messaging APIs, Emergency calling. Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Knowledge base.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bandwidth: Is Bandwidth a carrier or a reseller?

It is a licensed carrier operating its own US network. That removes the wholesale margin an aggregator pays its upstream and gives direct control over routing and regulatory functions such as E911.

Freshservice: How much does Freshservice cost?

Freshservice is priced per agent per month on annual billing: Starter at $19, Growth at $49 and Pro at $99. Enterprise is quoted by sales. Freshworks states annual billing is 20% cheaper than monthly.

Source
Bandwidth: Do 10DLC fees apply on top of Bandwidth's rates?

Yes. US A2P messaging requires brand and campaign registration with The Campaign Registry, and the registration fees plus per-message carrier surcharges are billed in addition to whatever per-message rate you negotiated.

Freshservice: Does Freshservice have a free trial?

Yes. Freshworks states you get free unrestricted access to all features available in Freshservice for 14 days after sign up, plus 3 free Day Passes for occasional agents.

Source
Bandwidth: Did Bandwidth acquire Voxbone?

Yes, in 2020, for 519.4 million dollars. Voxbone supplied international phone numbering and became the basis of Bandwidth's coverage outside the United States.

Freshservice: Which Freshservice plan includes change management?

Problem management, change management, major incident management and release management all start on the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month. The Growth plan at $49 covers service catalog, SLA and on-call management.

Source
Freshservice: How much does Freddy AI cost on Freshservice?

Freddy AI Copilot is an optional add-on at $29 per agent per month on the Pro plan. The Freddy AI Agent in its Classic form is included on the Enterprise plan.

Source
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