Softwr

All industries · head to head

Freshdesk vs Microsoft Teams

Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

All industries

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Teams logo

Microsoft Teams

All industries

Meet, chat, call, and collaborate in just one place

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Teams has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards; Microsoft Teams resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives
  • They diverge on capability: Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshdesk and Microsoft Teams actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshdesk and Microsoft Teams differ
AttributeFreshdeskMicrosoft Teams
Starting price$19/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded20101975

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (All industries).

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 Freshdesk

  • Ticketing
  • Automation
  • Self-service
  • Team collaboration
  • Multi-channel support
  • SLA management
  • Reporting
  • Mobile apps

Only in Microsoft Teams

  • Chat & channels
  • Video conferencing
  • Screen sharing
  • File collaboration
  • Office integration
  • Live events
  • Phone system
  • Apps & workflows

Both cover

  • Office 365
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

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

Freshdesk

  • Help desk and ticketing systemnot Microsoft Teams
  • Customer support portal and knowledge basenot Microsoft Teams
  • Multi-channel support coordinationnot Microsoft Teams
  • AI-assisted support agent interactionnot Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

  • Remote meetingsnot Freshdesk
  • Team collaborationnot Freshdesk
  • Document sharingnot Freshdesk
  • Project managementnot Freshdesk
  • Webinarsnot Freshdesk

Where each one falls short

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

Freshdesk

  • Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
  • Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
  • Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)

Microsoft Teams

  • Resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives
  • Limited channel structure; maximum of 200 public and 30 private channels per team
  • Cannot invite guest users to specific channels; guest access grants full team visibility
  • Unable to chat during screen sharing; limits real-time collaborative communication
  • Limited customization options for branding and interface; cluttered UX compared to Slack
  • Channels cannot be moved between teams; requires manual replication for reorganization

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.

Microsoft Teams

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited chat
    • 100 participants in meetings
    • 5GB file storage
  • Microsoft Teams Essentials$4/month
    • 300 participants in meetings
    • 10GB cloud storage
    • Phone & web support
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • 1TB OneDrive storage
    • Web & mobile Office apps
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard$12.5/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Desktop Office apps
    • Webinar hosting

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want automation.
Freshdesk review

Choose Microsoft Teams if

  • You need chat & channels.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.
Microsoft Teams review

Questions people ask

Is Freshdesk or Microsoft Teams better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Microsoft Teams at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshdesk and Free for Microsoft Teams.
Does Freshdesk or Microsoft Teams run on more platforms?
Freshdesk runs on Web. Microsoft Teams runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Microsoft Teams for free?
Yes. Microsoft Teams has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshdesk starts at $19/month.
What is Freshdesk best used for?
Freshdesk is most often used for help desk and ticketing system, customer support portal and knowledge base, multi-channel support coordination, ai-assisted support agent interaction. Of those, help desk and ticketing system and customer support portal and knowledge base are not what Microsoft Teams is typically brought in for.
What can Freshdesk do that Microsoft Teams cannot?
Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration. Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, Video conferencing, Screen sharing, File collaboration. Both handle Office 365, SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Teams: Does Microsoft Teams have a free tier?

Yes. Microsoft Teams offers a free Home tier with unlimited chat, 60-minute group meetings for up to 100 people, 5GB cloud storage, and basic file sharing, though limits are restrictive for growing teams.

Source
Microsoft Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' paid plans?

Microsoft Teams Essentials costs $4/user/month (chat, calling, meetings, 10GB storage). Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7/user/month (includes desktop Office apps, 1TB storage). Premium plans with Copilot start at $23.50/user/month.

Source
Microsoft Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' primary features?

Teams provides real-time chat, video and voice calling, meetings with up to 300 participants, file sharing and storage integration with OneDrive, recording and transcripts, and deep integration with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Microsoft Teams: What integrations does Teams support?

Microsoft Teams integrates with calendar apps (Outlook, Google Calendar), project management tools (Trello), and works with Zapier for custom workflow automation. Teams also has native connectors to many Microsoft 365 apps and third-party services.

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Related pages

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