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All industries · head to head

Freshdesk vs Podium

Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

All industries

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Podium logo

Podium

Customer Support

Messaging platform for local businesses

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards; Podium no monthly price, contact limit or message allowance is published anywhere on the pricing page
  • They diverge on capability: Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Podium covers Text messaging.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshdesk and Podium actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshdesk and Podium differ
AttributeFreshdeskPodium
Starting price$19/month$249/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryAll industriesCustomer Support
Founded20102014

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Freshdesk

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

Only in Podium

  • Text messaging
  • Review management
  • Webchat
  • Payments
  • Team inbox
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • QuickBooks

Both cover

  • Automation
  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Freshdesk

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

Podium

  • Managing customer messages and reviews for local businessesnot Freshdesk
  • Converting inbound leads through text and web chatnot 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)

Podium

  • No monthly price, contact limit or message allowance is published anywhere on the pricing page
  • The page carries a heading asking what Podium costs monthly and does not answer it
  • The AI Employee is an add on across all tiers rather than being included

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.

Podium

$249/month
  • Essentials$249/month
    • Inbox
    • Reviews
    • Website chat
  • Standard$449/month
    • Essentials + Campaigns
    • Payments
    • Automation
  • Professional$undefined/month
    • Standard + Advanced analytics
    • Multi-location

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want self-service.
Freshdesk review

Choose Podium if

  • You need text messaging.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want review management.
Podium review

Questions people ask

Is Freshdesk or Podium better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Podium at $249/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Podium?
Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Podium at $249/month.
Does Freshdesk or Podium run on more platforms?
Freshdesk runs on Web. Podium runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 Podium is typically brought in for.
What can Freshdesk do that Podium cannot?
Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Self-service, Team collaboration, Multi-channel support. Podium covers Text messaging, Review management, Webchat, Payments. Both handle Automation, Salesforce, SOC2, GDPR.
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