Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Freshservice vs IBM Watson Assistant

Freshservice logo

Freshservice

Customer Support

Modern IT service management

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IBM Watson Assistant logo

IBM Watson Assistant

Live Chat & Chatbots

IBM's enterprise AI platform for conversational experiences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only IBM Watson Assistant has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up; IBM Watson Assistant listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant
  • They diverge on capability: Freshservice covers Incident management, IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshservice and IBM Watson Assistant actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshservice and IBM Watson Assistant differ
AttributeFreshserviceIBM Watson Assistant
Starting price$19/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat & Chatbots
Founded20101911

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Freshservice

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

Only in IBM Watson Assistant

  • NLU engine
  • Dialogue management
  • Integration with Watson services
  • Multi-language
  • Teams
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Freshservice

  • IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot IBM Watson Assistant
  • Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot IBM Watson Assistant

IBM Watson Assistant

  • Customer engagementnot Freshservice
  • Lead generationnot Freshservice
  • Customer supportnot Freshservice
  • Sales automationnot Freshservice

Where each one falls short

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

IBM Watson Assistant

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant

Pricing, plan by plan

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

IBM Watson Assistant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic chatbot
    • Limited interactions
  • Plus$140/month
    • Unlimited interactions
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Full customization
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshservice if

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

Choose IBM Watson Assistant if

  • You need nlu engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
  • You also want dialogue management.
IBM Watson Assistant review

Questions people ask

Is Freshservice or IBM Watson Assistant better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshservice starts at $19/month and IBM Watson Assistant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshservice or IBM Watson Assistant?
IBM Watson Assistant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshservice and Free for IBM Watson Assistant.
Does Freshservice or IBM Watson Assistant run on more platforms?
Freshservice runs on Web, Ios, Android. IBM Watson Assistant runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
Can I use IBM Watson Assistant for free?
Yes. IBM Watson Assistant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshservice starts at $19/month.
What is Freshservice best used for?
Freshservice is most often used for it service management and internal help desk ticketing, asset management and change control for it teams. Of those, it service management and internal help desk ticketing and asset management and change control for it teams are not what IBM Watson Assistant is typically brought in for.
What can Freshservice do that IBM Watson Assistant cannot?
Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Knowledge base. IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Integration with Watson services, Multi-language. Both handle Slack, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Freshservice

More on IBM Watson Assistant

Keep looking

Other head to heads