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Customer Support · head to head

Freshworks Customer Service Suite vs ServiceNow

Freshworks Customer Service Suite logo

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Customer Support

Unified customer service powered by AI

From
Free
Rated
-
ServiceNow logo

ServiceNow

Customer Support

The world works with ServiceNow

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Freshworks Customer Service Suite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshworks Customer Service Suite separate products for support, chat, and CRM create context fragmentation between teams; ServiceNow listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow
  • They diverge on capability: Freshworks Customer Service Suite covers Unified inbox, ServiceNow covers ITSM.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Freshworks Customer Service Suite and ServiceNow differ
AttributeFreshworks Customer Service SuiteServiceNow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)Web, Ios, Android
Founded20102004

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).

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 Freshworks Customer Service Suite

  • Unified inbox
  • AI-powered chatbot
  • Ticketing system
  • Self-service portal
  • Analytics
  • Automation
  • Shopify
  • Zapier

Only in ServiceNow

  • ITSM
  • IT Operations
  • Customer workflows
  • Employee workflows
  • App development
  • AI/ML capabilities
  • SAP
  • AWS

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • HIPAA
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

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

ServiceNow

  • Enterprise IT managementnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite
  • Digital transformationnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite
  • Workflow automationnot Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Where each one falls short

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

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

ServiceNow

  • Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshworks Customer Service Suite

Free

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

ServiceNow

On request
  • IT Service Management$undefined/month
    • Incident management
    • Problem management
    • Change management
  • IT Operations Management$undefined/month
    • Discovery
    • Service mapping
    • Event management
  • Customer Service Management$undefined/month
    • Omnichannel engagement
    • Self-service
    • Case management

Which should you pick?

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.

Choose ServiceNow if

  • You need itsm.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want it operations.

Questions people ask

Is Freshworks Customer Service Suite or ServiceNow better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshworks Customer Service Suite starts at Free and ServiceNow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshworks Customer Service Suite or ServiceNow?
Freshworks Customer Service Suite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Freshworks Customer Service Suite and On request for ServiceNow.
Does Freshworks Customer Service Suite or ServiceNow run on more platforms?
Freshworks Customer Service Suite runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). ServiceNow runs on Web, 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. ServiceNow starts at On request.
What is Freshworks Customer Service Suite best used for?
Freshworks Customer Service Suite is most often used for customer support, help desk, self-service. Of those, customer support and help desk are not what ServiceNow is typically brought in for.
What can Freshworks Customer Service Suite do that ServiceNow cannot?
Freshworks Customer Service Suite covers Unified inbox, AI-powered chatbot, Ticketing system, Self-service portal. ServiceNow covers ITSM, IT Operations, Customer workflows, Employee workflows. Both handle Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, SOC2.

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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