Top 10 Free Alternatives to Freshdesk AI in 2025

As the landscape of customer service continuously evolves, businesses are exploring various alternatives for providing excellent customer support without breaking the bank. Freshdesk AI has been a go-to option, but by 2025, numerous free alternatives have emerged, offering unique capabilities and robust features. Below, we dive into the top 10 free alternatives to Freshdesk AI, examining their features, advantages, and best use cases.

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1. HubSpot Service Hub

Website: HubSpot Service Hub
Free Plan: Offers a robust free plan, including ticketing, a knowledge base, and basic automation.
AI Features: Although the free version does not have robust AI, HubSpot is continuously integrating AI across the platform for paid plans, focusing on personalized customer support and improved rep efficiency.
Ticket Management: Strong ticketing system with automation, ticket routing and escalation, and internal collaboration.
Channels: Offers multiple contact options, including email and live chat.
Analytics: Provides customer support analytics, allowing teams to improve processes.

Best for: Businesses looking for a comprehensive CRM-integrated help desk system with scalability.

2. Zoho Desk

Website: Zoho Desk
Free Plan: Offers a free plan for up to three agents, which includes email ticketing and knowledge management.
Customization: Offers many customization options to tailor the tool to your specific business needs.
Multi-channel: Handles incoming service requests via phone, web, email, chat, and social media, providing a multi-channel experience.
Automation: Provides canned email templates and macros for repetitive tasks.
Scalability: Ideal for small to mid-sized businesses needing a system that can scale with growth.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses that require a customizable and scalable help desk.

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3. Spiceworks

Website: Spiceworks
Free Software: Completely free with no limits on tickets, devices, or agent access.
IT Focus: Specifically designed for IT departments and small businesses managing IT-related requests.
Ticket Management: Includes ticket management from a shared inbox and automated sorting.
Asset Management: Features IT asset management to keep track of internal resources.
Reporting: Includes reporting through filters and Power BI integration.

Best for: IT departments and small businesses seeking a free, comprehensive IT help desk solution.

4. Hiver

Website: Hiver
Free Trial: Offers a free trial; however, they also have a free plan available with limited features.
Gmail/Outlook Integration: Best for teams using Gmail and Outlook who want to integrate customer support into their inbox.
Email Management: Strong email management features for customer support.
Collaboration: Internal collaboration tools and Slack integration.
Multiple channels: Live chat, WhatsApp, and Voice support.

Best for: Teams primarily using email platforms for customer support.

5. osTicket

Website: osTicket
Open Source: Open-source software that allows for high customization.
Ticket Management: Manages support tickets effortlessly with email routing.
Customization: Ability to customize to fit specific business requirements.
Self-Service: Includes knowledge base functionality to help customers self-serve.
Agent Tools: Agent collision avoidance to prevent multiple agents from responding to the same ticket simultaneously.

Best for: Businesses seeking a highly customizable, free, open-source ticketing system.

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6. UVdesk

Website: UVdesk
Open Source: Available as both a SaaS and a Symfony PHP Framework-based open-source option.
Customization: Highly customizable platform to fit various support processes.
Email Integration: Seamless integration with email.
Ticketing System: Streamlines the support process and enhances customer support.
Scalable: Supports multiple channels and is scalable.

Best for: Businesses looking for a free, open-source help desk with robust customization options.

7. HelpDeskZ

Data Points:
Open Source: Free, PHP-based open-source software with full customizability.
Ticketing Features: Offers standard ticketing features, integration with your website, custom fields, and ticket filters.
Scalable: No limit to the number of support agents that can be added.
Self-Service: Allows you to build a database of FAQs and articles.
Cost: Free.

Best for: Those needing a free, customizable, open-source ticketing system that integrates directly with their website.

8. Tawk.to

Website: Tawk.to
Free Live Chat: Completely free live chat software with 24/7/365 support.
AI Integration: Provides optional AI assist features for a monthly fee.
Customization: Highly customizable with a number of integrations available.
Multi-channel: Available via different messaging channels like WhatsApp and Messenger.
Scalable: Good option for smaller businesses.

Best for: Businesses looking for a free, robust live chat solution, especially those needing 24/7 support.

9. Raiseaticket

Website: Raiseaticket
Free Cloud Helpdesk: A 100% free cloud-based helpdesk for customer service and support.
Features: Provides a portal, workflows, and reports for managing customer tickets.
Customization: Highly customizable.
Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive interface.
Ticketing System: Provides a robust, feature-rich, web-based ticketing system.

Best for: Businesses requiring a completely free, cloud-based ticketing system with essential features.

10. Julius AI (or similar free AI Chat)

Website: Julius AI or AIChatting or ChatBoxAI
Free AI Chat: Free access to AI chatbots powered by models like ChatGPT or GPT-4.
Text Generation: Allows for text and content generation.
AI Assistance: Acts as an AI copilot, helping with customer queries, and allows for interactions with AI bots.
Multi Platform: Can be accessed on various devices and platforms like Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, and Web.
Customizable: Can personalize experiences for different use cases.

Best for: Businesses looking to leverage AI chatbots to assist in customer support and general interactions.

Important Considerations for 2025:

AI Evolution: The AI capabilities in these free tools may vary, but expect to see a rapid increase in AI integration across all customer service platforms.
Scalability: Consider future growth when choosing your tool, even if you start with the free plan.
Integration: Ensure that the help desk system you choose can integrate with other essential tools your business uses.
Customization: A lot of these tools are highly customizable; ensure that the tool can accommodate the specific requirements of your business needs.

Disclaimer: Features and availability of free plans can change. Please check the respective websites for the most up-to-date information. The inclusion of a tool in this list does not constitute an endorsement; it is based on the information gathered from research and the current market offerings.

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FAQ

1. What is the best free alternative to Freshdesk AI for CRM-integrated customer support?

HubSpot Service Hub offers a robust free plan with features like ticketing, knowledge base, and basic automation. It’s ideal for businesses looking for a comprehensive CRM-integrated help desk system with scalability. Learn more about HubSpot Service Hub

2. Which alternative is best for small to mid-sized businesses?

Zoho Desk is an excellent choice, offering a free plan for up to three agents, customization options, and multi-channel handling of service requests. Discover Zoho Desk

3. Is there a free help desk solution specifically designed for IT departments?

Spiceworks is completely free with no limits on tickets, devices, or agent access, making it perfect for IT departments and small businesses managing IT-related requests. Explore Spiceworks

4. What is the most suitable free option for teams using Gmail and Outlook?

Hiver integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Outlook, offering strong email management and internal collaboration tools. Learn more about Hiver

5. Which open-source alternative offers high customization capabilities?

osTicket is an open-source solution that allows for extensive customization and is ideal for businesses seeking a highly customizable free ticketing system. Discover osTicket

6. Which platform offers both open-source and SaaS help desk options?

UVdesk provides a highly customizable ticketing system available as both a SaaS and a Symfony PHP Framework-based open-source option. Learn more about UVdesk

7. What is a good free PHP-based open-source help desk software?

HelpDeskZ is a free, customizable, open-source tool that integrates directly with your website and offers features like standard ticketing, custom fields, and ticket filters.

8. Which free alternative focuses on providing robust live chat support?

Tawk.to offers a completely free live chat software solution with 24/7/365 support, customization options, and AI assist features available for a monthly fee. Discover Tawk.to

9. Is there a free cloud-based helpdesk with essential features?

Raiseaticket offers a 100% free cloud-based helpdesk with a simple and intuitive interface, providing a portal, workflows, and reports for managing customer tickets. Explore Raiseaticket

10. Which free AI chatbots can assist in customer support?

Julius AI (or similar free AI chatbots) offers free access to AI chatbots powered by models like ChatGPT, providing text generation and customizable experiences across multiple platforms. Learn more about Julius AI

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.

For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:

Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:

3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.