Freshdesk vs Sendbird

Converge Converge Team

Side-by-side comparison for 2026

Feature Freshdesk Sendbird
Starting Price From $79/seat/mo From $399/mo
Best For Mid-sized businesses needing traditional helpdesk with automation Developers building custom in-app messaging experiences
Standout Feature Freddy AI for automated ticket classification and responses Comprehensive SDK with voice, video, and messaging
Free Plan
G2 Rating 4.4/5 4.3

Freshdesk and Sendbird serve different communication needs, with Freshdesk providing comprehensive helpdesk functionality and Sendbird offering in-app chat and messaging SDK solutions for developers building custom communication experiences.

While Freshdesk targets businesses seeking complete customer support platforms, Sendbird focuses on providing chat infrastructure and APIs for applications requiring embedded messaging capabilities.

Feature Comparison

Freshdesk provides a comprehensive helpdesk platform with ticket management, automation, knowledge base, and multi-channel support across email, chat, phone, and social media. Its G2 rating of 4.4 reflects strong satisfaction with complete support workflows.

Sendbird offers in-app chat SDKs, messaging APIs, and communication infrastructure for developers building chat features into applications. With a G2 rating of 4.3, it excels in providing reliable, scalable messaging solutions for custom applications.

The core difference is complete platform versus building blocks - Freshdesk offers ready-to-use support solutions while Sendbird provides the infrastructure for creating custom messaging experiences.

Pricing Comparison

Freshdesk uses per-agent pricing from free to $79 per agent monthly, providing predictable costs that scale with support team size.

Sendbird offers tiered pricing from free to $999+ per month based on monthly active users, message volume, and feature requirements. Costs scale with application usage rather than team size.

For traditional support teams, Freshdesk's per-agent model is more straightforward than Sendbird's usage-based pricing tied to application metrics.

Freshdesk

Pros

  • Mature platform with proven reliability
  • Strong automation and workflow capabilities
  • Good integration ecosystem

Cons

  • Messaging channels require add-ons
  • Interface can feel dated
  • Complex setup for multi-channel

Sendbird

Pros

  • Comprehensive SDK suite
  • Excellent developer documentation
  • Scalable infrastructure

Cons

  • Expensive for small businesses
  • Complex pricing structure
  • Limited social media integrations

Verdict

Choose Freshdesk if you need a complete helpdesk solution with traditional support features and workflows. Choose Sendbird if you're building applications that require in-app chat functionality and messaging infrastructure.

Choose Freshdesk if: You need a complete customer support platform with traditional helpdesk features, multi-channel support, and per-agent pricing.

Choose Sendbird if: You're developing applications that require in-app chat functionality and need reliable messaging infrastructure with developer-friendly APIs.

For teams seeking comprehensive customer communication without the complexity of building custom chat solutions, Converge offers up to 15 agents for $49/month, providing complete multi-channel support at a flat rate without development requirements.

Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Freshdesk comparisons and all Sendbird comparisons.

Ready to try Converge?

$49/month flat. Up to 15 agents. 14-day free trial.

Start Free Trial