Freshdesk vs Smooch (Sunshine Conversations)

Freshdesk and Smooch (now Sunshine Conversations) represent two different philosophies in customer support. Freshdesk offers a comprehensive helpdesk solution with pricing from free to $79 per agent monthly, while Smooch focuses on conversational messaging with plans ranging from $19 to $99 per agent monthly.

Both platforms excel in multi-channel support, but Freshdesk emphasizes traditional ticketing workflows while Smooch prioritizes real-time messaging experiences across multiple channels.

Freshdesk provides a complete helpdesk suite including ticketing, knowledge base, community forums, and phone support. Its automation rules and SLA management make it ideal for structured support workflows. The platform excels at email-to-ticket conversion and offers robust reporting dashboards.

Smooch specializes in conversational messaging, offering unified conversations across WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and web chat. Its strength lies in real-time messaging experiences and developer-friendly APIs that enable custom integrations. The platform excels at maintaining conversation context across different channels.

The key difference is approach: Freshdesk treats each interaction as a ticket to be resolved, while Smooch treats them as ongoing conversations to be continued across any channel.

Freshdesk offers more pricing flexibility with a free tier supporting up to 10 agents, then paid plans from $15 to $79 per agent monthly. This makes it cost-effective for growing teams, especially with its generous free tier and predictable per-agent pricing.

Smooch's pricing starts at $19 per agent monthly and scales to $99, with additional charges for high-volume messaging. While more expensive per agent, it includes advanced messaging features and API access that would require add-ons in other platforms.

Choose Freshdesk if you need a full-featured helpdesk with strong ticketing, knowledge base, and automation capabilities at competitive pricing. Choose Smooch if your priority is seamless conversational experiences across messaging channels with robust API integrations.

Choose Freshdesk if: You need comprehensive helpdesk features, want predictable per-agent pricing, or have a team that benefits from the free tier. It's ideal for traditional support workflows with email, phone, and web channels.

Choose Smooch if: Your customers prefer messaging over email, you need seamless cross-channel conversations, or you're building custom integrations with their robust APIs.

Consider Converge as a simpler alternative: At $49/month flat rate with up to 15 agents, Converge eliminates per-agent costs while providing essential customer support features without the complexity of either platform.