Independent comparison
SupportLayer vs Freshdesk: Every Feature on Every Plan
Configuring more than one SLA policy requires Freshdesk Pro or above, and live chat is sold as a separate Freshchat / Freshdesk Omni product. SupportLayer includes both from the free first agent.
Pricing snapshot — five agents, annual billing
SupportLayer estimates include one free agent seat; the Freshdesk total multiplies the published Freshdesk Pro annual rate by five agents.
Flat $12 per paying agent thereafter (US dollars).
Currency toggles apply site-wide.
Freshdesk figure uses the Pro plan at US$55 per agent/month billed annually × five agents (freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing as of May 2026). Freshdesk Free is documented as time-limited to two agents for six months. Freshdesk Growth is published at US$19/agent/mo annual; the Freshdesk SLA policies article documents multiple SLAs as starting from the Pro plan.
Pricing shown on www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/ as of May 2026, annual billing.
Feature comparison
SupportLayer column reflects current product capability; Freshdesk column cites named editions.
| SupportLayer | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| SLA management | ||
| Multiple SLA policies | ✓ | Pro and above |
| SLA timer pauses on a per-status basis | ✓ | All paid plans (per-status configuration) |
| Access & security | ||
| Custom user permissions | ✓ | Available (plan tier not publicly documented as of May 2026) |
| Two-factor authentication for staff | ✓ | All plans |
| Productivity | ||
| Email channel into ticketing | ✓ | All plans |
| Live chat widget | ✓ | Sold separately as Freshchat / Freshdesk Omni |
| Canned responses (prepared replies) | ✓ | All plans |
| Bulk ticket actions | ✓ | All paid plans |
| Setup & scale | ||
| REST API (rate limits vary by plan) | ✓ | All plans |
| Permanent free plan | ✓ | — (Free plan is time-limited to two agents for six months) |
When SupportLayer is the better fit
- You want multiple SLA policies and per-status pause behaviour without stepping up to Freshdesk Pro.
- You want a live chat widget on the same plan as your ticketing — without buying Freshchat or Freshdesk Omni separately.
- You want a permanently free first seat rather than a six-month, two-agent free window.
- You want native ProjectLayer backlog linking — a Xegen sister product — without building it through Freshdesk Marketplace.
When Freshdesk is the better fit
- You want Freshworks' wider product family (Freshservice for ITSM, Freshsales for CRM, Freshchat for messaging) under one vendor.
- You depend on Freshdesk Marketplace integrations or Freddy AI capabilities documented on freshworks.com.
- You need Freshdesk Enterprise-only features such as unlimited branded portals or audit log retention beyond the published Pro limits.
- You operate large global programmes that benefit from Freshdesk's regional data centre selection.
- Your procurement standardises on Freshworks bundle pricing for multi-product Customer Service Suite licences.
Migration
Moving from Freshdesk typically involves exporting tickets from the Freshdesk admin export, pointing your support inbox at SupportLayer, and inviting agents to the new workspace. Many teams keep Freshdesk read-only during transition for archive access.