Freshdesk vs SolarWinds Service Desk

Freshdesk9.3Visit SolarWinds Service Desk7.3Visit

Higher score Freshdesk #1 in Ticketing Software 9.3/10 From $19/mo (annual) · 14-day trial ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Freshdesk

vs

SolarWinds Service Desk #5 in Ticketing Software 7.3/10 From $39/mo (annual) · 30-day trial ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit SolarWinds

• Freshdesk fits best

  Teams wanting established, full-featured customer support

• SolarWinds Service Desk fits best

  IT desks managing tickets, assets, and SLAs

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Side by side

Feature	Freshdesk 9.3/10 Visit ↗	SolarWinds Service Desk 7.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.3
Ranking	#1 in Ticketing Software	#5 in Ticketing Software
Best for	Teams wanting established, full-featured customer support	IT desks managing tickets, assets, and SLAs
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Free trial length	14 days · no card needed	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community · 24/7
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, 2FA
Integrations	1,000+ integrations	200+ integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Freshdesk 2/5 · SolarWinds Service Desk 2/5
SLA management	✓	✓
Workflow automation	Not published	Not published
Customer portal	✓ (best)	Not published
Knowledge base	Not published	✓ (best)
Reporting and analytics	Not published	Not published
Specs
Included agents	Not published	Not published
Supported channels	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Combines ticketing, shared inboxes, portal, knowledge base, and SLAs Automation, reminders, escalations, and reporting support ticket workflows Web, mobile, API, and business-app integrations support varied setups	Links incident tickets with asset records and configuration items. Includes a self-service portal, knowledge base, and SLA monitoring. Mobile apps support notifications, incident actions, and asset inventory.
Cons	Growth, Pro, and Enterprise are billed per agent annually Advanced routing and customization are reserved for higher-priced plans The free program is limited to 1–2 agents and is time-limited	Essentials starts at $39 per technician monthly, billed annually. Advanced and Premier add-ons raise the per-technician annual-billed rate. Additional IT asset management pricing may apply.
Our verdict	Freshdesk gives customer support teams a shared place to manage inquiries through tickets and an inbox. Its scope extends beyond queue handling: customers can submit and track tickets in a portal, find self-service articles in a knowledge… Read the review →	SolarWinds Service Desk is a cloud IT service management platform for IT teams handling employee incidents and service requests. It combines ticket routing and prioritization with a service portal, knowledge base, service catalog, SLAs,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Freshdesk — where it wins

  • Combines ticketing, shared inboxes, portal, knowledge base, and SLAs
  • Automation, reminders, escalations, and reporting support ticket workflows
  • Web, mobile, API, and business-app integrations support varied setups

  Where it doesn't

  • Growth, Pro, and Enterprise are billed per agent annually
  • Advanced routing and customization are reserved for higher-priced plans
  • The free program is limited to 1–2 agents and is time-limited

• SolarWinds Service Desk — where it wins

  • Links incident tickets with asset records and configuration items.
  • Includes a self-service portal, knowledge base, and SLA monitoring.
  • Mobile apps support notifications, incident actions, and asset inventory.

  Where it doesn't

  • Essentials starts at $39 per technician monthly, billed annually.
  • Advanced and Premier add-ons raise the per-technician annual-billed rate.
  • Additional IT asset management pricing may apply.

• Freshdesk9.3/10 · From $19/mo (annual) · 14-day trial

  A broad ticketing and self-service help desk with plans priced per agent.

  Visit FreshdeskFull verdict →
• SolarWinds Service Desk7.3/10 · From $39/mo (annual) · 30-day trial

  A broad IT service desk with ticketing, asset management, and mobile workflows.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →