Open-source alternative to Freshdesk
Freshdesk wins people over with a low entry price and entry-level AI included. It is billed per agent. Chatwoot, which we host in Europe, brings your channels into one shared inbox for a flat fee, with unlimited agents.
Freshdesk, published by Freshworks, starts at $19 per agent per month on annual billing (Growth plan), then $55 (Pro) and $89 (Enterprise). It includes 500 AI agent sessions in every plan, and lets you pick the hosting region at sign-up, including the European Economic Area. These public prices, in US dollars and not converted, are the ones listed on Freshdesk's pricing page on 1 October 2026, on annual billing, and may change.
Chatwoot is open-source software under the MIT license. We host and operate it in Europe, from €99 per month excluding VAT, with an unlimited number of agents. Its API is publicly documented, as our Chatwoot guide shows, and the instance can move back onto your own infrastructure.
Point-by-point comparison
| Criterion | Chatwoot (Bunker) | Freshdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Open source (MIT), auditable | Proprietary |
| Billing | Flat fee from €99/month excl. VAT, unlimited agents | Per agent, $19 to $89 per month depending on the plan (annual billing) |
| Data hosting | Europe | Region chosen at sign-up (US, EEA, UAE, India, Australia) |
| Publisher or operator | Bunker, a company incorporated in France | Freshworks Inc., San Mateo (United States), listed on Nasdaq |
| AI triage and answers | AI triage as an integration, on quote, through our gateway hosted in Europe | 500 AI agent sessions included, then $49 per 100 sessions; Copilot at $29 per agent per month |
| API and export | Documented REST API, webhooks | REST API, full account export in XML |
| Re-internalization | Yes, same software on your infrastructure | No self-hosting offered, data export through the API |
A low entry price that grows with the team
At $19 per agent per month, Freshdesk Growth has a low entry price. On the Pro plan, at $55, 10 agents come to $550 per month, and Freddy Copilot adds $29 per agent per month (public prices checked on 1 October 2026).
Our Chatwoot plan starts at €99 per month excluding VAT and does not move when you add an agent.
For a very small team on the Growth plan, Freshdesk costs less than our entry plan. Freshworks prices are in US dollars and are not converted here, so compare them at the exchange rate of the day. From the Pro plan with 10 agents ($550 per month), our plan from €99 per month excluding VAT costs less, with a different functional scope.
Where your conversations go
Freshdesk lets you choose the hosting region at sign-up, including the European Economic Area. Freshworks is still a company incorporated in the United States, though. The CLOUD Act, a 2018 US law, can allow US authorities to order a provider subject to US law to produce data it controls, even when that data is stored in Europe, subject to the remedies the Act provides.
With us, Chatwoot is hosted in Europe by a company incorporated in France, and our subprocessors are listed in the data processing agreement required by Article 28 of the GDPR.
What Freshdesk does better, and what you gain by leaving
Freshdesk has real strengths: a low entry price, entry-level AI included, and a broader suite from the same publisher (IT service management, CRM). For a small team that wants to start fast, it is a rational choice.
Chatwoot gives you a cost that does not follow your headcount, open software you can take back in-house, and AI triage with a model hosted in Europe through our sovereign AI gateway.
Frequently asked questions
Is Freshdesk cheaper than managed Chatwoot?
For a very small team on the Growth plan, at $19 per agent per month, yes. Freshworks prices are in US dollars and are not converted here.
From the Pro plan with 10 agents, at $55 each, our plan from €99 per month excluding VAT, with no agent limit, costs less. The functional scopes differ, so compare case by case.
Can my Freshdesk data stay in Europe?
Freshdesk offers a European Economic Area region, chosen at sign-up. The publisher is still a US company. With Chatwoot on Bunker, the data is hosted in Europe by a company incorporated in France.
Can we bring our Freshdesk history into Chatwoot?
Freshdesk lets you export the full account in XML and offers an API. Importing into Chatwoot goes through the Chatwoot API and is prepared case by case, depending on volume and the fields to keep.
Customer support you keep
Chatwoot hosted in Europe, open source, flat fee and unlimited agents.
Bunker is not affiliated with Freshdesk. "Freshdesk" is a trademark of its publisher, referenced here for comparison to designate the competing service.