FullSession | Freshdesk alternatives for support teams: an evaluation checklist | Roman Mohren | October 2026
https://www.fullsession.io/blog/freshdesk-alternatives

A reusable working tool. Every score, price and observation field is blank on purpose: fill it in from vendor pages, demos and your own tests. Nothing here reports a completed test. Vendor terms quoted in the article were checked 19 October 2026 and change often; record the date you check each one.

HOW TO USE THIS FILE
Part A names the use case behind your evaluation.
Part B lists what your current Freshworks setup bills today.
Part C is the eight-criterion scoring sheet. Copy it once per option, including Freshdesk itself.
Part D records each option's AI billing unit in the vendor's own words.
Part E is the three-conversation test record. Expected and observed results have separate fields.
Part F records the decision and the path you chose.


PART A: THE USE CASE (tick every one that applies, then circle the main one)

[ ] 1. Email ticketing for a support team
[ ] 2. Chat and messaging across channels
[ ] 3. AI answers for repeat questions
[ ] 4. Buying questions from website visitors
[ ] 5. Help for users inside your product

Main use case:
Is this a helpdesk decision (1, 2), an AI agent decision (3 to 5), or both?:
Requirements we cannot drop (channel, ticketing feature or compliance need):


PART B: WHAT FRESHWORKS BILLS TODAY

Product and plan (Freshdesk, Freshdesk Omni, Freshchat):
Billing period (monthly / annual):
Number of agents:
Price per agent per month:
Freddy AI Agent: sessions used last month:
Freddy AI Agent: session packs bought last month, and price per pack:
Channel the AI Agent runs on (chat / email / both):
Freddy AI Copilot licenses and price:
MCP actions used and price:
Connector app tasks used and price:
Other add-ons or day passes:
Other subscriptions that would stay in place:
Monthly total today:
Date checked:


PART C: EIGHT-CRITERION SCORING SHEET (copy once per option)

Option name:
Plan or edition priced:
Source URLs and date checked:

Score each criterion 0 (fails a requirement), 1 (partly meets), 2 (meets), or N/A. Record the evidence, not an impression.

1. CHANNELS
Channels required on day one:
Channels included in the priced plan:
Channels needing an add-on or a higher plan:
Score:
Evidence:

2. TICKETING DEPTH
Required: SLA policies / routing rules / macros / customer portal / several brands / other:
Where each is listed (plan):
Hardest ticket shown in the demo:
Score:
Evidence:

3. AI AGENT BILLING UNIT
Unit name (session / conversation / resolution / ticket / credit / token / other):
Price per unit:
Window or definition, quoted from the vendor:
What is excluded from billing:
Included allowance, and whether it is one-time or monthly:
What happens when the allowance or spending limit is reached:
Score:
Evidence:

4. DEPLOYMENT
Where the AI agent runs (inside current helpdesk / new inbox / website / inside the product):
Supported integration for our helpdesk and plan (yes / no / not stated):
Score:
Evidence:

5. HANDOFF
Does the person take over in the same thread with the AI's answers visible? (yes / no / not tested):
Who is assigned, and how:
Does the handoff change the bill? Quote the vendor's rule:
Score:
Evidence:

6. KNOWLEDGE SOURCES AND ACTIONS
Sources the agent can answer from:
Can it read permitted account data? How is access limited?:
Can it take supported actions? Which ones, and who approves them?:
Score:
Evidence:

7. ADMIN EFFORT
Setup steps listed by the vendor:
Required onboarding fee:
Who on our team maintains articles, flows, rules and integrations:
Score:
Evidence:

8. TOTAL COST BY UNIT
Seats x price:
AI units at our monthly volume x price:
Add-ons:
Subscriptions we keep (for example, the current helpdesk):
Monthly total:
Assumptions behind the volume:
Score:
Evidence:

Total score (criteria 1 and 2 must not be 0):


PART D: AI BILLING UNIT RECORD (one line per option, in the vendor's own words)

Option | Unit | Price | Window or definition | Handoff rule | Source URL | Date checked
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

For FullSession Max, the published terms on https://www.fullsession.io/pricing?solution=desk (checked 19 October 2026): $0.39 per AI-assisted conversation; $99 monthly minimum credited toward conversations, not added on top; one conversation covers one user in one thread for a fixed 24 hours from Max's first substantive answer, guidance or supported action; a handoff before substantive help is not billed, and human replies add no charges. Recheck before you rely on them.


PART E: THREE-CONVERSATION TEST RECORD

Pick three recent conversations from your queue. Remove personal data before using them in any demo or trial.

Conversation 1: an email ticket that needed a person
Conversation 2: a chat question that a good answer would have settled
Conversation 3: a buying question from a website visitor

Repeat this block for each option and each conversation.

Option:
Conversation number:
Date and time tested (with time zone), device and browser:
Where it arrived (channel):
Expected AI answer, and the source it should come from:
Observed AI answer:
Source the answer cited or used (observed):
Did the AI attempt or complete an action? (completed / failed / unknown / none):
Did a person take over in the same thread? (yes / no / not tested):
What the person could see at takeover:
Billing unit consumed (observed or confirmed by the vendor):
Cost of that unit at our monthly volume:
Notes and differences from the expected result:


PART F: DECISION RECORD

Path chosen (circle one):
  a. Replace the helpdesk with a product that passes criteria 1 and 2
  b. Keep Freshdesk and add an AI agent inside it
  c. Move website and in-app chat to a new inbox and keep email in the helpdesk
Why this path:
Option chosen:
Requirements still unverified, and who will verify them:
Monthly cost estimate and the volume behind it:
Date of decision:
Review date:

Questions for a FullSession Desk walkthrough (https://www.fullsession.io/book-a-demo?solution=support-desk):
1. Which Freshdesk plan and channels does the Max integration cover, and where does our team reply after a handoff?
2. Which of our knowledge sources should Max answer from, and who owns each one?
3. Which data and actions would our MCP server permit?
4. How would each of our three test conversations be counted under the published conversation rules?
5. Which of our requirements sit outside the published Desk capabilities, and where should that work stay?