ConnectWise PSA vs Freshdesk comparison

ConnectWise and Freshworks are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. ConnectWise is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0, while Freshworks is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1. Additionally, 100% of ConnectWise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Freshworks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Freshdesk and ConnectWise PSA compete in customer support and project management categories. Freshdesk appears to have an advantage in ease of integration and user-friendliness, while ConnectWise PSA excels in project management and integration capabilities.

Features: Freshdesk enhances customer service management through easy ticket automation and flexible integrations from email and social media. It offers remote accessibility and customization, which users find valuable. ConnectWise PSA provides robust project management with extensive automation, ideal for end-to-end service management from sales to delivery. Its integration abilities are beneficial for tech-heavy workflows.

Room for Improvement: Freshdesk could improve in customization of the solutions center and ticket statuses, as well as simplifying API integration for multiple team member management on tickets. ConnectWise PSA users suggest enhancing search functions within tickets and addressing UI clunkiness, while increasing mobile app functionality and third-party integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Freshdesk's multiple public cloud deployment options receive mixed reviews regarding technical support effectiveness. Users find the support team knowledgeable but less responsive for complex issues. ConnectWise PSA offers hybrid and private cloud deployments, seen as more suited to tech-heavy environments, though users cite setup complexity and documentation needs for ease of use.

Pricing and ROI: Freshdesk's pricing model is competitive, especially against competitors like Zendesk, offering ROI through cost efficiency. Yet some users find it expensive due to additional integration fees. ConnectWise PSA's pricing structure, while justified by its features, might not fit smaller companies due to its licensing approach, showing ROI but requiring a higher investment aligning with larger business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed ConnectWise PSA vs. Freshdesk Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

ConnectWise PSA vs. Freshdesk

August 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Automation Anywhere

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

Management Consultant at Accenture

Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions

Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.

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Sivashankar Krishnamoorthie

Associate Director at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees

Centralized alerts and ticketing have improved SLA compliance and guided infrastructure decisions

For system monitoring and the alert system within ConnectWise PSA, we find it very useful, and its critical alerts are very important for us for ISOs and SOC compliances. The ticketing follow-up system is good, and there are many features that are very good in ConnectWise PSA. We use the time tracking feature with ConnectWise PSA, specifically for SLAs. The time tracking feature helps us improve billing accuracy, as it is really useful in improving the SLA of the tickets. We have different SLAs for different customers, including those who need a response within one hour and those who need a solution in one hour. According to those customer requirements, we have set the SLAs on the platform, and we get alerts if a ticket is going to be nearing the SLA. With the help of that, we improve the turnaround time and achieve the SLAs up to 90 percent maximum. ConnectWise PSA's reporting tools help our decision-making process a lot because, at certain points, we must make critical calls on moving and rebuilding servers. We can see the number of tickets and analyze server performance to make decisions, so it helps in that way.

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Gauri Thakur

Director, Portfolio Projects at Microland Limited

Integrated support workflows have provided a unified view but need broader enterprise flexibility

Freshdesk's scalability could be improved for larger businesses across departments. Its intuitive interface is appealing for small to medium-sized businesses. However, when you look at larger enterprise levels, ServiceNow operates more efficiently. This scalability is an area where Freshdesk could expand its offerings. Additionally, I don't have too much hands-on experience with Freshdesk ticket routing. I need to check with the service desk team if they've used it. Similarly, for analytics capability, I haven't explored much on Freshdesk, but I have done it for ServiceNow. I have seen a lot on ServiceNow and the BMC Remedy, so I can speak better for them. I haven't had the chance to look at it so much that I can do a comparison. I haven't had much experience with Freshdesk's reporting. Within its paradigm of customer service management, Freshdesk is quite scalable. But I've said that inter-department and the interoperability is better off in ServiceNow than in Freshdesk.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The tool feature I found the most valuable is Metabot, as we can include the DLLs that are proprietary written code in .NET or other technologies."

"The ability to find objects easily through the 'Capture' option saves your time most significantly."

"One of the benefits my organization has seen from these features is productivity in two ways: I am able to save a lot of time because of the automation, I do not need manual intervention anymore as manual intervention has been cut down by ten to fifteen percent, and the productivity gains have been substantial."

"We have increased our productivity by five times as of now, and we are still growing."

"AA improves process consistency and reduces human error."

"The overall usefulness of Automation Anywhere is the most valuable aspect of the solution."

"Looking at overall feasibility from features to costing perspective, I strongly feel Automation Anywhere offers a lot of features and scalability and is a very good tool overall and people who have not tried should give a try and put some hands-on."

"The benefits include a reduction in tedious tasks and manual handling of tasks and time savings."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"We use it for Business/Sales Management; it enables tracking of sales leads and opportunities."

"It's definitely one of those tools that is super powerful."

"We like the way that ConnectWise is completely integrated. So you when you identify an opportunity, you can save it, and ConnectWise pushes it through to the whole invoicing process."

"It handles ticketing pretty well, and it's not something I have many critiques for."

"The search function is really good, and to have a single place where we have the account information stored is probably most valuable."

"My tool to manage my devices and my tool for ticketing are all in one."

"The most valuable feature is the management of projects from start to finish."

"All the features of ConnectWise Manage are valuable. However, ticketing, customer management, customer communication, technician efficiency, calendars, coding, billing, invoicing, and contract management are available. It's a complete solution. Additionally, the company is responsive with the ability to progress or make necessary changes happen."

More ConnectWise PSA pros

"Aside from sending a ticket to client, it can also send an image."

"Freshdesk is very easy to use, it is user-friendly, and users can access knowledge base articles."

"The ticketing system is smooth, but since we use a free version, we do not have many facilities available."

"There is the option to create different roles for specific users. We make use of groups for each customer service team which has been very effective. We are able to apply different sets of rules for each group which determines how they interact with customers and escalate issues."

"It's a product that is very easy to use and very user-friendly."

"Our customer service is built around it, and has been for years."

"Technical support is outstanding."

"I used Freshdesk for communication with the clients, such as real-time chats."

More Freshdesk pros

Cons

"One way Automation Anywhere can be improved is in ticketing; I have a couple of tickets that have been outstanding for a while, and the support staff have closed tickets without checking with me first, which has been a sore spot."

"It's somewhat pricier than some of the other tools that we've used, and the breakout between the different applications is also somewhat costly."

"Automation Anywhere could improve by incorporating better integration with DevOps."

"In the control room, the manual bot update should be looked at."

"Automation Anywhere can include database commands like insert row, bold row, etc commands in 11.x"

"As a developer or user, I feel that the performance of the overall package could be made a little better or reliable."

"Web automation capability needs to be improved."

"I haven't gone deep in the tool, but so far it looks good."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"Has a very outdated 90s interface and not all features are accessible via the mobile app."

"The only area of ConnectWise PSA that I find could be improved is in configuring everything, as we have to take help from support or raise a ticket with helpdesk@connectwise.com to get it forwarded."

"Reliability is definitely something that I have issues with, especially over a bad connection."

"The UI needs a lot of improvement. ConnectWise has a very outdated 90s interface and it's difficult to access from the mobile app because of the limited number of features you can access."

"ConnectWise PSA’s graphical interface is a little old."

"Sometimes it is a little bit slow, which is the only complaint I have about it."

"There should be some improvements to the interface. It is not completely intuitive. When you click in a blank area of a screen, you'll find some options."

"The login issues with the cache always needing to be cleared."

More ConnectWise PSA cons

"Freshdesk has got an option where Facebook and Twitter posts can be transferred into the ticketing system. At the moment, we do not find it useful because it simply cannot pick the relevant customer service enquiries, it creates a ticket with every post."

"They were just constantly trying to get us to implement break fix after break fix after break fix instead of putting us on the right product in the first place. It wasted a year's time and money."

"The reporting, analysis modules and insights capabilities for this solution could be improved."

"It should enhance its service and its reporting capabilities."

"The billing issues I have with Freshdesk are in terms of additional users getting subscribed without my intervention."

"It's a heavy app with lots of APIs, third-party integrations, etc. They should make it lighter."

"If Freshdesk had forms in it so that I could go to the portal and fill out a service request, that would improve it immensely and make it more valuable for enterprise customers, but that's not a current functionality. You can't have a certain catalog of any type. You can't be like, "Hey, I want to just go submit a ticket," and then type in. You can't prompt them to ask anything. It is just a blank form."

"I would like a better integration towards Azure DevOps. The current integration is more complicated and doesn’t work as well."

More Freshdesk cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Yearly, our licensing costs are about $90,000 to $100,000. There will be additional licensing costs when we add more Bot Runners to our infrastructure."

"We are not receiving the right information about their features, e.g. Automation Anywhere University, or anything that they are selling. They need to improve their documentation."

"It's the best RPA tool, but the pricing could be improved."

"It depends. For example, for my group, we are centralizing the infrastructure in Paris. Our contract is signed with Automation Anywhere in France. The currency and the pricing of Automation Anywhere in France can appear beneficial and interesting for Germany and Scandinavian countries, but when we share our infra and are internally charging other countries such as Poland, Brazil, or some other country with a lower currency value as compared to Euro, it becomes less beneficial. They would prefer to sign the contract directly with Automation Anywhere because they will benefit from a price that is as per their local market."

"Our annual licensing costs are about $500,000."

"In the Indian market, I feel that for mid-size companies, such as ourselves, that having multiple bots costs a lot. If Automation Anywhere wants to expand in the Indian market, they will need to look at their pricing."

"Pricing is a bit high when compared to other available tools; however, the tool is worth the cost."

"It looks like it will be right around $115,000, not counting IQ Bot, which we won't renew until later."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"I have one monthly license for all of the ConnectWise products I use, and it's $85 per user."

"There are some different add-ons and benefits that are optional and come at an additional cost."

"The cost can be the main barrier. It's not a solution for a three person company. It just isn't going to be cost effective. Because ConnectWise Manage does have everything there, the licensing is a little bit restrictive as far as how they want to granularly assign licenses rather than having more of an all-inclusive package."

"We're paying $940 a month for 14 users."

"The pricing of ConnectWise Manage is reasonable."

"The pricing is not based on my clients so much as it is on how many people I have accessing the system, and I think it's pretty good."

"It was definitely not expensive. It was two grand or maybe three grand total for a year. It has just straight and simple standard licensing fees. There is no additional fee."

"Freshdesk was the best solution with the best price. It was cost efficient and included all the features that we needed."

"We pay approximately $70 per agent to use Freshdesk. We have 10 agents, which is approximately $700 or $800 per month. It is a fixed license, there are not any additional fees."

"We use a combination of Freshdesk, Freshservice, and Freshchat. We use the whole suite. Weirdly enough, we pay more for Freshdesk than we do for Freshservice. I would rate it a three out of five in terms of pricing. You can get different bundles, and you can always move to different plans that are standard. Freshservice can go anywhere from $19 up to $120 per agent, per month. There is such a wide range, and it is very customizable to your needs."

"We use a licensing model only so we pay for the number of agents we have configured in the system only."

"The price could be better, but it's okay. Compared to ServiceNow and JIRA, Freshworks offers a competitive price. There are also additional licensing costs because you need Microsoft Outlook. Each new email account costs around $15 to $19."

"The pricing is pretty manageable and acceptable."

"It is costly."

More Freshdesk pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

Outsourcing Company

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	81
Large Enterprise	558

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ConnectWise Manage?

We are purchasing 1,000 seats per year, so I am aware of the pricing and we are getting it at a dealer's price. The p...

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What needs improvement with ConnectWise Manage?

The only area of ConnectWise PSA that I find could be improved is in configuring everything, as we have to take help ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for ConnectWise Manage?

I have been working with ConnectWise PSA for the past four years, and we are using the platform for our ticketing sys...

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What needs improvement with Freshdesk?

I think the main problem with Freshdesk is the deep settings, interface, and analytics. When you need complex cross-f...

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What is your primary use case for Freshdesk?

My main use case for Freshdesk is customer support tickets. A specific example of how my team uses Freshdesk for cust...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Freshdesk?

My advice for others looking into using Freshdesk is to consider that compared to Zendesk or Salesforce, where the se...

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Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

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ServiceNow vs ConnectWise PSA

Compared 12% of the time

IT Care Center vs ConnectWise PSA

Compared 8% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs ConnectWise PSA

Compared 8% of the time

Kaseya BMS vs ConnectWise PSA

Compared 5% of the time

Freshservice vs ConnectWise PSA

Compared 5% of the time

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ServiceNow vs Freshdesk

Compared 11% of the time

Zendesk vs Freshdesk

Compared 7% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Freshdesk

Compared 6% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Freshdesk

Compared 4% of the time

IFS Cloud Platform vs Freshdesk

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

ConnectWise PSA

August 2026

Download ConnectWise PSA product report

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk

August 2026

Download Freshdesk product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

ConnectWise Manage

No data available

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

ConnectWise

Demo not available

Freshworks

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

ConnectWise PSA provides cloud-based features for seamless customer management, efficient ticketing, and enhanced technician productivity. With integration capabilities, it supports contract management, sales operations, inventory tracking, and billing flexibility, meeting diverse needs of users.

ConnectWise PSA addresses core functionalities such as customer relations management and IT issue management. It simplifies operations through critical alerts, SLA management, and comprehensive reporting tools, providing decision-makers with valuable insights. Complex contract support, along with integration capabilities, allows existing systems to function smoothly within the ConnectWise ecosystem. Users benefit from automated procedures, shortcuts, and search functionalities that streamline processes and improve efficiency in project management, financial tracking, and inventory maintenance.

What features define ConnectWise PSA?

Cloud-based Functionality: Ensures easy access and management across platforms.
Ticketing System: Enhances customer management and improves operational efficiency.
SLA Alerts and Reporting: Provides timely insights for better decision-making.
Automation and Shortcuts: Streamlines processes to increase productivity.
Seamless Integration: Works with existing systems, improving resource management.

What benefits should be expected?

Improved Technician Efficiency: Facilitates quick service delivery and task management.
Enhanced Customer Management: Provides vital tools for maintaining strong client relations.
Decision-Making Support: Offers robust reporting tools for strategic planning.
Billing Flexibility: Adapts to varied financial needs.

In industries like IT services, managed service providers utilize ConnectWise PSA for effective ticket management and comprehensive service desk functionalities. The platform facilitates tracking sales and managing endpoints, ensuring swift access to client configurations. Organizations leverage procurement and dispatch scheduling capabilities for streamlined operations. By integrating MSP Help Desk functionalities, they enhance invoice management and bulk ticket management, supporting optimum service delivery.

ConnectWise

Freshdesk enhances support operations with features like a centralized ticketing system, omnichannel communication, and seamless tool integration. It addresses customer queries and automates processes, driving efficiency and satisfaction.

Freshdesk offers robust capabilities for managing customer support, enhancing efficiency through automation and integration. Its streamlined ticketing system centralizes queries from multiple platforms, including email, chat, and social media. Features like a knowledge base help reduce repetitive inquiries, while its easy integration with tools such as Slack and Jira supports effective team collaboration. However, users seek improvements in customization flexibility, scalability, and pricing for advanced features. Performance issues may arise with high volumes, and there's room for improved API limits and cloud availability. Freshdesk's automation and communication abilities make it crucial for both internal IT and external customer service, ensuring seamless resolutions and SLA compliance.

What Features Stand Out in Freshdesk?

Ticketing System: Centralizes customer interactions for streamlined management.
Omnichannel Support: Integrates communication platforms for consistent service.
Automation: Reduces manual tasks, boosting efficiency.
Knowledge Base: Decreases repetitive inquiries with self-service resources.
Tool Integration: Connects seamlessly with platforms like Slack and Jira.
Analytics & Reporting: Tracks performance for informed decision-making.

What Benefits Should Users Look For?

Improved Efficiency: Automation and centralized systems enhance support speed.
Customer Satisfaction: Consistent and responsive service elevates user experience.
Scalability: Adapts to growing support needs with integrations and customization.
Reduced Manual Effort: Automates repetitive tasks, allowing focus on complex issues.

Freshdesk is widely adopted in industries like IT and customer service, where efficient issue resolution and communication are critical. By converting emails to tickets and automating assignments, companies enhance their response times and maintain SLA compliance. Its integration capabilities support diverse tools, facilitating a multi-channel approach for superior customer experiences.

Freshworks

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

IT Connexx, High Standards Technology Inc, Solvere One, MyIT, ConnectWise, Simpatico Systems, Fred IT Group, ECS, OneStop, K2 Technologies, Clark Integrated Technologies, Jmark, Geek on Wheels

Honda, 3M, Hugo Boss, Petronas, Sony Pictures, The Atlantic, goodreads, Clear Channel Radio, Penn University of Pennsylvania, unicef, Kuoni, Movember

Buyer's Guide

ConnectWise PSA vs. Freshdesk

August 2026

Free Report: ConnectWise PSA vs. Freshdesk

Find out what your peers are saying about ConnectWise PSA vs. Freshdesk and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

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