Freshdesk vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Freshworks and Hornbill Systems are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. Freshworks is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.1, while Hornbill Systems is ranked #35. Additionally, 93% of Freshworks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of Hornbill Systems users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Freshdesk and Hornbill Systems Supportworks are competing customer support solutions. While Freshdesk is cost-effective with high-quality support, Hornbill Systems Supportworks stands out for its robust features.

Features: Freshdesk offers customizable ticketing, collaboration tools, and efficient automation. It is known for ease of use and scalability, appealing to businesses seeking straightforward solutions. Hornbill Systems Supportworks provides comprehensive IT service management capabilities, an advanced workflow engine, and extensive integration options, suited for organizations needing depth and complexity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Freshdesk is cloud-based with quick setup, paired with responsive customer service. Hornbill Systems Supportworks offers cloud and on-premise options, though more complex to implement, with thorough customer service requiring more effort.

Pricing and ROI: Freshdesk is valued for low setup costs and high ROI, making it economical. Hornbill Systems Supportworks has higher initial costs, but its extensive features can lead to a strong ROI for organizations utilizing its full range.

To learn more, read our detailed Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks Report (Updated: November 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks

November 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 920,929 peers since 2012

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

it_user1262703

Service Desk Team Leader at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Excels in call logging and call flows but is limited in terms of scalability

I'd advise others to map their processes out before starting with the solution. Hornbill has recently generated a new version of its product and it meets some of the requirements that we would have been looking for. It's a bit more scalable, a bit more responsive to a customer-focused model for support, and they've improved a lot of things like process flow and self-service. In terms of rating the solution, it's difficult to grade. It really depends on the size of the organization that's trying to use it as that tool. One of the reasons why we're looking to shift is because we've grown quite a bit over the years that we've had it, which makes it difficult for it to meet our demands. However, for an organization the size of what we were when we started our journey with it, I'd rate it ten out of ten. Where we are now, with our company size and needs, I'd rate it six out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have been using Automation Anywhere for the past five years and it is one of the best tools to automate manual tasks."

"At the end of the day, the effort that you put in has exponential benefits, giving you many advantages from your lines of code, which is amazing."

"In terms of monetary savings, we automated a bot in three days that has saved us $30,000 in costs."

"Automation Anywhere has significantly helped us achieve our automation goals, mainly by reducing costs, which alleviates organizational burdens."

"Using IQ Bot, we can extract more data out from the documents that are unstructured."

"As we were closing our fiscal year, we had this huge backlog that we needed to clean up. The business was preparing to hire 12 people to do that, and even though they were not sure they could handle it, we built the process to extract and do the entire process just in two weeks. We were able with a single person to clean the entire backlog, which gave us huge benefits."

"The main thing is the simple UI, easy to use commands, and it's very easy to learn compared to other tools in the market."

"We're able to create reusable components. We don't want people to have to rebuild things from scratch. In this way, developers can take the reusable components and complete their development processes more quickly."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"The feature that I have found most valuable is the way that it connects to various folders especially because we use it as a CRM tool, as we can connect it with our phones and our chat, and also with the API and have it as an email service, and Freshdesk just makes our life easier."

"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."

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

"Freshdesk has positively impacted my organization to an extraordinary extent; I cannot find the words to express how much it helps our workforce."

"Omnichannel is one of the most valuable features of the solution."

"The built-in customer satisfaction surveys made it easy for us to see areas that need improvement, and the ticket automations allows us to set priorities on incoming tickets based on who is submitting it."

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

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

More Freshdesk pros

"The solution's business process flow is quite strong. Its reporting is quite good. The standard, basic ITSM functionality like call logging and call flow, for example, are areas the solution really excels in."

"It is quite user friendly to use and has a lot of very useful features that makes the analyst/technician's life easier."

"We've definitely seen an ROI; we've had the system in place for eight years, and it's provided a solid platform for us to deliver our services during that period."

Cons

"I could personally use automated testing, which we currently do not have in Automation Anywhere."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved as there are issues with the recorder, which needs enhancement to extract more fields in the property set to increase reliability across various web application platforms, such as those built on React, React Azure, and React Angular."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved by integrating self-correction capabilities into the bots, particularly as we develop RPA, where changes in environment paths require additional redeveloping efforts."

"I would like to have the ability to work on a remote desktop connection, run the recording on it and use all commands."

"My main issue with Automation Anywhere might be the logging of bots and getting more detailed feedback of what my bot is doing, step by step. It is hard to track fine-tuning in larger codes."

"The website can be buggy at times, and I would like to see improvements in latency and slow response times."

"Queues are great but need improvement. They are helpful because most of the automations are transaction-based."

"It needs stability improvements. Sometimes, it becomes unstable."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"Technical support is not the best. It could be much, much better and offer better support to users."

"Improvement can be done with the overall look, and fields like Query Type can be shown at the home page itself."

"The most frustrating thing is definitely the solutions center customization."

"More automation would be beneficial, as it could greatly improve our efficiency and reduce manual tasks."

"I face problems with stability sometimes while using Freshdesk. It's a server issue."

"Sometimes our requirements are not matched with Freshdesk's free version as most of the advanced features are not available to us."

"We have many cases where a ticket comes in, and it ends up having multiple team members working on it. It would be really nice to be able to assign a single ticket to multiple people, rather than having to create the parent-child hierarchy that they have set up. It generates a proliferation of tickets that I really don't want to have. Having to jump from a parent to one child and then to another child makes it harder for me to be able to see the entire case from end to end. A simple example is our new hire process or our termination process. We have people who leave. We also have people who come on board. We have got multiple people participating and doing things related to the leaving or onboarding process. Currently, I have to go to different tickets to be able to see whether all tasks are really done or not. If I could assign lots of people to one ticket, it would be really nice."

"I would like to see a little bit more color in the solution."

More Freshdesk cons

"Customer Service: I'd rate it as a 5/10 or 6/10."

"It's worked well for us for a significant period of time. However, we are kind-of outgrowing it at the moment. We're struggling a bit with making it meet our requirements."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing that we received from Automation Anywhere in the beginning was very economical for us. We've seen a lot of benefit from what we spent to what we're receiving. From the beginning, it's been a very low-cost implementation for us."

"I think it's $5,500 per license."

"There are a lot of savings in terms of effort and time as well as costs. Automation Anywhere automates a lot of processes. It allows an organization to save the efforts of a lot people. It saves a lot of time because people can't work a whole day (24/7), but Automation Anywhere bots can."

"Automation Anywhere pricing and licensing are competitive compared to the other automation vendors."

"The solution's pricing is pretty decent."

"Annual licensing costs would be about $100,000."

"There is an annual subscription for Automation Anywhere."

"The solution is costly and the licensing is very confusing."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is pretty manageable and acceptable."

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

"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."

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

"It is costly."

"The best system plan is enterprise. It costs basically 79 Euros per agent per month when it's billed annually and 95 Euros per agent per month when it's billed monthly."

"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."

"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."

More Freshdesk pricing and cost advice

"Our organization pays about $40,000 annually. There are ongoing consultancy costs and if we want to change anything, we're charged a day rate. Other than that, there are no other extra costs involved in working with the solution."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Help Desk Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	162
Midsize Enterprise	86
Large Enterprise	565

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

No data available

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 needs improvement with Freshdesk?

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

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 10% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 4% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

Appian vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

ServiceNow vs Freshdesk

Compared 9% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Freshdesk

Compared 6% of the time

Zendesk vs Freshdesk

Compared 5% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Freshdesk

Compared 4% of the time

IFS Cloud Platform vs Freshdesk

Compared 3% of the time

More Freshdesk Competitors

ServiceNow vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 17% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 14% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 5% of the time

Zendesk vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 5% of the time

Clarity SM vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 4% of the time

More Hornbill Systems Supportworks Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

November 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk

November 2026

Download Freshdesk product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

October 2026

Download Hornbill Systems Supportworks product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Supportworks

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Freshworks

Demo not available

Hornbill Systems

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

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

Hornbill Systems Supportworks is a flexible IT service management tool designed to manage complex IT environments with ease.

Designed for IT service management, Hornbill Systems Supportworks facilitates efficient operation within complex environments. With customizable workflows and automation capabilities, it addresses detailed requirements for seamless process execution.

What are the standout features of Hornbill Systems Supportworks?

Customizable Workflow: Offers tailored workflows to fit precise IT management needs.
Automation Capabilities: Enhances efficiency through task automation, reducing manual intervention.
Integration Options: Supports integration with third-party applications, ensuring interoperability.
User Management: Streamlines user role assignments and access provisions.
Reporting Tools: Provides comprehensive reporting for data-driven decision-making.

What benefits can you expect when evaluating reviews of Hornbill Systems Supportworks?

Scalability: Adapts to growing business demands without performance issues.
Cost Efficiency: Lowers operational costs through automation and effective resource management.
Enhanced Productivity: Increases productivity by minimizing downtime and improving process flows.
Improved Service Delivery: Elevates the quality of IT services with enhanced management tools.
Time Savings: Reduces time spent on troubleshooting and routine tasks.

Hornbill Systems Supportworks is implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, where streamlined operations and reliable service management are critical. Its adaptability ensures it meets sector-specific compliance and operational challenges effectively.

Hornbill Systems

Sample Customers

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

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

Aylesbury Vale District Council

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks

November 2026

Free Report: Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Find out what your peers are saying about Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Freshdesk vs. Hornbill Systems Supportworks report.

See our list of best Help Desk Software vendors.

We monitor all Help Desk Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.