The debate between Freshdesk vs Jira Service Management was never so relevant. Both tools received the bi-yearly updates that helped them propel the ranks, but the question remains open. And to no surprise, picking the right tool can help push your business operations.
A suitable service desk can establish you as a viable player and help to serve your customers faster, better, and in some cases, cheaper. Thus, we’ve decided to compare Jira vs Freshdesk with a set of defining characteristics. Aside from that, we’ll also be looking at their pricing options and determining their pros and cons.
Last but not least, not every person has the time to read a giant wall of text, so we focus only on the vital parts of each service desk and touch upon a few additional features that might come in handy.
What Is Jira Service Management All about?
Jira Service Management is a software tool that aims to accelerate work in IT Service Management work in IT Service Management (ITSM) and customer service environments. Since its release by Atlassian, the solution has received many high-quality updates. Besides, the Jira ticket tool introduced vital features that help businesses improve the quality of their service and maximize return on investment.
Jira Service Management is a known brand with a cult following among software developers. And for good reasons, Jira Service Management has many features specifically tailored for ITSM. Yet, it doesn’t mean that this tool won’t work in e-commerce or any other industry for that matter.
After all, it was designed for all types of businesses, which is clearly reflected in their feature list. One of the most prominent parts of Jira Service Management is that it employs machine learning in self-serving features. These functions allow accelerating workflow, completely removing the mundane work. Another critical characteristic of Jira Service Management is ticket automation, which streamlines rerouting processes. Last but not least, the Jira ticket tool was built for collaboration. So, you get various settings for both local and virtual teams.
What Is Freshdesk All about?
Built by an experienced team, Freshdesk is a software service desk tool that caters to the needs of both small and large businesses. The service desk aims to provide world-class multi-channel communication and support, and offer a robust automation suite. It has all the standard features you might expect from a service desk and many exclusive ones.
As soon as you install the help desk, you see an extensive knowledge base. Besides, you get a community platform where experts gather to discuss common issues and ways to mitigate them. Also, as part of the service, you can access a flexible and scalable ticket management tool to work in all kinds of business models.
Lastly, Freshdesk is compatible with several different third-party apps and platforms. You can integrate numerous apps from the Freshworks marketplace right out of the box. You also get backward compatibility with things such as legacy productivity apps. Finally, Freshdesk supports integrations with Google Apps, YouTube, Slideshare, and a dedicated mobile version of the service desk. For the most part, the service desk delivers a high-quality experience.
Jira Service Management vs Freshdesk: Pricing
Looking at Freshdesk vs Jira Service Desk (right now, Jira Service Management) pricing options, both provide compelling tiers. They aren’t exactly expensive, but they are diverse in terms of features.
Starting off with the basics, both ITSM solutions offer 4 pricing plans including a Free plan. However, Freshdesk offers a Free plan for unlimited agents, while you can only have 3 users on Jira Service Management. Besides, Jira Service Management Jira Service Management uses a different approach to pricing: the help desk a per agent system to reduce the average price the more people you bring on board. If you have more than 16 support agents, the price can go lower.
However, the final price for Freshdesk and Jira Service Management might change. For instance, you must purchase a Confluence subscription to learn about Jira Service Management. You must also have an Atlassian access subscription to enable SSO, SCIM, and Active Directory Sync. As for Freshdesk, you can increase your monthly fee with Field Service Management ($15/field employee/month) or additional bot sessions ($75 for 1000 bot sessions/month).
Comparing Standard Plans
When you start off with a help desk, a free plan is a perfect solution. But as your business scales and the team grows, you need something more advanced, usually a Standard plan. Yet, which pricing would you choose: Freshdesk’s Growth or Jira Service Management’s Standard?
The price is the first difference between the two plans: Freshdesk’s Growth is much cheaper than Jira Service Management’s Standard. You need to have at least 115 agents, so the price for one agent per month on Jira Service Management would be the same as on Freshdesk.
As for features, both solutions focus on different types of teams: Freshdesk offers more help desk capabilities, while Jira Service Management has more ITSM functions. However, they both include automations, reporting, analytics, SLA management,a help widget, and various third-party apps on their respective Marketplaces.
In contrast to the Freshdesk plan, the Jira Service Management tier helps you manage your workflow with configurable workflows. With this feature, you can configure your associated workflows and forms with drag-and-drop fields. Freshdesk, on the other hand, has collision detection to let you know when another agent is tracking/viewing/replying to the ticket.
Freshdesk’s Growth provides a couple of functions focused on ticket management as
- Ticket dispatch: Prioritize, categorize and route tickets to the right agents.
- Ticket trend report: Analyze the types of tickets your support agents get and solve a day to find needed resources/information quicker.
- Email and social ticketing: Convert all social media and email queries into tickets. Track, solve and prioritize them in Freshdesk.
As for Jira Service Management, its Standard plan includes a few advanced service desk features like
- Service request management: Make sure that your agents can find the needed information to get help quickly and efficiently.
- Incident management: Quickly reply to, solve, and simultaneously learn from the incidents.
- Change management: Improve the workflow with automations, multi-user approvals, and CI/CD changes.
- Problem management: Record information about problems and workarounds, keep the incident impact to the minimum, and help your agents to the problem core.
Jira vs Freshdesk: Pros & Cons
And for the most exciting part of our Jira Service Management, previously Jira Service Desk, vs Freshdesk comparison. In this section, we cover the user interface, performance, ease of navigation, supported languages, and other aspects of the tools. Keep in mind that these things can change as time goes by, but here’s what we’ve got as of the time of this writing.
Jira Service Management
Generally speaking, Jira Service Management is a pretty well-made tool with a few drawbacks that can cause inconveniences. Yet, these are minor disadvantages that third-party apps or add-ons can mitigate.
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Freshdesk
All in all, Freshdesk is good for the money, and it mostly does its job. Keep in mind, mainly as we think a few caveats should be addressed. In any case, here’s what we’ve got.
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Freshdesk vs Jira: Common Features
Freshdesk and Jira Service Management offer essential features—but the details matter. Here’s how they compare in key areas that impact support teams every day.
Ticket Management
A solid ticket management system is a must-have for any helpdesk.
Freshdesk brings all incoming tickets into one unified interface, no matter the source—email, chat, phone, or social media. Agents can easily create, assign, edit, or delete tickets, keeping workflows clean and organized.
Source: Freshworks
Jira Service Management also supports ticket intake from various channels. It offers core ticketing actions—such as assignment, editing, and deletion—helping teams stay on top of requests.
Omnichannel Support
Need to manage service conversations from different platforms in one place? Jira Service Management vs Freshdesk have you covered.
Freshdesk centralizes messages from email, chat, phone, social media, website, and WhatsApp. This gives teams a complete view of customer interactions across channels, keeping communication seamless.
Jira Service Management supports omnichannel intake as well, gathering requests from email, live chat, phone, social platforms, and web forms. It consolidates communication into a single workspace to streamline operations.
Source: Atlassian
SLA Management
Meeting service level agreements is key to consistent support delivery, and both service desk solutions offer robust SLA tools.
Freshdesk allows agents to create multiple SLA policies based on ticket type. The inbox can be sorted by SLA due times, while automated reminders and escalations ensure no deadlines are missed.
Source: Freshworks
Jira Service Management offers similar capabilities, letting you define SLA rules based on categories, priorities, or timeframes. Alerts and escalations are triggered automatically to keep issues on track.
Incident & Problem Management
Efficient incident and problem management helps teams respond faster and stay organized during disruptions.
Freshdesk lets agents split complex tickets into child tickets, assign them to different team members, and maintain their connection. This helps teams collaborate without losing sight of the larger issue.
Jira Service Management focuses on centralized incident handling, allowing you to link related tickets and escalate major issues. It’s easy to trigger workflows that coordinate resolution steps and reduce downtime.
Source: Atlassian
Canned Responses
Quick and consistent replies save time and reduce agent effort.
Freshdesk enables agents to create and store pre-written responses to common questions. These can be inserted with a single click, streamlining replies without sacrificing quality.
Source: Freshworks
Jira Service Management supports team-based canned responses, making it easy to standardize answers across departments and ensure consistent communication.
Knowledge Base
Empower customers to find answers themselves—without contacting support.
Freshdesk offers a multilingual knowledge base that can be fully branded. It supports 42 languages and can be accessed from your website, mobile app, or chatbot. Great for global teams looking for design flexibility.
Jira Service Management uses Confluence to host support content like how-to articles and FAQs. It also supports multiple languages and provides customization options for your help center or customer portal.
Chatbot
AI can make your support faster and smarter, but built-in support varies.
Freshdesk includes Freddy AI out of the box. Freddy AI Agent delivers instant, personalized responses, while Freddy Copilot assists agents by automating tasks and prioritizing tickets. Freddy Insights gives team leaders access to performance trends and reporting without additional setup.
Source: Freshworks
Jira Service Management doesn’t include a native chatbot. Instead, you’ll need to connect a third-party integration to get similar functionality.
Community Forum
Community forums can lighten your support load and boost customer engagement—but platform support differs.
Freshdesk includes a native community forum where customers can ask questions, suggest ideas, and collaborate. Agents can even turn valuable posts into tickets with a single click, creating an easy path from discussion to resolution.
By contrast, Jira Service Management doesn’t include built-in forums. You can link to a Confluence knowledge base, but it doesn’t support interactive discussions.
Ticket Routing
High ticket volumes require smart distribution.
Freshdesk supports advanced ticket routing based on ticket properties, keywords, or requester details. You can set up round-robin or load-balanced assignment methods to prevent agent overload and keep ticket queues moving.
Jira Service Management allows you to configure automatic assignments based on your team structure. While it lacks Freshdesk’s skill-based routing, it can automatically close inactive tickets and reopen them when customers respond.
Source: Atlassian
Automated Workflows
Automation helps reduce manual work and keeps teams focused.
Freshdesk triggers actions based on time or ticket events—automatically sending notifications, assigning tickets, or updating statuses. Features like shift tracking and out-of-office scheduling support global, distributed teams.
Source: Freshworks
On the flipside, Jira Service Management also offers robust automation with customizable triggers and rules. It includes approval workflows that assign decisions to the right team members, keeping operations efficient and compliant.
Customer Satisfaction
Tracking customer feedback is critical, and Jira Service Management vs Freshdesk offer tools to make it easy.
Freshdesk sends CSAT surveys automatically after ticket resolution. It provides ready-made dashboards that display key metrics like agent ratings, response times, and custom field data.
Jira Service Management includes built-in CSAT forms that can be triggered based on workflow conditions. The results are displayed in customizable dashboards to help you identify trends and improve service quality.
Source: Atlassian
Data Security & Security Compliance
When it comes to customer data, security and compliance are non-negotiable.
Freshdesk offers role-based access controls, IP whitelisting, and SSO. Data is encrypted using SHA-256, and the platform protects against threats like click-jacking. But that’s not all—it also complies with HIPAA and GDPR regulations.
Jira Service Management, on the other hand, offers enterprise-grade security, including AES-256 encryption for data in transit and at rest. It supports SAML SSO, SCIM, and flexible permission settings. Certifications include ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and GDPR.
Freshdesk vs Jira: Unique Features
This Jira and Freshdesk comparison goes beyond shared capabilities. While both deliver a solid foundation, each platform brings unique strengths to the table. Let’s break down the key features, highlighting the difference between Jira and Freshdesk for teams seeking a reliable service desk solution.
Jira Service Management Standout Features
Jira Service Management is designed for technical teams that require precision, scalability, and deep workflow control. Its advanced capabilities make it a reliable service desk solution focused on DevOps and ITSM needs.
Customize Workflows
Jira gives teams unmatched flexibility to tailor workflows to their exact needs. Whether you’re managing simple tasks or orchestrating complex, multi-step approval processes, Jira’s visual editor and rule-based logic adapt to your service operation.
Source: Atlassian
Advanced Reporting and Analytics
Track every detail of incident response—from initial reports to post-mortems. Jira lets you analyze trends, identify weak points, and surface success stories. Use built-in templates to export reports and incident timelines to Confluence, so teams across Development, Ops, and Business can stay aligned on next steps and long-term improvements.
Integration Capabilities
With 3,000+ apps in the Atlassian Marketplace, Jira seamlessly connects with tools like Slack, GitHub, and Figma. These integrations combine systems, creating streamlined workflows and shared visibility across teams.
Automation and Workflow Triggers
Jira comes loaded with automation templates to fast-track setup. Automate low-risk change approvals, manage deployment workflows, or trigger escalations—all based on change type, risk level, or internal policy.
Source: Atlassian
The Atlassian Intelligence-powered virtual agent even handles routine support directly in Slack. You can define custom intents or tap into your existing knowledge base to auto-resolve Tier 1 tickets, escalating complex ones to the right team with full context attached.
Freshdesk Special Features
Freshdesk is an ideal service desk solution for support teams prioritizing multichannel communication, customer experience, and fast onboarding. It offers user-friendly features that help businesses deliver a popular service across multiple touchpoints with ease.
Multichannel Support
Freshdesk consolidates customer conversations from chat, email, phone, WhatsApp, and social media into a single interface. It’s a key feature that makes Freshdesk a strong choice for companies that want to provide popular services through multiple channels while maintaining context and response speed.
Source: Freshworks
Self-service Portal
Freshdesk enhances self-service with a combination of:
- Knowledge Base: Help articles in 40+ languages.
- Community Forums: Peer support and collaboration.
- Customizable Portals: On-brand, user-friendly support experiences.
This combination supports basic service inquiries and complex customer needs, without direct agent involvement.
AI-powered Automation
Freshdesk’s Freddy AI simplifies everything from ticket routing to SLA enforcement.
- Ticket Dispatch: Sort and assign based on the rules you set.
- Round-Robin & Load-Balancing: Ensure fair distribution of tickets.
- Event-Based Triggers: Automate escalations, updates, and reminders.
This kind of workflow automation makes Freshdesk an ideal service desk solution for distributed support teams.
Collaborative Ticketing
Freshdesk turns ticketing into a team sport. Agents can share internal notes, link tasks, and auto-assign tickets based on skill or load. This makes it easier to manage high volumes and still deliver a reliable service desk solution.
Source: Freshworks
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Built-in CSAT tools help teams monitor performance and improve over time. Use survey results to identify top agents, spot service gaps, and refine your customer experience. It’s a key feature for support leaders focused on service quality and ongoing training.
Who Is Freshdesk vs Jira Service Management Good for?
While the battle between Jira vs Freshdesk may not be complete, you need to make your choice. Both help desk solutions have several features and capabilities that are worth your money.
Freshdesk would be suitable for your business if you need:
- An advanced ticketing solution with a unified custom view to streamline your customer queries.
- An affordable, right-sized, and automated solution that suits small businesses (SMBs).
- A built-in knowledge base to provide your customers with self-service.
- Quality support for your team via phone, email, and chat.
As for Jira Service Management, the help desk platform is your perfect bet if you need:
- An advanced ITSM solution that includes a problem, incident, change, and service request management. So, you can unite customer support, IT Service, and DevOps on one platform.
- A big number of support integrations and third-party apps.
- Customizable and flexible workflows to adhere your way to get tickets/issues solved.
- Compelling SLA features that make your team proactive.
If you are looking for a way to move your data to one of them, leave us a message. ‘Cause when it comes to help desk migration, you know who to call.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can install the Atlassian Jira Plus application to integrate platforms. To get the app, go to Get More Apps, select the integration, and go to your app configuration page. There you need to fill in your Freshdesk URL and API key.
If we speak about Jira Service Management, then yes. It’s an IT service management tool to manage IT projects of different sizes.
Sign in to Id Atlassian and create an API token there. Or, you can go to Settings, select Atlassian account settings, and press on Security. After that, you need to click on Create to manage your API token.
That depends on the specific business needs and requirements. If you need a cheaper help desk solution with a straightforward UI, then Freshdesk is your best shot. However, you need more robust features, extensive integrations and means to improve efficiency, then Zendesk might be the one.
Freshdesk offers four pricing tiers that focus on optimizing for cost. It means that if your team grows, you don’t have to switch off to a new platform, but just choose a more advanced pricing option. For instance, as you switch from a Free plan to a Standard plan, you get many customizable features.
Freshdesk includes a knowledge base where you can create articles and information to help your customers. A knowledge base serves as a repository for self-service for customers and a place with useful resources for support agents. A typical Freshdesk knowledge base includes FAQs, how-tos, step-by-step instructions, and more.
Jira Service Management caters to technical teams that need advanced workflow controls, native ITSM features, and strong developer integrations. Freshdesk is optimized for customer support, offering a more straightforward interface and multichannel communication. Their key feature contrast lies in technical depth versus user-friendly design.
Jira Service Management offers robust ITSM capabilities, including ITIL-compliant modules and built-in asset tracking. It’s ideal for structured IT teams that need control and automation. Freshdesk can support basic service needs, but it isn’t as feature-rich for IT governance.
Freshdesk is quicker to deploy, with straightforward configuration and minimal training required. It suits teams looking for immediate productivity without technical setup. Jira Service Management has more options but demands technical involvement.
Both help desk tools support internal and external workflows, but with different strengths. Freshdesk shines in customer interactions with its omnichannel support. Jira Service Management is stronger for internal ticketing, especially in tech-driven environments.
Jira Service Management scales by supporting complex processes, automation, and integration as teams grow. Freshdesk scales by simplifying onboarding and managing high volumes across channels. The right platform depends on whether your priority is operational control or agility.
Freshdesk supports 42 languages and allows agents to work across multiple time zones. Its multilingual knowledge base and time-aware SLA settings make it an excellent fit for global teams. Jira Service Management also supports multiple languages and provides time zone-aware SLAs. Both platforms help distributed teams provide consistent, localized support, though Freshdesk has an edge in built-in multilingual content publishing.
Freshdesk covers core functions like incident and problem management, but lacks complete ITIL alignment. It’s best for teams that value ease of use over formal compliance. Jira Service Management is built with ITIL in mind, making it more suitable for structured ITSM.
Switching between Freshdesk and Jira Service Management is manageable with the right tools. Help Desk Migration simplifies the process by allowing you to transfer tickets, agents, contacts, companies, and knowledge base records, even with the structural differences between platforms. It’s a reliable way to ensure your data moves securely and accurately without disrupting operations.