The goal of using ticketing software and helpdesk software is faster responses and better outcomes. The right software will help resolve problems faster and spot patterns across incidents. The best platform will help you tame the chaos and keep your IT ecosystem under control.
Ticketing and helpdesk software help teams perform even better when fully integrated into a comprehensive IT service management platform.
Ticketing software vs. fully integrated IT software
Startly and Freshdesk both provide ticketing software and helpdesk support. Freshdesk focuses more narrowly on customer support and is a helpdesk tool. Startly is an IT operations platform with robust ticketing and helpdesk software, fully integrated with powerful asset management, CMDB, change management, and performance analytics.
Don’t need the extra modules yet? Startly gives you the power to choose which modules you use and which you don’t. All are included for $15 per user per month, no contract required.
Startly vs. Freshdesk: the key difference
Startly and Freshdesk both offer ticketing software and helpdesk support. Freshdesk is a customer support helpdesk. Startly is an internal IT service management platform, with ticketing at the core.
What is Freshdesk?
Freshdesk is a customer support and helpdesk platform primarily for external-facing teams. It helps manage requests across multiple communication channels and provides basic automation rules and SLA and customer satisfaction tracking. Freshdesk is designed for the IT manager who is measured by response times and resolution.
Startly is designed differently. Our software helps any IT team master ticketing and helpdesk services. Startly’s ticket module connects seamlessly with asset management, CMDB, project management, change management, and performance analytics.
Startly is designed for IT directors who need ticketing with context. Our IT management software gives you visibility into what’s breaking, why it’s breaking, and how to prioritize what to fix next.
Freshdesk pricing vs. Startly pricing
Freshdesk offers some advanced features, but you’ll need to pay for them. Freshdesk pricing[1] is tiered, with advanced features, automation, and asset management available only at a higher price point. If you want more, you’ll need to buy and integrate third-party tools at an additional cost. You’ll need to sign an annual contract, too.
Everything is included in Startly’s $15 per user per month price. That means you get enterprise-level ticketing and helpdesk software, CMDB and asset management, project management and change management, and comprehensive performance analytics, all for $15 per user per month.
Startly is intuitive, with a next-to-no learning curve. Every user will quickly become a Startly power user. Because every module is fully integrated, the Startly platform keeps itself up to date through daily use. You’ll get a powerful platform to improve IT outcomes with a lower total cost of ownership.
Freshdesk ticketing software vs. Startly ticketing software
The core difference between Freshdesk and Startly is that Freshdesk is designed to handle tickets efficiently. Startly is optimized for resolving IT issues effectively.
Core ticketing features
Freshdesk ticketing software provides all traditional helpdesk support: ticket intake across email, chat, phone, and social, and automated ticket routing and prioritization. Freshdesk features include SLA policies and escalation rules, productivity metrics by agent, and a customer portal and knowledge base.
Startly ticketing software is built to tame and improve IT operations. Any new user can start writing tickets in three steps in the first hour of the free trial. It’s fast and simple to create, triage, and prioritize tickets and solutions. Startly tracks SLAs and directly links tickets to assets, the CMDB, and projects and changes.
Strategic ticketing management
Startly goes beyond efficient ticket management to provide visibility into why tickets are being created, where to intervene, and how to resolve and prevent recurring problems.
In Startly, every ticket can be linked to an IT asset (hardware or software), configuration items in the CMDB, related incidents and past outages, active or recent changes, new projects, and known problem areas.
Freshdesk manages tickets in isolation. Startly manages tickets within the context of your complex IT ecosystem. Startly helps pinpoint what caused each problem, which systems are affected, and how you can prevent the problem from happening again.
Startly is smart, strategic ticketing inside a fully integrated ITSM platform.
Compare performance analytics & dashboards
Freshdesk reporting and analytics focus on ticketing, including ticket volume, response times, resolution times, SLA compliance, and agent productivity. While useful for managing staffing and efficiency, Freshdesk is less useful for optimizing IT performance and connecting trends in tickets to specific systems, projects, or resources.
Startly’s performance analytics are designed for ticketing and managing IT operations. Startly’s dashboard gives you real-time visibility into tickets and SLAs as well as assets, projects, resource utilization, and financials. You get role-based dashboards so that each user can see their own KPIs. Pre-built widgets and easy customization cut the time spent on reporting and give you actionable insights at a glance. You can drill down into tickets, assets, configuration items, and related projects or changes with a click.
Freshdesk provides basic reporting. Startly provides dashboards that enable data-driven decision-making.
Why Startly is right for your IT team
If you’re looking for a ticketing platform, Freshdesk will probably meet your needs, albeit at a higher total cost and a longer commitment. If you’re looking for smarter helpdesk and ticketing software, Startly is the strategic choice. It’s a great fit for IT directors at small to mid-size organizations who want fewer repeat incidents, faster resolution, and better insights into their IT ecosystem.
Customer: IT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses