Cherwell Service Management vs Freshdesk comparison

Ivanti and Freshworks are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. Ivanti is ranked #29, while Freshworks is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1. Additionally, 80% of Ivanti 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 Cherwell Service Management are in the IT service management space. Users favor Freshdesk for its support and pricing, while Cherwell is acknowledged for its superior features and perceived value.

Features: Freshdesk provides intuitive ticketing, AI-driven automation, and multichannel support. Cherwell Service Management offers workflow customization, integration capabilities, and extensive IT service management tools.

Room for Improvement: Freshdesk can improve in customization options, feature richness, and scalability for larger enterprises. Cherwell may enhance its user interface, simplify deployment, and clarify its pricing structure.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Freshdesk, with its cloud-based model, allows for quick setup and easy maintenance, known for dependable customer service. Cherwell Service Management provides on-premise options, though more complex to set up, offering tailored solutions for organizations with compliance requirements.

Pricing and ROI: Freshdesk delivers competitive and transparent pricing, ensuring quick ROI, appealing to small to medium-sized businesses. Cherwell has a higher initial cost but promises significant ROI through adaptability and depth for large enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Cherwell Service Management vs. Freshdesk Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cherwell Service Management vs. Freshdesk

June 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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Thobile Moeketsi

Senior Manager at Sasria SOC Ltd.

Having everything in one location has significantly improved our efficiency and reporting

We need to be on VPN in order to set up and access the solution, and that has created some challenges. Even though it uses our Windows login, we still have to be on VPN. The product should be able to log tickets directly from system to system. We haven't got there yet and I'm not sure it's possible but it would determine the product's capability to integrate with other systems.

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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

"I'd say there are new useful features that will definitely help us as we do more development in the near future."

"For the tasks that I do repeatedly, I can record processes using Automation Anywhere. I record mouse and keyboard actions and create a workflow for those activities. This minimizes my workload. The recording option is very useful."

"One thing that I want to highlight AA for is their security standards."

"It has the ability to tag different components within the automation. We built it to track the ROI and stability of the product."

"It is easy to install and use."

"In the past ten months, I have saved the work of two people and people are happy with the results."

"The valuable features that I see for automation with enterprise RPA are IQ Bot and Bot Insights."

"With the help of these features, we can automatically fetch data from invoices and websites, which is followed by the automated data entry into the webpage and ERP system."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"Implementing CSM has made us very efficient and we're now able to plan changes and the steps required for implementation."

"Its integration features, orchestration features, and discovery tools are the most valuable. It is also pretty stable, and it can be as scalable as you want."

"Clear processes with transparent responsibilities led to more efficiencies within the teams."

"We use the solution every day and quite extensively."

"The best feature is the ability to create functional dashboards, where the IT manager can interact with its data through the dashboard using the drill down feature."

"The dashboard and the reporting functionality are the solution's most valuable features."

"The most valuable features are problem management and change management."

"All our activities are carried out in the one place."

More Cherwell Service Management pros

"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."

"The most valuable features of Freshdesk that I have found useful are the quick and automated customer handling that uses AI and self-service options along with collaboration tools, which I plug into Slack, allowing my developer team to know directly what errors come from the main core of our website."

"Through chats we now connect with a bigger audience and satisfaction surveys have allowed us to know clients' points of view in a better way."

"While using Freshdesk for their ticket management solution for reaching out to the end users, we are transferring a large part of that to the central team which is operating through ServiceNow, so everything which is flowing there ultimately flows into ServiceNow to give a 360-degree view of how well the support is running."

"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."

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

"Freshdesk is very easy to use and understand; it has one of the best ticket systems that is easy to understand and provides the best visibility to customers."

"Their knowledge base is phenomenal. The way that it learns from our users is awesome, and responses are really awesome as well. It does a pretty good job of picking up what's needed. The knowledge bases are great."

More Freshdesk pros

Cons

"However, it does not work as well with retrieving data from images."

"In terms of improvements for Automation Anywhere, I would prefer to see more options in packages and pricing, including a breakdown of different features and products, which would allow us to select certain products while potentially skipping others as needed."

"Scaling from small to medium automation works well, but if building out very big applications, sometimes the code can be too lengthy and uncontrollable."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved with better documentation."

"Working with the Automation Anywhere servers and domains have proven to be difficult. We are trying to get more licenses and servers set up, so we can run multiple scenarios simultaneously."

"My experience has been that if the person who codes the bot is not very well-trained, then they might create unstable bots. So, it's not the platform. It is just how somebody has coded the bots which can bring lot of instability to them. I recommend that when you are using a coder that the person well-trained and have a good amount of experience already working on bots. They shouldn't be newbie or beginner who comes in to code because that will impact the quality of the code itself."

"I am not technically inclined, and it involves many steps for a process to function properly. It requires a lot of work initially to design and develop a process. I find it somewhat challenging. If you take time to understand it, it's not too difficult, but it seems complicated at the beginning if you're not a technical person."

"I would like a couple more features where I can talk and the line comes up automatically."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"Agile delivery should be supported."

"The stability, specifically in the on-premises deployment model, could be improved."

"Application service mapping, GRC, SecOps, and things like that need improvement."

"Access is only available if we're on VPN."

"We need to be on VPN in order to set up and access the solution, and that has created some challenges."

"Areas for improvement would be the service catalog and customer catalog, which is not very user-friendly. The shopping cart experience is also terrible - you submit and go straight to the cart, you can't continue shopping or see your overall cost."

"They need to improve their mobile interface, as well as features regarding the extension of the mobile access to the end user."

"The support from the actual manufacturer is poor."

More Cherwell Service Management cons

"Freshdesk could improve its capabilities. It's missing the article formatting, and the overall look and feel make it not easy to use. The administration instructions on how to manage the automation, capability, and integration with third parties, such as chat or bots, are very important in these types of solutions."

"There aren't any features that we want to enhance, but we need to mature in our usage of some of them. I can't say any feature is missing or needs improvement, but a tool's built-in features need to evolve customer feedback. We have a dialogue set up for that kind of feedback."

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

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

"There are a few things we have asked for, like a forward button. When a ticket comes in, we forward it, but it doesn't sync up with the forward. That is the one they have to rework. The other is when we forward the ticket, it doesn't go all, or certain things don't go with it. We have told them about it, and they are working on it. It would be better if they gave us a more standard reporting template. Although they already have some, many aren't usable. It would be easier if we had more templates to work with."

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

"While it's good for a small number of tickets, definitely in the future, we will require something more powerful."

"We have encountered lots of issues from observations of our QA, such as concatenated new lines displaying '=0' and differences between line spaces, and we are still waiting for resolutions for others, such as not being able to recover lost data or tickets."

More Freshdesk cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost for Automation Anywhere is high."

"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 is not cheap, but we are able to get an ROI."

"The ROI is really good. We have saved time and money."

"Subscription for Automation Anywhere (AA) is paid yearly."

"We paid separately for the Runner and Creater components. The final cost depends on the structure of your environment."

"I am not sure about the costs, but two Bot Runners and four Bot Creators may cost approximately 1CR."

"Cost is the biggest area in need of improvement for Automation Anywhere. Annually it's $250,000. That's what deterred us right away."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"For an ITIL user, the cost is probably about 50 bucks a month."

"The pricing is pretty manageable and acceptable."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

More Freshdesk pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Construction Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Healthcare Company

Construction Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	152
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	535

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
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.

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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...

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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

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 11% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 7% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

ServiceNow vs Cherwell Service Management

Compared 18% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs Cherwell Service Management

Compared 15% of the time

Freshservice vs Cherwell Service Management

Compared 8% of the time

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM vs Cherwell Service Management

Compared 6% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Cherwell Service Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Cherwell Service Management Competitors

ServiceNow vs Freshdesk

Compared 13% of the time

Zendesk vs Freshdesk

Compared 8% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Freshdesk

Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Freshdesk

Compared 5% of the time

IFS Cloud Platform vs Freshdesk

Compared 3% of the time

More Freshdesk Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

June 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

May 2026

Download Cherwell Service Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk

June 2026

Download Freshdesk product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Ivanti

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

Cherwell Service Management is designed to provide scalable and stable support for IT processes. Enhancing reporting and management interactions, it benefits departments with its integration features, knowledge base, and open architecture.

Cherwell Service Management simplifies task and resource management for organizations handling incident, problem, and change management. With its robust framework, hospitals manage clinical and non-clinical incidents, while integration options like Azure facilitate ITSM and CMDB discovery. The platform's strong reporting capabilities support recording incidents and changes, enabling diverse enterprise applications. Enhancements are needed in areas like agility support and JIRA integration.

What are the key features of Cherwell Service Management?

Dashboard: Offers quick task overviews for enhanced productivity.
Reporting Functionality: Simplifies data analysis and communication.
Self-Service Capabilities: Empowers users to resolve issues independently.
Integration and Orchestration: Ensures seamless connectivity with other tools.
Change Management: Provides stability in adapting processes.

What benefits should users consider when evaluating Cherwell Service Management?

Scalability: Supports growth and adaptation in IT environments.
Knowledge-Based Feature: Facilitates improved decision-making and compliance.
Functional Dashboards: Allow interactive data exploration through drill-down features.
Ease of Use: Open architecture benefits diverse departmental needs.

In hospitals, Cherwell Service Management handles both clinical and non-clinical incident management with integrations like ink cartridge tracking. Middle-sized teams increase efficiency in task management, while companies utilize its CMDB discovery for ITSM needs. Modernization is essential for mobile interfaces and VPN access, ensuring improved user interaction.

Ivanti

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

Ausenco, Highlights for Children, B/E Aerospace

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

Buyer's Guide

Cherwell Service Management vs. Freshdesk

June 2026

Free Report: Cherwell Service Management vs. Freshdesk

Find out what your peers are saying about Cherwell Service Management vs. Freshdesk and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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