Freshdesk alternative
A simpler help desk, on the inbox you already have.
MyGorilla connects to your Gmail or Outlook support mailbox and turns it into a shared ticket queue your team can assign, discuss and answer, with replies sent from your own address. $15 an agent, free for one, and no AI add-ons to buy.
Why teams look past Freshdesk
A full service suite is a lot to run when the job is a busy shared inbox.
Two plans, not a tier chart
Team is $15 an agent and Pro is $29, both less billed annually. One agent is free for as long as you like. No minimum seats, cancel any time.
No AI add-ons or session packs
Instead of buying a vendor's AI per agent or per session, connect Claude or ChatGPT through MyGorilla's MCP server and use the subscription you already have, on every plan.
Built on Gmail and Outlook
Connect Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com with one sign-in. No forwarding rules, no custom mail server settings, and replies stay in the customer's thread.
Companies by email domain
Everyone who writes from a customer's domain is grouped under that company, with its own default priority, tags and assignee, and every requester gets a profile with their history.
Email, phone, SMS and chat
Pro adds a support phone line with voicemail and two-way texting, a website chat widget, a public help center and reports. Every call, text and chat is a ticket in the same queue.
Nothing to configure first
About ten minutes from sign-up to the first ticket. The defaults are the views and statuses agents expect, so there is no setup project before you can answer a customer.
How the switch works
- 1
Create a free workspace
Sign up with Google or email. You start with a 14-day Pro trial, no card needed.
- 2
Connect the support mailbox
Settings → Mailboxes. Recent mail is imported as tickets; Freshdesk keeps working while you try it.
- 3
Recreate canned responses
Copy your most-used canned responses into macros, which can set the ticket status as they insert.
- 4
Move the team, then cancel
Invite agents, point your forwarding away from Freshdesk if you used it, and cancel at renewal. Keep an export of old tickets.
Side by side
| MyGorilla | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for one agent; Team $15 or Pro $29 per agent per month (less annually) | Tiered per-agent plans, with a discount for annual billing |
| AI | Bring your own: MCP server and REST API on every plan, no charge | Freddy AI features sold as add-ons by agent or by session |
| How email arrives | Direct connection to Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Outlook.com | Forwarding to a Freshdesk address, or a custom mail server setup |
| Replies from your own address | Sent through your connected mailbox | Supported, with sender configuration |
| Views, assignment, notes, canned replies | Included | Included |
| Companies by email domain | Included, with per-company defaults | Included |
| Help center / knowledge base | Included on Pro, on your address or your own domain | Included |
| Reports | Included on Pro | Included; deeper analytics on higher tiers |
| Phone and texting | Included on Pro; $25/month add-on on Team | Through Freshcaller or integrations |
| Website chat | Included on Pro | Through Freshchat or omnichannel plans |
| Social channels | Not included | Available |
| SLA policies, automations | Not included | Included |
| Contract | Monthly or annual; cancel any time | Monthly or annual by plan |
Freshdesk, Freshcaller, Freshchat and Freddy are trademarks of Freshworks Inc. MyGorilla is not affiliated with Freshworks. Freshdesk details are general descriptions at the time of writing; check Freshdesk’s current plans for specifics.
Who switches, and why
Teams living in Gmail or Outlook
If support already runs on a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mailbox, MyGorilla sits on top of it instead of beside it.
Small teams with a growing AI bill
Use the Claude or ChatGPT seat you already pay for to summarize and draft, instead of adding AI per agent.
Anyone who wants fewer settings
Views, statuses, macros and companies that work on day one, without an admin building them first.
Honest answers
- How is MyGorilla different from Freshdesk?
- Freshdesk is a broad customer service suite with its own AI, automation rules and a family of companion products. MyGorilla is deliberately smaller: a help desk on top of the Gmail or Outlook mailbox you already have, with tickets, views, assignment, notes, macros and companies on every plan, and a help center, reports, phone, texting and chat on Pro.
- Do we have to forward our support email?
- No. You sign in to the support mailbox with Google or Microsoft and approve access. MyGorilla reads new mail through the Gmail or Microsoft Graph API and sends replies through the same mailbox, so nothing changes about how your domain receives email and customers see a normal reply from your address.
- Can I import our Freshdesk tickets?
- Not directly. MyGorilla imports recent mail from the mailbox when you connect it, so open conversations come across. Keep a Freshdesk export for older ticket history.
- What does MyGorilla leave out?
- Social channels, SLA policies, and scenario and workflow automations. If your team answers email, with some phone and chat, and has never built an automation rule, you will not miss them. If you depend on complex routing, Freshdesk may be the better fit.
- What about AI?
- MyGorilla is an MCP server, on every plan including Free. Add it as a connector in Claude.ai or ChatGPT, or point Claude Code or Cursor at it, and the assistant you already pay for can summarize tickets, draft replies, change status and assignee, and write help center articles. We charge nothing for the connection.
- Is there a contract or minimum seats?
- No. One agent is free, and teams pay per agent, monthly or annually (annual saves about 20%), with no minimum seats. Every new workspace starts with a 14-day Pro trial, no card needed.
Try it on your real inbox this afternoon.
One agent is free, and Freshdesk keeps working until you decide.