How to Cancel Freshdesk in 2026 (Downgrade to Free + Export Everything)

Updated 2026-02-26 · 7 min read

What the Free Plan Actually Includes

Before canceling entirely, check if the free tier covers your needs:

• Up to 10 agents — enough for most small businesses
• Email ticketing: Integrated email support with basic ticket management
• Knowledge base: Create and publish help articles
• Ticket trend reports: Basic analytics on ticket volume and resolution times
• Social media ticketing: Twitter and Facebook channel support
• Mobile app: Full iOS/Android support for on-the-go responses

What you lose when downgrading: SLA management, automations, CSAT surveys, collision detection, custom ticket fields, time tracking, and round-robin assignment.

Step 1: Export Your Data

1. Tickets: Admin → Account → Helpdesk → Data Export → Export tickets as CSV
2. Contacts: Admin → Contacts → Export all contacts
3. Knowledge base: Each article can be copied; for bulk export, use the Freshdesk API
4. Canned responses: Document all saved reply templates
5. Automations: Screenshot dispatch rules, scenario automations, and SLA policies
6. Reports: Export any custom reports you rely on

Step 2: Cancel or Downgrade

Option A — Downgrade to Free:

1. Go to Admin → Account → Plans and Billing
2. Select the Free plan
3. Confirm the downgrade — you'll lose paid features but keep all your ticket history
4. If you have more than 10 agents, you'll need to deactivate the extras first

Option B — Cancel entirely:

1. Admin → Account → Plans and Billing → Cancel Account
2. If the option isn't available, email billing@freshworks.com
3. Include your account URL, company name, and cancellation request
4. Annual plans: Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period

Step 3: Cancel Freshworks Add-Ons Separately

If you added other Freshworks products, cancel each one independently:

• Freshchat: Messaging/live chat — cancel from Freshchat admin panel
• Freshcaller: Phone support — cancel and port your number if needed
• Freshsales: CRM — export contacts before canceling
• Freshservice: IT service desk — separate subscription entirely
• Freddy AI: AI features — remove from each product where enabled
• Marketplace apps: Any third-party integrations installed from the marketplace

Alternatives Worth Considering

• Help Scout ($22/user/month): Clean shared inbox, knowledge base, in-app messaging — great for customer-centric teams
• Crisp (free-$95/month): Flat pricing regardless of agents, live chat + chatbot + knowledge base
• Tidio (free-$29/month): AI chatbot with live chat, built for e-commerce
• Zoho Desk (free for 3 agents): Full helpdesk with automation, knowledge base, and AI assistant
• Gmail + Google Groups: For very small teams, a shared inbox in Google Workspace might be all you need
• Missive ($14/user/month): Collaborative inbox that works with your existing email