Freshworks Launches in Chennai Following Zendesk Price Hike
What happened
Freshworks launched from Chennai on September 25, 2026. The company's founder transitioned from Zoho, citing an opportunity created by Zendesk increasing its prices by 60% to 300%. This prompted the founder to build customer-support software delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
From moneycontrol.com
Why it matters
The price increase by Zendesk created a market opening for new competitors in the customer support software sector. Freshworks is positioned to capture demand for SaaS alternatives by addressing customer dissatisfaction with expensive traditional systems.
From moneycontrol.com
Who's involved
- FreshworksCustomer service software company that launched in Chennai
- ZendeskCRM company whose price hike created a market opportunity
- ZohoTechnology company where the founder of Freshworks previously served as an executive
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- FreshworksSpeculative
Freshworks might increase sales by capitalizing on the market opportunity created by competitor pricing.
- ZendeskSpeculative
Zendesk's competitive position might change due to the price hike, potentially affecting customer demand.
Keep exploring
The entities involved
-
Freshworks
Customer service software company
Nothing else this week.
-
Zendesk
CRM company that builds customer support and sales software which aims for quick implementation and adaptation at scale
Nothing else this week.
-
Zoho
Zoho provides a drag-and-drop interface for creating database-driven applications, such as forms
Nothing else this week.