Buyer guide

How much does help desk software cost for 5 agents?

At listed entry-tier prices a 5-agent team pays about $95 per month for Zendesk or Freshdesk (5 agents at $19), $125 for Help Scout (5 at $25) and $145 for Intercom (5 at $29). Help Scout's free plan supports up to 5 users but is limited to 100 contacts per month and 1 inbox, and Freshdesk's free plan covers 2 agents.

Tool	Entry tier	Per agent	5 agents (5 × per-agent)	Worth knowing
Zendesk	Support Team	$19 ($25 billed monthly)	$95/mo	No free plan; AI Agents billed per resolution beyond an allowance
Freshdesk	Growth	$19	$95/mo	Free plan covers up to 2 agents; teams outgrow Growth quickly
Help Scout	Standard	$25 ($30 billed monthly)	$125/mo	Free plan covers up to 5 users, 100 contacts per month, 1 inbox
Intercom	Essential	$29 ($39 billed monthly)	$145/mo	Fin AI bills $0.99 per outcome on top of seats

The totals are StackScope's arithmetic of five agents at each tool's listed per-agent price. Freshdesk's monthly USD prices aren't publicly posted, so its listed price is shown without a billing basis.

AI is billed separately at most of these vendors. Zendesk charges $1.50 per committed resolution or $2.00 pay-as-you-go beyond a monthly allowance, with Copilot at $50 per agent per month. Intercom's Fin is $0.99 per outcome and Copilot adds $29 per agent per month billed annually. Help Scout's AI Answers is $0.75 per resolution after a 3-month trial.

Figures are published list prices aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party research as of October 2026. Totals marked as arithmetic are StackScope's multiplication of a listed per-seat price. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product. See the full Help Desk Software report for every source and flagged conflict.