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Help desk software — full comparison
Click any column header to re-sort. Prices are per-seat/agent, monthly, billed annually unless noted.
Zendesk vs. Freshdesk pricing starts identically at $19/agent, but Freshdesk is generally the better value at that price since it also has a genuinely free 2-agent plan — Zendesk has no free plan at all, only a 14-day trial. For teams hunting for the cheapest help desk software, Zendesk and Freshdesk tie for the lowest entry price; Help Scout's free plan (up to 5 users, 100 contacts/month) is the most generous ongoing free tier among all four. Watch the AI add-on costs before committing to a sticker price: Zendesk's AI Agents and Copilot, Intercom's Fin, and Freshdesk's Freddy AI Copilot can all add $29–50+/agent/month on top of the base seat price.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Highest public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | No free planSupport Team is the entry paid tier · 14-day free trial, no card required | $19/agentSupport Team · $25/mo billed monthly | $55/agentSuite Team · $69/mo billed monthly | $115/agentSuite Professional · $149/mo billed monthly · Enterprise is sales-led, not publicly posted | Catch: add-ons add up fast. Praised for deep omnichannel workflows, granular automation, and reporting (Explore). AI Agents are included but billed per automated resolution beyond a limited monthly allowance — $1.50 per committed resolution, $2.00 pay-as-you-go. Copilot is a separate $50/agent/month add-on (billed annually); stacking these pushes the real bill well past the sticker price. |
| Freshdesk Best value (paid) | Free, up to 2 agentsOngoing, per current vendor materials — basic ticketing, KB, reporting · plus a separate 14-day all-access trial | $19/agentGrowth · monthly USD price not publicly posted on the current pricing page | $55/agentPro · monthly USD price not publicly posted on the current pricing page | $89/agentEnterprise · monthly USD price not publicly posted on the current pricing page | Catch: you'll want Pro sooner than you think. Consistently cited as the value pick — clean UI, fast setup, real automation at the $19 entry tier. Advanced customization and deeper reporting hit a ceiling below Pro, which is where most teams end up. Freddy AI Agent includes the first 500 sessions/month, then $49 per 100 additional sessions; Freddy AI Copilot is a separate $29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise. |
| Intercom | No free plan14-day free trial only, no card required | $29/seatEssential · $39/mo billed monthly | $85/seatAdvanced · $99/mo billed monthly | $132/seatExpert · $139/mo billed monthly | Catch: the seat price isn't the real price. Strong marks for its live-chat UI and the Fin AI agent's conversational resolution. Fin bills $0.99 per outcome on top of seats — the most repeated complaint across every source. Copilot adds $29/agent/month (billed annually) or $35 monthly, and Pro / Proactive Support Plus modules run $99/month each; the total bill is genuinely hard to predict in advance. |
| Help Scout | Free, up to 5 users100 contacts/mo, 1 inbox — genuinely ongoing, not a trial | $25/userStandard · $30/mo billed monthly | $45/userPlus · $54/mo billed monthly | $75/userPro · $90/mo billed monthly, 10-seat minimum | Catch: enterprise teams will outgrow it. Repeatedly praised for feeling like an organized, human email inbox rather than an enterprise ticketing system. Lacks advanced routing, deep SLA controls, and reporting depth on the lower tiers. AI Answers (chatbot resolution) is a separate $0.75-per-resolution charge after a three-month free trial. |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026, and reflect published list prices — actual cost depends on seat count, add-ons, and negotiated terms. Zendesk's Suite Enterprise tier remains sales-led and not publicly posted (its former public list price was ~$169/mo annual, ~$219/mo monthly — treat that figure as historical, not current); its AI Agents bill $1.50 per committed resolution / $2.00 pay-as-you-go beyond a limited included allowance, and Copilot is a separate $50/agent/month add-on billed annually. Freshdesk's current primary pricing page does not publish monthly USD prices in its visible text, and a separate Freshworks page currently shows conflicting annual figures ($15/$49/$79 vs. the $19/$55/$89 shown here) — the $19/$55/$89 figures match the primary pricing page plus independent G2 and Capterra listings, so they're used here, but the conflict is flagged rather than silently resolved. Intercom's seat price excludes usage-based charges: Fin is $0.99/outcome, Copilot is $29–35/agent/month, and Pro/Proactive Support Plus modules are $99/month each. Help Scout's Capterra listing currently shows conflicting flat-rate pricing (~$55/$83) that doesn't match the vendor's current per-user plan page — the per-user figures shown here match the vendor page and G2. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
FAQ
Common questions
Does Freshdesk have a free plan?
Yes — Freshdesk's free plan supports up to 2 agents with basic ticketing, a knowledge base, and reporting, and it's an ongoing plan, not a trial. A separate 14-day all-access trial is also available for testing the paid tiers.
Which help desk tool is cheapest to start?
Zendesk and Freshdesk both start at $19/agent/month (billed annually). Freshdesk is generally the better value at that price point since it also offers a free 2-agent plan to start on, while Zendesk has no free plan at all.
How much do AI features cost on top of the base seat price?
It varies by tool and is usually separate from the seat price. Zendesk AI Agents bill $1.50–$2.00 per resolution beyond a limited allowance, plus a $50/agent/month Copilot add-on. Freshdesk's Freddy AI Agent includes 500 free sessions/month, then $49 per 100 additional sessions. Intercom's Fin bills $0.99 per outcome, plus a $29–35/agent/month Copilot add-on. Help Scout's AI Answers cost $0.75 per resolution after a three-month free trial.
Does Help Scout work for large support teams?
Not ideally. Help Scout is repeatedly praised for feeling like an organized, human email inbox rather than an enterprise ticketing system, but it lacks advanced routing, deep SLA controls, and reporting depth on its lower tiers — and its top Pro tier has a 10-seat minimum.
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