Who wrote this: we make Kerux, one of the tools on this page, so weigh our view of it accordingly. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page. We did not run hands-on benchmarks of every product, so we won't pretend to rank them on quality. We sort by fit instead.
The meter, side by side
- Intercom Fin$0.99Per outcome. A resolution, a procedure handoff or a disqualification, at most one per conversation.
- Zendesk AI agents$1.50 committed, $2.00 pay-as-you-goPer automated resolution. The AI resolves the request without escalating to a human.
- Help Scout AI Answers$0.75Per resolution. The customer gets an AI response and the conversation is resolved without human help.
- Freshdesk Freddy$49 per 100Per session. On email, a 72-hour window from the customer's first message. All replies inside it count once.
- Gorgias AI Agent$0.90 to $1.00Per automated interaction. Each interaction also counts as a ticket on your plan.
- Front Autopilotfrom $0.39Per conversation. A starting rate, so ask for your own quote.
- Kerux, your own keyabout 3¢Per token at your provider. No meter from us. Your AI provider bills you for what the model used.
| Product | Unit | Rate | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | Outcome | $0.99 | A resolution, a procedure handoff or a disqualification, at most one per conversation. |
| Zendesk AI agents | Automated resolution | $1.50 committed, $2.00 pay-as-you-go | The AI resolves the request without escalating to a human. |
| Help Scout AI Answers | Resolution | $0.75 | The customer gets an AI response and the conversation is resolved without human help. |
| Freshdesk Freddy | Session | $49 per 100 | On email, a 72-hour window from the customer's first message. All replies inside it count once. |
| Gorgias AI Agent | Automated interaction | $0.90 to $1.00 | Each interaction also counts as a ticket on your plan. |
| Front Autopilot | Conversation | from $0.39 | A starting rate, so ask for your own quote. |
| Kerux, your own key | Token at your provider | about 3¢ | No meter from us. Your AI provider bills you for what the model used. |
Rates aren't directly comparable, because the units aren't. A session that covers five messages isn't the same purchase as a single outcome. Run your own tickets through whatever counts, not the headline.
What 1,500 AI answers a month costs in total
- Kerux Growth$290$245 plan + $45 AI · about 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider
- Front Professionalfrom $910$325 plan + $585 AI · from $0.39 per conversation
- Freshdesk Pro$1,010$275 plan + $735 AI · $49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used
- Help Scout Plus$1,350$225 plan + $1,125 AI · $0.75 per AI Answers resolution
- Gorgias Pro (2,000 tickets)$1,650$300 plan + $1,350 AI · $0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra
- Intercom Advanced$1,910$425 plan + $1,485 AI · $0.99 per outcome
- Zendesk Suite Team$2,525$275 plan + $2,250 AI · $1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance
| Tool, plan | Seats or plan | AI, 1,500 / mo | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerux Growthabout 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider | $245 | $45 | $290 |
| Front Professionalfrom $0.39 per conversation | $325 | $585 | from $910 |
| Freshdesk Pro$49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used | $275 | $735 | $1,010 |
| Help Scout Plus$0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $225 | $1,125 | $1,350 |
| Gorgias Pro (2,000 tickets)$0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra | $300 | $1,350 | $1,650 |
| Intercom Advanced$0.99 per outcome | $425 | $1,485 | $1,910 |
| Zendesk Suite Team$1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance | $275 | $2,250 | $2,525 |
5 agents on each vendor's middle plan, plus 1,500 AI answers at the published rate, cheapest first. Annual-billing prices where the vendor lists them. Gorgias prices by ticket volume rather than seats. Kerux's AI line goes to your AI provider, runs 1 to 5¢ an answer by model and ticket length, and is an estimate. Taxes not included. A plan your AI feature requires may differ, so check before you trust a total.
Which one fits
- You already use another help desk and want an AI agent on top: Intercom's pricing page says Fin works with other help desks, with a monthly minimum and no seat costs.
- You are already on Zendesk: staying native is the simple path. Zendesk only bills an automated resolution when the AI actually resolves the request without escalating to a human.
- You mainly want help writing replies: Only the AI Answers chatbot is metered, so a team that just wants AI help composing replies pays nothing extra.
- Email threads that go back and forth: A session is a 72-hour window, not a single message. Several exchanges with one customer count once.
- You sell online: It is built around e-commerce and Shopify support, with order data and actions inside the helpdesk. If a human replies within 72 hours of an AI resolution, Gorgias bills it as a ticket only, not as an automated interaction.
- You want the AI bill to be your own: a bring-your-own-key tool such as Kerux. Here is how that works, and where metered AI is the better choice.
How to test an AI agent before you pay
- Use real tickets. Take 50 from last month, including the awkward ones.
- Grade the wrong answers, not the right ones. A confident wrong answer about a refund costs more than a slow human reply.
- Check the hand-off. When the AI isn't sure, what does your team see, and does the customer have to repeat themselves?
- Check what happens at volume. Is there an alert or a hard limit, or does the meter keep running?
- Read the definition of a billable unit on the vendor's own page.
How Kerux handles it
Kerux answers from your help center when it is confident, and otherwise hands the ticket to a person with a note saying why. AI drafts are a switch you control, off by default. You choose the provider and the model from eight supported providers, you can set a monthly spend cap, and an AI cost card shows what your key spent.
Where it falls short: it is a newer product with no review-site track record or public case studies yet. Channels are email, live chat and forms, so no phone, SMS, WhatsApp or social. SSO is still coming, there is no SOC 2 report of its own, and you have to create an AI key with a provider (the setup guide has the steps).
See the arithmetic on total help desk cost in 2027, or work out your own number.
Sources: Intercom pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Zendesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Help Scout pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Freshdesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Gorgias pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Front pricing (checked 2026-11-05). Kerux figures from our own pricing page. Vendor pricing changes, so confirm on their page before you decide.
More 2027 buying guides
- Best help desk software for 2027: seven tools at published prices
- Best customer support software for small businesses in 2027
- How much does help desk software cost in 2027?
- Customer support in 2027: six shifts already on the pricing pages
- Best Zendesk alternatives for 2027
- Best Intercom alternatives for 2027
- Best Help Scout alternatives for 2027
- Best Freshdesk alternatives for 2027
Questions people ask
How much does AI customer support cost per ticket?
Published rates run from a starting price of $0.39 per conversation to $2.00 per resolution, on top of seats in most cases. On your own AI key the model itself costs a few cents an answer.
What is a bring-your-own-key help desk?
A help desk where the AI runs on a key you hold with an AI provider. The provider bills you directly for usage, and the help desk adds no per-answer fee.
Will AI replace my support team?
For repetitive questions with a clear answer, it can take the first reply off their plate. Judgment calls, angry customers and account problems should still reach a person, so pick a tool that hands off well.