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.
Quick picks
- Biggest ecosystem: Zendesk
- Mature AI agent and messenger: Intercom
- Small team that wants it simple: Help Scout
- Low entry price with a portal: Freshdesk
- Many channels in one inbox: Front
- Online stores: Gorgias
- No per-answer AI fee: Kerux
One real month on each
List prices don't tell you much, because almost every help desk now charges seats and a meter for AI. So here is the same team on all seven: five agents, with the AI handling 1,500 answers a month.
- 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.
The ranking moves with your inputs. With little AI volume, seat prices decide it and the gaps shrink. With a lot of AI volume, the meter decides it. Try yours on the calculator before you shortlist anything.
The seven, by what they fit
Zendesk
Best for: larger teams that need integrations and room to grow
It's the most established platform in the category, with an app marketplace and integration depth no small tool matches. Zendesk only bills an automated resolution when the AI actually resolves the request without escalating to a human.
Watch for: AI agents bill $1.50 per automated resolution on a committed volume, or $2.00 pay-as-you-go, on top of seats. A busy month raises the bill even if your team doesn't change.
Intercom
Best for: product-led companies that want chat, tours and AI together
Fin is a genuinely strong AI agent with years of tuning behind it, and Intercom's messenger and product-tour tooling go well beyond what Kerux does. You're charged for at most one outcome per conversation, however many actions Fin takes.
Watch for: Fin bills $0.99 per outcome, a resolution, a procedure handoff or a disqualification, on top of seats. Outcomes are broader than resolutions, so read what counts.
Help Scout
Best for: small teams that mostly answer email and want little setup
The everyday AI features, drafting, summarising, tone editing, are included in the seat price, not metered. There's a genuinely free plan for up to 5 users, which none of the others offer.
Watch for: the chatbot is where the meter starts. AI Answers bills $0.75 per resolution.
Freshdesk
Best for: budget-minded teams that want a customer portal and knowledge base from the start
Growth includes ticketing, a portal, a knowledge base and analytics. A session is a 72-hour window, not a single message. Several exchanges with one customer count once.
Watch for: Freddy AI Agent includes 500 sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions on top of seats. Budget from month two, not from the free allowance.
Front
Best for: teams that run customer work across email, SMS, social and WhatsApp
Professional and Enterprise are omnichannel: email, SMS, social and WhatsApp in one workspace. It is built around shared inboxes, so teams that live in email keep a familiar way of working.
Watch for: Starter is limited to one channel type and ten seats. The Autopilot AI agent is an add-on starting at $0.39 per conversation, and Copilot is an add-on at $20 per seat a month on Starter and Professional, both on top of seats.
Gorgias
Best for: online stores, especially on Shopify
It is built around e-commerce and Shopify support, with order data and actions inside the helpdesk. Gorgias doesn't charge per agent, so adding teammates costs nothing extra; the meter is ticket volume.
Watch for: every AI interaction also counts as a ticket, so the two meters move together.
Kerux
Best for: small B2B teams that want AI answers on a bill they can predict
One flat price per agent, and the AI runs on your own key from one of eight providers, so we add no per-answer fee. It answers from your help center when it is confident, and hands anything else to a person with a note on why. A monthly AI spend cap stops surprises, and it includes live chat, a ticket form, SLA targets and Slack, Shopify, Linear and Jira on every plan. You can export tickets, messages and contacts as CSV any time, and there is a live status page.
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).
Four questions that settle it
- How many AI answers will you really run in a year? Use your ticket count and a realistic share, then multiply by each rate.
- Which channels must you cover? If phone or WhatsApp is essential, cross off anything without it first.
- What must connect to it? Name your top three integrations and check them. Big marketplaces only help if yours is in there.
- How would you leave? Ask what an export includes before you import a single ticket.
Want the pricing logic in more depth? Read how much help desk software costs in 2027 or see the full comparison table.
Sources: Zendesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Intercom pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Help Scout pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Freshdesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Front pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Gorgias 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 customer support software for small businesses in 2027
- Best AI customer support software for 2027, and what each one meters
- 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
What is the best help desk software for 2027?
It depends on your team. Zendesk has the deepest ecosystem, Intercom a mature AI agent and messenger, Help Scout the gentlest start for small teams, Freshdesk a low entry price, Front a shared inbox across channels, Gorgias an e-commerce focus, and Kerux one flat price per agent with AI on your own key.
What is the difference between a help desk and a shared inbox?
A shared inbox lets a team work one email address together. A help desk adds what you need once volume grows: ticket statuses, assignment, SLA targets, a help center, reporting and automation.
Is AI worth paying for in a help desk?
Usually yes for repetitive questions, if your help center is good enough for the AI to answer from. Work out the monthly cost at your real volume first, because on metered plans the AI line can pass the seat line.