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.
What you'd give up
Be honest about this part first. 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. Intercom states you're never charged for an outcome that didn't happen. A failed procedure or a handoff to a human isn't billed as a resolution. If your support runs on in-product messaging or tours, most options below would be a step down on that specific thing.
What the meter costs you
An outcome covers a resolution, a procedure handoff or a disqualification, so it is broader than the word resolution suggests. Here is the same month across the options, with six agents and 2,000 AI answers.
- Kerux Growth$354$294 plan + $60 AI · about 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider
- Freshdesk Pro$1,310$330 plan + $980 AI · $49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used
- Help Scout Plus$1,770$270 plan + $1,500 AI · $0.75 per AI Answers resolution
- Gorgias Pro (2,000 tickets)$2,100$300 plan + $1,800 AI · $0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra
- Intercom Advanced$2,490$510 plan + $1,980 AI · $0.99 per outcome
- Zendesk Suite Team$3,330$330 plan + $3,000 AI · $1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance
| Tool, plan | Seats or plan | AI, 2,000 / mo | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerux Growthabout 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider | $294 | $60 | $354 |
| Freshdesk Pro$49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used | $330 | $980 | $1,310 |
| Help Scout Plus$0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $270 | $1,500 | $1,770 |
| Gorgias Pro (2,000 tickets)$0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra | $300 | $1,800 | $2,100 |
| Intercom Advanced$0.99 per outcome | $510 | $1,980 | $2,490 |
| Zendesk Suite Team$1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance | $330 | $3,000 | $3,330 |
6 agents on each vendor's middle plan, plus 2,000 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.
Note the catch for every metered option here: the better the AI gets, the more outcomes it bills. Moving to another meter changes the rate, not the shape of the bill.
The alternatives
Zendesk
Best for: teams that need a broad platform and marketplace
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. Its per-resolution rate is higher than Fin's per-outcome rate, so this move is rarely about AI cost.
Help Scout
Best for: teams that came for chat but mostly do email
The everyday AI features, drafting, summarising, tone editing, are included in the seat price, not metered. Only the AI Answers chatbot is metered, so a team that just wants AI help composing replies pays nothing extra.
Freshdesk
Best for: teams with long email threads
A session is a 72-hour window, not a single message. Several exchanges with one customer count once. That can favor you if your conversations run long. Every plan comes with 500 free AI sessions to try it, a one-time allowance per account rather than a monthly one.
Gorgias
Best for: online stores that picked Intercom by default
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.
Kerux
Best for: teams that want the AI cost to be their own, not a markup
One flat price per agent. The AI runs on your key at a few cents an answer, and a monthly spend cap stops it where you say. It answers from your help center when confident, otherwise it hands off with a note. There are no product tours, and it won't match Fin's years of tuning. Import from Intercom brings conversations, customers, notes and dates, without attachments.
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).
A fair test
- Pull last quarter's Fin invoices and note outcomes per month, including your busiest.
- Check what share of outcomes were real resolutions. That is what you need any replacement to match.
- Run the same 50 real questions through the replacement and grade the answers.
- Put the outcome count in the calculator. If the saving doesn't cover a move, stay put.
More detail: Intercom Fin pricing, explained and Kerux vs Intercom.
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). 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
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- 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 Help Scout alternatives for 2027
- Best Freshdesk alternatives for 2027
Questions people ask
Why is Intercom's bill hard to predict?
Fin bills $0.99 per outcome on top of seats, so the bill follows conversation volume and Fin's success rate. Intercom's page does offer spending limits and alerts to control it.
What's the best Intercom alternative for a small team?
Help Scout for simple email support, and Kerux if you want an AI agent without a per-answer fee. If you rely on product tours or in-app messaging, few alternatives come close.
Can I keep Fin and change my help desk?
Intercom's pricing page says Fin can run with other help desks, with a monthly minimum and no seat costs, so that is an option to ask about.