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.
When to stay on Zendesk
It's the most established platform in the category, with an app marketplace and integration depth no small tool matches. If you rely on a specific app from its marketplace, run many teams, or need channels a smaller tool doesn't offer, moving may cost more than it saves. And if you don't use AI agents at all, the seat price may be perfectly fair: Support Team starts at $19/agent/mo. Cheaper per seat than Kerux's entry plan if you don't need the AI.
Find your reason
- The AI bill keeps climbing: Kerux, or Freshdesk for sessions rather than resolutions.
- It feels too heavy for your team: Help Scout.
- You want a better AI agent and messenger: Intercom.
- Your work runs on shared email and messaging: Front.
The same month on each
Ten agents, with the AI handling 3,000 answers a month.
- Kerux Growth$580$490 plan + $90 AI · about 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider
- Front Professionalfrom $1,820$650 plan + $1,170 AI · from $0.39 per conversation
- Freshdesk Pro$2,020$550 plan + $1,470 AI · $49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used
- Help Scout Plus$2,700$450 plan + $2,250 AI · $0.75 per AI Answers resolution
- Intercom Advanced$3,820$850 plan + $2,970 AI · $0.99 per outcome
- Zendesk Suite Team$5,050$550 plan + $4,500 AI · $1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance
| Tool, plan | Seats or plan | AI, 3,000 / mo | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerux Growthabout 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider | $490 | $90 | $580 |
| Front Professionalfrom $0.39 per conversation | $650 | $1,170 | from $1,820 |
| Freshdesk Pro$49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used | $550 | $1,470 | $2,020 |
| Help Scout Plus$0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $450 | $2,250 | $2,700 |
| Intercom Advanced$0.99 per outcome | $850 | $2,970 | $3,820 |
| Zendesk Suite Team$1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance | $550 | $4,500 | $5,050 |
10 agents on each vendor's middle plan, plus 3,000 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.
Zendesk's plans include an allowance of automated resolutions, so your real AI line depends on your plan. Read your own invoice for the number, then put it in the calculator.
The alternatives
Help Scout
Best for: email-first teams that find Zendesk too much
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. You give up marketplace depth and some of the enterprise controls.
Freshdesk
Best for: teams that want a similar ticketing model for less
The closest in shape to Zendesk. A session is a 72-hour window, not a single message. Several exchanges with one customer count once. Growth starts at $19/agent/mo billed annually, among the lowest listed seat prices. Budget for AI past the one-time allowance.
Intercom
Best for: teams that care most about AI quality and in-product messaging
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. 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. It is still metered, so moving won't by itself take the meter off your bill.
Front
Best for: teams who think in conversations rather than tickets
It is built around shared inboxes, so teams that live in email keep a familiar way of working. Professional and Enterprise are omnichannel: email, SMS, social and WhatsApp in one workspace.
Kerux
Best for: teams that left mainly because of AI cost
One flat price per agent, and the AI runs on your own key, so no per-resolution fee from us. It imports your Zendesk conversations, customers, notes and original dates, though not attachments. Slack, Shopify, Linear and Jira are on every plan.
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).
Before you switch
- List the triggers, macros and apps you actually use, so you only compare what matters.
- Export what you must keep, including attachments, before your contract ends.
- Check your renewal date, because annual plans decide your timing.
- Run a trial on one inbox for two weeks before moving the rest.
See the full side by side on Kerux vs Zendesk, or read how Zendesk AI pricing works.
Sources: Zendesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Help Scout pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Freshdesk pricing (checked 2026-11-05) · Intercom 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
- 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 Intercom alternatives for 2027
- Best Help Scout alternatives for 2027
- Best Freshdesk alternatives for 2027
Questions people ask
What is the best alternative to Zendesk for small teams?
Help Scout if you want something simple with a free starting point, Freshdesk if you want a low seat price with a portal, and Kerux if the AI bill is your main concern.
Is Zendesk's AI charged per resolution?
Yes. Zendesk's pricing page lists $1.50 per committed automated resolution and $2.00 pay-as-you-go, on top of seats.
Can I move my tickets out of Zendesk?
Yes. Several help desks import from Zendesk. Kerux imports conversations, customers, notes and original dates, without attachments, so keep a separate copy if you need those.