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.
Small team: 3 agents, 300 AI answers
- Kerux Growth$156$147 plan + $9 AI · about 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider
- Freshdesk Pro$312$165 plan + $147 AI · $49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used
- Front Professionalfrom $312$195 plan + $117 AI · from $0.39 per conversation
- Gorgias Basic (300 tickets)$350$50 plan + $300 AI · $1.00 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra
- Help Scout Plus$360$135 plan + $225 AI · $0.75 per AI Answers resolution
- Intercom Advanced$552$255 plan + $297 AI · $0.99 per outcome
- Zendesk Suite Team$615$165 plan + $450 AI · $1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance
| Tool, plan | Seats or plan | AI, 300 / mo | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerux Growthabout 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider | $147 | $9 | $156 |
| Freshdesk Pro$49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used | $165 | $147 | $312 |
| Front Professionalfrom $0.39 per conversation | $195 | $117 | from $312 |
| Gorgias Basic (300 tickets)$1.00 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra | $50 | $300 | $350 |
| Help Scout Plus$0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $135 | $225 | $360 |
| Intercom Advanced$0.99 per outcome | $255 | $297 | $552 |
| Zendesk Suite Team$1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance | $165 | $450 | $615 |
3 agents on each vendor's middle plan, plus 300 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.
Growing team: 5 agents, 1,500 AI answers
- 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.
Busy team: 15 agents, 5,000 AI answers
- Kerux Growth$885$735 plan + $150 AI · about 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider
- Front Professionalfrom $2,925$975 plan + $1,950 AI · from $0.39 per conversation
- Freshdesk Pro$3,275$825 plan + $2,450 AI · $49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used
- Help Scout Plus$4,425$675 plan + $3,750 AI · $0.75 per AI Answers resolution
- Gorgias Advanced (5,000 tickets)$5,250$750 plan + $4,500 AI · $0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra
- Intercom Advanced$6,225$1,275 plan + $4,950 AI · $0.99 per outcome
- Zendesk Suite Team$8,325$825 plan + $7,500 AI · $1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance
| Tool, plan | Seats or plan | AI, 5,000 / mo | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerux Growthabout 3¢ an answer on your own AI key, paid to your provider | $735 | $150 | $885 |
| Front Professionalfrom $0.39 per conversation | $975 | $1,950 | from $2,925 |
| Freshdesk Pro$49 per 100 sessions, one-time free 500 used | $825 | $2,450 | $3,275 |
| Help Scout Plus$0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $675 | $3,750 | $4,425 |
| Gorgias Advanced (5,000 tickets)$0.90 per interaction, flat plan price, ticket overage extra | $750 | $4,500 | $5,250 |
| Intercom Advanced$0.99 per outcome | $1,275 | $4,950 | $6,225 |
| Zendesk Suite Team$1.50 per committed resolution, before any included allowance | $825 | $7,500 | $8,325 |
15 agents on each vendor's middle plan, plus 5,000 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.
Two patterns show up. As AI volume grows, the meter overtakes the seats on every metered tool. And the order of the table changes between sizes, which is why a "cheapest help desk" list isn't much use without your numbers.
What the pricing page leaves out
- Annual billing. Many listed prices assume a year up front. Monthly billing costs more.
- The plan your AI needs. A feature you want may sit on a higher tier than the one you priced.
- Add-ons. Copilots, extra inboxes or Docs sites, quality tools and workforce tools can each be separate lines.
- Seats for people who only read. Check whether a manager who looks at reports needs a paid seat.
- Moving. Check what an export or import really carries. Attachments are often the hard part.
- Your team's time. A tool that takes a month of admin isn't cheap at any seat price.
A five-line budget
- Seats: people who answer tickets × plan price.
- AI: monthly tickets × share you expect the AI to handle × the rate. Do it again at double, for your busiest month.
- Add-ons: everything you ticked that isn't in the plan.
- Billing: the difference if you can't commit to a year.
- Switching: a one-off for moving tickets, retraining and rewriting saved replies.
Prefer not to do it by hand? The calculator does lines one and two, and can email you the breakdown. If you are comparing AI tools specifically, start with what each one meters.
Where Kerux lands, and why
Kerux is one flat price per agent and adds nothing per answer. You pay your AI provider directly at their own rates, and you can set a monthly cap so your AI spend stops where you say. That keeps our part of the bill steady, while your provider's part still moves with volume. If you only run a few AI answers a month, that difference is small, and another tool may fit you better.
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 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
- 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 does a help desk cost per agent?
On the vendors in this guide, listed seat prices run from the high teens to over a hundred dollars per agent per month. Gorgias is the exception, because it prices by ticket volume.
Why is my help desk bill higher than the pricing page?
Usually the AI meter, annual versus monthly billing, or add-ons. A listed seat price rarely includes an AI agent's usage.
Is it cheaper to bring your own AI key?
At volume, usually, because the model costs a few cents an answer compared with published per-answer rates many times that. You take on creating the key and watching the usage, and the provider bills you separately.