Per agent, per AI resolution, per workspace. Here’s what your support desk actually costs.
Twelve help desks, each billed differently — per-agent seats with minimums and caps, flat workspace plans, AI agents charged per outcome or in blocks. Enter your agents and AI volume; we test every published plan from the official pricing pages and keep the cheapest one that covers you. Unknowns stay Not listed.
All help desk comparisons Best help desks by use case Zendesk, Intercom & Freshdesk alternatives
5 agents · 100 AI resolutions/mo · billed annually — monthly-equivalent bill, cheapest qualifying plan per tool. Grey = needs a sales quote or a price the vendor doesn’t publish.
LiveAgent 
Help Scout 
Zendesk 
Freshdesk 
Crisp 
HappyFox 
Front 
HelpDesk 
Re:amaze 
Deskpro 
Jira Service Management 
Intercom Sortable comparison
Cheapest paid sticker, plus what three common teams really pay (annual billing). Click a header to sort.
| Tool | From (annual) | 3 agents /mo | 10 agents /mo | 50 agents /mo | Free? | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiveAgent | $11/agent/mo | $33 | $110 | $550 | 30-day trial | Visit |
| Zendesk | $19/agent/mo | $57 | $190 | $950 | 14-day trial | Visit |
| Freshdesk | $19/agent/mo | $57 | $190 | $1,685 | 14-day trial | Visit |
| HelpDesk | $19/agent/mo | $57 | $487 | $2,930 | 14-day trial | Visit |
| Jira Service Management | $21.50/agent/mo | $0 | $515 | $3,075 | Free plan | Visit |
| HappyFox | $24/agent/mo | $72 | $490 | $2,450 | No | Visit |
| Help Scout | $25/agent/mo | $0 | $475 | $2,750 | Free plan | Visit |
| Front | $25/agent/mo | $75 | $250 | $3,250 | 14-day trial | Visit |
| Re:amaze | $26.10/agent/mo | $78.30 | $473.50 | $2,793 | 14-day trial | Visit |
| Intercom | $29/agent/mo | $87 | $587 | $3,430 | No | Visit |
| Deskpro | $39/agent/mo | $195 | $390 | $1,950 | No | Visit |
| Crisp | $45/mo | $45 | $95 | $595 | Free plan | Visit |
Alternatives & compares
Switching desks and head-to-heads, costed with the same engine.
Zendesk alternatives
The default enterprise help desk: Support Team from $19/agent/mo and Suite Team $55, billed yearly
Intercom alternatives
AI-first support suite: Essential $39/seat/mo ($29 annual) plus Fin AI Agent from $0.99 per outcome
Freshdesk alternatives
Freshworks help desk with an AI agent on every plan: $19/agent/mo Growth (annual), 500 AI sessions included
Help Scout alternatives
Shared-inbox help desk with a free plan for 5 users and $25/user/mo Standard (annual)
Front alternatives
Email-first customer operations platform: $25/seat/mo Starter for up to 10 seats, billed annually
Zendesk vs Freshdesk
From $19/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
Zendesk vs Intercom
From $19/agent/mo vs $29/agent/mo on annual billing.
Zendesk vs Help Scout
From $19/agent/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
Freshdesk vs Help Scout
From $19/agent/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
Intercom vs Help Scout
From $29/agent/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
Freshdesk vs Intercom
From $19/agent/mo vs $29/agent/mo on annual billing.
Zendesk vs Front
From $19/agent/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
Front vs Help Scout
From $25/agent/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
Zendesk vs Jira Service Management
From $19/agent/mo vs $21.50/agent/mo on annual billing.
Freshdesk vs Jira Service Management
From $19/agent/mo vs $21.50/agent/mo on annual billing.
LiveAgent vs Freshdesk
From $11/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
LiveAgent vs Zendesk
From $11/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
Crisp vs Intercom
From $45/mo vs $29/agent/mo on annual billing.
Re:amaze vs Zendesk
From $26.10/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
HelpDesk vs Zendesk
From $19/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
HappyFox vs Zendesk
From $24/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
HappyFox vs Freshdesk
From $24/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
Deskpro vs Zendesk
From $39/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
Crisp vs Help Scout
From $45/mo vs $25/agent/mo on annual billing.
HelpDesk vs Freshdesk
From $19/agent/mo vs $19/agent/mo on annual billing.
Best-of shortlists
Each list is ranked for a stated team — not “best for everyone.”
Cheapest help desk software
Lowest verified bill for 5 agents with no AI, billed annually.
Best help desk for small business
5 agents and 100 AI resolutions a month, monthly billing so you can cancel.
Best help desk with AI agents
10 agents and 1,000 AI resolutions a month, billed annually — AI priced from each official page.
Free help desk software and trials
Forever-free plans and trial lengths from each official pricing page, costed for 2 agents.
Best help desk for ecommerce
8 agents and 500 AI resolutions a month (order-status questions), billed annually.
Best help desk for large support teams
50 agents and 2,000 AI resolutions a month, billed annually.
FAQ
How much does help desk software cost in 2026?
Verified on official pricing pages (2026-11-03), cheapest paid plan billed monthly: LiveAgent Starter $15/agent, Jira Service Management Standard $21.50/agent, Freshdesk Growth $23/agent, HelpDesk Essential $25/agent, Re:amaze Basic $29/agent, HappyFox Basic $29/agent, Help Scout Standard $30/agent, Intercom Essential $39/agent, Deskpro Team $39/agent, Crisp Mini $45/mo flat. Zendesk and Front publish annual prices only (from $19/agent/mo and $25/agent/mo).
How are AI resolutions priced?
It varies by vendor: Intercom Fin is $0.99 per outcome, Help Scout $0.75 per AI resolution, Re:amaze $0.85 after 5–20 included per user, Jira Service Management $1 per resolution, Freshdesk includes 500 AI sessions then sells 100 for $49, HelpDesk.com sells 50 for $49.50, and LiveAgent charges nothing (you bring your own AI provider). Zendesk, Front, Crisp, Deskpro and HappyFox do not publish a per-resolution price, so the calculator leaves AI out of their totals and says so.
What is the cheapest help desk for a 10-agent team?
For 10 agents and 300 AI resolutions a month, billed annually: Crisp $95/mo (Essentials), LiveAgent $110/mo (Starter), Zendesk $190/mo (Support Team), Freshdesk $190/mo (Growth).
And for a 50-agent support team?
50 agents and 2,000 AI resolutions a month, billed annually: LiveAgent $550/mo (Starter), Crisp $595/mo (Plus), Zendesk $950/mo (Support Team), Freshdesk $1,685/mo (Growth). Seat caps knock out Front Starter (10), HappyFox Basic (5) and Crisp Mini (4).
Which help desks have a free plan?
Help Scout (5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site); Crisp ($0 with 2 agents and 100 customer profiles); Jira Service Management (for 3 agents). Most others offer a 14-day trial; LiveAgent offers 30 days.
What does “Not listed” mean?
The official pricing page does not publish that number — for example Zendesk and Front monthly-billing prices, HappyFox trial length or Crisp’s AI cost per resolution. We never estimate it.
Are these affiliate links?
Visit buttons route through /go/ links marked nofollow sponsored. Rankings come from the cost engine and published prices only; commissions never change a price cell.