How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Free helpdesk software is real in 2026: HubSpot Service Hub ($0), Zoho Desk (free edition for 3 users) and Help Scout (free plan for 5 users) all run production support without a credit card.
- Paid entry prices cluster tightly at $15 to $25 per agent per month: LiveAgent ($15), Zendesk and Freshdesk ($19), HubSpot Starter ($20), HappyFox ($24) and Help Scout ($25).
- The big 2026 pricing change is AI billed separately: Intercom charges $0.99 per AI resolution, Help Scout $0.75, and Freshdesk $49 per 100 AI sessions. Budget AI separately from seats.
- Kayako has reinvented itself: it is now mainly an AI agent layer that sits on top of Zendesk, Freshdesk or Intercom (or its own "Kayako One" desk), with quote-based pricing and expert-led deployment.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Zendesk | Scaling teams that want the market-standard suite | $19/agent/month (Support Team, billed annually) | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Freshdesk | Fast-growing teams that want AI bundled from day one | $19/agent/month (Growth, billed annually) | Free trial (14 days) |
 HubSpot Service Hub | Companies already running their business on HubSpot | $20/seat/month (Starter; currently $10/month for new customers) | Yes (free tier, no credit card) |
 Zoho Desk | Budget-conscious teams, especially in the Zoho ecosystem | $7/agent/month (Express, billed annually) | Yes (free edition for up to 3 users) plus 15-day trial of paid plans, no card |
 Intercom | Product-led companies blending AI agents with human support | $29/seat/month plus $0.99 per Fin AI resolution | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Help Scout | Customer-first brands that want support to feel human, not ticketed | $25/user/month (Standard) | Yes (free plan: 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 docs site) plus 15-day trial of paid plans, no card |
 LiveAgent | Small teams that need chat, phone and tickets in one cheap package | $15/agent/month (billed annually) | Free trial (30 days, no credit card) |
 Front | Teams whose "support" is complex, multi-team customer work | See website | See website |
 HappyFox | IT, HR and operations teams as well as customer support | $24/agent/month (Help Desk) | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Kayako | Support leaders who want AI results without migrating helpdesks | See website (custom quote) | No (evaluation via strategy session with their team) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best helpdesk software
The helpdesk market is crowded because every growing company eventually outgrows the shared inbox. HubSpot counts 306,000 customers on its platform, Freshdesk claims 74,000 businesses, Zoho Desk 125,000 and Intercom 30,000 brands. Ten vendors, one shared promise: fewer missed messages, faster resolutions, happier customers.
The real differentiators in 2026 are the free tiers, the per-agent entry prices and the new AI add-ons that can quietly double a bill. Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page where published.
#1
Zendesk
Best for: Scaling teams that want the market-standard suite
Visit zendesk.com
Starting price$19/agent/month (Support Team, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
Zendesk is the reference point every other helpdesk is measured against. Support Team starts at $19 per agent per month billed annually, which buys core email and ticketing. Most growing teams land on Suite Team ($55) for omnichannel support and AI agents, or Suite Professional ($115) for advanced automation. The 14-day trial needs no credit card, and there is a genuine startup program with six months free.
The honest math is that Zendesk is priced for scale. A 20-agent team on Suite Professional pays $2,300 a month before add-ons, and the AI features that headline the marketing often carry their own per-agent or usage fees. If you are a 5-agent team doing email support, you are paying for machinery you will never start.
What we like- The most complete suite in the category, from ticketing to AI agents to contact center
- Huge integration marketplace and admin ecosystem
- Startup program offers 6 months of Suite free for up to 50 agents
Watch out for- Real cost climbs fast: Suite Team is $55/agent and Professional $115, with AI add-ons like Copilot at $50/agent on top
- The platform can feel heavy for teams under 10 agents
Starting price$19/agent/month (Growth, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Freshdesk is the pragmatic Zendesk alternative: similar capability, friendlier packaging. Growth at $19 per agent per month (annual) includes ticketing, shared inbox, customer portal and 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions. Pro ($55) adds multilingual support, intelligent routing and multiple SLAs, while Enterprise ($89) brings sandbox, audit logs and skill-based routing. The trial gives you Enterprise for 14 days.
What stands out in 2026 is how Freshdesk bundles AI. Where competitors charge per resolution or per agent for their AI, Freshdesk includes 500 sessions on every tier and prices extras at $49 per 100 sessions. That is still usage-based, but it is predictable.
What we like- Every plan includes 500 free Freddy AI Agent sessions, so AI is not an upsell
- Clear three-tier pricing ($19/$55/$89) with day passes for occasional agents
- 14-day trial runs the full Enterprise plan
Watch out for- The old free plan is gone, so there is no permanent free tier
- AI sessions beyond the included 500 cost $49 per 100, which adds up at volume
#3
HubSpot Service Hub
Best for: Companies already running their business on HubSpot
Visit hubspot.com
Starting price$20/seat/month (Starter; currently $10/month for new customers)
Free planYes (free tier, no credit card)
HubSpot Service Hub wins on a simple argument: your support tickets already know who the customer is. Because it sits on the HubSpot CRM, agents see deal history, marketing engagement and past tickets without integrations. The free tier covers ticketing, team email, live chat and basic reporting, which is enough for many small teams indefinitely. Starter is listed at $20 per seat per month, with HubSpot currently discounting it to $10 for new customers.
The catch is the ladder. Professional jumps to $100 per seat per month plus a $1,500 onboarding fee, and Enterprise to $150 with $3,500 onboarding. At those prices you are paying for the platform, not just the helpdesk.
What we like- The only serious helpdesk with a genuinely free tier: $0 for ticketing, team email, live chat and contact management
- Support data lives in the same CRM as marketing and sales, so context is automatic
- Starter is cheap for what it includes
Watch out for- The free and Starter tiers are limited compared to dedicated helpdesks
- Professional ($100/seat) and Enterprise ($150/seat) get expensive, with a $1,500+ onboarding fee on Professional
#4
Zoho Desk
Best for: Budget-conscious teams, especially in the Zoho ecosystem
Visit zoho.com
Starting price$7/agent/month (Express, billed annually)
Free planYes (free edition for up to 3 users) plus 15-day trial of paid plans, no card
Zoho Desk is the value play that keeps getting better. Five tiers: Free ($0, 3 agents), Express ($7), Standard ($14), Professional ($23) and Enterprise ($40) per agent per month billed annually. Standard is where the product opens up, with the knowledge base, Answer Bot, live chat and community forum. The 15-day trial of any paid plan needs no credit card and downgrades to the free plan rather than locking you out.
For teams already on Zoho CRM or Zoho One, the integration argument is decisive: tickets, contacts and invoices share one system. Independent teams should weigh the savings against polish; Zoho Desk does nearly everything the big names do, but power users sometimes miss the refinement of Zendesk's automation or Freshdesk's AI packaging. On pure price-to-feature ratio for small and mid-sized teams, it is hard to beat.
What we like- The cheapest credible paid helpdesk: Express at $7, Standard at $14, Professional at $23, Enterprise at $40
- Free edition covers 3 users forever
- Deep native integration with Zoho CRM, Books and the rest of Zoho One
Watch out for- Express caps at 5 agents and omits the knowledge base and Answer Bot, which start at Standard
- The interface and marketplace feel a step behind Zendesk and Freshdesk
#5
Intercom
Best for: Product-led companies blending AI agents with human support
Visit intercom.com
Starting price$29/seat/month plus $0.99 per Fin AI resolution
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
Intercom rebuilt itself around Fin, its AI agent, and the homepage leads with it: $29 per seat per month plus $0.99 per Fin resolution, with spending limits so costs cannot spiral. The pitch is that the helpdesk and the AI agent are one system sharing the same inbox, knowledge and customer record, so every human conversation makes Fin smarter. The 14-day trial needs no card.
This is the premium, AI-first option. The per-resolution pricing is fair in principle (you pay when the AI does the work) but it means your bill scales with ticket volume, not headcount, which is a new muscle for most finance teams. Companies with high ticket volumes and repetitive questions can cut headcount costs dramatically; companies with low volumes may find a flat per-agent tool cheaper. Model it on your actual resolution counts, not your agent count.
What we like- Fin is the most proven support AI agent in the market, averaging 76% resolution rates across 12,000+ customers
- Helpdesk and AI share one inbox, one record and one knowledge hub
- Outcome-based pricing means you pay for AI only when it resolves something
Watch out for- $29 per seat plus $0.99 per resolution makes total cost hard to predict before you have volume data
- It is priced for SaaS companies, not for cost-sensitive small businesses
#6
Help Scout
Best for: Customer-first brands that want support to feel human, not ticketed
Visit helpscout.com
Starting price$25/user/month (Standard)
Free planYes (free plan: 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 docs site) plus 15-day trial of paid plans, no card
Help Scout has spent 15 years on one idea: support software should treat customers like people, not tickets. The shared inbox handles email, chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger without ticket numbers, and the free plan (5 users, 1 inbox, 1 docs site) is genuinely usable for small teams. Paid tiers run $25 (Standard), $45 (Plus) and $75 (Pro) per user per month. New accounts get 3 months of unlimited AI Answers resolutions free before the $0.75-per-resolution pricing kicks in.
The trade-off is scope. Help Scout is a conversation platform, not a contact-center suite: voice is via integration, and the deepest automation and compliance features need the higher tiers. For e-commerce, SaaS and service brands where tone matters and volumes are moderate, it is the most loved option in the category. For call-heavy operations, look at LiveAgent or Zendesk.
What we like- A real free plan (5 users, not a trial) that small teams can run on
- The inbox deliberately avoids ticket numbers for a personal feel
- AI Answers add-on at $0.75/resolution with a 3-month free trial of unlimited resolutions for new accounts
Watch out for- No built-in voice channel (phone runs through integrations like Aircall)
- Advanced workflows, SSO and HIPAA sit on the $45-$75 tiers
#7
LiveAgent
Best for: Small teams that need chat, phone and tickets in one cheap package
Visit liveagent.com
Starting price$15/agent/month (billed annually)
Free planFree trial (30 days, no credit card)
LiveAgent is the quiet workhorse of this list: every channel in one inbox, starting at $15 per agent per month billed annually, with a 30-day free trial that requires no credit card. Email, live chat, a built-in call center, social media, WhatsApp, Viber and a knowledge base come standard, with 200+ integrations and availability in 29 languages. Plans scale through Small, Medium, Large and Enterprise tiers, and you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel anytime.
There is no mystery to the appeal: it is the cheapest way to get a genuinely omnichannel helpdesk including voice. The compromise is modernity; the UI and the AI capabilities feel a generation behind the leaders. For small businesses, agencies and e-commerce stores that need everything working on day one for minimum spend, that trade is usually worth making.
What we like- The lowest entry price here ($15) with a generous 30-day no-card trial
- Built-in call center, live chat, AI chatbot and 200+ integrations in one dashboard
- 175+ features with no contracts or setup fees
Watch out for- The interface shows its age next to Intercom or Front
- Advanced AI and automation lag the category leaders
#8
Front
Best for: Teams whose "support" is complex, multi-team customer work
Visit front.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planSee website
Front is the odd one out, deliberately. Where most helpdesks optimize the ticket queue, Front optimizes the messy reality: a customer email that needs support, billing and logistics to coordinate. Shared inboxes, internal collaboration, AI Autopilot agents that resolve up to 70% of requests, and a complete customer relationship view make it closer to a customer operations platform than a ticket tool.
The friction is commercial, not functional. Front does not publish pricing, so every evaluation starts with a sales call, and its positioning (and price point, per public reviews) targets teams with complex workflows, not five-person support desks. If your support problems are really coordination problems between teams, Front is purpose-built for that. If they are volume problems, the per-agent tools above will serve you better and cheaper.
What we like- Built for complex work rather than simple tickets: shared inboxes where support, sales and ops collaborate with full customer context
- AI agents can be tagged like teammates and escalate with context intact
- Strong automation and analytics across every interaction
Watch out for- Pricing is not published on the site, so budgeting requires a sales conversation
- Overkill (and overpriced, per reviewers) for teams that just need email ticketing
#9
HappyFox
Best for: IT, HR and operations teams as well as customer support
Visit happyfox.com
Starting price$24/agent/month (Help Desk)
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
HappyFox positions as the flexible helpdesk: start with Help Desk at $24 per agent per month, add AI, chat, workflows and analytics as separate modules, or step up to Service Desk ($49) for ITIL-style IT service management with assets and change management. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required, and annual billing saves 20%. There is also an unlimited-agent pricing option for larger teams.
The modular pricing cuts both ways. You only pay for what you use, but a "complete" HappyFox with AI ($14/agent/month) and chatbot ($0.33 per resolution) costs notably more than the headline $24. Where HappyFox shines is organizations that want one vendor for customer support, IT support and HR requests; few competitors cover all three as naturally.
What we like- Help Desk starts at $24/agent/month with annual billing saving 20%
- The same platform extends to IT service management (Service Desk from $49) and employee support
- AI products (from $14/agent/month) and chatbot ($0.33/resolution) are modular add-ons
Watch out for- AI, chat, workflows and BI are separate products with separate prices, so the "starting at" figure understates a full deployment
- Smaller brand means a smaller integration marketplace
#10
Kayako
Best for: Support leaders who want AI results without migrating helpdesks
Visit kayako.com
Starting priceSee website (custom quote)
Free planNo (evaluation via strategy session with their team)
Kayako is the most changed company on this list. The old ticket-centric helpdesk still exists as "Kayako One," but the headline product is Kay, an AI support agent that plugs into the helpdesk you already use. The pitch is anti-migration: expert-led deployment, trained on your tickets and tone, rolled out in phases (triage, then answers, then autonomous resolution), with resolution targets committed in writing. Published customer results include steep backlog and cost-per-ticket reductions.
This is a considered purchase, not a self-serve signup: pricing is custom and evaluation runs through a strategy session. It suits support leaders with real ticket volume and cost pressure who believe in AI but have watched self-serve AI pilots fail. Small teams should not bother; the process assumes an operation worth optimizing.
What we like- Kay, the AI agent, deploys on top of your existing Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom or Salesforce: no migration required
- Expert-led implementation with resolution targets agreed in writing
- Phased rollout from AI triage to autonomous resolution
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing with a sales-led process
- The classic Kayako helpdesk is now secondary to the AI story ("Kayako One")
How we chose
We started with the searches buyers actually run: helpdesk software, best helpdesk software and top helpdesk tools. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own homepage and, where prices are published, the vendor's own pricing page, and we checked positioning against public reviews on G2 and practitioner discussion on Reddit. We required general-purpose customer support helpdesks (not IT-only service desks), and we kept all ten because each serves a distinct buyer: the free-tier seekers, the per-agent pragmatists, the AI-first teams and the enterprise consolidators. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's site we wrote "See website" rather than guessing; Front's pricing page could not be loaded during research, which is disclosed here.
Match the helpdesk to your ticket reality
Count before you shop. Pull three numbers: monthly ticket volume, number of agents, and the share of tickets that are repetitive questions. Under 500 tickets a month with a handful of agents: a free tier (HubSpot, Zoho Desk, Help Scout) or LiveAgent at $15 probably covers you. Thousands of tickets with repetitive questions: this is where AI-first tools (Intercom, Freshdesk, Kayako) earn their keep, because deflecting 50%+ of volume beats adding headcount.
Then check your channels. If phone is core, you need a built-in call center (LiveAgent, Zendesk) or a voice integration (Help Scout via Aircall). If support is really cross-team coordination (support plus billing plus ops on one thread), Front's model fits better than any ticket queue. Finally, trial with real tickets, not sample data: import a month of history, run the automations, and watch what the AI actually resolves before you sign.
AI add-ons: where the 2026 costs hide
The headline per-agent prices above are only half the 2026 story. Nearly every vendor now bills AI separately, and the models differ. Intercom charges $0.99 per Fin resolution. Help Scout charges $0.75 per AI Answers resolution (after 3 free months of unlimited). Freshdesk includes 500 AI sessions per plan, then $49 per 100 sessions. HappyFox prices its chatbot at $0.33 per resolution and its AI suite from $14 per agent per month. Zendesk's Copilot is $50 per agent per month on top of the base plan.
Two rules follow. First, budget AI as its own line item using your monthly ticket volume, not your agent count. Second, use the free AI allowances aggressively during trials: run a full month of real volume through the AI agent and measure the resolution rate before committing. A 70% resolution rate at $0.75 each is cheap; a 20% rate at the same price is an expensive experiment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest helpdesk software?
HubSpot Service Hub ($0), Zoho Desk (free for 3 users) and Help Scout (free for 5 users) all have permanent free tiers. Among paid plans, Zoho Desk Express at $7 per agent per month and LiveAgent at $15 are the cheapest credible options. The right "cheapest" depends on your agent count: free tiers win under 5 agents, Zoho and LiveAgent win above that.
How much does helpdesk software cost per agent?
Entry pricing clusters at $15 to $25 per agent per month billed annually: LiveAgent ($15), Zendesk and Freshdesk ($19), HubSpot Starter ($20), HappyFox ($24) and Help Scout ($25). Mid tiers run $45 to $100, and enterprise tiers with AI add-ons can exceed $150 per agent. AI resolutions typically add $0.33 to $0.99 each on top.
Which helpdesk has the best free plan?
HubSpot Service Hub's free tier is the most capable: ticketing, team email, live chat and CRM contact management at $0 with no credit card. Help Scout's free plan (5 users, 1 inbox, 1 docs site) is best for small teams wanting a polished shared inbox. Zoho Desk's free edition (3 users) suits tiny teams, especially those already using Zoho products.
Do I need AI in my helpdesk?
If more than a third of your tickets are repetitive questions (password resets, order status, how-to), AI agents from Intercom, Freshdesk or Kayako can resolve them without headcount growth. If your tickets are complex, emotional or high-stakes, AI drafts and summaries help agents work faster, but autonomous resolution matters less. Start with the free AI allowances and measure the resolution rate on real tickets.
Can I switch helpdesks without losing ticket history?
Yes. Every tool on this list offers migration assistance or import tools, and Zoho Desk explicitly offers free guided migration from other helpdesks. The harder part is rebuilding automations, SLA rules and integrations, which is why Kayako's no-migration AI layer exists. Plan for 2 to 6 weeks including testing, and run both systems in parallel during the cutover.
Sources we checked (17)
- https://www.zendesk.com
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/
- https://freshdesk.com/
- https://www.freshdesk.com/pricing
- https://hubspot.com/
- https://www.hubspot.com/products/service
- https://www.zoho.com/desk/
- https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing/
- https://www.intercom.com
- https://helpscout.com/
- https://helpscout.com/pricing
- https://www.liveagent.com
- https://front.com/
- https://happyfox.com/
- https://www.happyfox.com/pricing/
- https://kayako.com/
- https://www.g2.com/categories/help-desk
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.