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Best help desk software for small business

We compare Tidio, Help Scout, Zoho Desk, Freshdesk, HubSpot Service Hub, Gorgias, Front and Zendesk for small teams on true cost with AI on, free plans, monthly billing and fees.

By the help-desk.reviews teamPublished September 19, 2026Updated September 19, 2026Prices and figures verified September 18, 2026

Tidio is the best help desk for most small businesses: it does not charge per seat, its permanent free plan includes 10 seats, paid plans start at $24.17 a month for the whole team, and its Lyro AI agent costs from $0.70 per conversation in prepaid packs. Help Scout is the pick if you work mainly in email or have more than 10 agents, and Freshdesk if you need a phone line.

Small teams feel add-on pricing most, because a per-agent AI copilot or a mandatory onboarding fee can double a modest bill. This list covers products sold to small teams, scored on our rubric, which weights true cost with AI switched on most heavily. If you are not sure you need a help desk at all, start with help desk vs shared inbox.

Quick picks

  • Most small teams: Tidio — free for 10 seats, then one flat price from $24.17 a month for the whole team.
  • Tightest budget: Zoho Desk — free for 3 users; Express from $7 for up to 5.
  • Need EU hosting or phone: Freshdesk — Growth from $19 per agent, EEA region chosen at sign-up.

The ranking

1

Tidio

Online stores and other small teams of up to ten agents that also want support to generate sales, through in-chat product recommendations8.9
Price from
$24.17 per month
Pricing model
Per ticket volume
Free plan
Yes
EU data hosting
Yes

Tidio is a customer service suite for small ecommerce teams: ticketing and an email inbox, live chat, the rule-based Flows chatbot and the Lyro AI agent. It does not charge per agent. Every self-serve plan is a flat price for the whole project that includes 10 seats, and the plan is chosen by how many conversations a human answers: Starter is $24.17 a month for 100 of them, and Growth runs from $49.17 for 250 up to $290.83 for 2,000, on annual billing. Lyro is bought separately, in prepaid monthly packs from $32.50.

The catch: Three meters run at once and none of them covers the others: billable human conversations, Lyro conversations and Flows visitors are bought separately. Worse, the conversation cap is a wall, not a bill - once the month's allowance is used, agents cannot see or answer new messages until the quota resets or you upgrade. And every self-serve plan stops at 10 seats.

Read the review · Pricing explained

2

Help Scout

Small teams that work mainly in email8.3
Price from
$25 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per seat, plus AI usage
Free plan
Yes
EU data hosting
No

Help Scout is a shared inbox, live chat widget and knowledge base for small and mid-size support teams. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month on annual billing, there is a free plan for up to 5 users, and its customer-facing AI agent costs $0.75 per resolution with no charge when the customer still needs a person.

A free plan for 5 users, monthly billing, no mandatory fees and AI billed only per resolution make it the least risky start for a small team.

The catch: Data is hosted in the United States only, and the prices on the pricing page are annual-billing prices: paying monthly costs $30 instead of $25 on Standard.

True cost at 10 agents (Plus): $450 a month for seats alone, $825 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained · Alternatives

3

Zoho Desk

Small and mid-size teams that want a complete help desk at a low per-user price8.1
Price from
$7 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per agent seat
Free plan
Yes
EU data hosting
Yes

Zoho Desk is a ticketing help desk with email, social and WhatsApp channels, a help center and a chat widget, sold as part of the wider Zoho suite. Paid editions start at $7 per user per month on annual billing, there is a free plan for up to 3 users, and the Zia AI assistant is included from the Professional edition at $23. Zia AI Agents come with a free monthly token allowance, but the price of usage beyond it is not published.

The lowest seat prices on the list and a free plan for 3 users, though Express is capped at 5 users and generative AI starts on Professional.

The catch: Below Professional there is no bundled generative AI: on Express and Standard, AI features need your own OpenAI or DeepSeek API key, billed by that provider. And once Zia AI Agents use up the free token allowance, they draw on AI credits whose price Zoho does not publish.

True cost at 10 agents (Professional): $230 a month for seats alone, $230 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained

4

Freshdesk

Budget-conscious teams that want EU hosting and a cheap per-agent entry price8.0
Price from
$19 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per seat, plus AI usage
Free plan
No
EU data hosting
Yes

Freshdesk is Freshworks' help desk, sold in two versions: standalone Freshdesk for email ticketing, and Freshdesk Omni, which adds chat, phone and messaging. Freshdesk starts at $19 per agent per month on annual billing and Omni at $29. The Freddy AI Agent is sold in packs of 100 sessions for $49, and a session is charged whether or not the AI solves the customer's problem.

Growth at $19 per agent is cheap email ticketing, but there is no free plan, only a 6-month program for 2 agents.

The catch: Freddy AI Agent sessions are used up whether or not the issue gets resolved, and the price per session is now several times what Freshworks' own June 2025 price list showed: $49 per 100 sessions, against $100 per 1,000 then.

True cost at 10 agents (Freshdesk Pro): $550 a month for seats alone, $1,085 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained · Alternatives

5

HubSpot Service Hub

Teams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing7.5
Price from
$7 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per seat, plus AI usage
Free plan
Yes
EU data hosting
Yes

HubSpot Service Hub is the customer service part of HubSpot's CRM: ticketing, shared inboxes, live chat, calling, a knowledge base and a customer portal, all on the same contact records as HubSpot's marketing and sales tools. Seats cost $7 (Starter), $90 (Professional) and $150 (Enterprise) per seat per month on an annual commitment. Professional and Enterprise also require one-time onboarding at $1,500 and $3,500. The Breeze Customer Agent costs $0.50 per resolved conversation, paid in HubSpot Credits.

Starter at $7 per seat on annual commitment is low if you already use HubSpot's CRM, but Professional adds a $1,500 onboarding fee.

The catch: The advertised prices leave things out. Professional and Enterprise need one-time onboarding ($1,500 and $3,500), the Starter price of $7 assumes an annual commitment against $20 month to month, and the included credits cover only about 60 AI resolutions a month on Professional. If you hold other HubSpot hubs at a higher tier, every Core Seat is priced at that tier.

True cost at 10 agents (Professional): $900 a month for seats alone, $1,120 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained

6

Gorgias

Shopify and other ecommerce brands with many agents and moderate ticket volume7.4
Price from
$10 per month
Pricing model
Per ticket volume
Free plan
No
EU data hosting
Yes

Gorgias is a help desk built for online stores, above all Shopify stores, with order data in the inbox and an AI agent that can handle refunds, cancellations and address changes. It is priced by billable tickets a month rather than per agent. Basic costs $50 a month for 300 tickets, Pro $300 for 2,000 and Advanced $750 for 5,000, on annual billing. The AI Agent costs $0.90 per automated interaction, and each of those interactions also uses up one of your plan's tickets.

For small online stores, Basic at $50 a month for 300 tickets includes the whole team.

The catch: Every conversation the AI Agent handles is billed twice: once as an automated interaction at $0.90 and once as a helpdesk ticket against your plan's allowance. Beyond the interactions included in your plan, the AI rate rises to $1.50.

True cost at 10 agents (Pro): $480 a month for seats alone, $930 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained

7

Front

Small and mid-size operations and account teams that work mainly in email6.8
Price from
$25 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per seat, plus AI usage
Free plan
No
EU data hosting
Yes

Front is a shared inbox and ticketing tool built for teams that live in email, such as logistics, travel and B2B services. Plans cost $25, $65 and $105 per seat per month on annual billing. Copilot adds $20 per seat below Enterprise, and the Autopilot AI agent is charged per conversation by what it achieved: $0.05 to triage, $0.39 to hand off and $0.89 to resolve.

Suits small operations teams that work in shared email; Starter at $25 per seat is capped at 10 seats.

The catch: Seat caps push growing teams up a tier: Starter stops at 10 seats and Professional at 50, beyond which Enterprise is the only option at $105 per seat, annual only. Payments are non-refundable and removed seats keep being billed until the next term.

True cost at 10 agents (Professional): $650 a month for seats alone, $1,295 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained

8

Zendesk

Mid-size and enterprise teams that need phone, messaging and email in one tool5.2
Price from
$19 per agent per month
Pricing model
Per seat, plus AI usage
Free plan
No
EU data hosting
Yes

Zendesk is a help desk for mid-size and large support teams that covers email, messaging, live chat, phone, WhatsApp, social channels and a help center in one suite. Omnichannel plans start at $55 per agent per month on annual billing, the Copilot agent-assist add-on costs $50 per agent and must be bought for every seat, and AI agents are billed per automated resolution under rules that Zendesk's own pricing page and help center currently describe differently.

Covers every channel, but Suite Team starts at $55 per agent and Copilot needs Suite Professional, so it is the costliest way for a small team to add AI.

The catch: Copilot cannot be licensed for a subset of agents: once it is on, every Suite Professional seat costs $115 plus $50. And the per-resolution price of AI agents under the billing model in force since May 2026 is not published.

True cost at 10 agents (Suite Professional): $1,150 a month for seats alone, $2,250 a month with AI switched on.

Read the review · Pricing explained · Alternatives

Comparison table

ProductScorePricing modelPrice fromFree planEU data hostingGermanSpanishBest for
Tidio8.9Per ticket volume$24.17 per monthYesYesNot documentedYesOnline stores and other small teams of up to ten agents that also want support to generate sales, through in-chat product recommendations
Help Scout8.3Per seat, plus AI usage$25 per agent per monthYesNoNot documentedNot documentedSmall teams that work mainly in email
Zoho Desk8.1Per agent seat$7 per agent per monthYesYesNot documentedNot documentedSmall and mid-size teams that want a complete help desk at a low per-user price
Freshdesk8.0Per seat, plus AI usage$19 per agent per monthNoYesYesYesBudget-conscious teams that want EU hosting and a cheap per-agent entry price
HubSpot Service Hub7.5Per seat, plus AI usage$7 per agent per monthYesYesYesYesTeams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing
Gorgias7.4Per ticket volume$10 per monthNoYesNot documentedNot documentedShopify and other ecommerce brands with many agents and moderate ticket volume
Front6.8Per seat, plus AI usage$25 per agent per monthNoYesNoNoSmall and mid-size operations and account teams that work mainly in email
Zendesk5.2Per seat, plus AI usage$19 per agent per monthNoYesYesYesMid-size and enterprise teams that need phone, messaging and email in one tool

True cost at 3, 10 and 50 agents

seats only with AI on

3 agents · Entry tier

Zoho Desk
$42$42
Freshdesk
$57$155
Help Scout
$75$188
Tidio
$133$199
Front
$75$269
Gorgias
$230$365
Zendesk
$165$368

3 agents: 750 tickets a month, 150 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent.

10 agents · Mid tier

Zoho Desk
$230$230
Tidio
No public price
Help Scout
$450$825
Gorgias
$480$930
Freshdesk
$550$1,085
Front
$650$1,295
Zendesk
$1,150$2,250

10 agents: 2,500 tickets a month, 500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent.

50 agents · Mid tier

Zoho Desk
$1,150$1,150
Help Scout
$2,250$4,125
Freshdesk
$2,750$5,425
Gorgias
$3,450$5,700
Front
$3,250$6,475
Zendesk
$5,750$11,250
Tidio
Growth is capped at 10 seats

50 agents: 12,500 tickets a month, 2,500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent.

Estimates from vendors' published USD list prices with annual billing, verified on the date shown on this page. Taxes, discounts, onboarding fees and telephony usage are not included.

Help desk true-cost calculator

How to choose

If you answer customers by email and want to start free, pick Help Scout. The free plan covers 5 users and 100 contacts a month, and the paid plans have no minimum below Pro.

If every dollar counts and you have no more than 3 agents, start on Zoho Desk Free and move to Standard at $14 when you need a help center and chat. Remember that AI on Express and Standard needs your own OpenAI or DeepSeek key.

If you must keep customer data in the EU, pick Freshdesk and choose the EEA region when you sign up; Help Scout hosts in the US only. Freshdesk vs Help Scout compares the two in detail.

If you sell on Shopify, pick Gorgias; if your team shares one busy inbox with other departments, compare Help Scout vs Front.

Before adding any AI product, read do you need the AI add-on? and price it at your own volume in the true-cost calculator.

Verdict

Tidio is the default for small businesses: no charge per seat, a free plan for 10 seats and agent-assist AI included on every plan. Ignore it if you have more than 10 agents or work mainly in email, in which case pick Help Scout, or if you need a phone channel, in which case pick Freshdesk.

For buyers in the United States

A help desk holds your customers' personal information, so the vendor's contract has to meet state privacy law: California and about twenty other states require written limits on what a vendor may do with that data. Healthcare teams also need a signed business associate agreement before any patient information reaches a ticket.

Every vendor we cover publishes a US dollar price list, so the prices on this site are the prices you will be quoted before discounts. If you also serve customers in Europe or the United Kingdom, check where the product can host data; each review lists EU and UK data hosting and whether a HIPAA business associate agreement is available.

Help desk software and data protection law in the United States

Frequently asked questions

What is the best help desk for a small business?

Tidio suits most small support teams: it does not charge per seat, its free plan includes 10 seats, paid plans start at $24.17 a month on annual billing and its Lyro AI agent costs from $0.70 per conversation in prepaid packs. Help Scout is the pick for email-first teams or more than 10 agents, and Freshdesk when you need a phone line.

Is there a free help desk for small teams?

Yes. Help Scout is free for 5 users, Zoho Desk for 3, and HubSpot Service Hub for 2; none of these free plans include an AI agent. See free help desk software.

Is Zendesk too expensive for a small business?

Usually, if you want AI. Suite Team costs $55 per agent, and Copilot is only available from Suite Professional at $115, plus $50 per agent for every seat. See Zendesk alternatives.

Do small teams need a help desk or a shared inbox?

A shared inbox is enough while one or two people answer from a single address. A help desk earns its cost once you need assignment, SLAs, a help center or reporting. Our guide to help desk vs shared inbox sets out the signs.

Keep reading

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This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: How we review