# Guides to buying and running a help desk

> Plain-language explanations of pricing models, AI add-ons, shared inboxes, SLAs, migration and the law.

Published: September 19, 2026 · Updated: September 19, 2026 · Prices and figures verified: September 18, 2026 · By the help-desk.reviews team

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](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

- [Help desk vs shared inbox](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/help-desk-vs-shared-inbox)
- [What is an AI help desk?](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/what-is-an-ai-help-desk)
- [Per-seat vs per-resolution pricing](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/per-seat-vs-per-resolution-pricing)
- [Do you need the AI add-on?](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/do-you-need-the-ai-add-on)
- [Help desk migration checklist](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/help-desk-migration-checklist)
- [SLA basics for support teams](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/sla-basics-for-support-teams)
- [Help desk software and data protection law in the United States](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/help-desk-software-and-data-protection-law)

> **Scored on a public rubric, from prices and documents you can open.** Every score on this site comes from six published criteria: true cost with AI on, pricing transparency, AI as documented, access and switching, channels and languages, and data protection. The cost level is arithmetic on the vendor's list prices. Each price comes from one product database and links to its source, so every page agrees with every other page. The order of our lists is set by our editors and does not always follow the score. Rubric v1.0 · Scores rate list prices and public documentation. We have not run hands-on tests yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

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Canonical: https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides