# What your help desk really costs.

> Nine help desks ranked on what they cost with the AI add-ons switched on, from vendor list prices, on a public rubric with no affiliate links.

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)

The seat price is only part of the bill: AI agents, copilots and credit packs are sold on top, and they can cost more than the seats. We price every help desk with its AI add-ons switched on, so you see the number that lands on the invoice.

**The right help desk for your team**

- **1–3 agents:** [Zoho Desk Free](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/zoho-desk) — Free for up to 3 users, with paid editions from $7 per user when you outgrow it.
- **Email-first:** [Help Scout Standard](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/help-scout) — A shared inbox at $25 per user, and its AI agent bills $0.75 only when it resolves a conversation.
- **Ecommerce:** [Gorgias Basic](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/gorgias) — Billed by ticket, not by agent: $50 a month covers 300 tickets, with order data from your store in the inbox.
- **Internal IT, on Jira:** [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/jira-service-management) — Free for 3 agents, requesters never need a seat, and Rovo agent assist is included on paid plans.

## Help desk true-cost calculator

| Product | 3 agents · Entry tier · seats only | 3 agents · Entry tier · with AI on | 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | 50 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 50 agents · Mid tier · with AI on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/jira-service-management) | $60 | **$60** | $514 | **$514** | $2,571 | **$3,021** |
| [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/help-scout) | $75 | **$188** | $450 | **$825** | $2,250 | **$4,125** |
| [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/zoho-desk) | $42 | **$42** | $230 | **$230** | $1,150 | **$1,150** |
| [Freshdesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/freshdesk) | $57 | **$155** | $550 | **$1,085** | $2,750 | **$5,425** |
| [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/hubspot-service-hub) | $21 | **$21** | $900 | **$1,120** | $4,500 | **$5,720** |
| [Gorgias](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/gorgias) | $230 | **$365** | $480 | **$930** | $3,450 | **$5,700** |
| [Intercom](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/intercom) | $87 | **$323** | $850 | **$1,635** | $4,250 | **$8,175** |
| [Front](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/front) | $75 | **$269** | $650 | **$1,295** | $3,250 | **$6,475** |
| [Zendesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/zendesk) | $165 | **$368** | $1,150 | **$2,250** | $5,750 | **$11,250** |

_3 agents: 750 tickets a month, 150 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 10 agents: 2,500 tickets a month, 500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 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._

> **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)

## Best help desk software in 2026

Scored on the public rubric below, with true cost measured with AI switched on. Prices come from the vendors' own pages.

| Product | Score | Pricing model | Price from | Free plan | EU data hosting | German | Spanish | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/jira-service-management) | 8.7 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $20 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Internal IT, HR and operations service desks, especially at companies whose engineers already work in Jira |
| [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/help-scout) | 8.3 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $25 per agent per month | Yes | No | Not documented | Not documented | Small teams that work mainly in email |
| [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/zoho-desk) | 8.1 | Per agent seat | $7 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Small and mid-size teams that want a complete help desk at a low per-user price |
| [Freshdesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/freshdesk) | 8.0 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $19 per agent per month | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Budget-conscious teams that want EU hosting and a cheap per-agent entry price |
| [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/hubspot-service-hub) | 7.5 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $7 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Teams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing |
| [Gorgias](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/gorgias) | 7.4 | Per ticket volume | $10 per month | No | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Shopify and other ecommerce brands with many agents and moderate ticket volume |
| [Intercom](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/intercom) | 6.9 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $29 per agent per month | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Software and online businesses that want a customer-facing AI agent at the center of support |
| [Front](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/front) | 6.8 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $25 per agent per month | No | Yes | No | No | Small and mid-size operations and account teams that work mainly in email |
| [Zendesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/zendesk) | 5.2 | Per seat, plus AI usage | $19 per agent per month | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mid-size and enterprise teams that need phone, messaging and email in one tool |

## Pricing, explained

- [Zendesk pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/zendesk)
- [Freshdesk pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/freshdesk)
- [Zoho Desk pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/zoho-desk)
- [Help Scout pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/help-scout)
- [Front pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/front)
- [Intercom pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/intercom)
- [HubSpot Service Hub pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/hubspot-service-hub)
- [Gorgias pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/gorgias)
- [Jira Service Management pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/jira-service-management)

## Guides

- [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)

## Help desk reviews

- [Zendesk review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/zendesk)
- [Freshdesk review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/freshdesk)
- [Zoho Desk review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/zoho-desk)
- [Help Scout review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/help-scout)
- [Front review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/front)
- [Intercom review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/intercom)
- [HubSpot Service Hub review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/hubspot-service-hub)
- [Gorgias review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/gorgias)
- [Jira Service Management review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/jira-service-management)

## Head-to-head comparisons

- [Zendesk vs Freshdesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/zendesk-vs-freshdesk)
- [Help Scout vs Front](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/help-scout-vs-front)
- [Zendesk vs Intercom](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/zendesk-vs-intercom)
- [Freshdesk vs Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/freshdesk-vs-zoho-desk)
- [Gorgias vs Zendesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/gorgias-vs-zendesk)
- [Jira Service Management vs Zendesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/jira-service-management-vs-zendesk)
- [HubSpot Service Hub vs Zendesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/hubspot-service-hub-vs-zendesk)
- [Freshdesk vs Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/compare/freshdesk-vs-help-scout)

## Looking to switch?

- [The best Zendesk alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/zendesk)
- [The best Freshdesk alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/freshdesk)
- [The best Intercom alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/intercom)
- [The best Help Scout alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/help-scout)
- [The best Jira Service Management alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/jira-service-management)

## We price the whole stack, not the sticker

Each product is costed at three team sizes with the AI features a real team switches on, then scored on six criteria whose weights and rules are published. True cost carries the most weight, and it is arithmetic on list prices, not an opinion.

| Criterion | Weight |
| --- | --- |
| True cost with AI on | 30% |
| Pricing transparency | 20% |
| AI, as documented | 15% |
| Access and switching | 10% |
| Channels and languages | 10% |
| Data protection and compliance | 15% |

## Recently updated

- September 19, 2026 — Site published with rubric v1.0: nine help desks, prices and figures verified against their sources, true-cost calculator, editions in US English, UK English, German and Spanish.

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