Most helpdesks now charge for their AI agent separately from seats, usually per resolution: you pay each time the AI fully handles a conversation. The rates look small, but at a few hundred conversations a month they can cost more than your seats. This page puts every published AI rate in one table.
Prices checked on each vendor’s official pricing page in November 2026. They change often; confirm before you buy.
AI pricing at a glance
| Helpdesk | AI agent | Price per AI resolution | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk | Freddy AI Agent | $0.49 ($49 per 100 sessions) | First 500 sessions | Billed per session; Copilot for agents is $29/agent/mo extra |
| Help Scout | Envoy (AI Answers) | $0.75 | None | Billed monthly per resolution |
| Intercom | Fin AI Agent | $0.99 per outcome | None | Charged at most once per conversation; refunded if the conversation reopens. Fin Voice $1.99 per voice outcome |
| Gorgias | AI Agent | $1.50 after allowance | 30 to 530 automated interactions, depending on plan | AI Agent add-on costs $30 to $530 a month (monthly billing) |
| Chatwoot | Captain AI | Credit-based | 300 / 500 / 800 credits per plan | Extra credits $20 per 1,000; credits used per conversation vary |
| Zendesk | AI agents | Not published on pricing page | Plan allowance | Billed per automated resolution beyond the plan allowance; ask sales for your rate. Copilot $50/agent/mo |
| Tidio | Lyro AI Agent | Conversation packs | 50 Lyro conversations (one-time) on entry plans | Priced in tiers by volume rather than a single per-resolution rate |
Worked example: 500 AI resolutions a month
Here is what the AI part of the bill looks like if the AI fully resolves 500 conversations in a month, using only published rates:
| Helpdesk | Calculation | AI cost / month | Effective cost per resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk | 5 packs of 100 × $49 (after the first 500 free sessions are used) | $245 | $0.49 |
| Help Scout | 500 × $0.75 | $375 | $0.75 |
| Intercom | 500 × $0.99 | $495 | $0.99 |
| Gorgias Pro | $190 (190 included) + 310 × $1.50 | $655 | $1.31 |
| Gorgias Basic | $30 (30 included) + 470 × $1.50 | $735 | $1.47 |
Seats come on top. Model seats and AI together in our helpdesk true cost calculator, or check whether the AI pays for itself with the chatbot ROI calculator.
What counts as a “resolution”?
Definitions differ, and they matter more than the headline rate:
- Intercom charges for an “outcome” at most once per conversation, and refunds it if the customer reopens the conversation.
- Zendesk bills “automated resolutions”: requests the AI resolved without escalating to a human.
- Freshdesk bills AI Agent sessions, which is not the same as a confirmed resolution.
- Gorgias bills “automated interactions”.
Before you compare, ask each vendor how it counts a resolution, whether abandoned chats count, and whether you can cap monthly AI spend.
How to keep AI costs under control
- Start with your top 20 questions. AI resolves simple, repeated questions cheaply; complex ones often escalate anyway.
- Set a monthly cap or alert where the vendor offers one.
- Compare against a human ticket. If a human ticket costs you $6, an AI resolution at $0.49 to $1.50 is a saving, but only for conversations the AI truly resolves.
- Consider flat or self-hosted options if volume is high. See open-source ticketing systems.
FAQ
Which helpdesk has the cheapest AI? Among published per-resolution rates, Freshdesk’s AI Agent sessions ($49 per 100) are the lowest, followed by Help Scout ($0.75) and Intercom ($0.99).
Do I pay when the AI hands over to a human? Under Intercom’s and Zendesk’s published models, no: you pay for resolved conversations. Check each vendor’s definition.
Related: Best AI helpdesk software · Price tracker · How we check prices
Munaza
Founder & Editor, SupportPricing
Munaza runs a digital marketing agency that manages social media and SEO for client brands across multiple platforms. Her work puts her inside SaaS tools every day: she sets up help centers, writes product content and compares software for clients before they buy. She started SupportPricing because customer service software pricing kept changing faster than anyone could track. Every price on this site comes from the vendor’s own pricing page and carries the date she checked it.