Help desk buyer guide
Help desk pricing tracker for support teams
This guide is for support leaders, founders, and operations teams choosing ticketing, shared inbox, help center, and AI-assisted support tools. It focuses on capturing support requests, assigning ownership, routing channels, measuring SLAs, publishing help content, and reporting support workload.
Last reviewed May 9, 2026. Pricing and feature claims should be verified against the linked source logs before purchase.
Current pricing signals
| Product | Visible pricing signal | Plan trigger to verify | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | Support Team $19 per agent/month billed annually; Suite Team $55; Suite Professional $115; Suite Enterprise $169. | Suite review is needed when messaging/live chat, AI agents, multiple help centers, SLAs, advanced reporting, or voice workflows matter. | May 9, 2026 | zendesk.com |
| Freshdesk | Free 1-2 agent program for 6 months; Growth from $19/agent/month billed annually. | Verify tier when automations, SLAs, routing, Freddy AI, custom reporting, or security controls are required. | May 9, 2026 | freshworks.com |
| Help Scout | Free plan with 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site; Standard $25/user/month, Plus $45, Pro $75. | Paid tier review is needed for multiple inboxes, advanced SLA policies, routing, AI Drafts, integrations, and scale/security controls. | May 9, 2026 | helpscout.com |
| Intercom | Essential starts at $29/seat/month plus Fin outcome usage; Advanced and Expert are higher seat-priced plans. | Verify Fin outcome costs, channel usage, workflow automation, reporting, help center, and messaging requirements. | May 9, 2026 | intercom.com |
How to use this asset
- Use the same criteria for every vendor so demo quality does not overwhelm workflow fit.
- Record the plan, source URL, verification date, and buyer assumption behind every score.
- Test a real workflow before moving historical records or inviting the full team.
- Use the correction link if pricing, package, or feature evidence appears outdated.
Related help desk assets
- Help desk selection checklist
A checklist for evaluating support inbox, ticketing, AI, SLA, reporting, and help-center needs.
- Help desk comparison spreadsheet
A scorecard for comparing Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Intercom, and future support tools.
- Help desk pricing tracker
A dated pricing and packaging tracker for support software shortlist reviews.