Replace Zendesk or Intercom: cheaper help desks and AI agents

What Zendesk / Intercom costs at 10 and 25 seats

Annual cost at list price (annual-billing price where the vendor shows one)

Plan	Price (as listed)	10 users / yr	25 users / yr	Source
Zendesk Suite Team	$55/agent/mo paid yearly	$6,600 10 × $55 × 12	$16,500 25 × $55 × 12	source, Oct 14, 2026
Zendesk Support Team	$19/agent/mo paid yearly. Suite Team $55, Suite Professional $115	$2,280 10 × $19 × 12	$5,700 25 × $19 × 12	source, Oct 14, 2026
Intercom (Fin AI Agent)	Essential $29/seat/mo + $0.99 per Fin outcome. Advanced $85/seat/mo	$3,480 10 × $29 × 12	$8,700 25 × $29 × 12	source, Oct 14, 2026 · Seat price only; Fin outcome fees excluded from math

Excludes taxes, add-ons and usage fees.

Free and low-cost alternatives

Editorial picks, ordered by our view of fit for 5-50 person teams. We haven't lab-tested them, and no vendor paid for placement. "Best value" marks the lowest verified annual cost for 10 users among these picks; it isn't a quality score.

Heads up: "Try" links may be affiliate links. If you buy, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, and it never changes our rankings. How we make money

#1Freshdesk

Best valueLow-costAI add-on

Try Freshdesk (opens in new tab) ↗

Growth is $19/agent/mo billed annually; AI sessions are an add-on.

Price: Growth $19/agent/mo billed annually. AI Agent sessions add-on $49/100

• Cheap entry tier
• Mature ticketing

• AI is a paid add-on

Source: freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#2Help Scout

AI add-on

Try Help Scout (opens in new tab) ↗

Shared-inbox feel; AI Answers $0.75 per resolution.

Price: Standard $25/user/mo, Plus $45, Pro $75. AI Answers $0.75/resolution

• Cheap per-resolution AI

• Higher seat price

Source: helpscout.com/pricing · checked Oct 13, 2026 · Billing period for listed prices not confirmed

#3Tidio (Lyro AI)

AI-nativeLow-cost

Try Tidio (opens in new tab) ↗

Chat plus Lyro AI, not priced per seat.

Price: Starter $24.17/mo (100 billable conversations). Lyro AI add-on from $32.50/mo

• Not priced per seat

• Usage-based billing can grow

Source: tidio.com/pricing · checked Oct 13, 2026 · Billing period for listed prices unclear

#4Zammad

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Try Zammad (opens in new tab) ↗

Open-source help desk you can self-host.

Price: Open source; self-host free of license fees. Hosted plans from €7/mo (per pricing page title)

• Open source
• Self-host option

• Hosted prices in EUR; plan details not captured

Source: zammad.com/en/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Hosted plan details UNVERIFIED

Feature comparison

Feature comparison (from vendor pricing pages)

Feature	Zendesk Suite Team	Intercom Essential	Freshdesk Growth	Help Scout Standard	Zammad
Price per agent/mo	$55 (annual)	$29 + $0.99/Fin outcome	$19 (annual)	$25	Self-host free; hosted from €7
AI agent	Paid automated resolutions	Fin, per outcome	Add-on sessions	AI Answers $0.75/resolution	Optional AI, €0.03/call
Open source	—	—	—	—	✓

✓ = included, — = not included on that plan or not offered. "See vendor" = we couldn't confirm it on the pricing page.

Annual savings, with the math

Savings use the verified list prices above. Real savings depend on your seat count, billing period, discounts and switching time. Run your own numbers.

Honest tradeoffs

• Intercom's Fin is a leading AI agent; cheaper tools' AI may resolve fewer tickets.
• Zendesk's marketplace and reporting go deeper.
• Per-resolution AI pricing makes the true cost depend on volume.

Migration difficulty: Moderate

Most help desks import tickets and contacts from Zendesk. Rebuild macros, help-center articles and automations, then switch your support email forwarding.

Before you switch, read when NOT to switch and use our migration checklist.

Head-to-head comparisons

• Freshdesk vs Zendesk: help desk pricing for small support teams

Both vendors' prices checked Oct 15, 2026. All comparisons.