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Help desk software

Help desk software for small teams

We read nine help desk tools' pricing pages on October 20, 2026. Paid plans start at $7 to $25 per agent a month, billed yearly; Gorgias charges per account by ticket volume. Help Scout's and Zoho Desk's free plans cover three agents.

Find tools for your jobHow we review and rank
Decision criteria before scoresPayable cost before headline priceEvidence before a "best" badge

Start with your situation

Make a shorter shortlist.

Five buyer needs: the must-haves a pricing page can show, the tools whose pages list them all, and what only a hands-on test shows
Your jobMust-havesTools whose pages list them allHands-on only
01 Share one inbox between two or three people
  • Shared inbox or ticketing
  • Saved replies
  • Help Scout (Standard, $30 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Front (Professional, $85 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Zendesk (Support Team, $19 per agent, billed yearly)
  • Collision warning
  • Internal notes
02 Add live chat and a help center
  • Live chat
  • Public knowledge base
  • Intercom (Essential, $29 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Help Scout (Standard, $30 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Front (Starter, $35 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Zoho Desk (Enterprise, $50 per agent, billed monthly)
  • HubSpot Service Hub (Professional, $100 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Zendesk (Suite Team, $55 per agent, billed yearly)
  • Gorgias (Starter, $10 per account, 50 tickets)
  • A chat that becomes a ticket
03 Support a Shopify store
  • Shopify integration
  • Hiver (Pro, $65 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Gorgias (Starter, $10 per account, 50 tickets)
  • Shopify order data inside the ticket
04 Meet response-time targets
  • SLA policies
  • Automation rules
  • Reporting
  • Hiver (Pro, $65 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Intercom (Expert, $139 per agent, billed monthly)
  • First-response time in the reports
05 Work from inside Gmail
  • Works inside Gmail
  • Hiver (Growth, $35 per agent, billed monthly)
  • Shared labels

Help desk tools

The nine tools we're checking

Read on vendor pricing pages on October 20, 2026 in a US browser, one entry plan per tool. Nothing tested hands-on yet. "Per agent" covers what vendors call an agent, seat or user. Listed alphabetically.
ProductPricing basisEntry plan a month, billed yearlySame plan, billed monthlyFree planTrial and card
FreshdeskPer agent$19 per agent (Growth)$23 per agent (Growth)None shown14 days, no card
FrontPer agent$25 per agent (Starter, up to 10 seats)$35 per agent (Starter, up to 10 seats)None shown14 days, no card
GorgiasPer account, by tickets a monthMonthly billing only$10 per account (Starter, 50 tickets)None shownLength not stated, no card
Help ScoutPer agent$25 per agent (Standard)$30 per agent (Standard)5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site15 days, no card
HiverPer agent$25 per agent (Growth)$35 per agent (Growth)None shown7 days, no card
HubSpot Service HubPer agent$7 per agent (Starter; discounted from $20, terms not stated)$10 per agent (Starter; discounted from $20, terms not stated)2 usersNone listed
IntercomPer agent, plus $0.99 per AI outcome$19 per agent (Essential; new-customer price)$29 per agent (Essential; new-customer price)None shown14 days, no card
ZendeskPer agent$19 per agent (Support Team)Not shownNone shown14 days, no card
Zoho DeskPer agent$7 per agent (Express)$9 per agent (Express)3 users, email ticketing15 days, no card

Features

What each pricing page lists

Read on October 20, 2026. "From" names the first plan whose card or table lists it; "Unclear" means the page mentions it without a plan. No pricing page mentions collision warning and internal notes.
ProductShared inbox or ticketingSaved repliesLive chatPublic knowledge baseShopify integrationSLA policiesAutomation rulesReportingWorks inside Gmail
FreshdeskFrom GrowthUnclearNot listedFrom GrowthNot listedFrom ProUnclearFrom GrowthNot listed
FrontFrom StarterFrom ProfessionalFrom Starter, one channel typeFrom StarterNot listedUnclearFrom StarterFrom StarterNot listed
GorgiasFrom StarterNot listedFrom StarterFrom StarterFrom StarterNot listedNot listedFrom StarterNot listed
Help ScoutFrom FreeFrom StandardFrom StandardFrom FreeNot listedFrom StandardFrom StandardUnclearNot listed
HiverFrom GrowthNot listedUnclearFrom Growth, Hiver in GmailFrom ProFrom ProFrom GrowthFrom GrowthFrom Growth, Hiver in Gmail
HubSpot Service HubFrom StarterUnclearFrom Free, with HubSpot brandingFrom ProfessionalNot listedFrom EnterpriseUnclearUnclearNot listed
IntercomFrom EssentialNot listedFrom EssentialFrom EssentialNot listedFrom ExpertFrom EssentialFrom EssentialNot listed
ZendeskFrom Support TeamFrom Support TeamFrom Suite TeamFrom Suite TeamNot listedUnclearFrom Support TeamFrom Support TeamNot listed
Zoho DeskFrom FreeNot listedFrom EnterpriseFrom StandardNot listedUnclearFrom ExpressFrom StandardNot listed

A better buying question

What will this cost for our actual work?

Sample workload
Agents3
ChannelEmail
Tickets a month300
Must-haveShared inbox or ticketing
BillingMonthly
Monthly total on the cheapest plan that fits
Help Scout$0 (free plan)
Zoho Desk$0 (free plan)
HubSpot Service Hub$30 (Starter, $10 per agent, discounted from $20, terms not stated)
Gorgias$60 (Basic, 300 tickets)
Freshdesk$69 (Growth, $23 per agent)
Intercom$87 (Essential, $29 per agent, new-customer price)
Front$105 (Starter, $35 per agent)
Hiver$105 (Growth, $35 per agent)
ZendeskMonthly price not shown

Before tax and add-ons; AI charges extra at Intercom and Gorgias.

How to choose

Four things worth checking.

  1. Does it pass every must-have on the trial plan?
  2. Can you see the evidence behind each claim?
  3. Does it fit a week of your real tickets?
  4. What does the plan you need cost in total?

What are you trying to choose?

Suggest a category or a useful test.

Suggest a comparison