How do helpdesk vendors price their AI customer service agents?
Of 14 helpdesk vendors we checked on October 30, 2026, six charge only when the AI resolves a conversation, four charge every AI conversation or session, one charges by outcome tier, two use tokens or plan allowances, and one publishes no price.
Published prices for one billable unit ranged from $0.49 (a Freshdesk session) to $2.00 (a Zendesk pay-as-you-go resolution or a Salesforce Agentforce conversation). The unit matters as much as the price: a cheap per-conversation rate can cost more per solved problem than a higher per-resolution rate if your agent resolves few conversations.
What this page adds: one dated table of AI agent pricing from 14 vendors' own pricing pages and help articles, a count of the billing models they use, and the same month of AI conversations priced on each. Our earlier Zendesk vs Intercom Fin vs Gorgias pricing comparison goes deep on three vendors; this page goes wide. If you are deciding whether to use a helpdesk's own agent or have one built, our AI customer service agent service page runs the payback test.
What does each helpdesk charge for its AI agent?
List prices per billable unit, read October 30, 2026: HubSpot $0.50 per resolution, Freshdesk $0.49 per session, Help Scout and Kustomer from $0.75, Front $0.89 per resolution, Intercom Fin and LiveChat $0.99, Gorgias $0.90 to $1.50, Zendesk and Salesforce $2.00.
Price of one billable AI unit
| Vendor and product | Billing unit | Published AI price (USD) | Unresolved AI conversations charged? | Included or free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin AI Agent | Per outcome, once per conversation | $0.99 per outcome | No: "You will never be charged for an outcome that didn't happen." A customer who goes quiet after an answer counts as an outcome | None stated; 14-day trial. Fin with another helpdesk has a minimum monthly commitment (example given: 50 outcomes) |
| Zendesk AI agents | Automated resolution, verified by a language model | US$2.00 per pay-as-you-go resolution | No: assisted escalations and failed verifications do not count against the allowance | 5 per agent a month on Support Team and Suite Team, 10 on Suite Professional |
| Gorgias AI Agent | Automated interaction (fully resolved, no person within 72 hours) | $0.90 annual, $1.00 monthly, $1.50 overage | No, billed as a regular ticket instead | 30 (Starter, Basic), 190 (Pro), 530 (Advanced) a month |
| HubSpot Customer Agent | Per resolution, paid in HubSpot credits | $0.50 per resolution; voice $0.50 a minute | No: a resolution is a conversation "not handed to a human rep for 72 hours" | Monthly credits on Service Hub plans; needs Professional or Enterprise |
| Help Scout AI Answers | Per resolution, once per conversation | $0.75 per resolution | No: if the customer asks for more help, "you won't be charged" | Three months of free, unlimited resolutions for new accounts; monthly spend cap available |
| LiveChat (Text) AI Agent | Per resolution | $49.50 per 50 extra resolutions ($0.99 each) | Not stated; the unit is "the AI directly solved a customer question" | 10 a month on Essential, 200 on Growth |
| Front Autopilot | Per conversation, charged once at the highest level reached | Triage $0.05, Handoff $0.39, Resolution $0.89 | Yes, at the Triage or Handoff rate | 30-day trial with up to 1,000 resolutions |
| Freshdesk Freddy AI Agent | Session (email: a 72-hour window) | $49 per 100 extra sessions ($0.49 each) | Yes, every session | 500 free sessions, once per account, on Growth, Pro and Enterprise |
| Tidio Lyro AI Agent | Lyro conversation (at least one AI reply) | From $32.50 a month for 50 conversations ($0.65 each); higher tiers not shown | Yes, any conversation with an AI reply | First 50 conversations free (lifetime) |
| Kustomer AI assistants | Conversation with at least one back-and-forth | From $0.75 down to $0.40 per conversation across 8 volume bands | Not charged if a person takes over within 24 hours; other unresolved conversations are | "Lite" routing assistants included |
| Salesforce Agentforce | Per conversation, or Flex Credits per action | $2 per conversation, or $500 per 100,000 credits (20 credits per action, 30 per voice action) | Not stated | Free start on Salesforce Foundations; Max Edition includes 2.75 million credits a year |
| HighLevel Conversation AI | Input and output tokens, or a flat plan | Per-token rates by model, or AI Employee Unlimited $97 a month per sub-account (fair use) | Yes, tokens are used either way | AI Employee Growth ($50 a month) includes 1,000 Conversation AI responses |
| Zoho Desk AI Agents | Included in plan, with a token allowance | No separate price; Express plan lists "up to 30M free tokens/month" | Not applicable | Express from US$7 per user a month, billed annually |
| Gladly AI | "Assisted Conversations" | Not published; contact sales | Unclear from the docs | Not stated |
Prices are list prices in US dollars as shown to us, without promotions, from each vendor's own pricing page or help center (sources at the bottom). Human agent seats are charged separately on every platform that sells them, and some vendors require a specific plan before the AI agent can be bought, for example HubSpot Professional or Enterprise.
Which billing models do helpdesk AI agents use?
Per-resolution billing is the most common model, used by 6 of the 14 vendors. Four bill every AI conversation or session. Front bills by the highest outcome reached, HighLevel and Zoho use tokens or plan allowances, and Gladly publishes no price.
Vendors by billing model
Each vendor defines its unit in its own words, and the definitions decide what you pay. Intercom counts an outcome when a customer confirms, goes quiet after Fin's answer, or Fin completes a procedure. Zendesk and Gorgias need no human involvement in a set window, 72 hours on Gorgias email. HubSpot's window is also 72 hours. Freshdesk counts a session whether anything was solved or not. Our resolution rate vs containment rate guide explains why these billing units are not the same as a customer's problem being solved.
What do 1,000 AI conversations cost on each helpdesk?
At a 60% resolution rate, 1,000 AI-handled conversations cost $300 on HubSpot, $450 on Help Scout, $490 on Freshdesk, about $594 on Intercom Fin, $690 on Front, $1,200 on Zendesk pay as you go, and up to $2,000 on Salesforce per-conversation pricing.
AI cost of 1,000 conversations, 60% resolved
To compare vendors that bill different units, we priced the same month on each: 1,000 conversations handled by the AI agent, of which 600 are resolved (60%) and 400 are handed to a person. This is our own arithmetic from the list prices above, read October 30, 2026.
| Vendor | Arithmetic | AI cost for the month |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce Agentforce (per conversation) | 1,000 x $2.00, if every conversation is billed (not stated) | $2,000 |
| Zendesk, pay as you go | 600 x $2.00 | $1,200 |
| Front Autopilot | 600 x $0.89 + 400 x $0.39 | $690 |
| Gorgias, monthly plan rate | 600 x $1.00 (ticket fees extra) | $600 |
| Intercom Fin | 600 x $0.99 | $594 |
| LiveChat | 12 packs of 50 x $49.50 | $594 |
| Freshdesk Freddy | 10 packs of 100 sessions x $49 | $490 |
| Help Scout | 600 x $0.75 | $450 |
| Kustomer | 600 x $0.75, if all 400 handoffs use Human Takeover within 24 hours | $450 |
| HubSpot Customer Agent | 600 x $0.50 | $300 |
Assumptions, labelled: 60% of AI conversations resolve; every unresolved one reaches a handoff; plan allowances, free trials and volume discounts are ignored; Kustomer's first band applies at this volume. Tidio is left out because its pricing page did not show the price of the 1,000-conversation tier, and HighLevel, Zoho Desk and Gladly are left out because they do not price per conversation or publish no price. Seats, channel fees (SMS, WhatsApp, phone minutes) and the plan each AI agent requires are not included.
Is per-resolution pricing cheaper than per-conversation pricing?
It depends on your resolution rate. A per-conversation price divided by your resolution rate gives the real cost per solved conversation. At 40% resolved, Freshdesk's $0.49 session costs $1.23 per resolution, more than Intercom Fin's $0.99. At 80% it costs $0.61.
The formula is simple: cost per resolution = price per conversation / resolution rate. For Front, which also charges for handoffs, it is $0.89 + ($0.39 x handoffs / resolutions). Per-resolution vendors cost the same per solved conversation whatever your rate.
| Vendor (unit price) | 40% resolved | 60% resolved | 80% resolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk ($0.49 per session) | $1.23 | $0.82 | $0.61 |
| Tidio (entry tier, $0.65 per conversation) | $1.63 | $1.08 | $0.81 |
| Front ($0.89 resolution, $0.39 handoff) | $1.48 | $1.15 | $0.99 |
| Salesforce ($2 per conversation, if all billed) | $5.00 | $3.33 | $2.50 |
| Intercom Fin (per outcome) | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| HubSpot (per resolution) | $0.50 | $0.50 | $0.50 |
The practical reading: if you are not sure your knowledge base is good enough for a high resolution rate yet, a per-resolution vendor limits the cost of a weak start. If you already resolve most conversations, per-conversation pricing can be cheaper. Measure your rate honestly first; vendor dashboards report their billing unit, not the same thing as a customer whose problem went away.
What does this data prove, and what does it not?
It proves what 14 vendors publish as AI agent prices and billing units on one date. It does not show what anyone pays after discounts, how well each agent resolves conversations, or the total cost of a helpdesk.
- Proves: list prices, billing units, allowances and charging rules as stated on each vendor's own pages on October 30, 2026.
- Does not prove: negotiated prices (most vendors offer volume or annual discounts on request), resolution quality, or which agent resolves more of your tickets.
- Does not include: human seat costs, required plan upgrades, channel costs, implementation, or knowledge-base work, which often cost more than the AI line.
- Weak points: Kustomer's billing article was last updated in July 2025; Salesforce does not state whether unresolved conversations are billed; Gladly's docs leave its unit unclear; Zendesk's page showed mixed currencies for committed resolutions, so we used only the US$ pay-as-you-go rate.
Prices change often. Zendesk changed how it counts resolutions in May 2026, and HighLevel's AI pricing article was modified on October 29, 2026, the day before we read it. Check each page again before you sign anything.
How we collected the data
On October 30, 2026 we read each vendor's public pricing page and, where the pricing page did not define its unit, its own help-center article on AI billing. We recorded only figures stated on those pages and marked everything else "not stated".
- Vendors: widely used helpdesks that sell their own AI agent, plus CRM suites with a customer service agent. Fourteen in total.
- For each, we recorded the AI price, the billing unit and its definition in the vendor's words, the free or included allowance, and whether unresolved conversations are charged.
- Where a page would not load directly, we used a text reader for the same official URL. We did not use review sites, resellers or third-party blogs.
- All prices are in US dollars as displayed to us. Where a vendor shows only "$", we read it as US dollars.
- The cost table is our own arithmetic, with the assumptions labelled under it.
If you want a helpdesk AI agent set up, or a custom one when per-resolution fees grow, our team builds AI support agents on your own accounts. For phone support, our AI voice agent pricing research compares per-minute rates. The free strategy call is the place to bring your own ticket numbers; this page lists the software costs that come on top of a build.
More questions about AI customer service pricing
Which helpdesk AI agent is cheapest?
On list price per resolution, HubSpot's Customer Agent was lowest at $0.50 on October 30, 2026, but it needs a HubSpot Service Hub Professional or Enterprise plan. Freshdesk's $0.49 session is cheaper per unit, yet costs more per solved conversation than Intercom Fin's $0.99 if fewer than about half of sessions resolve. The cheapest option for you depends on the plan you already pay for and your resolution rate.
What is outcome-based pricing for AI agents?
It means you pay when the AI achieves a defined result, usually a resolved conversation, instead of paying per seat or per message. Intercom calls the unit an outcome, Zendesk an automated resolution, Gorgias an automated interaction and HubSpot a resolution. Each defines success differently, often as no human involvement for 24 to 72 hours, so a "resolution" is a billing rule, not proof the customer was happy.
Do you pay for the AI agent and the human seats?
Usually, yes. Intercom, Zendesk, Gorgias, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Front, LiveChat and HubSpot all sell seats or plans for human agents separately from the AI charge. Some require a minimum plan before you can buy the AI agent at all. Intercom's Fin can run on another helpdesk without Intercom seats, subject to a minimum monthly commitment.
Are AI agent prices negotiable?
Several vendors publish volume bands or committed-use rates that are lower than pay as you go. Zendesk shows a lower committed rate, Kustomer's bands fall to $0.40 at the highest volume, and Front and Salesforce mention prepaid or committed options. Gladly and the enterprise tiers of most vendors are quote only. Our table uses list prices because negotiated rates are not public.
Is a custom AI agent cheaper than a helpdesk AI agent?
At high volume it can be, because you pay the model provider for tokens instead of a fee per resolution, but you also pay for the build and upkeep. Our money page shows the payback arithmetic: at a few hundred resolutions a month, a helpdesk's own agent is usually the better choice. A custom agent makes sense when per-resolution fees grow or data sits in systems the helpdesk cannot reach.
How often do these prices change?
Often enough that you should check before every renewal. In 2026 alone, Zendesk changed how resolutions are counted in May, HubSpot moved Customer Agent to outcome-based pricing, and HighLevel updated its AI pricing article on October 29. We date every figure on this page for that reason, and we will update it when we re-check.
Sources and further reading
- Intercom pricing: Fin AI Agent per outcome and seats, checked October 30, 2026
- Intercom help: Fin AI Agent outcomes, updated September 23, 2026, checked October 30, 2026
- Zendesk pricing: AI agents and automated resolutions, checked October 30, 2026
- Zendesk help: about automated resolution tiers, checked October 30, 2026
- Gorgias pricing: AI Agent interactions, checked October 30, 2026
- HubSpot: Customer Agent pricing per resolution, checked October 30, 2026
- HubSpot: HubSpot Credits, checked October 30, 2026
- Help Scout pricing: AI Answers per resolution, checked October 30, 2026
- LiveChat pricing: AI Agent resolutions, checked October 30, 2026
- Front pricing: Autopilot and seats, checked October 30, 2026
- Front help: Autopilot billing by automation level, checked October 30, 2026
- Freshdesk pricing: Freddy AI Agent sessions, checked October 30, 2026
- Tidio pricing: Lyro AI Agent conversations, checked October 30, 2026
- Kustomer help: KIQ conversations, last updated July 2025, checked October 30, 2026
- Salesforce: Agentforce pricing, checked October 30, 2026
- HighLevel: AI product pricing, modified October 29, 2026, checked October 30, 2026
- Zoho Desk pricing, checked October 30, 2026
- Gladly help: Gladly AI dashboard and Assisted Conversations, checked October 30, 2026
