Help Scout vs Freshdesk vs Zendesk for small support teams
What official pricing pages say about plans, billing and add-ons for three popular helpdesks — and what to confirm in a demo.
Desk research from official provider pages, updated 2026-10-11. Not hands-on tested. No supplier paid for or reviewed this content. Plans and prices change — confirm with each provider.
What we could verify
Freshdesk’s pricing page listed Growth, Pro and Enterprise plans per agent per month, billed annually, in US dollars when we checked, with an optional AI Copilot add-on.
Help Scout’s page listed Standard, Plus and Pro per-user prices in US dollars with a monthly/annual switch; we could not confirm which billing view the prices came from.
Zendesk’s pricing was not captured in our automated check, so we show it as unverified.
How to decide
If your team works mainly from email and wants it to feel personal, a shared-inbox style tool may suit. If you need detailed routing, service levels and many channels, a full ticketing helpdesk may suit better. Use the finder and the cost estimator with your own numbers.
Tools mentioned
- Help Scout
- Standard: US$25.00 per user/month, billing period not confirmed
- Plus: US$45.00 per user/month, billing period not confirmed
- Pro: US$75.00 per user/month, billing period not confirmed
Shown in USD as served — not converted. VAT not stated · Free plan: not verified · Source, checked 2026-10-11
The page has a monthly/annual switch (annual shown as 16% cheaper); which view these prices came from was not confirmed.
AI Answers is charged per resolution — not included in estimates.
- Freshdesk
- Growth: US$19.00 per user/month, billed annually
- Pro: US$55.00 per user/month, billed annually
- Enterprise: US$89.00 per user/month, billed annually
Shown in USD as served — not converted. VAT not stated · Free plan: not verified · Source, checked 2026-10-11
Prices are per agent per month, billed annually.
- Zendesk
Price not verified. Check the provider’s pricing page.
Switching checklist
- Confirm sterling prices and VAT treatment
- Confirm minimum agents and contract length
- Ask for migration help for tickets and articles
- Check AI charges