The main Freshdesk alternatives are Gorgias for Shopify stores, Intercom with its Fin AI agent, and Zendesk or Help Scout for classic ticketing. Before you switch, price the AI, not the seat: Freshdesk charges $19 to $89 per agent a month, then $49 per 100 Freddy AI sessions past the first 500. Sometimes the cheaper move is keeping Freshdesk and adding an AI that does the work.
Why do teams look for a Freshdesk alternative?
Freshdesk is a solid ticketing tool, and most teams that leave it are not unhappy with the inbox. The usual reasons are about what happens around the inbox: the AI bill is hard to predict, the AI answers questions but cannot change anything in the store or the billing system, and a growing team pays for every seat.
Those three problems have different fixes. A new help desk solves the seat price only if the new one is cheaper per seat. It solves the AI problem only if its AI can act in your other systems. So start by naming which problem you have.
Three questions to answer first
- Is the pain the seat price, the AI price, or what the AI can do?
- Which systems hold the answers customers ask for: the store, billing, a CRM, a booking tool?
- How many conversations a month would the AI handle, and what would that cost on each pricing model?
What does Freshdesk cost in 2026?
From the Freshdesk pricing page, billed annually:
| Item | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Growth plan | $19 | per agent per month |
| Pro plan | $55 | per agent per month |
| Enterprise plan | $89 | per agent per month |
| Freddy AI Copilot | $29 | per agent per month |
| Freddy AI Agent | First 500 sessions included, then $49 | per 100 sessions |
The session model is worth understanding. A customer who writes on Monday and again on Tuesday is still in one session, because both messages fall inside 72 hours. A customer who comes back on Friday starts a new one. Once the included sessions are used, every 100 more cost $49, whether or not the AI solved anything.
A worked example
Take a team of 5 agents on the Pro plan with Copilot: 5 × $55 plus 5 × $29 is $420 a month. If the AI agent then handles 1,000 sessions beyond the included ones, that is 10 blocks of 100, or $490 more. The total is $910 for that month, and the AI part moves with volume, so a busy season shows up straight on the bill.
The main Freshdesk alternatives, and how they charge for AI
Gorgias
Built for e-commerce, and strongest on Shopify. The Gorgias pricing page prices plans by ticket volume instead of seats: Basic is $50 a month on annual billing for 300 tickets, Pro is $300 for 2,000 tickets and Advanced is $750 for 5,000. Its AI Agent costs $0.90 per automated interaction on annual billing, and each AI resolution also counts as a ticket. The AI actions, such as cancelling an order or editing an address, run on Shopify, according to the Gorgias docs. We cover it in depth in Gorgias alternatives.
Intercom with Fin
Fin is an AI agent you can run inside Intercom or on top of another help desk. The Fin pricing page lists $0.99 per outcome, with one outcome counted per conversation at most, and a minimum of 50 outcomes a month when you run it on a help desk other than Intercom. Paying per outcome means you pay when it resolves something, which is easier to defend than paying per session.
Zendesk and Help Scout
Both are common picks for classic ticketing. Zendesk is the larger suite, Help Scout the simpler shared inbox. Their AI add-ons and plan limits change often, so check the current pricing pages and ask the same questions you would ask Freshdesk: what is a billable unit, and what can the AI change, not just say.
Side by side: how each option charges for AI
| Option | Base pricing | AI pricing | What the AI can change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk | $19 to $89 per agent per month | 500 sessions included, then $49 per 100 | Depends on setup and plan |
| Gorgias | $50 to $750 a month by ticket volume | $0.90 per automated interaction, annual | Order actions on Shopify |
| Fin | Runs on Intercom or another help desk | $0.99 per outcome, 50 a month minimum off Intercom | Depends on what you connect |
| Delvra on top of Freshdesk | Keep your Freshdesk plan | See pricing | Reads tickets, adds notes, replies with your approval, acts in connected systems |
When keeping Freshdesk is the cheaper move
Migrating a help desk costs more than the subscription: macros, automations, reporting, and the habits of every agent. If the reason you are leaving is that the AI cannot do anything beyond answering, a new help desk may not fix it. Most AI agents answer from your help center. Few of them check the order, fix the address, or issue the invoice in the system where that data lives.
In that case you can keep Freshdesk as the inbox and put an AI on top that does the work. Your agents keep their views and macros, and the AI handles the repetitive requests end to end.
Signs you should switch anyway
- You are a Shopify-first store and want ticket-based pricing: Gorgias fits that shape.
- You already run Intercom for chat and want one vendor.
- Your seat count is growing faster than your ticket volume, so a volume-priced tool would cost less.
A checklist for any help desk demo
- What exactly is the billable unit for the AI, and what does one cost at our volume?
- Show the AI changing something in a real system, not only answering from articles.
- Which actions can it take without a person, and which wait for approval? Refunds should wait.
- What happens when the AI is unsure? We want a clean handover with a summary.
- Can we run it on our real tickets for a week before customers see anything?
- How do we export our data if we leave?
Where Delvra fits
Delvra answers customers on WhatsApp, email and web chat, and does the work in your own systems. Its Freshdesk connection is available today: it reads the ticket, adds an internal note for your team, and replies to the customer with your approval. In WooCommerce it checks order status, updates a shipping address or fixes an email or phone. Refunds and anything you cannot undo always wait for your tap.
Before Delvra answers a single customer, it runs a quiet week on your real requests, so you see every reply it would have sent and nothing goes out. See how it works, the full list of integrations, and the comparison page.
Questions
What is the best Freshdesk alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. Gorgias fits Shopify stores that want ticket-based pricing. Intercom with Fin fits teams that want per-outcome AI pricing. If you only want an AI that acts, you can keep Freshdesk and add one on top.
How much does Freshdesk cost in 2026?
On annual billing, Growth is $19, Pro is $55 and Enterprise is $89 per agent per month. Freddy AI Copilot adds $29 per agent per month, and the Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions after the first 500.
What is a Freddy AI session?
A 72-hour window of conversation with one customer. Messages from the same customer inside 72 hours count as one session, whether or not the AI resolves the request.
Is Gorgias cheaper than Freshdesk?
It depends on your shape. Gorgias prices by ticket volume, from $50 a month for 300 tickets on annual billing, plus $0.90 per AI interaction. Freshdesk prices per agent. Many tickets and few agents usually favours per-seat pricing, and the reverse favours volume pricing.
How much does Fin cost on another help desk?
The Fin pricing page lists $0.99 per outcome, at most one outcome per conversation, with a minimum of 50 outcomes a month when Fin runs on a help desk other than Intercom.
Can I keep Freshdesk and add an AI that takes actions?
Yes. Delvra connects to Freshdesk, reads tickets, adds internal notes and replies with your approval, and acts in connected systems such as WooCommerce. Refunds always wait for your approval.
