Freshdesk is the best help desk software for small business teams that want email ticketing, a knowledge base, and AI help at the lowest entry price, with Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually. Zoho Desk is the best free start, with a free plan for up to 3 agents and Express at $7 per agent per month billed annually for teams of up to 5 agents. Zendesk is the best pick for teams that plan to grow into omnichannel support, with Support Team at $19 per agent per month billed annually and Suite Team at $55.
A small business help desk should turn email, chat, and web forms into tickets that one team can answer in order, with a shared view of who replied and what happens next. The price on the plan card is only the first line of the bill. AI help, voice, extra inboxes, and onboarding can add a second line, and agent caps can force a whole team onto a higher plan. Count your agents first, then check the free limit, the AI meter, and the cap on the entry plan. The unique fact in this article is that AI billing is separate from seat billing on most of these tools, and the meter runs per resolution or per session, not per agent.
On this page
Best help desk software for small business: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zendesk | Growing teams that need omnichannel support | $19 per agent/month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 2 | Freshdesk | Email-first teams that want AI included | $19 per agent/month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 3 | Zoho Desk | Smallest teams and the cheapest entry price | $7 per agent/month | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Help Scout | Shared inbox with a real free plan | $25 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | LiveAgent | Chat, email, and calls in one place | $15 per agent/month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 6 | HubSpot Service Hub | Teams already using HubSpot CRM | $20 per seat/month | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | HappyFox | Structured ticketing with flat per-agent pricing | $24 per agent/month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 8 | Hiver | Gmail-based shared inbox teams | $25 per user/month | Free trial (7 days) | Visit |
The 8 best best help desk software for small business, in detail
Zendesk
Best for: Growing teams that need omnichannel support
Zendesk sells Support Team at $19 per agent per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly, for email and ticketing with routing, prebuilt dashboards, and automations. Suite Team costs $55 per agent per month billed annually, or $69 billed monthly, and adds AI agents, a knowledge base, messaging and live chat, and telephony. Each plan includes a small allowance of automated resolutions: 5 per agent per month on Support Team and Suite Team, and 10 on Suite Professional.
- Beyond that allowance, Zendesk charges $1.50 per committed resolution or $2.00 pay-as-you-go per resolution.
- The Copilot add-on costs $50 per agent per month.
- Choose Zendesk if you expect to add chat, voice, and a help center later.
Pros
- Support Team at $19 with email ticketing and routing
- Suite Team at $55 adds messaging, live chat, and a help center
Cons
- Suite Enterprise has no listed price and needs a sales quote
- Copilot add-on costs $50 per agent per month on Professional and above
Freshdesk
Best for: Email-first teams that want AI included
Freshdesk Growth costs $19 per agent per month billed annually, or $23 billed monthly, and covers ticketing, a shared inbox, a customer portal, a knowledge base, standard analytics, threads and tasks, and roles and permissions. Pro costs $55 per agent per month billed annually and adds a multilingual help desk, custom dashboards, intelligent routing, and multiple SLA policies. Freddy AI Agent is included on every plan, with 500 sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions.
- Freddy AI Copilot costs $29 per agent per month on Pro and Enterprise.
- Day passes are also sold: $2 on Growth, $7 on Pro, and $12 on Enterprise.
- Choose Freshdesk if most tickets arrive by email and you want AI answers included from the entry plan.
Pros
- Growth at $19 with ticketing, shared inbox, portal, and knowledge base
- Freddy AI Agent included on every plan with 500 sessions once per account
Cons
- No free plan on the pricing page, only a 14-day trial
- Freddy AI Copilot costs $29 per agent per month on Pro and Enterprise
Zoho Desk
Best for: Smallest teams and the cheapest entry price
Zoho Desk has a free plan for up to 3 agents with email ticketing and an agent-only knowledge base. Express costs $7 per agent per month billed annually, or $9 billed monthly, and adds social channels, custom fields, one workflow rule, and generative AI features that use your own API key. Standard costs $14 per agent per month billed annually, or $20 billed monthly, and adds WhatsApp, live chat, a customer-facing knowledge base, and an Answer Bot.
- Professional is $23 and Enterprise is $40 per agent per month billed annually.
- The hard cap is the point to watch: 5 agents on Express cost $35 per month billed annually, while 6 agents on Standard cost $84.
- Choose Zoho Desk if you have 3 to 5 agents and you want the lowest entry price in this set.
Pros
- Free plan for up to 3 agents with email ticketing
- Express at $7 with social channels, custom fields, and generative AI features
Cons
- Express stops at 5 agents, so a sixth agent moves the whole team to Standard at $14
- full Zia AI only arrives on Professional at $23
Help Scout
Best for: Shared inbox with a real free plan
Help Scout charges per user, and its free plan covers up to 5 users with 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, and 100 contacts per month. Standard costs $25 per user per month billed annually, or $30 billed monthly, and adds multiple inboxes, live chat, WhatsApp, and basic workflows, with up to 25 users. Plus costs $45 per user per month billed annually, or $54 billed monthly, and adds advanced workflows, two SLA policies, and integrations with Salesforce, Jira, and HubSpot.
- Pro is $75 per user per month billed annually, with a minimum of 10 users.
- The AI add-on, Envoy, costs $0.75 per resolution on any subscription plan, with the first three months free.
- Choose Help Scout if you want support that feels like email and a simple shared inbox.
Pros
- Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, and 100 contacts per month
- Standard at $25 with multiple inboxes, live chat, and workflows
Cons
- Standard stops at 25 users and Plus at 50 users
- Pro needs a minimum of 10 users, so its entry cost is $750 per month
LiveAgent
Best for: Chat, email, and calls in one place
LiveAgent Starter costs $15 per agent per month billed annually as the regular price, or $19 billed monthly, and covers up to 5 agents with email, live chat, contact forms, a knowledge base, and 1 AI agent. The pricing page on 2026-11-12 also shows a special offer of $11 per agent per month billed annually until November 22, 2026. Team costs $29 per agent per month billed annually and adds the call center, social channels, SLA rules, and reports for up to 15 agents.
- Business is $49 per agent per month billed annually, and Enterprise is $3,199 per month.
- LiveAgent charges $0 for AI itself: you connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or FlowHunt account and pay that provider directly, at abou
- Choose LiveAgent if you want chat, email, and calls in one tool without a per-resolution AI fee.
Pros
- Starter at $15 with email, live chat, forms, and a knowledge base
- AI features included on every plan with no per-resolution fee from LiveAgent
Cons
- No free plan, only a 30-day trial
- Starter covers up to 5 agents and has no social channels, call center, or reporting
HubSpot Service Hub
Best for: Teams already using HubSpot CRM
HubSpot Service Hub has a free plan for up to 2 users with core ticketing, a knowledge base, and shared inbox tools. Starter lists at $20 per seat per month, with a $7 per seat per month promo shown for new customers on annual billing, and adds conversation routing, custom email templates, calling minutes, and 500 HubSpot Credits. Professional costs $90 per seat per month billed annually, or $100 billed monthly, and adds automation, customer feedback tools, and AI features, plus a $1,500 one-time onboarding fee.
- Enterprise is $150 per seat per month, plus a $3,500 onboarding fee.
- Every person who needs a Service Hub seat is billed, and the onboarding fee applies once per account on Professional and Enterprise.
- Choose HubSpot Service Hub if your team already runs on HubSpot CRM and you want tickets, contacts, and deals in one place.
Pros
- Free plan for up to 2 users with ticketing and a knowledge base
- Starter at $20 per seat with conversation routing and 500 HubSpot Credits
Cons
- Starter lists at $20 per seat with a $7 promo for new customers, so the promo price does not last
- Professional adds a $1,500 one-time onboarding fee
HappyFox
Best for: Structured ticketing with flat per-agent pricing
HappyFox Help Desk Basic costs $24 per agent per month billed annually, or $29 billed monthly, and covers up to 5 agents with unlimited tickets, SLAs, a knowledge base, and single sign-on. Team costs $49 per agent per month billed annually and adds multi-brand support, a custom domain, custom roles, and custom queues. Pro costs $99 per agent per month billed annually and adds load-balanced assignment, task and asset management, and scheduled tickets.
- HappyFox AI costs from $14 per agent per month on top of the base plan, with 500 interactions per agent on the entry tier.
- Choose HappyFox if you want predictable per-agent pricing and strong SLA tools.
Pros
- Basic at $24 with unlimited tickets, SLAs, knowledge base, and single sign-on
- white-glove migration included with every annual subscription plan
Cons
- Basic stops at 5 agents
- AI help is a separate add-on from $14 per agent per month, so the headline price is not the full stack
Hiver
Best for: Gmail-based shared inbox teams
Hiver turns Gmail into a shared inbox help desk, with a web-based Hiver Omni version that also works with Outlook and other email providers. Growth costs $25 per user per month billed annually, or $35 billed monthly, and includes shared inboxes, ticketing, rule automation, basic analytics, and the AI trio of AI Agents, AI Copilot, and AI Knowledge Builder. Pro costs $55 per user per month billed annually and adds customer portals, Slack channel management, SLAs, CSAT surveys, and advanced analytics.
- Elite is $85 per user per month billed annually.
- All plans start at 2 seats, then increase in increments of 5 seats past 5, so a team of 6 agents buys 10 seats.
- New signups get a 7-day free trial of Elite with no credit card.
- Choose Hiver if your team lives in Gmail and you want a help desk without leaving the inbox.
Pros
- Growth at $25 with shared inboxes, ticketing, rule automation, and AI Agents, AI Copilot, and AI Knowledge Builder included
Cons
- No free plan on the pricing page, only a 7-day trial of Elite
- plans start at 2 seats and seats past 5 are sold in packs of 5
How we chose
We picked help desks that a small business can run without a dedicated admin team: shared inboxes or ticketing, a knowledge base or portal, automation or SLAs, and listed per-agent pricing. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages and docs opened on 2026-11-12. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not install any product, open a trial account, or answer a real ticket in any of these tools. AI charges are listed separately because they change the monthly bill, and agent caps are listed because they force a plan change for the whole team.
Which help desk fits your team size and budget
| Team size | Pick | Monthly cost on annual billing | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 agents | Zoho Desk free | $0 | Free plan covers up to 3 agents |
| 3 to 5 agents | Zoho Desk Express | $21 to $35 | Cheapest entry price at $7 per agent |
| 3 to 5 agents, email-first | Freshdesk Growth | $57 to $95 | AI Agent included, 500 sessions once per account |
| 5 agents, chat and calls | LiveAgent Starter | $75 at the regular $15 rate | Email, chat, forms, and knowledge base in one plan |
| 5 agents, shared inbox | Help Scout free | $0 | Free plan covers up to 5 users |
| 5 agents, Gmail team | Hiver Growth | $125 | Shared inboxes inside Gmail with AI included |
| 10 agents, shared inbox | Help Scout Pro | $750 | Pro needs a minimum of 10 users at $75 each |
| 10 agents, structured ticketing | HappyFox Team | $490 | Team at $49 per agent with multi-brand support |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a help desk cost for 5 agents?
Five agents cost $35 per month on Zoho Desk Express, $75 per month on LiveAgent Starter at the regular $15 rate, $95 per month on Freshdesk Growth, and $125 per month on Hiver Growth and Help Scout Standard, all on annual billing before tax and add-ons. Help Scout free covers 5 users at $0, and Zoho Desk free covers 3 agents at $0.
Is there a free help desk for a small team?
Yes. Zoho Desk free covers up to 3 agents, Help Scout free covers up to 5 users with 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, and HubSpot Service Hub free covers up to 2 users. Zendesk, Freshdesk, LiveAgent, HappyFox, and Hiver offer free trials of 7 to 30 days instead of a free plan.
Which help desk is best for Gmail teams?
Hiver is the best help desk for Gmail teams, because it turns Gmail into a shared inbox with assignment, collision detection, SLAs, and analytics, and its Omni version also works with Outlook. Growth costs $25 per user per month billed annually, with AI Agents, AI Copilot, and AI Knowledge Builder included on every subscription plan.
Do I have to pay extra for AI help?
On most tools here, yes. Zendesk charges $1.50 per extra automated resolution on a committed plan, Freshdesk charges $49 per 100 extra AI sessions after 500 free sessions once per account, Help Scout charges $0.75 per AI resolution, and HappyFox AI costs from $14 per agent per month. LiveAgent and Hiver include AI features in the plan price, but LiveAgent still asks you to pay your own AI provider.
What happens when my team grows past the entry plan cap?
The whole team usually moves to the next plan. Zoho Desk Express stops at 5 agents, so a sixth agent moves everyone to Standard at $14 per agent per month billed annually. HappyFox Basic and LiveAgent Starter also stop at 5 agents. Check the cap and the next plan price before you sign up, so a single hire does not double the bill.
Sources
- https://www.zendesk.com/
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/
- https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/
- https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/
- https://www.zoho.com/desk/
- https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html
- https://www.helpscout.com/
- https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/
- https://www.liveagent.com/
- https://www.liveagent.com/pricing/
- https://www.hubspot.com/products/service/
- https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/service
- https://www.happyfox.com/
- https://www.happyfox.com/pricing/
- https://www.hiverhq.com/
- https://www.hiverhq.com/pricing
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.