Per agent, per user or per ticket: how helpdesks charge

Evidence checked from 6 to 13 Oct 2026

Helpdesk prices look alike on a pricing page, but the unit behind the number differs. Some vendors charge for each agent, some for each user, and one charges by how many tickets you handle each month. This guide shows which unit each helpdesk uses, the seat and ticket limits that change the price, and what two example teams would pay on each plan at listed prices.

Which unit each helpdesk charges for

Products are listed A to Z.
Product	Charged per
eDesk	Agent
Freshdesk	Agent
Front	User
Gorgias	Monthly ticket volume
Help Scout	User
HelpDesk	User
HubSpot Service Hub	User
Intercom	User
LiveAgent	Agent
Zendesk Suite	Agent
Zoho Desk	User

Per agent and per user prices work the same way in the arithmetic: the listed price times the number of seats. Who needs a paid seat, and whether colleagues who only read tickets can use a cheaper seat, differs by vendor and plan.

Seat limits that change which plan fits

Products are listed A to Z. Plans follow each vendor's pricing-page order.
Product	Plan	Seat limit
Front	Starter	Up to 10 users
Front	Professional	Up to 50 users
Gorgias	Starter	Up to 3 users
Gorgias	Basic	Up to 500 users
Gorgias	Pro	Up to 500 users
Gorgias	Advanced	Up to 500 users
Help Scout	Free	Up to 5 users
Help Scout	Standard	Up to 25 users
Help Scout	Plus	Up to 50 users
Help Scout	Pro	At least 10 users
HubSpot Service Hub	Free	Up to 2 users
Zoho Desk	Free	Up to 3 users
Zoho Desk	Express	Up to 5 users
Zoho Desk	Standard	Zoho pages disagree: the comparison table says unlimited users, the pricing FAQ says 5 users.

Plans not listed here have no seat minimum or maximum stated on the pages we checked, or are stated as unlimited.

How ticket-volume pricing works

Each plan includes a number of tickets per month. Tickets above that number are charged per ticket at the rate shown. The listed price is for the plan, not for each user, and each plan has a user limit (see above).

Plans follow the vendor's pricing-page order.
Plan	Billed annually, per month	Billed monthly, per month	Tickets included per month	Price per extra ticket
Starter	Monthly billing only	$10	50	$0.40
Basic	$50	$60	300	$0.40
Pro	$300	$360	2,000	$0.36
Advanced	$750	$900	5,000	$0.36
Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales

Two example teams

Both examples use listed prices only, with no add-ons, taxes, discounts or light users. Billed annually shows the monthly cost on annual billing.

Team A: 3 agents, 500 tickets a month

Products are listed A to Z. Plans follow each vendor's pricing-page order.
Product	Plan	Billed annually, per month	Billed monthly, per month	Notes
eDesk	Essential	$117	$147
eDesk	Growth	$267	$345
eDesk	Professional	$357	$447
eDesk	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Freshdesk	Growth	$57	$69
Freshdesk	Pro	$165	$198
Freshdesk	Enterprise	$267	$321
Front	Starter	$75	$105
Front	Professional	$195	$255
Front	Enterprise			The listed price is not recorded (Front shows Enterprise as “Only available on annual”; no monthly price is listed.).
Gorgias	Starter	Monthly billing only	$190	Includes 50 tickets; 450 extra at $0.40 each
Gorgias	Basic	$130	$140	Includes 300 tickets; 200 extra at $0.40 each
Gorgias	Pro	$300	$360	Includes 2,000 tickets
Gorgias	Advanced	$750	$900	Includes 5,000 tickets
Gorgias	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Help Scout	Free			Help Scout Free stops replies after 100 contacts a month. Contacts aren't the same as tickets, but at 500 tickets a month you would likely pass that limit.
Help Scout	Standard	$75	$90
Help Scout	Plus	$135	$162
Help Scout	Pro			Pro starts at 10 users.
HelpDesk	Essential			The listed price currency is not stated.
HelpDesk	Growth			The listed price currency is not stated.
HelpDesk	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
HubSpot Service Hub	Free			Free allows up to 2 users.
HubSpot Service Hub	Starter			The listed price is not recorded (HubSpot's Starter price card is for the Starter Customer Platform: $7 a seat a month billed annually and $10 billed monthly, discounted from $20, with no stated discount duration.).
HubSpot Service Hub	Professional	$270	$300
HubSpot Service Hub	Enterprise			The listed price is not recorded (The catalog says Enterprise is billed annually; no monthly price is shown.).
Intercom	Essential			The listed price is not recorded (Intercom lists two different annual prices for Essential: $19 and $29.).
Intercom	Advanced			The listed price is not recorded (The $99 seat price is not tied to a billing period.).
Intercom	Expert			The listed price is not recorded (Monthly billing is named only for Essential and Advanced.).
LiveAgent	Small business	$45	$57
LiveAgent	Medium business	$87	$105
LiveAgent	Large business	$147	$177
LiveAgent	Enterprise	$207	$255
Zendesk Suite	Suite Team	$165	$207
Zendesk Suite	Suite Professional	$345	$447
Zendesk Suite	Suite Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Zoho Desk	Free	Free	Free
Zoho Desk	Express	$21	$27
Zoho Desk	Standard	$42	$60
Zoho Desk	Professional	$69	$105
Zoho Desk	Enterprise	$120	$150

Team B: 10 agents, 3,000 tickets a month

Products are listed A to Z. Plans follow each vendor's pricing-page order.
Product	Plan	Billed annually, per month	Billed monthly, per month	Notes
eDesk	Essential	$390	$490
eDesk	Growth	$890	$1,150
eDesk	Professional	$1,190	$1,490
eDesk	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Freshdesk	Growth	$190	$230
Freshdesk	Pro	$550	$660
Freshdesk	Enterprise	$890	$1,070
Front	Starter	$250	$350
Front	Professional	$650	$850
Front	Enterprise			The listed price is not recorded (Front shows Enterprise as “Only available on annual”; no monthly price is listed.).
Gorgias	Starter			Starter allows up to 3 users.
Gorgias	Basic	$1,130	$1,140	Includes 300 tickets; 2,700 extra at $0.40 each
Gorgias	Pro	$660	$720	Includes 2,000 tickets; 1,000 extra at $0.36 each
Gorgias	Advanced	$750	$900	Includes 5,000 tickets
Gorgias	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Help Scout	Free			Help Scout Free stops replies after 100 contacts a month. Contacts aren't the same as tickets, but at 3,000 tickets a month you would likely pass that limit.
Help Scout	Standard	$250	$300
Help Scout	Plus	$450	$540
Help Scout	Pro	$750	$900
HelpDesk	Essential			The listed price currency is not stated.
HelpDesk	Growth			The listed price currency is not stated.
HelpDesk	Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
HubSpot Service Hub	Free			Free allows up to 2 users.
HubSpot Service Hub	Starter			The listed price is not recorded (HubSpot's Starter price card is for the Starter Customer Platform: $7 a seat a month billed annually and $10 billed monthly, discounted from $20, with no stated discount duration.).
HubSpot Service Hub	Professional	$900	$1,000
HubSpot Service Hub	Enterprise			The listed price is not recorded (The catalog says Enterprise is billed annually; no monthly price is shown.).
Intercom	Essential			The listed price is not recorded (Intercom lists two different annual prices for Essential: $19 and $29.).
Intercom	Advanced			The listed price is not recorded (The $99 seat price is not tied to a billing period.).
Intercom	Expert			The listed price is not recorded (Monthly billing is named only for Essential and Advanced.).
LiveAgent	Small business	$150	$190
LiveAgent	Medium business	$290	$350
LiveAgent	Large business	$490	$590
LiveAgent	Enterprise	$690	$850
Zendesk Suite	Suite Team	$550	$690
Zendesk Suite	Suite Professional	$1,150	$1,490
Zendesk Suite	Suite Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
Zoho Desk	Free			Free allows up to 3 users.
Zoho Desk	Express			Express allows up to 5 users.
Zoho Desk	Standard			Zoho pages disagree: the comparison table says unlimited users, the pricing FAQ says 5 users.
Zoho Desk	Professional	$230	$350
Zoho Desk	Enterprise	$400	$500

Totals move with different things: seat-priced plans with team size, ticket-volume plans with tickets per month. To try your own numbers, use the Compare all plans tab.