Which AI customer support agents can answer email and chat?
Last verified 2026-10-11Paid placement never changes our picks.
Short answer
As of October 2026, start with Intercom Fin if you want an AI agent alongside the help desk you already use, Zendesk if you want AI agents inside a full help desk, and Gorgias if you run a Shopify store. The main catch: AI usage is billed apart from seats, so estimate your ticket volume first.
Top picks
Adding an AI agent to an existing help desk
- Free tier
- No free tier
- Starting price
- See pricing page
- Platforms
- Web, Slack
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Billed per resolved outcome with a monthly minimum; 14-day trial, no free plan. Vendor states SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Full help desk with AI agents across email, chat and phone
- Free tier
- No free tier
- Starting price
- See pricing page
- Platforms
- Web
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
AI Agents start on Suite Team. Seat prices shown only as paid yearly; some features bill by usage. 14-day trial.
Shopify stores that want order data in every ticket
- Free tier
- No free tier
- Starting price
- From $40
- Platforms
- Web
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Starter with AI Agent is $40 a month billed monthly; the charge per AI resolution is not detailed on the page.
Easy-to-cost help desk with AI sessions included
- Free tier
- No free tier
- Starting price
- From $23
- Platforms
- Web
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Growth is $23 per agent a month billed monthly; 500 AI Agent sessions included, extra $49 per 100. No free plan.
AI agents inside Zendesk, Freshdesk, Slack or Teams
- Free tier
- 100 credits to try every feature and integration, no card
- Starting price
- From $299
- Platforms
- Web, Slack, Teams, Chrome extension
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
100 free credits, no card; paid use from $299 a month for 500 credits. SOC 2 Type II audit still in progress.
Small teams wanting flat per-workspace pricing
- Free tier
- Free forever: 2 seats, website chat widget, shared inbox; no AI credits
- Starting price
- From $45
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Free plan has 2 seats but no AI credits. Mini is $45 a month per workspace, not per seat.
Teams already on HubSpot CRM
- Free tier
- Service Hub Free: up to 2 users, no credit card; Customer Agent needs Professio…
- Starting price
- From $10
- Platforms
- Web
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Free for 2 users, but the Customer Agent needs the Professional edition, which adds a one-time onboarding fee and credit-metered AI.
Small online shops wanting chat, help desk and AI together
- Free tier
- 50 billable conversations, 10 seats; Lyro AI first 50 conversations free (lifet…
- Starting price
- See pricing page
- Platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- Last verified
- 2026-10-10
Free covers 50 conversations. Paid prices don't say whether billing is monthly or annual, so check the page.
Prices come from each tool's fact block. "See pricing page" means we have not confirmed the number on the official pricing page in the last 30 days, so we do not show one.
How to choose
- If you want to keep your current help desk → Intercom Fin (works alongside Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk and bills per resolved outcome) or eesel AI (works inside Zendesk, Freshdesk, Slack and Teams; one credit per ticket or chat).
- If you need a help desk with AI built in → Zendesk (AI Agents from the Suite Team plan), Freshdesk (500 Freddy AI Agent sessions included on paid plans) or HubSpot (Customer Agent from Service Hub Professional, plus an onboarding fee).
- If you sell on Shopify → Gorgias (Shopify order data inside each ticket; priced by ticket volume, not by agent, with an AI Agent on every plan).
- If you are a small team that wants a predictable bill → Crisp (flat price per workspace, not per seat; the free plan has no AI credits) or Tidio (free plan covers 50 conversations).
- If you only need a simple bot on a small website → see our no-code AI chatbot builder answer (/ask/no-code-ai-chatbot-builder). This page covers help-desk agents that resolve email and chat and hand off to people.
How we checked
- 8 of 8 picks have a Toolsfine fact block.
- 8 of 8 picks had their pricing checked on the official site in the last 30 days.
- 1 of 1 models also suggested Intercom Fin.Panel: Claude (2026-10-10).
- Verified on 2026-10-11.
Listed in other directories
| Tool | theresanaiforthat.com | futurepedia.io | toolify.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | Not checked | Listed | Not checked |
| Zendesk | Not checked | Listed | Not checked |
| Gorgias | Not checked | Listed | Not checked |
| Freshdesk | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked |
| eesel AI | Not checked | Listed | Not checked |
| Crisp | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked |
| HubSpot | Not checked | Listed | Not checked |
| Tidio | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked |
"Not checked" means we could not open that directory's page; it does not mean the tool is missing there.
Where sources disagree
- The AI meters differ: Intercom Fin counts resolved outcomes, Freshdesk counts sessions, eesel AI, Crisp and HubSpot use credits, and Gorgias prices by ticket volume. What counts as a resolution differs, so ask each vendor.
- Price basis shifts: Zendesk shows seat prices only as paid yearly. Freshdesk read $19 on annual billing earlier and $23 monthly today, and its Copilot add-on moved from $29 to $35. HubSpot's $10 Starter seat is promotional.
- eesel AI data residency: eesel's pricing page lists EU or US residency on all plans, while its security page says full EU residency is an Enterprise feature. We follow the security page.
- Gorgias pricing visibility: Our first research pass saw no Gorgias prices; the fact check read them in a browser after a longer wait. Confirm the current figures before buying.
Also mentioned elsewhere
Other sources name these tools for this job. They are not in our picks because we have not checked them yet.
- Help Scout · Official siteShared inbox with an AI Answers agent billed per resolution; has a free plan for small teams.
- Front · Official siteShared inbox and ticketing with an AI Autopilot add-on; add-on price not read.
- Ada · Official siteAI customer service agent platform; pages sat behind a bot check, so not evaluated.
- Decagon · Official siteEnterprise AI support agent across chat, email and voice; demo only.
- Sierra · Official siteEnterprise conversational agents with outcome-based pricing; demo only.
- Salesforce Agentforce · Official siteAI agents inside Salesforce; not checked for this page.
Know a tool we should check? Submit it →
Related answers
Changelog
- 2026-10-12 · Page updated
- 2026-10-12 · First published
- 2026-10-11 · Picks, prices and sources re-checked
Last verified 2026-10-11 · next re-check 2027-01-09. Report an error
Researched with AI assistance and checked by our editors. AI can make mistakes and vendors change plans often — confirm prices and terms on the vendor's site before you buy.
Paid placement never changes our picks. Data: JSON