Fin by Intercom AI customer support deflection entry price $0.99 per resolution (50/mo minimum)verify live
pricing model outcome-based per resolution
free tier 14-day trial, unlimited Fin, no cardmost
self-host No
mcp Both
ai customer service agents · comparison
Best AI customer service agents (2026)
AI customer service agents deflect tickets and answer customers automatically. The pricing catch is big here: leaders bill per resolution (you pay for every conversation the AI handles), which can beat or blow past per-seat pricing depending on ticket volume. Each option below is decoded and dated.
pay per outcomeFin by Intercom$0.99 per resolution, only pay for solved tickets
enterprise deflectionDecagonhigh deflection, per-resolution + platform fee
cheapest to startGorgiasfrom ~$10/mo + per-AI-resolution
- Fin by Intercom · $0.99 per resolution (50/mo minimum) · AI customer support deflection
- Zendesk AI Agents · ~$55/mo · Helpdesk teams scaling AI deflection
- Decagon · Custom (~$50,000/yr platform fee + usage) · enterprise customer support
- Sierra · Custom (enterprise only); third-party estimates ~$150k+/yr plus $50k-$200k setup · enterprise customer service
- Cognigy · Custom (contact sales) · enterprise CX automation
- Salesforce Agentforce · ~$2 per conversation (usage-based) · Salesforce shops adding AI agents
Pricing decoded and verified 2026-05-30 against each vendor's live page; volatile figures flagged "verify live".
Dirr is reader-supported. If you sign up through a link here we may earn a commission. It never changes the data or the order. Numbers come from each vendor's live pricing page; volatile ones are marked verify live.
Fin by IntercomAI customer support…
Zendesk AI AgentsHelpdesk teams scaling…
Decagonenterprise customer…
Sierraenterprise customer…
Cognigyenterprise CX automation
Salesforce AgentforceSalesforce shops adding…
AdaHigh-volume enterprise…
Gladlyenterprise CX
Gorgiasecommerce support
Freshdesk (Freddy AI)helpdesk + AI deflection
Tidio LyroEcommerce + SMB…
LiveChat / ChatBot (Text)no-code support bots
ChatbaseNo-code AI support…
eesel AIAI helpdesk automation
Crescendo.aimanaged AI support
CustomGPT.aino-code support agents
LorikeetComplex…
WonderfulMultilingual enterprise…
Botpressno-code customer…
PhonelyAI phone answering
Goodcalllocal service phone…entry price
$0.99 per resolutionverify live
~$55/moverify live
Customverify live
Customverify live
Customverify live
~$2 per conversationverify live
Customverify live
Customverify live
$40/mo
~$19/agent/moverify live
$32.50/moverify live
$25/seat/mo
$32/monthverify live
Free, then ~$0.40 per taskcheapestverify live
~$2.99/resolutionverify live
~$99/mo
$1,500/moverify live
Customverify live
$189/mo
Free, then ~$33/seat/moverify live
~$79/agent/moverify live
pricing model
outcome-based per…
Per-agent seat…
usage-based
Outcome-based
Custom annual enterprise…
Consumption-based: either…
Quote-based: annual…
per-seat (per-hero)…
plan (per-ticket tier) +…
per-agent seat +…
freemium SaaS +…
per-seat plan + included…
Tiered subscription with…
usage-based (pay-per-task)
outcome-based…
flat plan with monthly…
outcome-based per…
Consumption-based…
per-conversation (LLM/AI…
plan (monthly minute…
flat plan per AI agent…
free tier
14-day trial, unlimited…most
No permanent free tier.…
None. No free plan or…
None, no self-serve…
No public free plan or…
Free 100K Flex Credits
No free tier. No public…
No free plan
No free plan, 7-day…
Free plan for up to 2…
Yes. Free plan
No free plan, 14-day…
Yes. Free plan: $0/mo,…
$50 of free usage
No free plan or…
No free plan
None, demo-led
None
Free plan: 100…
Free plan: 100…
No free plan
self-host
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
mcp
Both
None
Both
Server
Both
None
Both
None
None
None
Client
None
None
None
Both
Server
Client
None
Both
None
None
Fin by Intercom AI customer support deflection Zendesk AI Agents Helpdesk teams scaling AI deflection entry price ~$55/moverify live
pricing model Per-agent seat subscription plus usage-based per-automated-resolution AI charges (each plan includes a baseline resolution allowance, then overage billing).
free tier No permanent free tier. 14-day free trial on the Suite Professional plan (includes Copilot by default).
self-host No
mcp None
Decagon enterprise customer support entry price Custom (~$50,000/yr platform fee + usage)verify live
pricing model usage-based, custom · per-conversation or per-resolution + platform fee
free tier None. No free plan or self-serve trial; access requires a sales call.
self-host No
mcp Both
Sierra enterprise customer service entry price Custom (enterprise only); third-party estimates ~$150k+/yr plus $50k-$200k setupverify live
pricing model Outcome-based, you pay per successfully resolved conversation, plus a base platform fee
free tier None, no self-serve trial, enterprise sales only
self-host No
mcp Server
Cognigy enterprise CX automation entry price Custom (contact sales)verify live
pricing model Custom annual enterprise contract; usage-based units (billable conversations + concurrent voice lines + knowledge queries/chunks)
free tier No public free plan or self-serve paid tier; free trial environment at trial.cognigy.ai (no card). All production use is custom-quoted via sales/demo.
self-host Yes
mcp Both
Salesforce Agentforce Salesforce shops adding AI agents entry price ~$2 per conversation (usage-based)verify live
pricing model Consumption-based: either $2 per conversation or Flex Credits charged per agent action (no per-seat license). Requires an underlying Salesforce edition plus often Data Cloud.
free tier Free 100K Flex Credits (200K in US/global) via the $0 Salesforce Foundations add-on for Enterprise Edition+, plus a free Agentforce Developer Edition for prototyping. One-time grant, not a monthly refresh.
self-host No
mcp None
Ada High-volume enterprise CX automation entry price Custom (contact sales)verify live
pricing model Quote-based: annual platform fee plus usage charges, billed on a conversation/resolution-volume model. No public self-serve pricing; sold via sales/contract.
free tier No free tier. No public self-serve trial; entry is a free consultation/demo booked with sales.
self-host No
mcp Both
Gladly enterprise CX entry price Custom (contact sales), reportedly ~$180/seat/moverify live
pricing model per-seat (per-hero) annual plan + usage-based AI (per resolution/assist) + telephony/SMS usage
free tier No free plan; demo only (no public self-serve trial)
self-host No
mcp None
Gorgias ecommerce support entry price $40/mo
pricing model plan (per-ticket tier) + per-AI-resolution
free tier No free plan, 7-day trial (no card required)
self-host No
mcp None
Freshdesk (Freddy AI) helpdesk + AI deflection entry price ~$19/agent/moverify live
pricing model per-agent seat + per-session AI add-on
free tier Free plan for up to 2 agents (first 6 months); 14-day trial on paid plans
self-host No
mcp None
Tidio Lyro Ecommerce + SMB customer support automation entry price $32.50/mo (Lyro AI add-on, 50 conversations/mo on annual billing)verify live
pricing model freemium SaaS + usage-based Lyro AI conversation add-on
free tier Yes. Free plan ($0/mo) includes 50 billable conversations/mo
self-host No
mcp Client
LiveChat / ChatBot (Text) no-code support bots entry price $25/seat/mo
pricing model per-seat plan + included AI resolutions, then per-AI-resolution overage
free tier No free plan, 14-day trial (no credit card required)
self-host No
mcp None
Chatbase No-code AI support chatbots entry price $32/month (Hobby, monthly billing)verify live
pricing model Tiered subscription with monthly message-credit allotments (free tier plus four paid tiers), plus usage-based overage credits
free tier Yes. Free plan: $0/mo, 50 message credits/mo, 1 agent (agents get deleted on inactivity)
self-host No
mcp None
eesel AI AI helpdesk automation entry price Free, then ~$0.40 per taskcheapestverify live
pricing model usage-based (pay-per-task), no seats; Enterprise adds a flat platform fee
free tier $50 of free usage (all features, no card required); light tasks like dashboard lookups are always free
self-host No
mcp None
Crescendo.ai managed AI support entry price ~$2.99/resolutionverify live
pricing model outcome-based per-resolution (blended AI + human), fully managed; quoted/contract
free tier No free plan or self-serve trial; setup/onboarding is free and Crescendo sets up a "proof of value" engagement (contact sales)
self-host No
mcp Both
CustomGPT.ai no-code support agents entry price ~$99/mo
pricing model flat plan with monthly query cap + paid query/storage/agent/seat add-ons
free tier No free plan; 7-day free trial (credit card required per pricing page; some sources say no card)
self-host No
mcp Server
Lorikeet Complex fintech/healthtech support automation entry price $1,500/mo (Start, billed annually)verify live
pricing model outcome-based per resolution + monthly platform fee
free tier None, demo-led
self-host No
mcp Client
Wonderful Multilingual enterprise CX automation entry price Custom (quote-only)verify live
pricing model Consumption-based (usage/impact-aligned), no setup fees, custom quote only
free tier None (no free tier, no self-serve sign-up; access is via sales)
self-host No
mcp None
Botpress no-code customer support bots entry price $189/mo
pricing model per-conversation (LLM/AI usage included, no markup)
free tier Free plan: 100 conversations/mo, 1 seat, 3 agents
self-host No
mcp Both
Phonely AI phone answering entry price Free, then ~$33/seat/mo (Starter, billed annually) or $50/mo monthlyverify live
pricing model plan (monthly minute allotment) + per-minute overage; Enterprise is custom per-minute
free tier Free plan: 100 minutes/mo (~50 calls), 1 phone number, no card required (no overage; must upgrade to add minutes)
self-host Yes
mcp None
Goodcall local service phone answering entry price ~$79/agent/moverify live
pricing model flat plan per AI agent (per month) + per-unique-caller overage
free tier No free plan; 14-day fully-featured free trial (plus free demo)
self-host No
mcp None
// scraped weekly · every cell carries source + date · volatile cells flagged verify live
FAQ
What is the best AI customer service agent?
For high-volume support, Fin by Intercom, Decagon and Sierra lead on deflection, billed per resolution. For lower volume or tighter budgets, Gorgias, Tidio and Freshdesk add AI on top of helpdesk plans, and Botpress or Chatbase let you build a custom support agent.
How is AI customer service pricing calculated?
Most leaders bill per resolution (a conversation the AI fully handles), often $0.50–$1+ each, instead of per seat. That is cheaper than human agents at scale but can be unpredictable, so model your monthly ticket volume before committing.
Do AI customer service agents integrate with my helpdesk?
Yes — the dedicated platforms integrate with Zendesk, Intercom, Salesforce and Gorgias. Builder tools like Botpress and Chatbase connect via API and prebuilt connectors.