14 platforms · verified 29 July 2026
A $0.69 rate can cost more than a $0.99 one
Because the two are not counting the same event. This page collects what each vendor says triggers a charge, read from their own pricing pages and terms. It is the fact that decides your invoice, and no comparison site publishes it.
The table
11 of 14 vendors define their billable event in public. 3 do not, which is itself the finding.
| Platform | Unit | Published rate | Bills on abandonment? | Seats required underneath? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin by Intercom | Per resolution | $0.99 per resolution | Not stated | Yes. An Intercom plan is required underneath, reported from around $39 per seat per month, with one user reporting $74. |
| Fini | Per resolution | $0.69 per resolution | Not stated | Not stated |
| Sierra | Per resolution | ~$1.50 per resolved interaction (reported, not published) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Gorgias | Per ticket | $10-900/mo by ticket tier, then $0.36-0.40 per ticket | Yes | No. Unlimited user seats at every tier. |
| eesel AI | Per ticket | ~$0.40 per ticket | Not stated | No seats, but you need a help desk underneath — eesel is an automation layer, not a platform. |
| Zendesk AI Agents | Per seat | $25-149 per agent per month, AI as add-ons | No | Seats are the unit. |
| Freshdesk with Freddy AI | Per seat | $18-95 per agent per month | No | Seats are the unit. |
| Help Scout | Other | $55-83/mo by contact volume | No | No. Agents are unlimited. |
| Tidio Lyro | Per conversation | $0-2,999/mo, two meters | Yes | No. |
| HubSpot Breeze | Per seat | $100-150 per seat per month, plus per-resolution on Breeze | Not stated | Yes, and they are among the most expensive in the directory. |
| HappyFox | Per seat | $29-119 per agent, or $1,999-5,999/mo unlimited agents | No | Either seats or an annual ticket cap, depending on plan. |
| Zoho Desk | Per seat | $7-40 per user per month | No | Seats are the unit. |
| Decagon | Other | Not published | Not stated | Not stated |
| Ada | Other | Not published | Not stated | Not stated |
How to read this. "Not stated" means the vendor does not define it publicly, not that we failed to look. Where a definition exists we quote or closely paraphrase it. Every row lists its source below.
What each vendor actually says
Fin by Intercom
Intercom bills when Fin resolves a conversation. The public rate is clear; the precise trigger for a resolution event is not stated on the pricing page in terms a buyer could audit.
SOURCE: INTERCOM / FIN PUBLISHED PRICING, PLUS FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Fini
No public definition of the billable event. Pricing is sales-led or the term is left undefined on published material.
SOURCE: FINI PUBLISHED GUIDES · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Sierra
Sierra has argued publicly for outcome-based pricing, charging only when the agent resolves. The rate is negotiated per customer and is not published, so the definition cannot be audited before a sales conversation.
SOURCE: SIERRA BLOG ON OUTCOME-BASED PRICING; RATE VIA VALUE ADD VC · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Gorgias
Billed per billable support ticket, with tier allowances and per-ticket overages above them. Ticket is a clearer unit than resolution: it counts inbound work, not outcomes, so a failed interaction still bills.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
eesel AI
Billed per handled ticket with no seats and no monthly minimum, with a default spend cap around $250. Published figures conflict across sources, so treat any single number as indicative.
SOURCE: EESEL PUBLISHED PRICING PAGE; CONFLICTING FIGURES IN FEATUREBASE AND MY ASKAI REVIEWS · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Zendesk AI Agents
Per seat, so nothing is billed per outcome. Cost is predictable and unrelated to whether the AI resolves anything. Reviewers note the Copilot add-on generally has to be licensed across all agents rather than only those who use it.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026; G2 REVIEWS · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Freshdesk with Freddy AI
Per seat. Freddy AI is included within tiers rather than billed per outcome, though the more capable AI features sit in higher tiers.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS PUBLISHED PRICING 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Help Scout
Billed by number of contacts, not seats and not outcomes. Unlimited agents at every tier. This is the only pricing axis of its kind in the directory and it inverts the economics for teams with many agents and few customers.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Tidio Lyro
Visitor conversations and Lyro AI conversations are metered separately, so the tier covering your traffic may not cover your AI usage. Starter's 50 Lyro conversations are a one-time allowance rather than monthly.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
HubSpot Breeze
Seat pricing with the Breeze agent billed per resolution on top. Reviewers report the per-resolution charge is high relative to competitors, so the seat price understates the total.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026; G2 REVIEWS · CHECKED 2026-07-29
HappyFox
Two parallel models. Unlimited-agent plans are capped by annual ticket volume — 20,000 a year on Growth, which is roughly 1,700 a month.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Zoho Desk
Per seat. Zia AI features are gated to the $40 Enterprise tier, so the $7 headline buys ticketing rather than intelligence.
SOURCE: FRESHWORKS ROUNDUP 17 APR 2026 · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Decagon
No public definition of the billable event. Pricing is sales-led or the term is left undefined on published material.
SOURCE: NO PUBLIC PRICING. SALES-LED. · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Ada
No public definition of the billable event. Pricing is sales-led or the term is left undefined on published material.
SOURCE: NO PUBLIC PRICING. QUOTED ON SUPPORT VOLUME AND INTEGRATIONS. · CHECKED 2026-07-29
Frequently asked
What counts as a billable resolution?
It depends entirely on the vendor, and most do not define it publicly in terms a buyer could audit. Some bill when the customer stops replying, some when the AI produces any answer, some only on a confirmed outcome. This is why headline rates are not comparable.
Is a cheaper per-resolution rate always cheaper?
No. A platform charging $0.69 that bills on customer non-reply can cost more than one charging $0.99 that bills only on confirmed resolution, because the cheaper one charges for abandonment as well as success.
Which pricing model is safest at high volume?
Per seat. It does not move with ticket volume, so costs stay predictable as you scale. Per-resolution and per-ticket models both rise with volume, and per-resolution rises specifically as the AI gets better.
What should I ask a vendor before signing?
What specific event triggers a charge, what happens when a customer abandons mid-conversation, and whether seats are required underneath. Get all three in writing before the trial ends.
Use this table
It is free to cite and free to reuse. If you are writing about support pricing, link to it rather than rebuilding it. If a figure is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it and note the date.
Related reading: why per-resolution pricing charges you more as the AI improves and why six vendors publish autonomy rates that cannot be compared.