BoldDesk vs SupportPal (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BoldDesk and SupportPal share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about ease of use, where BoldDesk grades higher, or value for money, where SupportPal does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BoldDesk
Help desk with per-agent pricing or unlimited agents plus AI credits
SupportPal
Self-hosted help desk with flat pricing and unlimited agents
Which one is for you
Pick BoldDesk if
- Fits if you have a support team that wants SLAs and automation rules
- Works for teams moving off another help desk, since migration is free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is none
- Pricey if you lean on AI, because credits run out and extra ones cost $40 per 1,000
- Watch out: seats on the AI plans are for named people, and the fair usage policy bars shared logins
- Watch out: on the per-agent plan, SMS and voice need an integration
Pick SupportPal if
- Fits if you have a server and want a flat price for any number of agents
- Works for agencies that run several brands from one desk
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, since the pricing page offers none
- Not for you if you have no one to run a server
- Watch out: removing the Powered by line costs $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year
- Watch out: support is by email only, a remote desktop session is $75 per 30 minutes, and extra IP addresses and Twilio are paid separately
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABoldDeskFair | 2.2GPASupportPalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$35 an agent a month on annual billing sits between the $29 middle and the $39 where the dearer quarter starts. The AI plans start at $99 a month for 500 credits. | B$29.95 a month for unlimited operators is about $6 a seat for five agents, under 60% of the $19 where support tools start, but you must also pay for a server. |
| Free plan and trial | C15-day free trial of the per-agent plan, no card required. No free plan. | C30-day free trial of the self-hosted version, no card required. No free plan. |
| Features | CTicketing, automation, SLAs, a knowledge base, reporting and free migration. SMS and voice come through an integration on the per-agent plan. | CUnified inbox, SLAs and business hours, multi-brand support, a self-service area and an add-ons marketplace. Phone, SMS and WhatsApp need Twilio, paid separately. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Channels, SLAs and automation rules all need setting up. | DNo store rating on record. It is self-hosted, so you install, update and secure the server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 6 integrations on record. | BWeb only, with 3 integrations on record. |
| Best for | a support team wanting a per-agent help desk | a team wanting a self-hosted help desk |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BoldDesk and SupportPal. How we grade
Price against what you get
BoldDesk starts at $35 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SupportPal starts at $29.95 a month and scores 2.0.
BoldDesk scores higher, and starts $5.05 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 18 score higher than BoldDesk for less, and 33 score higher than SupportPal for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SupportPal is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- BoldDesk also covers reports, live chat, AI support agent and whatsApp messaging.
- SupportPal also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| BoldDesk | SupportPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $35 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly) | $29.95 per month, self-hosted license for unlimited operators |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 15-day trial of the per-agent plan, no card required | 30-day free self-hosted trial, no card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Syncfusion | SupportPal Limited |
| Price read from | bolddesk.com | supportpal.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BoldDesk
- There is no free plan; the per-agent plan has a 15-day trial and the AI plans offer a free trial.
- AI features run on credits: the AI plans include 500 to 2,500 a month and extra credits cost $40 per 1,000.
- Agent seats on the AI plans are for named people, and the vendor's fair usage policy bars shared logins.
- On the per-agent plan SMS and voice come through an integration rather than a built-in channel.
SupportPal
- It is self-hosted only; the pricing page offers no hosted edition, and you run the server.
- Removing the Powered by line costs $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year extra.
- Support is by email only; a remote desktop session is $75 per 30 minutes.
- Additional IP addresses and Twilio phone, SMS and WhatsApp are paid separately.
Key features
BoldDesk
- Omnichannel ticketing
- Email, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and web forms feed one ticket queue, with mobile apps and an SDK.
- Automation and SLAs
- Workflow automation, round-robin and skill routing, SLA reminders and escalations, business hours and ticket macros.
- AI agents on credits
- A response agent, a background agent and an assist agent run on AI credits, which the per-agent plan sells at $40 per 1,000.
- Knowledge base
- A public or private multilingual knowledge base with article approval and versioning, and an embeddable widget.
- Reporting
- Dashboards for SLA performance, agent and team activity and CSAT, with scheduled reports and custom dashboards.
- Free migration
- The vendor offers free migration and onboarding from other help desks, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
SupportPal
- Unified inbox
- Web forms, email, a help widget, Facebook messages and the REST API all turn into tickets shown in a single filterable grid.
- SLAs and business hours
- Service level plans set first-response and resolution times, with due dates worked out from business hours and pausable when needed.
- Multi-brand support
- Several brands run from one installation, each with its own portal, logo, email templates and self-service area.
- Self-service area
- A knowledge area and an embeddable help widget let customers search articles before contacting support.
- Phone, SMS and WhatsApp
- Calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages can be handled through your own Twilio account, which needs an extra subscription.
- Add-ons marketplace
- Extra modules can be installed from a marketplace, and sensitive ticket fields can be encrypted or purged after closing.
Plans
BoldDesk
Enterprise (per agent)$35
per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Every help desk feature, unlimited tickets and up to 10 brands; AI is a separate credit add-on.
Scale AI$99
per month for 500 AI credits, billed annually ($116 billed monthly)
Unlimited human agents, an email AI agent, ticketing, knowledge base and workflow automation.
Momentum AI$499
per month for 1,000 AI credits, billed annually ($587 billed monthly)
Adds an AI agent on chat, WhatsApp, social and SMS, auto-assignment, multiple SLAs and CSAT surveys.
Enterprise AI$999
per month for 2,500 AI credits, billed annually ($1,175 monthly)
Adds multi-brand help desk, HIPAA compliance, ticket approvals, agent shifts and custom dashboards.
SupportPal
Monthly license$29.95
per month, one brand, unlimited operators
All features, unlimited tickets and users, email support and updates. Extra brands $9.95 a month each.
Annual license$299.95
per year, one brand, unlimited operators
Same license billed yearly, marked as 2 months free; extra brands are $99.95 a year each.
Ways to pay less
BoldDesk
- Annual discount
15% off with yearly billing
Yearly billing saves 15% on the AI plans ($99, $499 and $999 against $116, $587 and $1,175 monthly) and about 13% on the per-agent plan.
- Other savings
Free migration and contract cover
For teams moving from Zendesk, Freshdesk or another help desk, BoldDesk migrates the data free and covers up to 6 months of remaining contract fees.
SupportPal
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual billing
The annual license is $299.95 against $29.95 a month, which the pricing page labels as 2 months free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BoldDesk or SupportPal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BoldDesk starts at $35 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly), and SupportPal starts at $29.95 per month, self-hosted license for unlimited operators. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, BoldDesk or SupportPal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BoldDesk nor SupportPal has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do BoldDesk and SupportPal run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only BoldDesk lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.