Elevio vs HelpDesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HelpDesk grades higher than Elevio: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HelpDesk grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Elevio
In-app help assistant and knowledge base for web products
HelpDesk
Ticketing with an AI agent for email, chat, Messenger and SMS
Which one is for you
Pick Elevio if
- Fits if you want help articles shown inside your web app
- Works for teams that already have a help desk
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small, because the cheapest plan is $125 a month
- Tight if you have a bigger team, as seats cap at 3, 5 and 10
- Skip it if you want reporting or help desk integrations, since they need Regular at $189
- Not for you if you want ticketing, as it is not a help desk
Pick HelpDesk if
- Fits if you answer customers by email, chat, Messenger and SMS from one inbox
- Works for a small team that wants tickets and an AI agent from $19 a user
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you lean on the AI: 10 resolutions a month on Essential, 200 on Growth, and extra 50-packs cost $49.50
- Pricey if you outgrow Essential, as Growth is $79 a user billed yearly ($99 monthly)
- Skip it if you want a free plan or phone apps, since it has neither
- Watch out: multiple brands, custom roles, SSO and HIPAA are on the custom-priced Enterprise plan
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAElevioFair | 2.4GPAHelpDeskFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$125 a month for 3 seats billed yearly, about $42 a seat, around the dearer quarter of $45. | B$19 per user a month billed yearly is at the edge of the cheapest quarter ($19). Growth is $79 a user, and that is where the 20 custom fields and 10 teams are. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 14-day trial, with no word on whether a card is needed. No free plan. | CA 14-day trial with no credit card. There is no free plan. |
| Features | CAn embedded assistant, a point-and-click tool, a hosted knowledge base and reporting. It works alongside a help desk and does not replace one. | CEmail, chat, Messenger and SMS in one inbox, with an AI Agent and Copilot. Essential has 3 ticketing rules and 10 AI resolutions a month, which is the gap. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You add a snippet and build the articles and modules. | CNo store rating on record, and rules, teams and the AI Agent need setting up before they help. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Freshdesk, Help Scout, Groove, Slack, WordPress and Dixa. | BWeb only, with 8 listed integrations. The chat widget can be embedded in your own mobile app, but there are no phone or desktop apps. |
| Best for | in-app help and a knowledge base | a ticket inbox with AI replies built in |
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: Elevio and HelpDesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
Elevio starts at $125 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. HelpDesk starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and HelpDesk starts $106 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 33 score higher than Elevio for less, and 8 score higher than HelpDesk 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
- Elevio also covers wiki, reports and help center.
- HelpDesk also covers shared inbox, help desk, live chat, AI support agent, sMS marketing and chatbots.
At a glance
| Elevio | HelpDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $125 per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($155 monthly) | $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Elevio Pty. Ltd. | Text, Inc. |
| Price read from | elev.io | helpdesk.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Elevio
- Each plan caps team members at 3, 5 or 10; larger needs go through enterprise plans on request.
- Plans include 1,000,000 page views, as stated on the pricing page.
- Reporting, help desk integrations and a customized hosted KB need the Regular plan or higher.
- It is a knowledge base and in-app help layer, not a ticketing system, so it works alongside a help desk.
HelpDesk
- AI resolutions are capped: 10 a month on Essential and 200 on Growth. Extra packs of 50 resolutions cost $49.50.
- There is no free plan; the 14-day trial is the only free access.
- Per-user pricing means Growth costs $79 per user / month when billed yearly, $99 billed monthly.
- The pages describe a browser-based product and list no desktop or phone apps; the chat widget can be embedded in your own mobile app.
Key features
Elevio
- Embedded assistant
- A help widget placed in a site or app that shows suggested articles and search, with a JavaScript API for customizing it.
- Visualizer
- A point-and-click tool for adding contextual helpers and hotspots to pages without code.
- Hosted knowledge base
- A hosted help site is available, basic on Starter and customized from the Regular plan.
- Content sync
- Pulls articles from third-party systems such as help desks and WordPress; automatic syncing is a Premium feature.
- Support ticket modules
- Modules for support tickets, custom forms and ticket deflection let users reach the help desk from inside the assistant.
- Reporting
- Reporting on how people use the help content is included from the Regular plan.
HelpDesk
- One inbox for four channels
- Email, website chat, Messenger and SMS land in the same inbox as tickets, with statuses, priorities and automated assignment.
- AI Agent
- An AI Agent runs conversations using the knowledge, tone and skills you give it. One resolution is counted when it directly solves a customer question.
- AI Copilot for agents
- Reply suggestions and AI text edits for human agents, plus ticket summaries, tag suggestions and similar-ticket suggestions on higher plans.
- Selling through Shopify
- Every plan lists selling through Shopify, and the pricing page describes an AI sales skill with a live Shopify catalog and cart recovery campaigns.
- Rules and routing
- Ticketing rules and automated assignment sort incoming tickets, with 3 rules on Essential and 10 on Growth.
- Teams and reports
- Growth adds up to 10 teams, chat supervision and takeover, agent activity and performance reports.
Plans
Elevio
Starter$125
per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($155 monthly)
Unlimited articles, visualizer point-and-click tool, basic modules and a basic hosted knowledge base.
Regular$189
per month for up to 5 seats, billed annually ($229 monthly)
Adds help desk integrations, article interlinking and permissions, advanced modules, a customized hosted KB and reporting.
Premium$389
per month for up to 10 seats, billed annually ($469 monthly)
Adds article auto-syncing, multi-lingual content and priority support.
HelpDesk
Essential$19
per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)
Inbox and tickets, 3 ticketing rules, 1 AI Agent with 10 AI resolutions a month, and AI Copilot with 5 reply suggestions per user a month.
Growth$79
per user / month, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly)
20 custom fields, 10 ticketing rules, up to 10 teams, 10 AI Agents with 200 AI resolutions a month, ticket summaries, chat supervision and 30 proactive campaigns.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom AI Agents, multiple brands, custom roles, SSO and audit logs, HIPAA compliance and a dedicated account manager. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Elevio
No public discounts listed.
HelpDesk
- Annual discount
Save up to 24% by billing yearly
The pricing page shows yearly billing at $19 and $79 per user against $25 and $99 billed monthly, and says paying yearly saves up to 24%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Elevio or HelpDesk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Elevio starts at $125 per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($155 monthly), and HelpDesk starts at $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly). 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, Elevio or HelpDesk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Elevio nor HelpDesk has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
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.