The HelpDesk Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about HelpDesk in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
HelpDesk
The Insider’s Guide
Ticketing with an AI agent for email, chat, Messenger and SMS
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among help desk and live chat tools, read from HelpDesk’s own pages.
Made by Text, Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from HelpDesk’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on HelpDesk’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 36 of the 66 other help desk and live chat tools we grade
HelpDesk is a ticketing system from Text, Inc. that collects email, website chat, Messenger and SMS into one inbox. Every plan includes an AI Agent that answers customers and an AI Copilot that helps agents write replies. Pricing is per user, with a monthly allowance of AI resolutions.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about HelpDesk, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and rules, teams and the AI Agent need setting up before they help.
- 1
Best for a ticket inbox with AI replies built in
HelpDesk collects email, website chat, Messenger and SMS into one ticket inbox, with an AI Agent and a Copilot on every plan.
- 2
Paid plans start at $19 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
One inbox for four channels
Email, website chat, Messenger and SMS land in the same inbox as tickets, with statuses, priorities and automated assignment.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 36 of 66
That is against the other help desk and live chat tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace HelpDesk you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
HelpDesk at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Text, Inc.
- Category
- Help Desks & Live Chat
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a ticket inbox with AI replies built in
HelpDesk collects email, website chat, Messenger and SMS into one ticket inbox, with an AI Agent and a Copilot on every plan. The AI allowance is small on the cheap plan, at 10 resolutions a month, and the features most teams grow into sit on Growth at $79 a user.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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 | C | A 14-day trial with no credit card. There is no free plan. |
| Features | C | Email, 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 | C | No store rating on record, and rules, teams and the AI Agent need setting up before they help. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with 8 listed integrations. The chat widget can be embedded in your own mobile app, but there are no phone or desktop apps. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who HelpDesk is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Small ecommerce teams on Shopify that want support and sales in one inbox
- Teams that want an AI agent bundled into a per-user help desk
- Support teams that mix email, chat, Messenger and SMS
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$19
A month to start, for each person
HelpDesk is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly).
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.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom AI Agents, multiple brands, custom roles, SSO and audit logs, HIPAA compliance and a dedicated account manager. Sold through sales.
Trying it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from helpdesk.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Stated on helpdesk.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Ticketing with an AI agent for email, chat, Messenger and SMS. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: shared inbox, help desk, live chat, AI support agent, sMS marketing, chatbots.
Email, chat, Messenger and SMS in one inbox, with an AI Agent and Copilot.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Shopify
- Webflow
- HubSpot
- Slack
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Salesforce
- Klaviyo
HelpDesk is made by Text, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
36/66
Other help desk and live chat tools it is graded above
HelpDesk's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 36 of the 66 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 12.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 44 of 66) and worst on features (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $19 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 14 of the 57 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 7 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 67 help desk and live chat tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. HelpDesk’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 44 of 66
- CFree plan and trialAbove 18 of 66
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 66
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 66
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 66
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 59 help desk and live chat tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. HelpDesk is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace HelpDesk you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $228 a year.
What you could make
- Help desk: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, Webflow and HubSpot among them.
What this rests on. HelpDesk’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Zendesk, Freshdesk, Text by LiveChat, Tidio and Gorgias
The 5 tools HelpDesk is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Zendesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams.
- Only Zendesk lists iOS and Android apps.
- HelpDesk also covers shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots.
- Zendesk also covers reports and help center.
- 2.4GPA
Freshdesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
Email ticketing help desk with a knowledge base and AI agents.
- Only Freshdesk lists iOS and Android apps.
- HelpDesk also covers live chat, sMS marketing and chatbots.
- Freshdesk also covers reports and help center.
- 2.4GPA
Text by LiveChat
Free trial · from $19/mo
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team.
- Only Text by LiveChat lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- HelpDesk also covers shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots.
- 3.2GPA
Tidio
Free plan · from $24.17/mo
Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations.
- Tidio has a free plan. HelpDesk does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Tidio lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- HelpDesk also covers shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots.
- 2.8GPA
Gorgias
Free trial · from $10/mo
Ecommerce help desk priced by tickets, with a paid-per-use AI agent.
- Only Gorgias lists iOS and Android apps.
- HelpDesk also covers shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots.
- Gorgias also covers reports and help center.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is HelpDesk free?
No, HelpDesk is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does HelpDesk cost?
HelpDesk lists 3 plans. Essential: $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly).
What platforms does HelpDesk work on?
HelpDesk is available on Web.
Does HelpDesk offer any discounts?
HelpDesk publicly lists the following: Save up to 24% by billing yearly.
Does HelpDesk have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. HelpDesk is listed for Web.
Does HelpDesk have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. HelpDesk is listed for Web.
Is HelpDesk open source?
HelpDesk is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does HelpDesk integrate with?
HelpDesk's listing names Shopify, Webflow, HubSpot, Slack, WordPress, WooCommerce, Salesforce and Klaviyo.
Who makes HelpDesk?
HelpDesk is made by Text, Inc.
What are the alternatives to HelpDesk?
The closest alternatives to HelpDesk in our directory are Zendesk, Freshdesk, Text by LiveChat, Tidio and Gorgias.
How does HelpDesk compare with other help desk and live chat tools?
HelpDesk's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 36 of the 66 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 12.
Is HelpDesk good value for money?
ToolGPA grades HelpDesk B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $19 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 14 of the 57 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of HelpDesk?
To replace HelpDesk you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from HelpDesk’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from HelpDesk's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Text, Inc. Prices change, so check helpdesk.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- HelpDesk, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/helpdesk
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "HelpDesk: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/helpdesk
Know someone choosing between help desk and live chat tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/helpdesk/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded help desk and live chat tools after HelpDesk, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Help Desks & Live Chat Insider's GuideEvery one of the 67 help desk and live chat tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Desk Insider's GuideLow-cost ticketing help desk with a free plan for three users3.4 GPA
- Tidio Insider's GuideLive chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations3.2 GPA
- tawk.to Insider's GuideFree live chat, ticketing and help center, with paid add-ons3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what HelpDesk’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. HelpDesk is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Text, Inc. Prices and plans change: check helpdesk.com before you buy.