# AI support agent pricing, Fin vs Zendesk, HubSpot, Agentforce and Ada

Canonical URL: https://industrycontents.com/support-agents-pricing/
Language: en-GB
Published: 2026-10-14
Structure updated: 2026-10-25

> Dated article snapshot. Canonical web page may receive later updates. Vendor figures retain their stated source-check dates. Illustrations are not product benchmarks.

Published: 2026-10-14 · Structure updated: 2026-10-25. Vendor prices and source checks retain the dates stated below.

## Quick answer

Support-agent unit prices are comparable only after the billable event is defined. Fin, Zendesk, HubSpot, Agentforce and Ada should be priced against the same support queue, including platform fees, human handoffs and independently verified solutions.

## Key terms

**Billable outcome**: Billable outcome is an event the vendor’s pricing rules count for payment.

**Verified resolution**: Verified resolution is a support issue independently judged solved under the buyer’s acceptance rule.

**Human handoff**: Human handoff is transfer of a conversation or workflow to a person; billing depends on the vendor and configuration.

## AI support agent pricing, rates and billable results

| Comparison point | Fin (Intercom) | Zendesk | HubSpot Customer Agent | Salesforce Agentforce | Ada |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billing unit | Outcome, at most one per conversation | Automated resolution | Resolved conversation (messaging), per minute (voice) | Action (Flex Credits), conversation, user licence, or Help Agent resolution | Per conversation handled, or per resolution for some enterprises |
| Published rate | $0.99 resolution. $9.99 sales qualification | No comparable public unit rate verified; request a written quote | $0.50 per resolution. $0.50 per minute for voice | $0.10 per action ($500 per 100,000 credits). $2 per conversation. $2 per qualifying resolution | None. Third party figures disagree |
| What counts as a result | Qualifying resolution or completed configured Procedure handoff; ordinary escalation is different | Defined in contract | Support provided and no human handoff for 72 hours | Help Agent counts a qualifying resolution, with a time window to ask for in writing | Set in the contract |
| Not billed | Default escalations, failed Procedures, abandoned chats | Reportedly assisted escalations and unverified resolutions | Conversations handed to a human within 72 hours | Conversations that do not qualify (Help Agent) | Not published |
| Platform needed | Intercom or a supported helpdesk | Zendesk Suite Team or above, $55 per agent annual | HubSpot Professional or Enterprise | Salesforce. Entitlements and Data 360 credits are extra | Not confirmed |
| Trial | 14 day free trial | Platform trial | 28 day access reported by third parties | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |

Caption: Start with how each company charges. The table sets out Fin (Intercom), Zendesk, HubSpot Customer Agent, Salesforce Agentforce, Ada.

### Fin vs Zendesk vs HubSpot, 1,000 billable results

| Meter | Calculation | Cost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HubSpot resolutions | 1,000 × $0.50 | $500 |
| Agentforce Flex, 5 actions each | 1,000 × 5 × $0.10 | $500 |
| Fin resolutions | 1,000 × $0.99 | $990 |
| Agentforce Help Agent or Conversations | 1,000 × $2.00 | $2,000 |
| Fin sales qualifications | 1,000 × $9.99 | $9,990 |

Caption: Put 1,000 billable results through the numbers. The table sets out Meter, Calculation, Cost.

These figures exclude seats, allowances, add ons and onboarding. Ada has no row because it publishes no rate.

## Check what your support platform costs

Check the software you pay for before you choose an AI support agent, because several of these products require a larger platform subscription.

- Fin needs Intercom or a supported helpdesk, so a team on another system either adds one or migrates.

- HubSpot's agent needs a Professional or Enterprise subscription. A team without one may find the platform costs more than the resolutions at low volume.

- Zendesk needs Suite Team or above at $55 per agent, billed annually.

- Agentforce runs on Salesforce, with entitlements and Data 360 credits extra. Flex Credits and Conversations cannot run in the same org, so you pick one meter for the whole org.

- Ada's platform fee, contract length and renewal terms require a written quote.

Spend controls differ too. Fin has usage reminders and hard limits, HubSpot shares credits across its AI features, and Salesforce charges no overage penalty and bills monthly in arrears.

## Ask what happens when a customer comes back

Handoffs to a person and reopened chats are where the billing rules diverge. Fin leaves default escalations unbilled, yet it counts a customer who leaves without asking for more as resolved. HubSpot counts a conversation as resolved when no human steps in within 72 hours, so silence is billable, and a third party reports that a conversation reopened after 72 hours can count as a new resolution. Fin deducts the charge when a conversation reopens, even across billing periods. Agentforce's Help Agent price depends on its definition of a qualifying resolution and a time window you should get in writing. For Zendesk and Ada the definition sits in the contract.

Ask each company how it decides a customer has been helped, because a conversation that ends quietly may still hide an unsolved problem.

## See how the bill changes with support volume

The support-volume table assumes a 60% billable resolution rate and excludes platform subscriptions; different definitions can change each provider’s count.

Assume a 60% resolution rate. We applied each company's billing model to the same conversation volumes, with platform costs excluded.

| Conversations a month | HubSpot ($0.50 per resolution) | Fin ($0.99 per outcome) | Agentforce Help Agent ($2 per resolution) | Agentforce Conversations ($2 per conversation) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1,000 | $300 | $594 | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| 10,000 | $3,000 | $5,940 | $12,000 | $20,000 |
| 100,000 | $30,000 | $59,400 | $120,000 | $200,000 |

Caption: See how the bill changes with support volume. The table sets out Conversations a month, HubSpot ($0.50 per resolution), Fin ($0.99 per outcome), Agentforce Help Agent ($2 per resolution), Agentforce Conversations ($2 per conversation).

At 10,000 conversations, Agentforce Flex at an assumed five standard actions per conversation uses $5,000 of list-rate capacity. Zendesk and Ada need comparable written quotes; unverified third-party contract rates have been removed from the calculation.

HubSpot costs $0.49 less than Fin per resolution. If HubSpot adds platform spend that Fin would not, the break even is that extra monthly cost divided by $0.49. A $500 a month difference needs about 1,020 resolutions, $1,000 needs about 2,041 and $2,000 needs about 4,082. The formula assumes both resolve the same share of conversations. Flex Credits reach the same $2 as a flat conversation at 20 actions per case, so a messy workflow can cost as much as a Conversations meter.

Sales workloads widen the gap. Fin's full qualification outcome is $9.99; self-serve routing can be $0.99 when configured for that outcome type. HubSpot counts qualified leads under its resolution definition. Check the precise event and configuration, rather than treating every sales interaction as the same unit.

## A resolution audit

Keep two ledgers: the vendor's billable events and your independently accepted resolutions. Neither a quiet customer nor a closed ticket proves the underlying problem was solved. Apply one review rule across providers and retain the vendor's original event labels.

| Measure | Pilot A | Pilot B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total comparable monthly cost | $3,000 | $4,000 |
| Vendor-billed results | 5,000 | 4,000 |
| Independently verified solutions | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| Cost per verified solution | $1.50 | About $1.33 |

Caption: Invented results, not vendor performance. The lower total bill does not produce the lower cost per verified solution.

### Leave time for returns

Separate confirmed solutions, assumed solutions, handoffs and reopened cases. Track a fixed follow-up period for every test provider, alongside the vendor's contractual billing window. A billing credit and a solved customer problem are different records.

Fin's published rules distinguish a configured Procedure handoff from an ordinary escalation. HubSpot's definition includes a 72-hour period without a human handoff. These are reasons to audit event types, not to label all handoffs free or all customer silence a success.

### The savings test

Resolution fees can rise while human work falls. Measure handling minutes avoided, escalation minutes, quality review and knowledge maintenance. Do not turn every automated resolution into an assumed headcount saving: staffing, shift coverage and the cases left for people may change differently.

## Cost per verified resolution, formula and pilot method

Cost per verified resolution is total comparable spending divided by independently accepted solutions for the same support queue.

- Pick one queue and one month of recent conversations as the test set.

- Ask each company to state, in writing, which of those conversations would be billable.

- Have a person label each billable conversation as resolved or unresolved.

- Divide fees plus platform cost by the number of resolved conversations.

## Consider Tidio and Chatbase for smaller teams

Two cheaper tools suit a business that wants an AI agent without a contract. Tidio sells its Lyro AI agent as an add on from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, about $0.65 each at entry, and the first 50 conversations are free as a lifetime allowance. Its Starter helpdesk costs $24.17 a month on annual billing for 100 billable conversations. Chatbase prices in message credits. Hobby costs $40 a month for 700 credits, Standard $150 for 4,000 and Pro $500 for 15,000, with extra credits at $40 per 1,000. A message credit measures something other than a resolved conversation, so the cost per conversation depends on how long your chats run. Botpress, which charges per conversation from $150 a month, appears in the [agent builder comparison](/agent-builders-pricing/).

## Questions to settle before choosing

### How much does an AI support agent cost per resolution?

Published rates run from $0.50 at HubSpot to $0.99 at Intercom Fin and $2 at Salesforce Agentforce. Zendesk and Ada publish none.

### Is Fin cheaper than Zendesk?

A reliable ranking requires a Zendesk quote for the same workload and billable-event definition. Compare platform fees, included allowances and independently verified resolutions.

### Can I compare these prices directly?

Only with care. The companies define a billable result differently, and a platform subscription may be required. Compare total cost for the same labelled support queue, including handoffs and reopened conversations.

### Is there one best cost metric?

Use monthly software and agent cost divided by the conversations independently verified as solved, and track customer satisfaction and escalations alongside it.

### What should count as a verified resolution?

Define success before the pilot, including whether the customer returns, needs a human or receives an incorrect answer. Track that independently of the vendor's billable event and divide total cost by verified successes.

[Compare quote-based support-agent contracts](/compare-sierra-vs-decagon/). Use the dated sources in this article for price context; the comparison method is an editorial framework, not a hands-on product benchmark.

Depth update, 25 October 2026: rechecked Fin outcome rules, HubSpot’s product definition and Ada’s billing-model description. Zendesk’s retrieved pricing page redirected by region, so earlier seat figures remain dated snapshots. Unverified Zendesk and Ada unit-price estimates were removed; pilot results above are hypothetical.

**Sources**

- Intercom Help, [Fin AI Agent outcomes](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/8205718-fin-ai-agent-outcomes), checked 12 October 2026.

- HubSpot, [Customer agent product page](https://www.hubspot.com/products/artificial-intelligence/ai-customer-service-agent), checked 12 October 2026.

- Zendesk, [Pricing](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/), checked 12 October 2026. Source for seat prices only.

- Salesforce, [Agentforce pricing](https://www.salesforce.com/agentforce/pricing/) and [Help Agent pricing](https://www.salesforce.com/service/customer-self-service/pricing/), checked 12 October 2026.

- Ada, [Platform page](https://www.ada.cx/platform/), checked 14 October 2026.

- Tidio, [pricing](https://www.tidio.com/pricing/), checked 14 October 2026.

- Chatbase, [pricing](https://www.chatbase.co/pricing), checked 14 October 2026.

- Unverified third party sources include [Resolve247 on HubSpot](https://resolve247.ai/blog/hubspot-ai-agent-pricing/), [CorePiper on Zendesk](https://corepiper.com/blog/zendesk-ai-pricing-trap-per-resolution-cost/) and [CorePiper on Ada](https://corepiper.com/blog/ada-ai-pricing/).

We calculated the examples using published prices and clearly labelled third party reports. Read the single product guides for [Intercom Fin](/guides/fin-outcome-pricing-escalation/), [Zendesk automated resolutions](/guides/zendesk-automated-resolutions/) and [Agentforce pricing](/guides/agentforce-pricing-flex-credits/), or see the [quote only support agents](/compare-sierra-vs-decagon/). [Send a correction](/ic-lab/ai-agent-pricing-tracker/#add-your-company).

IC Lab · AI Agent Pricing Tracker

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**Related** [Coding agents compared](/coding-agents-pricing/) · [AI sales agents compared](/aisdr-vs-artisan/) · Copilot Studio vs Agentforce · [AI agent glossary](/guides/ai-agent-glossary/) · [All comparisons](/ic-lab/compare/)

## Keep exploring the evidence

**[The hidden cost of an AI support resolution](https://industrycontents.com/agentic-ai-business-risk/)** A cheap automated answer can still leave the customer's issue unresolved. Our analysis examines the business model risk behind that.

**[How Deliveroo cut the noise from its AI churn alerts](https://industrycontents.com/restaurant-churn-prediction-deliveroo/)** Deliveroo's churn model produced too many restaurant alerts. Read how its team reduced the noise.

[Atlas24h’s chatbot case](https://industrycontents.com/atlas24h-ai-sales-agent-revenue/) shows why a human handoff can be a successful commercial outcome rather than a failed containment metric. For contract-heavy deployments, compare the enterprise support agent terms.