Who each engine recommends
Position of every brand named in the latest run.
| Brand | ChatGPT | Perplexity | AI Mode | Mention rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZendeskTop pick | #1 | #3 | #5 | |
| Help Scout | — | #4 | #1 | |
| Zoho | — | #1 | #2 | |
| Freshworks | #2 | #2 | — | |
| HappyFox | #3 | — | — | |
| HubSpot | — | — | #3 | |
| Gorgias | — | — | #4 | |
| Intercom | — | #5 | — | |
| HelpDesk | — | #6 | — | |
| HelpSpot | — | #7 | — | |
| Supportbench | — | #8 | — |
Mention rate over time
Share of engines naming each brand, weekly over the last 60 days (up to 8 brands).
Zendesk is named by 100% of engines today.
Responses
What each engine answered, and how the shortlist moved.
A help desk platform typically costs $15–$100 per agent per month, depending on the features, number of support agents, and whether you need basic ticket management or a complete customer service solution. For a small or midsize business, a reasonable starting budget is $20–$60 per agent per month. Typical monthly pricing Here are examples of help desk platforms and their published prices as of November 2026. Platform Entry-level Mid-tier Advanced -------------------------------- Zendesk $19…
- Zendesk — Prices are USD per agent/month, generally based on annual billing for Zendesk and Freshdesk. ↑ 2 vs last week
- Freshworks — Prices are USD per agent/month, generally based on annual billing for Zendesk and Freshdesk.
- HappyFox — HappyFox figures use monthly billing. New this week
Dropped from this engine’s shortlist this week: Zoho, Help Scout, Jira Service Management, Intercom
Help desk platforms typically cost $15–$100 per agent/user per month. Basic plans may be free or start around $7–$20 per user, while advanced or enterprise plans can exceed $100 per seat. Examples:
- Zoho — Zoho Desk: about $7–$20 per user/month; free plan available for small teams.
- Freshworks — Freshdesk: about $19 per agent/month for the entry paid tier.
- Zendesk — Zendesk: about $19 per agent/month for basic support, with suites starting around $55.
- Help Scout — Help Scout: about $25 per user/month.
- Intercom — Intercom: about $29 per seat/month, plus usage-based AI charges.
Help desk platforms typically cost between $𝟕 and$𝟏𝟓𝟎 per agent per month (billed annually), though pricing structures vary significantly depending on the tier, feature set, and whether you are charged by user seats or ticket volume.[](https://www.getmacha.com/blog/help-desk-software-pricing-compared) A breakdown mapping each specific tier and condition to its exact price range includes:
- Help Scout — Free Tiers: $𝟎 per month — Available on select platforms (like Help Scout's permanent free plan) or limited trial configurations for small teams.[](https://www.getmacha.com/blog/help-desk-software-pricing-compared).
- Zoho — Entry / Starter Tiers: $𝟕 to$𝟐𝟎 per agent per month — Basic ticketing, shared inbox, and knowledge base features (e.g., Zoho Desk Express, HubSpot Starter).[](https://www.getmacha.com/blog/help-desk-software-pricing-…
- HubSpot — Entry / Starter Tiers: $𝟕 to$𝟐𝟎 per agent per month — Basic ticketing, shared inbox, and knowledge base features (e.g., Zoho Desk Express, HubSpot Starter).[](https://www.getmacha.com/blog/help-desk-software-pricing-…
- Gorgias — Ticket-Volume Pricing: $𝟏𝟎 to$𝟑𝟔𝟎+ per month — Alternative models like Gorgias Pricing charge based on a monthly ticket allotment rather than per agent (e.g.,$1 0 for 50 50 5 0 tickets up to$3 6 0 for 2,0 0 0… ↑ 1 vs last week
- Zendesk — AI Add-ons: $𝟎.𝟗𝟗 per resolution/outcome or $𝟓𝟎 per agent per month (such as Zendesk Copilot), which are typically billed separately on top of the base platform fee.[](https://www.getmacha.com/blog/help-desk-software-… New this week
Dropped from this engine’s shortlist this week: HelpDesk
Citations
Sources the engines cited for this prompt.
| Source | Type | Citations | Cited by |
|---|---|---|---|
| helpdesk.com | Brand site · HelpDesk | 3 | Perplexity |
| intercom.com | Brand site · Intercom | 2 | Perplexity |
| capterra.com | Review site | 1 | Perplexity |
| freshworks.com | Brand site · Freshworks | 1 | ChatGPT |
| getmacha.com | Web | 1 | Google AI Mode |
| happyfox.com | Brand site · HappyFox | 1 | ChatGPT |
| helpspot.com | Brand site · HelpSpot | 1 | Perplexity |
| softwareadvice.com | Review site | 1 | Perplexity |
| supportbench.com | Brand site · Supportbench | 1 | Perplexity |
| userjot.com | Web | 1 | Perplexity |
| zendesk.com | Brand site · Zendesk | 1 | ChatGPT |