Cheapest Customer Support software
18 products with sourced pricing and capability data, 8 with a free plan. Entry paid plans median $25/mo; the cheapest product covering the 12 most common capabilities here is Help Scout from $25/mo. Pick the one you pay for today to find a cheaper replacement.
Read the guide: Cheapest Intercom and Zendesk alternatives →
Same job. Way less money.
Customer Support price ladder
Every product's entry point, cheapest first: the free plan if there is one, otherwise the lowest paid plan as a monthly equivalent (yearly-billed plans divided by 12). Prices as observed on official pricing pages.
| Product | Free plan | Paid from | Plan | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tawk.toalso fits here | Free | not shown | — | 2026-10-27 |
| Zoho Deskhelpdesk | Free | not shown | — | 2026-10-26 |
| Helplyhelpdesk | — | $1/mo | Per-ticket pricing | 2026-10-26 |
| Smartsuppalso fits here | Free | $17/mo | Solo | 2026-10-29 |
| Chatwoot | Free | $19/mo | Startups · billed yearly | 2026-10-29 |
| Freshdesk | — | $19/mo | Growth · billed yearly | 2026-10-26 |
| Zendesk | — | $19/mo | Support Team · billed yearly | 2026-10-26 |
| Tidiolive chat | Free | $24.17/mo | Starter · billed yearly | 2026-10-29 |
| Frontshared inbox | — | $25/mo | Starter | 2026-10-26 |
| Help Scouthelpdesk | Free | $25/mo | Standard | 2026-10-26 |
| LiveChatlive chat | — | $25/mo | Essential | 2026-10-28 |
| JivoChatalso fits here | Free | $28/mo | Basic | 2026-10-27 |
| Intercomhelpdesk | — | $29/mo | Essential | 2026-10-26 |
| Hivershared inbox | — | $35/mo | Growth | 2026-10-26 |
| Chatbasealso fits here | — | $40/mo | Hobby | 2026-10-27 |
| Gorgiasecommerce helpdesk | — | $40/mo | Starter | 2026-10-26 |
| Crisplive chat | Free | $45/mo | Mini | 2026-10-26 |
| eDesk | — | $49/mo | Essential | 2026-10-26 |
Cheapest customer support tool for each capability
For every capability at least a third of these products support: the cheapest product that covers it, free plans counted at $0.
- Need AI agents, AI copilot or omnichannel inbox?
- JivoChat — free plan
- Need support automations?
- tawk.to — free plan
- Need canned responses / macros or live chat & messaging?
- Chatwoot — free plan
- Need CSAT surveys or routing & assignment?
- Smartsupp — free plan
- Need knowledge base / help center or ticketing?
- Help Scout — free plan
- Need SLA management?
- Helply — from $1/mo (Per-ticket pricing plan)
- Need voice / telephony?
- Front — from $25/mo (Starter plan)
Frequently asked
What is the cheapest customer support software?
Helply has the lowest paid entry price we have sourced, from $1/mo (Per-ticket pricing plan). 8 of the 18 products also offer a free plan.
Which customer support tools have a free plan?
8 of the 18 we track: Chatwoot, Crisp, Help Scout, JivoChat, Smartsupp, Tidio, Zoho Desk, tawk.to. Free plans carry limits; each product page lists them.
How much does customer support software cost?
Paid entry plans in our data run from $1/mo to $49/mo, with a median of $25/mo across 16 priced products (monthly equivalents; yearly-billed plans divided by 12).
Which customer support tool is cheapest with ai agent, ai copilot or omnichannel inbox?
JivoChat, free plan.
Which customer support tool is cheapest with automations?
tawk.to, free plan.
Is there an open-source customer support option?
Yes: Chatwoot. Self-hosting removes the subscription but not the hosting and maintenance cost.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2026-10-26 and 2026-10-29, on the vendors' official pricing pages.