ZendeskHelpshiftZendesk vs Helpshift

Zendesk vs Helpshift: help desk suite or in-app support

A help desk suite against an in-app support for games and apps: one prints a price and one quotes. The six differences, what five people pay on each, and a third option.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Zendesk if your support is ticket-first and email-heavy, with SLAs and a queue to manage. Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $275 a month on Zendesk, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Zendesk and Helpshift both include website chat and email in the price; only Zendesk has Instagram; only Helpshift has WhatsApp. Neither Zendesk nor Helpshift includes Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Zendesk and Helpshift sell here at one price.

At a glanceZendeskZendeskHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundTickets and a queue · messaging came laterIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Support Team: email and ticketsQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the price$55/agent/mo · Suite TeamQuote · in-app and web
AI agentPer automated resolution · rate quoted, not printedIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agents$50/agent/moIn the quote
Free planNone · 14-day trialNone · request pricing

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    ZendeskZendesk

    As a ticket. Every channel, chat included, becomes a ticket with a status, a priority and an SLA clock. Helpshift raises tickets too, from in-app support for games.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. Zendesk raises tickets too, from tickets and a queue.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    ZendeskZendesk

    $19 buys email and tickets. Live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and AI agents start at Suite Team, $55. $275 for five people; Helpshift prints no figure to set beside it.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. No figure for five people here; Zendesk prints $275.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    ZendeskZendesk

    AI agents are priced per automated resolution on top of seats, and the rate comes from your quote. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats as well.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Zendesk meters AI (per automated resolution) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    ZendeskZendesk

    Email, chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and voice on Suite plans; WhatsApp conversation fees still apply. Instagram is here and not on Helpshift.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. WhatsApp is here and not on Zendesk.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    ZendeskZendesk

    A contact center: voice, workforce management, QA, and a marketplace of over a thousand apps. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. Zendesk is a help desk suite instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    ZendeskZendesk

    A project. Queue, SLAs, routing and macros are set up before the first ticket is answered. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Zendesk is a project.

Sources: Zendesk pricing · Helpshift pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Zendesk Agent Workspace: a ticket view with the customer, the thread and the fields
ZendeskZendesk. The Zendesk Agent Workspace: a ticket view with the customer, the thread and the fields
The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data

Pricing references: Zendesk pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Helpshift pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Zendesk, Helpshift and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureZendeskZendeskHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI per resolution; add-ons extra
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; 14-day trial
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Suite plans
In-app and web
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
All plans
Included
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Suite plans, plus conversation fees
Included
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Suite plans
Not offered
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Third-party apps only
Discord instead
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack notifications and side conversations
Discord as a customer channel
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
All plans, trained on the help center
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Per automated resolution, on top of seats
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Escalates to agents
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Ticket-first
Issues with states
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Triggers and automations, form-based
Automations and bots
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Explore; advanced on higher plans
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile only
Browser only
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Zendesk if

  • Your support is ticket-first and email-heavy, with SLAs and a queue to manage.
  • You need phone support and a contact center in the same tool.
  • You need Instagram in the price, which Helpshift does not include outright.
  • It prints its price ($275 a month for five) where Helpshift quotes.

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which Zendesk does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers here and a project on Zendesk.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on Zendesk or Helpshift who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $275 a month on Zendesk, and a quote on Helpshift for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Zendesk meters AI (per automated resolution) above the seats, Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Zendesk nor Helpshift includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Zendesk on Suite Team: $110, $275 and $550 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $230 less than Zendesk and against a quote on Helpshift for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $455 under Zendesk.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Zendesk is a help desk suite built around tickets and a queue; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Neither has a free plan: Zendesk offers a 14-day trial of Suite Professional, Helpshift no trial. Zendesk and Helpshift both include website chat and email in the price; only Zendesk has Instagram; only Helpshift has WhatsApp. Neither Zendesk nor Helpshift includes Telegram outright. Zendesk (per automated resolution) and Helpshift (in the quote) both meter AI above the seats. Zendesk and Helpshift both raise tickets, and neither Zendesk nor Helpshift ships a desktop app. Zendesk is a project; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

Zendesk: AI agents are billed per automated resolution on top of the seat price; the Copilot add-on is $50 per agent per month. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside Zendesk's per automated resolution and Helpshift's in the quote, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    ZendeskZendeskAssumed $1.5$720
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    ZendeskZendesk · 14-day trial of Suite Professional
    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Zendesk vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

Zendesk is a help desk suite built around tickets and a queue; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Zendesk and Helpshift both raise tickets, and neither Zendesk nor Helpshift ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Zendesk $19/agent/mo (Support Team: email and tickets); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: Zendesk $55/agent/mo (Suite Team); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio's inbox: Telegram, which neither Zendesk nor Helpshift has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Zendesk and Helpshift on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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