Zoho DeskHelpshiftZoho Desk vs Helpshift

Zoho Desk vs Helpshift: help desk or in-app support for a small team

A help desk 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

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Zoho Desk if you already run Zoho CRM or Books and want support in the same suite. Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $70 a month on Zoho Desk, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Zoho Desk and Helpshift both include email and WhatsApp in the price; only Zoho Desk has Instagram and Telegram; only Helpshift has website chat. Between them Zoho Desk and Helpshift cover every channel Sellio ships. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Zoho Desk and Helpshift sell here at one price.

At a glanceZoho DeskZoho DeskHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundEmail tickets · part of the Zoho suiteIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$7/user/mo · Express, yearlyQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the price$40/user/mo · Enterprise, with SalesIQQuote · in-app and web
AI agentIn the plan · Zia on Professional and upIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agentsZia · Professional and upIn the quote
Free planYes · 3 agents, email ticketsNone · request pricing

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    As a ticket from email, a form or a messaging app, in a queue with blueprints for the process. 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. Zoho Desk raises tickets too, from email tickets.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    $7 buys email tickets on Express; WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram start on Standard at $14; live chat needs Enterprise. $70 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; Zoho Desk prints $70.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    Zia's answer bot and generative AI are included by plan, with a token allowance, rather than metered per conversation. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Zoho Desk folds AI (in the plan) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    Email and social on every plan; WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and Messenger from Standard; chat on Enterprise. Instagram and Telegram are here and not on Helpshift.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. website chat is here and not on Zoho Desk.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    The Zoho suite: CRM, SalesIQ, Projects and Books share the account. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

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

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk

    A day: connect the mailbox, set departments and a blueprint. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Zoho Desk is a day.

Sources: Zoho Desk 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 Zoho Desk ticket view: the queue, the ticket with Zia's suggestions and the contact
Zoho DeskZoho Desk. The Zoho Desk ticket view: the queue, the ticket with Zia's suggestions and the contact
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: Zoho Desk pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13; needs verification); Helpshift pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Zoho Desk, 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.

FeatureZoho DeskZoho DeskHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per user; AI in the plan
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
3 agents
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Enterprise, via SalesIQ
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
Standard and up
Included
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Standard and up
Not offered
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Standard and up
Discord instead
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams integrations
Discord as a customer channel
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Zia answer bot
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
In the plan, token allowance
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Creates a ticket
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Ticket-first with blueprints
Issues with states
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Workflows and blueprints
Automations and bots
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and dashboards
Reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Zoho Desk if

  • You already run Zoho CRM or Books and want support in the same suite.
  • Email tickets with WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram at a low seat price.
  • You need Instagram and Telegram in the price, which Helpshift does not include outright.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Helpshift offers no trial.

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 website chat in the price, which Zoho Desk does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers here and a day on Zoho Desk.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on Zoho Desk or Helpshift who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $70 a month on Zoho Desk, and a quote on Helpshift for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Zoho Desk folds AI (in the plan) into the plan, Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Zoho Desk nor Helpshift includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Zoho Desk on Standard: $28, $70 and $140 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, $25 less than Zoho Desk 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 $45 under Zoho Desk.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Zoho Desk is a help desk built around email tickets; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Only Zoho Desk has a free plan (3 agents, email tickets); Helpshift offers no trial. Zoho Desk and Helpshift both include email and WhatsApp in the price; only Zoho Desk has Instagram and Telegram; only Helpshift has website chat. Between them Zoho Desk and Helpshift cover every channel Sellio ships. Zoho Desk folds AI (in the plan) into the plan; Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats. Zoho Desk and Helpshift both raise tickets, and neither Zoho Desk nor Helpshift ships a desktop app. Zoho Desk is a day; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

Zoho Desk: Zia answer bot from Standard; generative AI on Professional and up with a token allowance. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside Zoho Desk's in the plan 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 these figures were read

Zoho Desk does not print the figures above in a form a fetch can read (Per user per month, billed yearly; monthly costs more. The page could only be read in a local currency, so the dollar figures are Zoho's US list prices from published summaries.), so they are marked unverified here beside Helpshift's, and Zoho Desk's pricing page should be checked before you decide.

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
    Zoho DeskZoho DeskAssumed $0$0
    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.

    Zoho DeskZoho Desk · 15-day trial, no card
    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

Zoho Desk vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

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

  • Entry plan: Zoho Desk $7/user/mo (Express, yearly); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: Zoho Desk $40/user/mo (Enterprise, with SalesIQ); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio: one inbox for every channel: all five channels on every paid plan, where Zoho Desk and Helpshift each include only some.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Zoho Desk 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

No credit card required