Most "cheap helpdesk" lists rank by MSRP and call it a day. That's why you end up signing up for a "free" tool that's actually a 14-day trial, or a $10/mo plan that quietly bills $400/mo by month three.
This list ranks by real total cost. We assumed a 3-agent team handling 500 tickets per month, which is roughly what a $30K-$300K/mo Shopify brand looks like. Then we did the math on what each plan actually costs at that volume.
A few of these are genuinely free forever. A couple are free for small teams and paid past a cap. The rest are paid but under $30/agent/mo, which is still cheap by helpdesk standards. We included Zendesk at the bottom of the comparison table just so you can see what the "not low cost" baseline looks like.
One more thing before the list. Every helpdesk on this page either ignores the phone entirely or charges $35-$50/agent extra to handle voice. We'll come back to that, because it's the gap that quietly costs Shopify brands the most money.
Hear what AI support calls sound like for your store. Just paste your Shopify URL and get sample calls in under 20 seconds, no email required. Listen to demo calls for my store.
How we ranked these (the real-cost test)
We used a simple founder test instead of a marketing spec sheet. Each tool was evaluated against the same scenario.
- Team size: 3 agents, the typical DTC support team (founder + 1 part-time + 1 freelancer)
- Volume: 500 tickets per month, the rough load of a $30K-$300K/mo Shopify brand
- Channels needed: email at minimum, chat nice-to-have, phone the hidden gap
- Real monthly cost: cheapest plan that actually fits, not the MSRP they show on the marketing page
- Cost per ticket: monthly cost divided by 500, so you can compare apples to apples
- "Free" honesty: free forever counts, 14-day trial does not
We also weighted these subjectively:
- How much you'd hate the UI in month 6, because "cheap" stops mattering when your agents quit
- Whether the free tier is a real free tier, or a slow funnel into a paid plan
- Whether the integrations you need are on the free tier, or paywalled
Quick-reference price-per-ticket table
At 3 agents and 500 tickets per month, here's what each plan actually costs.
| Tool | Plan | Free? | Monthly cost | $ / ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HESK | Self-hosted | Yes (forever) | ~$10 hosting | $0.02 |
| Freshdesk | Free | Yes (10 agents) | $0 | $0.00 |
| Zoho Desk | Free | Yes (3 agents) | $0 | $0.00 |
| Hiver | Free | Yes (10 users, 1 inbox) | $0 | $0.00 |
| Help Scout | Free | Yes (25 users, 50 contacts) | $0 | $0.00 |
| Freshdesk | Growth | Trial only | $45 (3 agents) | $0.09 |
| ProProfs | Essentials | Trial only | $60 (3 agents) | $0.12 |
| Front | Starter | Trial only | $57 (3 seats) | $0.11 |
| Re:amaze | Basic | Trial only | $87 (3 agents) | $0.17 |
| Gorgias | Starter | Trial only | ~$190 at volume | $0.38 |
| Zendesk (benchmark) | Suite Team | Trial only | $165 (3 agents) | $0.33 |
Now the part most "cheap helpdesk" posts skip.
The budget stack: full Shopify support under $500/mo
Here's the thing nobody tells you. A "free" helpdesk only covers email and (sometimes) chat. The phone, where your angriest customers actually go, is a separate line item. Usually $35-$50 per agent per month for voice, or $7-$16 per call for a human BPO.
If you stack a free helpdesk with AI phone support, the full coverage cost drops dramatically.
| Stack | Email/chat | Phone | Total monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk Free + Ringly.io Grow | $0 | $349 | $349 |
| Zoho Desk Free + Ringly.io Grow | $0 | $349 | $349 |
| Hiver Free + Ringly.io Grow | $0 | $349 | $349 |
| Freshdesk Pro + Freshcaller (3 agents) | $147 | $75 | $222 (still need to staff phone) |
| Zendesk Suite Team + Zendesk Talk (3 agents) | $165 | $57 | $222 (still need to staff phone) |
| Gorgias Starter + Gorgias Voice (3 agents) | ~$190 | $105 | $295 (still need to staff phone) |
The first three rows give you 24/7 phone coverage with no headcount. The bottom three give you a phone line you still have to answer. Different products, very different math.
The Ringly Grow plan includes 1,000 minutes per month (roughly 500 calls). That's more inbound voice load than most $30K-$300K/mo DTC brands actually have. If you grow past that, you upgrade. Until then, $349/mo flat.
See what AI phone support looks like for your store. Setup takes under an hour.
The 10 low-cost help desk software picks (ranked by real total cost)
1. HESK (self-hosted)
Best for: founders who can run a $10/mo VPS and want $0 helpdesk costs forever. HESK is an open-source PHP/MySQL ticketing system that's been around since 2005 and is still actively maintained.
You install it on cheap shared hosting, point an email address at it, and you have a working ticketing system with unlimited agents. The cloud version exists too at $25/mo flat, but the self-hosted version is genuinely free.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 (forever) | Unlimited agents, all features |
| Cloud | $25/mo flat | Hosted, managed updates |
You'll pay $5-$15/mo for the hosting itself if you self-host. Domain optional.
What works
- Unlimited agents on the free version, which no SaaS helpdesk will ever offer
- Canned responses, knowledge base, ticket auto-assign rules all built in
- You own the data, which matters for GDPR-sensitive brands
- One-time setup, then no monthly bill ever again
What doesn't
- UI looks like 2010 and your agents will mention it
- You maintain it, including PHP updates and database backups
- No native integrations beyond email piping, no Shopify panel, no Slack bot
- No mobile app, so agents work from a desktop browser only
Why it ranks #1
If the cost-per-ticket question is "what's the cheapest", the honest answer is HESK at $0.02/ticket. Skip it if no one on the team can SSH into a Linux box. Take it seriously if you've ever shipped a WordPress site, because it's the same operational difficulty.
2. Freshdesk Free
Best for: any DTC brand with up to 10 agents that wants a polished SaaS helpdesk for $0. The Freshdesk Free plan covers email ticketing, a knowledge base, ticket dispatch, and basic reporting. For most $30K-$300K/mo Shopify brands, this is enough for 12+ months before you need to upgrade.
It's the most generous free tier from any major helpdesk vendor. Zoho's free plan caps at 3 agents. Hiver's caps at 1 shared inbox. Help Scout's caps at 50 active contacts. Freshdesk's caps at 10 agents and that's it.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Agents | Free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 10 | Yes, forever |
| Growth | $15/agent/mo | Unlimited | No |
| Pro | $49/agent/mo | Unlimited | No |
What works
- 10 agents free is genuinely generous (Zoho caps at 3, Hiver at 10 users but only 1 inbox)
- Knowledge base included on the free tier, which is unusual
- Mobile apps work, so support agents can triage on the go
- G2 score of 4.4/5 across 3,100+ reviews, so this isn't a sketchy free product
What doesn't
- No automations on Free, so every ticket assignment is manual
- No SLAs on Free, so you can't enforce response-time targets
- No integrations on Free beyond email, no Shopify panel
- Reporting is bare, just ticket counts and basic CSAT
Why it ranks #2
If you want a real free helpdesk without leaving SaaS, this is it. The only reason it doesn't beat HESK is that HESK is $0.02 cheaper and uncapped on agents. Practically, most teams should start here. See our Freshdesk alternatives breakdown if you want a side-by-side with other options.
3. Zoho Desk Free
Best for: 1-3 person support teams, especially if you already use other Zoho tools. The free plan gives you email ticketing, a knowledge base, basic SLAs, and the Zoho Desk mobile app, all capped at 3 agents.
If you're a one-person CS show, this is the cleanest path. The Standard plan above it is $14/agent/mo billed annually, which is also genuinely cheap.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Agents | Free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 3 | Yes, forever |
| Standard | $14/agent/mo (annual) | Unlimited | No |
| Professional | $23/agent/mo (annual) | Unlimited | No |
What works
- Basic SLAs on the free plan, which Freshdesk Free doesn't include
- Mobile apps work well, both iOS and Android
- G2 score of 4.4/5 across 6,500+ reviews, well-established product
- Cheapest paid upgrade at $14/agent/mo if you need more
What doesn't
- 3 agents is the hard ceiling, you can't add a 4th on the free plan
- No multichannel on Free, just email
- Workflow automations are paid, even basic ones
- The Zoho UI is dense and takes longer to learn than Freshdesk or Help Scout
Why it ranks #3
The 3-agent cap is the wall. If your team is staying small or you already pay for Zoho CRM or Zoho Books, this is the right answer. See Zoho Desk alternatives if you want to compare it to other low-cost picks.
4. Hiver Free
Best for: teams that live in Gmail and don't want a second UI to learn. Hiver runs entirely inside Gmail, so support tickets show up as assignable emails with internal notes attached. No new app, no new login.
The free plan covers 10 users and 1 shared inbox, which is enough for a small team triaging support@yourbrand.com.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Users | Inboxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10 | 1 |
| Lite | $19/user/mo | Unlimited | 2 |
| Pro | $39/user/mo | Unlimited | 5 |
What works
- Zero learning curve because it's Gmail
- Assign emails to teammates without forwarding chains
- Internal notes keep conversations off the customer thread
- G2 score of 4.6/5 across 1,100+ reviews
What doesn't
- 1 shared inbox cap on Free, so support@ only, no sales@ or returns@
- No SLAs on Free, no automations on Free
- Gmail-only, doesn't work with Outlook or other email
- Lite tier jumps to $19/user, which is fine but no longer "free"
Why it ranks #4
If your team already lives in Gmail, this is the lowest-friction free option. The 1-inbox cap is the only real wall. Most DTC brands hit that wall within 6-12 months.
5. Help Scout Free
Best for: brands that care about how customer emails actually look (no ugly ticket numbers in subject lines) and want a clean, customer-facing email experience. Help Scout launched a Free plan in 2024 with 25 users and 50 active contacts.
The 50-contact cap is small. If you have more than 50 active customer conversations in a given window, you'll need the Standard plan at $25/user/mo.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Users | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | 50 active |
| Standard | $25/user/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Plus | $50/user/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited |
What works
- No ticket numbers in subject lines, customer emails feel like a person wrote them
- Beacon chat widget is included, so you get embedded chat for free
- Customer-facing voice is the cleanest in this list
- G2 score of 4.4/5 across 400+ reviews
What doesn't
- 50 active contacts is genuinely small, you'll outgrow it fast
- Knowledge base (Docs) is paid only, not on Free
- No workflows on Free, so no auto-assignment rules
- Jumps to $25/user/mo at Standard, which is double Freshdesk Growth
Why it ranks #5
Help Scout's free plan is more of a "starter sample" than a real free tier because of the 50-contact cap. Worth it if you're shipping under 50 customers/mo. Past that, budget for Standard or look at Help Scout alternatives.
6. Freshdesk Growth ($15/agent/mo)
Best for: teams that have outgrown Freshdesk Free and want automations, SLAs, and marketplace integrations without paying $49/agent for Pro. At 3 agents this is $45/mo total, which is still cheap.
The Growth plan adds the things you actually miss on Free: collision detection, custom roles, ticket assignment rules, and the Freshworks marketplace.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Per agent |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | $15/mo (annual) | Required minimum |
| Pro | $49/mo (annual) | More features |
| Enterprise | $79/mo (annual) | Custom |
What works
- Automations and SLAs included, which is the main upgrade reason
- Marketplace apps for Shopify, Slack, HubSpot, etc.
- Custom roles so agents can have different permission scopes
- $15/agent is genuinely cheap for what you get
What doesn't
- Knowledge base is still public-only, no private/internal docs on Growth
- Reporting is limited, you need Pro for custom dashboards
- Marketplace integrations are pay-as-you-go for some apps
Why it ranks #6
The natural upgrade path from Free. At 3 agents, $45/mo total. If you're hitting the limits of Freshdesk Free, this is the move before you start price-shopping again.
7. ProProfs Help Desk ($19.99/agent/mo)
Best for: small teams that want a polished paid helpdesk without the Freshdesk/Zoho/Zendesk brand premium. The Essentials plan covers shared inboxes, internal notes, child tickets, and CSAT surveys.
ProProfs is the most undersold paid option in this category. People skip it because the brand isn't loud, but the product is solid.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Per agent |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $19.99/mo (often $11.99 annually) | Required minimum |
| Premium | $39.99/mo | More features |
What works
- Often discounted to $11.99 annually, which would put it in the cheap-cheap tier
- CSAT surveys built in, which is a paid add-on with most competitors
- Child tickets are useful for multi-step support flows
- G2 score of 4.6/5 across 300+ reviews
What doesn't
- UI feels dated compared to Help Scout or Front
- Smaller integration ecosystem, so no native Shopify panel
- Lesser-known brand means smaller community and fewer YouTube tutorials
Why it ranks #7
Most undersold option in this category. If you can't get used to the Freshdesk or Zoho UI, ProProfs is the alternative nobody talks about.
8. Front Starter ($19/seat/mo)
Best for: teams that think in shared inboxes, not ticket queues. Front is shared-inbox-first and ticketing-second, with native integrations to Slack, Shopify, HubSpot, and a calendar built in.
The Starter plan has a 2-seat minimum, so the real floor is $38/mo. Above that, $19/seat is honest pricing for what you get.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $19/seat/mo | 2 minimum, 10 max |
| Growth | $59/seat/mo | Unlimited |
| Scale | $99/seat/mo | Unlimited |
What works
- Beautiful UI, the fastest helpdesk to learn from a UX perspective
- Native Shopify integration shows order data inside the conversation
- Calendar built in, so you can schedule from a customer email
- G2 score of 4.7/5 across 2,500+ reviews, the highest in this list
What doesn't
- 2-seat minimum, so solo founders pay double
- 10-seat cap on Starter, you need Growth at $59/seat past that
- Workflows and custom roles are Growth-tier, not Starter
- Knowledge base only on Growth and above
Why it ranks #8
If your team thinks like an inbox and not a ticket queue, Front Starter is the right call. The $38/mo floor is the only reason it doesn't rank higher. Compare with Front alternatives for similar shared-inbox tools.
9. Re:amaze Basic ($29/agent/mo)
Best for: Shopify brands that want native ecommerce context inside the ticket without paying Gorgias prices. Re:amaze pulls Shopify customer and order data into every conversation, plus chat widget, SMS, FB Messenger, IG, and WhatsApp all in one inbox.
At $29/agent/mo it's getting toward the upper end of "low cost", but it's the cheapest multichannel-with-Shopify-context option in the category.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Per agent |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29/mo (annual) | Required minimum |
| Pro | $49/mo (annual) | More features |
| Plus | $69/mo (annual) | Most features |
What works
- Native Shopify customer/order panel inside every ticket
- Chat widget included, no separate Intercom-like bill
- Multichannel (email, chat, SMS, FB, IG, WhatsApp) on Basic
- G2 score of 4.6/5 across 280+ reviews
What doesn't
- UI feels busier than Help Scout or Front
- Mobile app is rough compared to Freshdesk or Zoho
- $29 starts to lose the "low cost" framing, especially at 5+ agents
- No voice channel, so phone is still a separate problem
Why it ranks #9
The "I want Shopify context but can't afford Gorgias" pick. If you're under 100 tickets/mo, Gorgias Starter is cheaper. Past that, Re:amaze wins on per-ticket cost.
10. Gorgias Starter ($10/mo + per-ticket)
Best for: Shopify brands with under 100 tickets/month who want the deepest Shopify integration on the market. Gorgias is built for Shopify, so refunds, cancellations, and order edits happen inside the ticket without leaving the helpdesk.
The Starter plan is $10/mo base with 50 included tickets, then $0.40 per ticket above that. At 500 tickets/mo, you're looking at roughly $190/mo, which is more than Freshdesk Growth for 3 agents.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Tickets included | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $10/mo | 50 | $0.40/ticket |
| Basic | $60/mo | 300 | $0.40/ticket |
| Pro | $360/mo | 2,000 | Lower per-ticket |
What works
- Built for Shopify, so the integration is deeper than any general helpdesk
- Refunds and order edits happen inside the ticket
- Macros pull Shopify data automatically
- G2 score of 4.6/5 across 540+ reviews
What doesn't
- Per-ticket pricing balloons fast, at 500 tickets/mo Starter costs ~$190
- Starter caps features hard, no automations, no AI auto-respond
- Not actually the cheapest above 100 tickets/mo
- No voice on Starter, voice is a separate Gorgias Voice add-on
Why it ranks #10
Cheapest Shopify-native helpdesk only if you're under 100 tickets/mo. Past that, Re:amaze Basic or Freshdesk Growth beats it on per-ticket cost. See our breakdown of Gorgias alternatives and the Gorgias vs Help Scout comparison if you're deciding between the two.
The voice gap nobody talks about
Look back at the table. Every helpdesk in this list either has no phone at all, or charges $35-$50/agent/mo to add voice.
That gap matters because of how customers actually behave. According to Khoros's 2024 customer experience report, 86% of customers expect phone support to be available when something goes wrong. And per PwC's Future of CX research, 66% of customers will switch brands after a single bad support experience.
So you save $45/mo on Freshdesk Growth by staying on Freshdesk Free. Then you lose every after-hours phone call to voicemail. The angry returns call goes to a competitor. The "where's my order" caller waits two days for an email reply.
The math doesn't work. Cheap helpdesk plus no phone is a false economy.
There are two ways to fix it:
- Hire a phone team. $7-$16 per call industry average for human BPO support (Statista, ContactBabel 2024). At 200 calls/mo that's $1,400-$3,200/mo on top of your helpdesk.
- Use AI phone support. Costs roughly $0.42 per resolved call. Resolves the routine 73% of inbound calls without a human.
Option 2 is what Ringly does, and it's why we keep recommending the "free helpdesk + AI phone" stack.
See how AI handles 73% of your store's phone calls. Live in under an hour.
Ringly.io: AI phone support for Shopify brands
Ringly is AI phone support for Shopify brands. Phone support, without the payroll. Instead of growing your support headcount every time call volume goes up, the AI takes the routine inbound calls so your team can focus on the work that actually moves revenue.
The AI answers inbound calls 24/7. It finds orders in your Shopify store, processes returns and exchanges, answers product questions from your knowledge base, and rescues abandoned carts via outbound follow-up. Across 50+ brands, the AI resolves 73% of calls autonomously at roughly $0.42 per resolved call. Calls that need a human escalate cleanly to Gorgias, Richpanel, Re:amaze, or whatever helpdesk you already run.
Plans: Grow $349/mo (1,000 minutes), Pro $799/mo (2,500 minutes), Enterprise custom. 14-day free trial on Pro. Live in under an hour. 65% resolution guarantee: if the AI resolves under 65% of your calls in 90 days, we refund the last 3 months.
The pairing math we keep coming back to:
- Freshdesk Free + Ringly Grow = $349/mo for email + 24/7 phone
- Zoho Desk Free + Ringly Grow = $349/mo for email + 24/7 phone
- Hiver Free + Ringly Grow = $349/mo for Gmail-native email + 24/7 phone
Under $500/mo for a stack that actually answers the phone. See full details on the Ringly pricing page or browse the ecommerce call center overview.
How to choose a low-cost help desk software
Choose HESK if: you (or someone on the team) can run a $10/mo VPS, want $0 helpdesk costs forever, and don't care that the UI looks dated.
Choose Freshdesk Free if: you have 1-10 agents, want a polished SaaS UI for $0, and don't need automations or SLAs yet. This is the right default for most DTC brands.
Choose Zoho Desk Free if: you have 1-3 agents, want basic SLAs on the free plan, and don't mind a denser UI. Especially good if you already use other Zoho tools.
Choose Hiver Free if: your team lives in Gmail and you only need 1 shared inbox. Zero learning curve.
Choose Help Scout Free if: you ship to under 50 active customers per month and care about how your support emails actually look to customers.
Choose Freshdesk Growth if: you've outgrown Free and want automations, SLAs, and the Freshworks marketplace at $15/agent/mo.
Choose ProProfs Essentials if: you want a paid helpdesk that's not Freshdesk/Zoho/Zendesk, ideally on an annual discount ($11.99/agent).
Choose Front Starter if: your team thinks in shared inboxes, not ticket queues, and you'll commit to the 2-seat minimum.
Choose Re:amaze Basic if: you want Shopify context inside the ticket but Gorgias is too expensive at your volume.
Choose Gorgias Starter if: you're on Shopify with under 100 tickets/month and want the deepest Shopify integration.
Don't buy Zendesk until you have a real support ops budget. $55/agent/mo is not low cost.
For more general ecommerce support guidance, see our ecommerce customer service guide and customer service for Shopify overview.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest help desk software that's actually usable?
HESK self-hosted is genuinely $0 if you can run a $10/mo VPS. For SaaS, Freshdesk Free is the best free tier with 10 agents included. Both are usable for a small DTC team out of the box.
Is Freshdesk really free?
Yes. Freshdesk Free covers up to 10 agents, includes email ticketing and a knowledge base, and has no time limit. It's a real free plan, not a 14-day trial. The paid Growth plan above it is $15/agent/mo.
Is Zoho Desk free for 3 users?
Yes. Zoho Desk Free is free forever for up to 3 agents and includes email ticketing, knowledge base, basic SLAs, and the mobile apps. You'll need to upgrade to Standard at $14/agent/mo (annual) to add a 4th agent.
Can I run a helpdesk on Gmail alone?
You can, but you'll lose track of who's replying to what. Hiver Free adds shared-inbox assignment and internal notes inside Gmail without making you learn a second tool. Free for 10 users and 1 shared inbox.
What's the real cost of Gorgias for a small Shopify store?
At 500 tickets/month, Gorgias Starter costs roughly $190/mo ($10 base + 450 tickets above the 50 included at $0.40 each). That's more than Freshdesk Growth for 3 agents ($45/mo). Gorgias is only the cheapest if your ticket volume is genuinely under 100/mo.
Should I use self-hosted HESK to save money?
If you have someone on the team who's run a WordPress site or a basic Linux server, yes. The savings are real ($0 vs $45-$200/mo) and the maintenance is low (security updates twice a year). If no one on the team can SSH into a server, skip it and go with Freshdesk Free.
What's missing from every "free" helpdesk?
Voice. Every helpdesk on this list either has no phone channel at all or charges $35-$50/agent/mo to add it. That's why we recommend pairing a free helpdesk with AI phone support like Ringly for the full coverage stack.
Can I combine a free helpdesk with AI phone support?
Yes, and that's the cheapest path to full coverage. Freshdesk Free ($0) + Ringly Grow ($349/mo) gives you email plus 24/7 phone for $349/mo total. See the Ringly pricing page for plan details.
About the author
Article by Ruben Boonzaaijer. Co-founder of Ringly.io. We build AI phone support for Shopify brands so they can scale support without hiring a phone team.
