AI customer service software

The best AI customer service software

Every tool here has an AI that answers your customers. They differ in what it answers from, what it does when it doesn't know, how it hands over to your team, and what else it can do.

See the AI answer from your help centrePaste its address and ask it something. Free.

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At a glance

  • AskBase

    Teams who want a help centre customers can read, an AI that answers from it, and a shared inbox for the rest.

    Help centre
    Published on every plan, on your own domain from $29. Each article is for everyone, the AI only, or your team.
    How the AI answers
    Only from your published articles, linking the ones it used. When they don't cover a question, it says so and offers your team. A person approves every AI draft.
    Inbox and channels
    Shared inbox for support email from $29. No live chat, phone or messaging apps.
    Starting price
    Free; paid plans from $29 a month for the whole team.

  • Intercom

    Teams built around live chat, who want an AI agent that can also carry out workflows.

    Help centre
    A public help center on every plan; private and multilingual from Advanced.
    How the AI answers
    Fin answers customers and can complete workflows (Procedures), handing over to a person when asked.
    Inbox and channels
    Messenger live chat, shared inbox and ticketing on every plan; WhatsApp and SMS charged per use.
    Starting price
    From $29 per seat a month, billed annually, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome.

  • Zendesk

    Large support teams that need ticket routing, phone and messaging in one place.

    Help centre
    An AI knowledge base, and Knowledge builder to draft one from your tickets, on Suite plans.
    How the AI answers
    AI agents (once Answer Bot) resolve email and messaging requests, take actions in other systems or escalate to a person, on every plan.
    Inbox and channels
    Email ticketing with routing and automations from Support Team; messaging, live chat and phone on Suite plans.
    Starting price
    From $19 per agent a month, billed annually.

  • Freshdesk

    Teams that want a full ticketing help desk with a customer portal and knowledge base.

    Help centre
    Customer portal and knowledge base on every plan.
    How the AI answers
    Freddy AI Agent answers customers; Freddy AI Copilot (an add-on) helps agents reply.
    Inbox and channels
    Ticketing and shared inbox on every plan; multilingual help desk and intelligent routing from Pro.
    Starting price
    From $19 per agent a month, billed annually.

  • Help Scout

    Small and mid-sized teams who want one shared inbox across email, chat and messaging apps.

    Help centre
    Docs sites: 1 on Free, up to 5 by plan, more at $20 a month each.
    How the AI answers
    AI Answers (an add-on) answers from your website or other sources you add, with your team a click away.
    Inbox and channels
    Shared inbox on every plan; live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from Standard.
    Starting price
    Free for up to 5 users; paid from $25 per user a month, billed annually.

  • Chatbase

    Teams that want a configurable AI agent that takes actions, on several channels.

    Help centre
    Not listed on its pricing page.
    How the AI answers
    An AI agent trained on the sources you add, with AI Actions; Pro suggests sources to add.
    Inbox and channels
    Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram from Hobby; a helpdesk inbox, voice and telephony from Standard.
    Starting price
    From $40 a month, or $32 a month billed yearly.

  • Crisp

    Small businesses whose support happens in live chat and messaging apps.

    Help centre
    From Essentials: your own domain, multiple languages, sitemap and SEO settings.
    How the AI answers
    An AI chatbot built with a no-code workflow builder; an AI agent trained on your data on Plus.
    Inbox and channels
    Live chat and shared inbox on Free; WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Line and Viber from Essentials.
    Starting price
    Free; paid from $45 a month per workspace.

From each tool's own pricing page, on the date each entry below shows, with a link to it. Per seat, per user and per agent mean for each person on your team.

What to look for

An AI that answers customers is only as good as what it answers from, and what it does when that runs out.

What does it answer from?

An AI that answers only from your own content can't invent a refund policy. Ask whether it can fall back on general knowledge, and whether customers can read the same content themselves.

Does it say when it doesn't know?

The worst answer is a confident wrong one. Ask each vendor what the AI does when your content doesn't cover a question: say so, or answer anyway.

How does it hand over?

Customers should reach a person without arguing with a bot. Check where the handover lands: an email inbox, live chat, or a ticket in another help desk.

Can you check its answers?

Answers that link the articles they used can be checked, and corrected by fixing the article rather than retraining anything.

Answers, or actions too?

Some AI agents look up orders or change accounts in other systems. That's powerful when you need it, and more to set up and watch when you don't.

How is the AI charged?

Per resolution, per session, in credits, or included in the plan. It's one fact among the others, but compare the unit as well as the price.

Which languages?

Check both the AI's answers and the content behind them: an AI that answers in Spanish from English articles is not the same as a help centre in Spanish.

Does it show what's missing?

The questions the AI couldn't answer are the content to write next. Look for a tool that collects them for you.

The tools

We make AskBase, so it's first. The rest are in no particular order. Each says who it suits, what it's good at and what to weigh.

  1. 1

    AskBase

    Teams who want a help centre customers can read, an AI that answers from it, and a shared inbox for the rest.

    Good at

    • A real, published help centre that customers, search engines and the AI all read
    • Answers only from your articles, links its sources, and says “I couldn’t find that” rather than guessing
    • Drafts what's missing from your website, your current help centre or your documents (PDF, Word, Markdown); a person approves every draft
    • Content gaps: the questions it couldn't answer, grouped by meaning and ranked by how often they're asked
    • Import any public help centre by pasting its address; on your domain, every article keeps its address
    • A shared inbox for the questions the AI hands over, with team members and AI answers included in each plan

    Worth weighing

    • No live chat: the chat on your site is the AI, with “Email a person” beside it
    • Email is the only inbox channel: no phone, SMS or messaging apps
    • No SLAs, priorities or automation rules yet
    • The AI answers questions; it doesn't take actions in other systems
    • The Free plan is for one person, without your own domain
    Help centre
    Published on every plan, on your own domain from $29. Each article is for everyone, the AI only, or your team.
    How the AI answers
    Only from your published articles, linking the ones it used. When they don't cover a question, it says so and offers your team. A person approves every AI draft.
    Inbox and channels
    Shared inbox for support email from $29. No live chat, phone or messaging apps.
    Price
    Free, then $29, $79 or $199 a month, with 1, 3, 10 or 25 team members included.
    How the AI is charged
    Included in the plan: 50, 750, 3,000 or 10,000 AI answers a month. No fee per answer or per resolution.

    From the AskBase pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

  2. 2

    Intercom

    Teams built around live chat, who want an AI agent that can also carry out workflows.

    Good at

    • Live chat, shared inbox, ticketing and a help center in one product
    • Fin can carry out workflows (Procedures), not only answer questions
    • Fin also works with other helpdesks, such as Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk
    • Workflow automation and round robin assignment from Advanced; SSO, HIPAA support and SLAs on Expert

    Worth weighing

    • Cost grows with seats and with every Fin outcome
    • Product tours, checklists and surveys are a separate add-on
    Help centre
    A public help center on every plan; private and multilingual from Advanced.
    How the AI answers
    Fin answers customers and can complete workflows (Procedures), handing over to a person when asked.
    Inbox and channels
    Messenger live chat, shared inbox and ticketing on every plan; WhatsApp and SMS charged per use.
    Price
    Essential $29, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat a month, billed annually. 14-day free trial.
    How the AI is charged
    Fin AI Agent: $0.99 per outcome, at most once per conversation. No charge if Fin can't answer or the customer asks for a person.

    From the Intercom pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

  3. 3

    Zendesk

    Large support teams that need ticket routing, phone and messaging in one place.

    Good at

    • Email ticketing with routing, triggers and automations
    • AI agents on every plan, built from procedures written in plain language, answering in 80+ languages
    • Messaging, live chat and telephony together on Suite plans
    • An AI knowledge base, Knowledge builder and an AI action builder on Suite plans
    • Skills-based routing and an IVR phone tree on Suite Professional

    Worth weighing

    • The AI knowledge base, messaging and phone need a Suite plan
    • Priced per agent, with AI resolutions beyond the allowance billed
    Help centre
    An AI knowledge base, and Knowledge builder to draft one from your tickets, on Suite plans.
    How the AI answers
    AI agents (once Answer Bot) resolve email and messaging requests, take actions in other systems or escalate to a person, on every plan.
    Inbox and channels
    Email ticketing with routing and automations from Support Team; messaging, live chat and phone on Suite plans.
    Price
    Support Team $19, Suite Team $55, Suite Professional $115 per agent a month, billed annually ($25, $69 and $149 billed monthly). Suite Enterprise through sales. 14-day free trial.
    How the AI is charged
    Billed in automated resolutions: 5 per agent a month included on Support Team and Suite Team, 10 on Suite Professional, then $1.50 each committed or $2.00 pay as you go.

    From the Zendesk pricing page, checked 21 October 2026.

  4. 4

    Freshdesk

    Teams that want a full ticketing help desk with a customer portal and knowledge base.

    Good at

    • Ticketing, shared inbox, customer portal and knowledge base from the first plan
    • Multilingual help desk, intelligent routing and multiple SLA policies on Pro
    • Skill-based routing, sandbox and audit logs on Enterprise

    Worth weighing

    • Priced per agent; AI Agent sessions beyond the first 500 are billed per 100
    • Copilot for agents is a separate add-on
    Help centre
    Customer portal and knowledge base on every plan.
    How the AI answers
    Freddy AI Agent answers customers; Freddy AI Copilot (an add-on) helps agents reply.
    Inbox and channels
    Ticketing and shared inbox on every plan; multilingual help desk and intelligent routing from Pro.
    Price
    Growth $19, Pro $55, Enterprise $89 per agent a month, billed annually (20% less than monthly).
    How the AI is charged
    Freddy AI Agent: first 500 sessions included, then $49 per 100 sessions. Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent a month.

    From the Freshdesk pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

  5. 5

    Help Scout

    Small and mid-sized teams who want one shared inbox across email, chat and messaging apps.

    Good at

    • One inbox for email, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
    • Docs sites alongside the inbox, with several knowledge bases from Standard
    • Basic workflows and an SLA policy from Standard; advanced workflows on Plus
    • Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot integrations and unlimited AI Drafts on Plus

    Worth weighing

    • The AI is an add-on, charged per resolution on top of a per-user plan
    • The free plan allows 100 contacts a month
    Help centre
    Docs sites: 1 on Free, up to 5 by plan, more at $20 a month each.
    How the AI answers
    AI Answers (an add-on) answers from your website or other sources you add, with your team a click away.
    Inbox and channels
    Shared inbox on every plan; live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from Standard.
    Price
    Free for up to 5 users. Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user a month, billed annually (monthly billing costs more).
    How the AI is charged
    AI Answers add-on: $0.75 per resolution, billed monthly, with a 3-month free trial and a monthly spending cap.

    From the Help Scout pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

  6. 6

    Chatbase

    Teams that want a configurable AI agent that takes actions, on several channels.

    Good at

    • AI Actions on every plan (5, 8 or 12 per agent)
    • The agent on Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Shopify from Hobby
    • A choice of models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and others
    • Voice and telephony from Standard

    Worth weighing

    • One AI agent per plan; more are $300 per agent a year
    • 2, 3 or 5 team seats; removing “Powered By Chatbase” is $1,188 a year
    Help centre
    Not listed on its pricing page.
    How the AI answers
    An AI agent trained on the sources you add, with AI Actions; Pro suggests sources to add.
    Inbox and channels
    Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram from Hobby; a helpdesk inbox, voice and telephony from Standard.
    Price
    Hobby $40, Standard $150, Pro $500 a month, or $32, $120 and $400 a month billed yearly. 7-day trial.
    How the AI is charged
    700, 4,000 or 15,000 message credits a month; more at $40 per 1,000 on auto recharge.

    From the Chatbase pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

  7. 7

    Crisp

    Small businesses whose support happens in live chat and messaging apps.

    Good at

    • Website live chat and a shared inbox, even on the free plan
    • WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Line and Viber in one inbox from Essentials
    • A no-code workflow builder for chat flows
    • A flat price per workspace, with 4 to 20+ seats included on paid plans

    Worth weighing

    • The help center starts at Essentials
    • AI is measured in credits, estimated in automated conversations
    Help centre
    From Essentials: your own domain, multiple languages, sitemap and SEO settings.
    How the AI answers
    An AI chatbot built with a no-code workflow builder; an AI agent trained on your data on Plus.
    Inbox and channels
    Live chat and shared inbox on Free; WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Line and Viber from Essentials.
    Price
    Free with 2 seats, then Mini $45, Essentials $95, Plus $295 a month per workspace. Extra agents $10 a month.
    How the AI is charged
    AI credits included: $5 on Mini (around 90 automated conversations), $25 on Essentials (around 450), $75 on Plus (around 1,350). None on Free.

    From the Crisp pricing page, checked 15 October 2026.

Which one to choose

If you need an AI agent that takes actions, or support by phone and messaging apps, AskBase isn't the right tool, and we'd say so.

  • An AI that answers only from your help centre, links its sources, and hands the rest to a shared inbox: AskBase
  • Live chat with an AI agent that carries out workflows: Intercom
  • AI agents inside a large ticketing operation with phone and routing: Zendesk
  • A full ticketing help desk with an AI agent and a customer portal: Freshdesk
  • One shared inbox across email, chat and messaging apps, with AI as an add-on: Help Scout
  • A configurable AI agent with actions on several channels: Chatbase
  • Live chat and messaging apps for a small business: Crisp

Questions people ask

What is AI customer service software?
Software with an AI that answers customers' questions, usually in a chat on your website, by email or in messaging apps, and passes the ones it can't answer to a person on your team.
What's the best AI agent for customer support?
It depends on what you need it to do. To answer questions from your own help articles and hand the rest to your team by email, AskBase. To carry out workflows in live chat, Intercom's Fin. For AI agents inside a large ticketing and phone operation, Zendesk.
Can an AI answer customers only from my own content?
AskBase's does: it answers only from your published articles, links the ones it used, and says “I couldn't find that” when they don't cover a question, then offers your team. For other tools, ask the vendor what their AI does when your content runs out.
How do these tools charge for AI?
Differently. Intercom charges per Fin outcome, Zendesk per automated resolution beyond an allowance, Help Scout per AI Answers resolution, Freshdesk per 100 AI Agent sessions beyond the first 500, Chatbase and Crisp in credits. AskBase includes a number of AI answers in each plan, with no fee per answer.
Does AskBase's AI take actions, like issuing refunds?
No. It answers questions from your articles and hands everything else to your team. If you need the AI to act in other systems, Intercom, Zendesk and Chatbase list that.
How were these facts checked?
Each comes from the tool's own pricing page, and each entry links to it with the date we read it. Where a page doesn't say something, we leave it out rather than guess.

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