We put the AI support bots through the one moment that matters — the handoff to a human — and quote what each really charges once you count the tickets a person actually solved.
| Bot | Hands off to a human cleanly? | Keeps the thread? | What it really costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Yes | Full thread | $50 / user / mo | Read → |
| Intercom Fin | Sometimes | Partial | $0.99 / resolution +seats | Read → |
| Zendesk AI | Yes | Partial | $55 / agent + AI | Read → |
| Tidio Lyro | Sometimes | Loses it | from $29 / mo | Read → |
| Crisp | Yes | Full thread | $45 / mo flat | Read → |
| Chatbase | No native | Loses it | from $40 / mo | Read → |
Verdicts are ours, from each vendor's published pricing and real, attributed user reports — dated, no vendor spin. The green row is who we'd pick for a small team that wants a clean escalation. See the full methodology →
A bot that says “I can't help with that” and drops you into a queue with no history is the thing support teams switch to escape. We check whether the bot escalates and carries the whole conversation across.
This is the pass we want to see: the bot admits the limit, hands off, and the human already has the thread.
How we score the handoff →The questions support teams actually ask before they switch.
The $0.99-per-resolution model, the “assumed resolved” gotcha that bills you even when a human ends up helping, and the cheaper paths.
The genuinely affordable options — real pricing for Crisp, Tidio, Chatbase and more, compared honestly, not a coupon list.
An independent comparison — not a vendor listicle — by handoff quality, pricing model, and who each one actually fits.