SolvraONE
An AI agent in customer service has no fixed price. What it costs depends on the pricing model, the number of your cases and how much work arises around the agent. This page shows the usual models, documented market prices of large providers (as of 13 Nov 2026) and the work that can arise alongside the unit price. We do not list our own prices here.
The four usual pricing models
| Model | What you pay for | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per resolved case | only cases the agent closes without people | you only want to pay for what gets done | the exact definition of “resolved” |
| Per conversation or action | every conversation or work step, whatever the result | cases are simple and uniform | costs also for conversations a person resolves in the end |
| Monthly flat fee | a fixed amount, often with a quota | you need predictable costs | what happens when the quota is used up |
| Setup plus operation | once for the build, then ongoing for operation and upkeep | the agent works in your systems and gets things done | what is included in operation and what costs extra |
In practice many providers mix these models: a base fee for the platform, plus a price per case or per conversation.
Documented market prices of large providers
The figures come from the providers themselves or from named comparison reports. They are published prices in dollars, for Zendesk third-party estimates. Discounts are not included, nor is the licence for the helpdesk system, which is often needed on top.
| Provider | Price | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Breeze Customer Agent | $0.50 | per resolved conversation, since 14 April 2026; before that $1.00 per conversation | HubSpot |
| Intercom Fin | $0.99 | per resolution or completed procedure followed by a handover to people, in digital channels, once per conversation; qualifications and Fin Voice have their own prices; a handover to your team without an outcome costs nothing | Intercom, Fin pricing page |
| Zendesk | about $1.50 with volume commitment, about $2.00 without | per verified resolution; Zendesk does not publish the price, the values are third-party estimates | The Pricing Conundrum, Intercom comparison |
| Salesforce Agentforce | $2 | per conversation, even if the case stays unresolved; alternatively Flex Credits at $500 per 100,000 credits; a standard action costs 20 credits, a voice action 30 credits | Salesforce |
Two things stand out. First, with Salesforce you pay per conversation, not per resolution; a direct comparison with HubSpot or Intercom is therefore skewed. Second, prices move: HubSpot only switched from “per conversation” to “per resolution” in the spring, and since 18 May 2026 Zendesk only counts verified resolutions. So always check prices on the provider’s current page.
What “resolved” means
If you pay per resolution, you pay for a definition. A usable definition has two parts:
- No handover to a person. If a staff member closed the case in the end, it was not a resolution by the agent.
- No repeat contact within an agreed review window. How long this window is differs by provider and channel. Zendesk, for example, only evaluates an email conversation 72 hours after the first email, messaging conversations earlier by default, and calls when they hang up. Agree explicitly how repeat contacts are counted.
Zendesk goes one step further: there, a language model also checks whether the request was really answered satisfactorily. Only such verified resolutions are counted, cases taken over by a person are not.
Set the definition down in writing before the start. Otherwise you compare offers that count different things.
Why vendor figures and test figures differ
Vendors name high resolution rates: Intercom states an average of 76% for Fin, HubSpot 65% for its Customer Agent. A public comparison test with 13 providers in 212 online shops arrived at a median of 48%.
- Giving up counts as resolved. Many evaluations count it as a success when the customer writes nothing more after an answer, even if they simply gave up.
- Referrals count as resolved. “Send us an email” ends the conversation but resolves nothing. In the comparison test this counts as a failure.
- Easy cases shape the average. A business with many simple questions, such as opening hours, reaches higher rates than one with complaints and contract questions.
For your calculation this means: plan with the rate you measure in a trial run with your real requests, not with the figure from the brochure.
The test comes from a provider that was itself rated. So it is not a neutral expert report, but its rules are openly described.
Part of the gap can be explained by different definitions:
Costs alongside the unit price
Which services are included in the unit price and which work stays with you depends on the offer. How much setup, upkeep and review weigh depends on case volume and effort. Check these items:
| Item | What is behind it |
|---|---|
| Knowledge base | Answers, rules and exceptions have to be written down properly once and then kept up to date. An agent is only as good as what it can look up. |
| Upkeep | New products, changed prices, new processes: every change in the business also has to go into the agent. |
| Review | Someone has to read conversations regularly, find errors and fix them. Without review you only notice errors when customers complain. |
| Integration | If the agent is to get things done, such as sending an invoice or changing an appointment, it needs access to your systems. That costs build and maintenance. |
| Handovers | Cases the agent hands over land with your team. The better the handover, the less time it costs. More on the page Hand-over to people. |
| Law and data | Labelling under the AI Act, data protection, data processing. This is not legal advice; have your case checked. |
If you only compare unit prices, you may be comparing offers where this work is included in one and stays with you in the other.
Working it out for your business
- Count cases: how many requests do you get a month, and of what kind?
- Estimate the share, then measure: which kinds could an agent handle completely? Check this in a trial run.
- Set the definition: what counts as resolved, and which review window applies to repeat contact per channel?
- Write down all items: unit price, base fee, knowledge base, upkeep, review, integration.
- Compare with today: how much time do these cases cost your team now?
600 requests a month
- Requests a monthAssumption
- 600example size of a mid-sized company
- without handover to the teamoperating value
- 85%our operating value (FRED, week 2–8 Nov 2026), not your rate
- Cases without handovercalculated
- 510
- HubSpotcalculated510 cases × $0.5025,500 $
- Intercom Fincalculated510 cases × $0.9950,490 $
- Zendeskcalculated510 cases × about $1.50etwa 76,500 $third-party estimate, with volume commitment
- Salesforce Agentforcecalculated600 conversations × $21,200 $per conversation, even without an outcome
Counted are conversations FRED handles without handing over to the team (website chat, WhatsApp, Telegram), not "resolved" cases. In the example we assume that HubSpot, Fin and Zendesk bill each of these cases as a resolution or outcome; how many cases a provider really charges for is set by its own definition. Unit prices in dollars, for Zendesk third-party estimates (as of 13 Nov 2026). Depending on provider and plan, licence costs and your own effort for knowledge base, upkeep and review may come on top; check what is included. No SolvraONE prices.
Your next step
Read in full
Want to know which of your requests an agent could really handle and what that would take? We clarify that in a first call of 30 minutes: Get in touch.
What could AI take off your plate?
In a first call (30 minutes) we look at your work and tell you openly what is worth it and what is not.
Frequently asked questions.
What does an AI agent in customer service cost per case?
With large providers, list prices range from under one dollar to a few dollars per case or conversation; the exact values are in the table above. Depending on the offer, base fees and the work for upkeep and review come on top.
What does "resolved" mean for an AI agent?
Each provider sets this itself. A usable definition: the agent closes the case without handing over to a person, and the customer does not get in touch again about the same matter within the agreed review window. Review windows and conditions differ by provider and channel; so set the definition in the contract.
Why are vendors' resolution rates higher than in tests?
Vendors often also count conversations as resolved in which the customer gives up or is referred to another channel. Stricter tests count this as a failure, which is why their values are lower.
Which costs come on top of the price per case?
Depending on the offer: building and maintaining the knowledge base, regular review of conversations, integration with your systems and your team's time for handed-over cases. How much these items weigh depends on case volume and effort.
Is paying per resolved case always cheaper?
Not necessarily. What is billed as a success is set by the provider's definition, and depending on the offer, minimum amounts or base fees come on top. The billing unit alone does not decide. Compare the total cost at your case volume and the resolution rate you measure yourself, with a clear definition of "resolved".
Does SolvraONE list its own prices here?
No. This page only shows documented third-party prices with a source. What an agent means for your business is something we clarify in a conversation.
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Sources.
- HubSpot: Customer Agent – you pay when the task is completeVendor / primary · As of
- Intercom: AI customer service agent pricing comparisonVendor / primary · As of
All 7 sources
- Fin Pricing: What counts as a Fin outcome?Vendor / primary · As of
- Salesforce: Agentforce PricingVendor / primary · As of
- Zendesk Help Center: About automated resolution tiersVendor / primary · As of
- The Pricing Conundrum: Outcome-based pricing in practiceThird-party report · As of
- SaaStr: How much of your customer support can AI really resolve?Third-party report · As of
- HubSpot: Customer Agent, pay when the task is complete (vendor statement)
- Intercom: AI customer service agent pricing comparison (vendor page)
- Fin: pricing and what counts as an outcome (vendor page)
- Salesforce: Agentforce Pricing (vendor page)
- Zendesk Help Center: About automated resolution tiers
- The Pricing Conundrum: outcome-based pricing in practice (comparison report)
- SaaStr on Gorgias’s public comparison test (test by a provider)
Keep reading.
Human in the loop: when an AI agent hands over
Human in the loop in customer service: when an AI agent hands over to staff, what goes with it and what the AI Act asks about human oversight.
AI and the GDPR: what the law asks of AI agents
AI agents and the GDPR: lawful basis, processing agreements, where data is processed and impact assessments. What businesses need to check.
Tone in AI customer service: can AI read emotions?
How an AI agent speaks kindly, is open about being AI and reads mood: what sentiment analysis can do, where it errs, when a person takes over.
