Per-resolution vs per-conversation AI pricing

When you compare AI customer support tools, the headline monthly price rarely tells you what you will actually pay. That is because vendors use four completely different units of account: per resolved outcome, per automated interaction plus tickets, per message credit, or a flat monthly conversation allowance.

We checked the public pricing pages of ten AI support vendors on 19 October 2026 and converted every figure into Pounds Sterling (using the 16 October 2026 exchange rate of 1 USD = £0.7499 and 1 EUR = £0.8439). Here is how each model works and what it costs a UK business in practice.

The four pricing models explained

1. Per-resolution (or per-outcome) fees on top of seats

Used by Intercom Fin ($0.99 per Fin outcome on top of $29–$132/seat/month) and Zendesk AI (Suite seats from £45–£115/agent/month plus per-resolution fees above the included tier allowance). You pay a seat fee for every human agent plus nearly a dollar every time the AI resolves a conversation.

Where it hurts: Peak season, carrier delays or a product launch increase ticket volume — and your software bill spikes in the exact month your margins are under pressure.

2. Ticket tiers plus per-interaction AI fees

Used by Gorgias ($10 to $900/month by ticket volume, plus $0.90–$1.00 per AI Agent automated interaction). Crucially, each AI-handled interaction also counts towards your monthly helpdesk ticket allowance, so you pay both the ticket cost and the AI interaction fee.

3. Message credits or session packs

Used by Chatbase ($40–$500/month), Tidio Lyro (from €39/month add-on), Crisp ($45–$295/workspace/month with $5–$75 of AI credits) and Freshdesk Freddy AI (£36 per 100 sessions plus £23/agent/month for Copilot). Credit models deduct quota on every message turn, so a six-message troubleshooting chat uses six times as much allowance as a one-line FAQ.

4. Flat monthly conversation allowance in GBP

Used by Threadbox: Free (£0 for 50 conversations), Starter (£29/month for 500), Growth (£99/month for 2,000) and Business (£349/month for 10,000). A conversation is any thread where the AI agent replies at least once in a 24-hour window, regardless of how many messages go back and forth. Human-only threads and Sidekick agent-assist drafts never count.

Worked example: 5 agents, 1,500 AI-resolved conversations/month

• Intercom Essential + Fin: 5 seats × $29 ($145) + 1,500 outcomes × $0.99 ($1,485) = $1,630/month (≈ £1,222/month ex VAT).
• Gorgias Pro + AI Agent: $300/month (annual Pro plan, 190 AI interactions included) + 1,310 interactions × $0.90 ($1,179) = $1,479/month (≈ £1,109/month ex VAT).
• Freshdesk Pro + Freddy AI + Copilot: 5 seats × £39 (£195) + 5 Copilot × £23 (£115) + 15 × 100 session packs × £36 (£540) = £850/month ex VAT.
• Threadbox Growth: £99/month ex VAT (includes 2,000 conversations, 5 seats, Sidekick, Threads desk, WhatsApp, email and API actions).

How to protect your budget

Before signing an annual agreement, check whether you can set a hard monthly spend cap, whether human replies or internal notes consume quota, and whether viewers (like finance or warehouse staff) require a paid seat. See the full 10-vendor table with source links on AI support pricing compared in GBP.