Pricing that does not go up when the AI works
Three per-seat tiers from $9/user/month, plus a free plan for up to 2 users. AI reply drafts and the AI knowledge base are included on every one of them.
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The short answer
Relay costs $9 per user per month on Starter, $19 on Growth and $39 on Scale, with a free plan for up to 2 users. AI is included in every tier with no per-resolution fee, no ticket overage and no separate knowledge-base product. A team of five on Growth pays $95 a month, and that number does not move when the AI starts resolving more.
Free
For a solo founder answering support out of a shared inbox
Up to 2 users
- 100 tickets per month
- 50 AI operations per month
- AI reply drafts and AI knowledge base
- Email channel and web widget
- Community support
Starter
For a small team that has outgrown a shared inbox
Up to 10 users
- Unlimited tickets
- 1,000 AI operations per month
- Macros, saved views and automations
- Knowledge base and public help center
- All channels and integrations
- Email support
Growth
For a support team with SLAs and a manager watching them
Up to 50 users
- Everything in Starter
- 5,000 AI operations per month
- SLA policies and breach tracking
- Advanced analytics and custom reports
- Custom branding on the help center
- Multi-brand email routing
Scale
For a support organisation running multiple brands and channels
Unlimited users
- Everything in Growth
- Unlimited AI operations
- Unlimited users and tickets
- REST API, webhooks and API keys
- Business-hours configuration
- Priority support
What you are not billed for
The seat price is the whole seat price. These are the line items that show up on a help desk invoice somewhere else and never show up on yours.
| Charge you do not pay | What it costs elsewhere |
|---|---|
| A per-resolution AI fee | Intercom Fin $0.99 per resolved outcome · Gorgias $1.00 monthly / $0.90 annual · Help Scout $0.75 |
| A per-seat AI copilot add-on | Zendesk Copilot $50/agent/mo (annual) · Freshdesk $29/agent/mo (annual) · Front $20/seat/mo |
| A ticket cap or overage charge | Gorgias caps tickets per tier and charges $0.32–$0.40 for each one over the cap |
| A separate knowledge-base product | Zendesk Guide is effectively a separate product inside the Suite |
| An AI session pack that expires | Freshdesk bills $49 per 100 sessions ($0.49 each) once the included 500 sessions are used |
Competitor rates read from each vendor's own pricing page on August 2026 (2026-08-25) and re-verified quarterly.
What a five-agent team pays, with 800 AI-handled conversations a month
Seats × 5, plus each vendor's published AI meter at 800 resolutions. This is where flat pricing stops being a slogan and starts being a number.
| Vendor | Entry seat price | AI meter | AI cost at 800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom | $29/seat/mo (Essential, annual) | $0.99 per resolved outcome | $792 |
| Gorgias | $10/mo for 50 tickets (Starter, monthly) | $1.00 monthly / $0.90 annual per AI-resolved conversation | $720 |
| Help Scout | $25/user/mo (Standard, monthly; $21 annual) | $0.75 per AI Answers resolution | $600 |
| Freshdesk | $19/agent/mo (Growth, annual) | $49 per 100 sessions ($0.49 each) per AI session | $392 |
| Zendesk | $19/agent/mo (Support Team, annual) | quoted per contract per automated resolution | not published |
| Relay Growth | $19/user/month ($95 for 5 seats) | none | $0 |
Pricing questions
How much does Relay cost?
Relay has three per-seat tiers: Starter at $9 per user per month, Growth at $19, and Scale at $39. There is also a free plan for up to 2 users. AI reply drafts and the AI knowledge base are included on every tier.
Does Relay charge per AI resolution?
No. AI is bundled into the seat price with no per-resolution, per-ticket or per-message meter. Each tier carries a monthly AI-operations allowance rather than a usage bill, and Scale is unlimited.
What is an AI operation?
One AI operation is one AI action on a ticket — drafting a reply, summarising a thread, or scoring sentiment. Free includes 50 per month, Starter 1,000, Growth 5,000, and Scale is unlimited.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 14 days on every paid plan, no credit card required. The free plan for up to 2 users does not expire, so you can also just stay on it.
Does Relay resolve tickets automatically?
No. Relay drafts the reply and an agent reviews and approves it before it sends. That is agent-assist, not unattended auto-resolution — and it is also why Relay can include AI in the seat price rather than billing per resolution.
When is Relay more expensive than a metered competitor?
Below roughly 50 AI-handled conversations a month. Zoho Desk Express at $7/agent/mo (Express, annual) is cheaper per seat, and if you barely use AI the meters never bite. Flat pricing wins as AI volume grows: at 800 AI-handled conversations, Intercom's Fin meter alone is $792.
Start on the free plan, or trial a paid one for 14 days
AI reply drafts and the AI knowledge base are included either way.
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