Comparison

LimeDesk vs. the rest.

Easier and cheaper than the big names. We do the maths honestly, with their own prices, and we also say where they're better.

Start your 7-day free trial See the maths
Prices checked on 17 October 2026A source for every priceIncluding where others are better

What does AI customer service really cost?

Example: an online store with 500 customer conversations a month, 300 of them answered by AI. Monthly amount excl. VAT.

LimeDesk
Watermelon
Freshdesk
billed annually
Lime Connect
plus AI above 100 conversations (price unknown)
Intercom
Gorgias
two price lists on their site
Trengo
Zendesk

LimeDesk: €79 / €149 incl. VAT. Unlimited conversations, AI included.

Estimate based on the official pricing pages (17 October 2026). Dollars converted at 1 USD = €0.86. Tidio isn't included: the price for more than 50 AI conversations isn't published. Note: at very low volumes Tidio, Freshdesk or Watermelon can cost the same or less. The more the AI does, the bigger the difference, because LimeDesk doesn't charge per answer.

Why LimeDesk is easier.

Built for online stores run by 1 to 3 people. No demo call, no developer, no calculator.

Live in 5 minutes, by yourself

Sign up, add your answers, put the widget on your site. No sales call, no onboarding project.

One price, everything included

AI, website chat, email assistant, Shopify and Slack. Unlimited conversations (fair use up to 5,000 a month).

No cost per answer

Many others charge per AI conversation or per resolved question. LimeDesk doesn't: the more Limey does, the more you save.

Limey writes your FAQ

No return policy or FAQ yet? Answer a few questions and Limey adds it to your knowledge base.

Built for online stores

"Where is my order?" Limey looks it up in your Shopify. Emails get a ready-made draft.

European and close by

Dutch company, hosted in the Netherlands, answers in your customer's language (NL, EN, DE, FR, ES).

Tool by tool.

What they cost, how the AI is billed, and when LimeDesk is the better pick.

LimeDesk

Netherlands
Price
Starter €79/month incl. VAT (€65.29 excl.), 1 user. Pro €149 incl. VAT, 3 users.
AI
Included, unlimited conversations. No cost per answer.
Try it
7 days free, cancel monthly.

Trengo

Utrecht, NL
Price
Boost: €349/month (€299 billed annually), 10 users, 500 conversations.
AI
€0.30 per conversation with AI (€0.25 annually).
Try it
7-day free trial, no free plan.
Strong at
Many channels (incl. WhatsApp, social, voice) and room for 10 users.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou're a team of 1–3 and don't want to pay €349 a month before the AI has answered a single question.
Source: trengo.com/nl/prijzen · trengo.com/pricing

Watermelon

Utrecht, NL
Price
Starter: €99/month (€84 annually), 250 conversations, 1 user.
AI
Included. Each extra 250 conversations €25, each extra user €25.
Try it
Free plan up to 50 conversations.
Strong at
Free entry plan and AI included in the price.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou have more than 250 conversations a month, or want to send email from your own domain (Watermelon: from Advanced, €199).
Source: watermelon.ai/pricing

Tidio

US/Poland
Price
Growth: from ~$59/month (from $49 annually), up to 10 seats.
AI
Lyro AI is an add-on: from ~$39/month for 50 AI conversations. Prices for more are not published.
Try it
Free plan; 7-day free trial.
Strong at
Free plan, many seats, easy chat widget.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou want to know upfront what you pay when the AI answers hundreds of questions a month.
Source: www.tidio.com/pricing

Gorgias

US/France
Price
Basic: $60/month ($50 annually), 300 tickets.*
AI
Per fully resolved question: $1.00 ($1.50 above your bundle).
Try it
7-day free trial.
Strong at
The deepest Shopify integration: refund or cancel orders from the inbox, plus SMS and social.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou don't want to pay per AI answer and mainly need "where is my order?" handled.
Source: www.gorgias.com/pricing

Intercom

US/Ireland
Price
Essential: $29 per seat/month (possibly $39 billed monthly).
AI
Fin AI: $0.99 per "outcome", including conversations handed to a human.
Try it
14-day free trial.
Strong at
A very complete platform with strong AI and many integrations.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou want a fixed price instead of a bill that grows with every answer.
Source: www.intercom.com/pricing

Zendesk

US/Denmark
Price
Suite Team: €69 per agent/month (€55 annually).
AI
5 automated resolutions per agent per month, then €2.00 each (€1.50 committed).
Try it
14-day free trial.
Strong at
Extensive ticketing, reporting and a huge app marketplace. Built for large teams.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou're a small team: with 300 AI answers a month Zendesk quickly passes €600.
Source: www.zendesk.nl/pricing

Freshdesk

US/India
Price
Growth: $19 per agent/month (billed annually; monthly price not shown).
AI
Freddy AI: first 500 sessions once, then $49 per 100 sessions.
Try it
14-day free trial.
Strong at
Low entry price per agent for email tickets.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou want AI chat on your site and email in one fixed price you can cancel monthly.
Source: www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing

Lime Connect

Germany (formerly Userlike)
Price
Pro: from €105/month (€87 annually), minimum 3 seats.
AI
AI agent is an add-on: €99/month for 100 conversations; price above that not published.
Try it
14-day free trial, then a free plan.
Strong at
European, privacy-focused, with WhatsApp and social already live.
Choose LimeDesk ifYou work alone (a 3-seat minimum is wasted) and want AI without a separate add-on.
Source: connect.lime-technologies.com/en/pricing

* The pricing page also showed a second, higher price list.

Where others are better.

Fair is fair. LimeDesk isn't the best choice for everyone.

WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram

Trengo, Gorgias, Watermelon, Lime Connect and Intercom already have these channels. LimeDesk adds them as soon as Meta approves.

Changing orders

With Gorgias (and via apps Zendesk and Freshdesk) you can refund or cancel from the inbox. LimeDesk only reads the order status.

Large teams

Zendesk, Freshdesk and Intercom offer SLAs, deep reporting and hundreds of integrations. Trengo includes 10 users. LimeDesk Pro stops at 3.

Free plan and longer trial

Tidio, Watermelon and Lime Connect have a free plan. Intercom, Zendesk, Freshdesk and Lime Connect give a 14-day trial; LimeDesk 7.

Track record

All of these tools have been around longer and have many reviews. LimeDesk is new.

Frequently asked questions.

Is LimeDesk really cheaper?
For a small store where the AI answers lots of questions: yes, usually by a lot. Other tools charge per user, per AI conversation or per resolved question; LimeDesk is one fixed price. If you only get a handful of conversations a month, a free or cheap plan elsewhere may cost less.
Why don't I pay per AI answer with LimeDesk?
Because that penalises exactly the work you want to automate. Starter and Pro include unlimited conversations, with a fair-use rule above 5,000 a month.
Are these prices still correct?
We took them from the official pricing pages on 17 October 2026, with a link for each tool. Prices change; if you spot a difference, email info@limedesk.ai and we'll update it.
Can I switch from another tool?
Yes. Add your existing FAQs to the knowledge base (paste or import .txt, .md or .csv), replace the chat code on your site with LimeDesk's and connect your mailbox. You can do it yourself in a few minutes.
What if I need more than 3 users?
Pro includes 3 users. Need more? Get in touch. If you need a large team with SLAs and deep reporting, a tool like Zendesk or Freshdesk is probably a better fit.

Try it yourself. 7 days free.

No credit card needed, cancel monthly. Then €79 a month, everything included.

Start your 7-day free trial See pricing

All amounts are estimates based on the providers' public pricing pages, read on 17 October 2026, excl. VAT, converted at 1 USD = €0.86 where needed. Discounts, promotions and custom quotes are not included. Trademarks belong to their owners; LimeDesk is not affiliated with these companies. Always check the current price with the provider.