10 Best AI Agents for Customer Service in 2026

Key takeaways

Most support tools now sell an “AI agent,” and few price pages say what it does when a customer asks for a refund. We compared the AI agents of 10 support platforms on what they resolve without a person, the actions they can take in your systems, how they hand a chat to your team, and what a resolution costs. Each entry has its strength, its limit, and its price as of October 2026. Tidio is listed first because this list is ordered for small teams and online stores; every tool, Tidio included, gets the same criteria and its real drawbacks.

The best AI agents for customer service at a glance

Our top picks: Tidio for small teams and Shopify stores, Intercom Fin for SaaS teams that want the AI agent at the center, and Retell AI for phone support. The table lists every tool with the price you pay to start and how its AI is billed.

Tool	Best for	Starting price	How the AI agent is billed	Free plan / trial	G2 rating
Tidio	Small teams and e-commerce, especially Shopify	$24.17/mo, billed annually ($29 monthly)	Lyro from $32.50/mo for 50 AI conversations	Free plan · 7-day trial	4.6 (1,962)
Gorgias	Shopify brands with high ticket volume	$10/mo for 50 tickets	$0.85 to $1.00 per automated interaction	Free trial	4.6 (582)
Intercom Fin	SaaS and digital-first teams	$29/seat/mo, billed annually	$0.99 per outcome	14-day trial	4.5 (3,913)
Zendesk AI agents	Large teams that need ticketing depth	$19/agent/mo, billed annually	5 to 10 resolutions per agent/mo included, then $1.50 to $2.00 each	14-day trial	4.3 (7,082)
HubSpot Customer Agent	Teams that keep customer data in HubSpot	$90/seat/mo, billed annually (Professional)	$0.50 per resolution, paid in HubSpot Credits	Free tools (no AI agent)	4.4 (3,017)
Freshdesk (Freddy AI Agent)	Growing teams that budget per agent	$19/agent/mo, billed annually	First 500 sessions free once, then $49 per 100	14-day trial	4.4 (3,773)
Retell AI	Phone support and call automation	Pay as you go, $10 free credits	$0.07 to $0.31 per voice minute	Free credits	4.8 (2,639)
Ada	Enterprise teams with high contact volume	Custom	Custom	Demo	4.6 (174)
Sierra	Large consumer brands	Custom	Outcome-based	Demo	No validated listing
Decagon	Enterprises that test before rollout	Custom	Custom	Demo	4.8 (29)

What is an AI agent for customer service?

An AI agent for customer service is software that resolves a customer’s request itself instead of only suggesting an answer. It reads your help center and customer records, replies in natural language, takes an action such as a refund or an address change, and passes the chat to a person when it should. A chatbot that follows button menus does none of the last three. Analysts expect agents like these to handle most routine requests: Gartner predicts agentic AI will resolve 80% of common customer service issues without human intervention by 2029^[1]. For the concept in depth, see our guide to agentic customer service.

How we chose these AI agents

We started from the tools that today’s search results, AI assistants’ answers, and G2 category pages name for this topic, and kept 10 that sell an AI agent a business can buy and test. We left out general chatbot builders and tools with no public product page for the agent. We judged each on six criteria:

1. Resolution: what the vendor says the agent resolves, and how it counts a resolution.
2. Actions: whether it can change an order, a subscription, or a booking, not just answer.
3. Handoff and guardrails: escalation rules, human takeover, and what the agent may not do alone.
4. Channels: chat, email, social, WhatsApp, and voice.
5. Pricing: public prices and the billing unit for AI.
6. Reviews: G2 rating and review count.

G2 also runs hands-on evaluations of AI customer experience agents, scored out of 250 points. In its October 2026 results, Retell AI led the board with 242.5 points, Tidio’s Lyro scored 218.8 with 93% accuracy and 92% policy compliance, and HubSpot’s Breeze Customer Agent scored 92.5 and Freshworks 91.3. Zendesk, Sierra, and Gorgias hadn’t been scored. We treat that as one input, not a ranking.

The list is ordered by fit for small teams and online stores, then by company size, not by rating, which is why Tidio is first. We didn’t test resolution rates ourselves. Where a vendor publishes one, it appears as the vendor’s claim.

The 10 best AI agents for customer service in 2026

1. Tidio

Best for: small teams and online stores that want AI and human support in one inbox

Tidio’s AI agent, Lyro, answers from your help center, FAQs, and website, and sits next to live chat and an email help desk, so a handoff keeps the whole conversation. Tidio says Lyro can resolve up to 75% of support requests. On Shopify, your team sees the shopper’s cart and order history beside the chat. With Lyro Actions, the agent can also handle order updates and lead qualification, and it connects to outside systems over MCP.

Tidio fits teams like these:

• Shopify and other online stores that want cart preview and order history next to every chat.
• Small and medium-sized businesses that need more tickets closed without hiring.
• High-volume inboxes with many repeat questions that an agent can take over.
• Several channels at once: live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp in one place.

Skip Tidio if you run a voice-first contact center; a phone platform such as Retell AI or Ada covers calls in more depth.

Key features:

• Lyro AI agent: replies in the customer’s language and follows escalation rules you set with Lyro Guidance, covering tone and when to hand off.
• Shopify order tools: see the cart and order history, then cancel, refund, or change an address.
• Plugs into other help desks: Lyro can run on Zendesk, Intercom, or Salesforce.
• Analytics and Flows: reports on resolution and satisfaction, and automations that greet visitors or recover carts.

Pros

• Lyro answers from your own knowledge base with guardrails and is built on Claude from Anthropic.
• Chat, email tickets, and the AI agent share one inbox, so nothing restarts at handoff.
• Tidio’s Lyro also took part in G2’s agent evaluation, with 92% policy compliance.

Cons

• Conversations, Lyro, and Flows are priced separately, so you only pay for what you use, but there are a few quotas to keep an eye on as you grow.
• Advanced analytics and automatic assignment come with Growth, so Starter suits simpler setups.
• Larger deployments with departments, custom limits, or a guaranteed resolution rate run on Plus or Premium, where Tidio’s sales team shapes the quote with you.

Pricing: from Tidio’s pricing page, billed annually (monthly in brackets):

• Free: $0, 50 billable conversations a month, up to 10 seats.
• Starter: $24.17 a month ($29), 100 conversations.
• Growth: from $49.17 a month ($59) for 250 to 2,000 conversations, with advanced analytics.
• Plus: from $300 a month plus usage, departments and custom limits.
• Premium: custom, from 3,000 Lyro conversations and a guaranteed 50% Lyro resolution rate.
• Lyro AI agent: from $32.50 a month ($39) for 50 Lyro conversations, meaning chats where Lyro sent at least one reply. Every account gets 50 Lyro conversations once.
• 7-day free trial, no credit card.

Rating: G2 4.6/5 (1,962 reviews)

2. Gorgias

Best for: Shopify brands with thousands of tickets a month

Gorgias is a help desk for online stores, and its AI Agent answers questions, recommends products, and handles returns, tracking, and cancellations through native Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce connections. Plans follow ticket volume rather than seats. Outside e-commerce it has little to offer.

Key features:

• AI Agent pre-trained on 18+ store verticals, with brand voice and guardrails.
• Order actions inside each ticket: cancel, refund, discount, track.
• Shopping Assistant for pre-sales questions.

Pros

• No per-agent fees; plans from Basic include 500 user seats.
• Connectors for Klaviyo, Yotpo, Recharge, and Smile.

Cons

• Each automated interaction is billed on top of the plan.
• AI actions such as cancellations aren’t on Starter.

Pricing (monthly; annual in brackets): Starter $10 for 50 tickets (monthly only), Basic $60 ($50) for 300, Pro $360 ($300) for 2,000, Advanced $900 ($750) for 5,000. The AI Agent costs $1.00 per automated interaction on Starter, $0.90 on Basic and Pro, and $0.85 on Advanced. Free trial, no credit card.

Rating: G2 4.6/5 (582 reviews)

Read more: Gorgias alternatives · Gorgias review

3. Intercom Fin

Best for: SaaS teams that want the AI agent to lead support

Fin is the AI agent Intercom built its help desk around. It answers from your knowledge base, follows step-by-step Procedures, and acts in outside systems. It also runs on top of another help desk, such as Salesforce, with no Intercom seats. The cost to watch is that seats and outcomes are billed separately.

Key features:

• Fin AI Agent across chat, email, and other channels.
• Procedures that run multi-step workflows, including handoffs.
• Workflows builder from the Advanced plan.

Pros

• One charge per conversation, even when Fin answers several questions.
• You can test it on your current help desk without migrating.

Cons

• Seat fees and outcome fees both grow with the team.
• Copilot for human agents is a separate add-on.

Pricing (per seat a month, billed annually; monthly in brackets): Essential $29 ($39), Advanced $85 ($99), Expert $132 ($139). Fin costs $0.99 per outcome, counted when the customer confirms the fix, asks for no more help, or Fin completes a Procedure. Copilot is $29 per agent a month billed annually. 14-day free trial.

Rating: G2 4.5/5 (3,913 reviews)

Read more: Intercom alternatives · Intercom review

4. Zendesk AI agents

Best for: large teams that need deep ticketing on every channel

Zendesk includes AI agents in its plans and bills them per automated resolution, a request solved with no human escalation. They work across messaging, email, and voice. The limit is the allowance: five resolutions per agent a month on the Team plans, so volume adds up fast.

Key features:

• AI agent builder that turns a written procedure into a working agent.
• Actions to read, write, and trigger tasks in outside systems.
• Support for 80+ languages with reasoning controls.

Pros

• Deep ticketing, routing, and reporting for large teams.
• Some automated resolutions are included in every plan.

Cons

• Resolutions above the allowance add up at volume.
• Copilot is an add-on from Suite Professional.

Pricing (per agent a month, billed annually; monthly in brackets): Support Team $19 ($25), Suite Team $55 ($69), Suite Professional $115 ($149), Suite Enterprise through sales. Included: five resolutions per agent a month (10 on Suite Professional), then $1.50 each on a commitment or $2.00 pay-as-you-go. 14-day free trial.

Rating: G2 4.3/5 (7,082 reviews)

Read more: Zendesk alternatives · Zendesk review

5. HubSpot Customer Agent

Best for: teams whose customer data already lives in HubSpot’s CRM

HubSpot’s Customer Agent replies in chat, email, forms, and calls with the customer’s CRM history in view, then escalates to your team. HubSpot says it resolves 65% or more of conversations. It needs Service Hub Professional or Enterprise, so the entry cost is the seat price, not the AI.

Key features:

• Customer Agent trained on your content in minutes.
• Help desk workspace tied to CRM contacts, deals, and tickets.
• HubSpot Credits with spend limits per feature.

Pros

• Answers draw on the same records as sales and marketing.
• Credit limits cap what the AI can spend.

Cons

• Not available on the free or Starter plans.
• G2’s October 2026 evaluation scored HubSpot’s Breeze Customer Agent near the bottom of its board, at 92.5 of 250 points.

Pricing: free tools for up to two users; Starter from $7 a seat a month billed annually; Professional from $90 a seat billed annually ($100 monthly) plus $1,500 onboarding; Enterprise from $150 a seat plus $3,500 onboarding. Customer Agent costs $0.50 per messaging resolution and per voice minute, paid in HubSpot Credits (50 credits per resolved conversation); Professional includes 3,000 credits a month.

Rating: G2 4.4/5 (3,017 reviews)

Read more: HubSpot alternatives

6. Freshdesk (Freddy AI Agent)

Best for: growing teams that want AI on a per-agent budget

Freshdesk is a ticketing help desk with Freddy AI Agent for customers and Freddy AI Copilot for your team. It suits teams that have outgrown a shared inbox. The free plan is gone from the current pricing page, and AI sessions are sold in packs.

Key features:

• Freddy AI Agent for chat and email answers.
• Freddy AI Copilot with reply suggestions and summaries.
• Freddy AI Insights on the Enterprise plan.

Pros

• Low entry price per agent for a full help desk.
• Copilot can go to only the agents who need it.

Cons

• No free plan; only the 14-day trial is free.
• AI sessions and Copilot both add to the per-agent price.

Pricing (per agent a month, billed annually): Growth $19, Pro $55, Enterprise $89. Freddy AI Agent: first 500 sessions free once per account, then $49 per 100. Copilot: $29 per agent a month. 14-day free trial.

Rating: G2 4.4/5 (3,773 reviews)

Read more: Freshdesk alternatives · Freshdesk review

7. Retell AI

Best for: teams that want an AI agent to answer and place phone calls

Retell AI builds voice agents that handle inbound and outbound calls, book appointments, transfer to a person, and navigate phone menus. It also sells chat agents. It is the one phone-first tool here, and it led G2’s October 2026 agent evaluation with 242.5 of 250 points. It is a build-it-yourself platform for teams with a developer, not an inbox for your support team.

Key features:

• Call transfer between the AI agent and a human.
• Knowledge base the agent answers from, plus appointment booking.
• Post-call analysis, simulation testing, and AI quality assurance to tune the agent.

Pros

• Pay as you go with no annual contract.
• Highest overall score on G2’s October 2026 agent evaluation.

Cons

• No help desk, so tickets and email live elsewhere.
• Per-minute costs vary with the language model and voice you pick.

Pricing: pay as you go, from $0.07 to $0.31 a minute for voice agents and from $0.002 a message for chat agents, with $10 in free credits and 20 concurrent calls included. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Rating: G2 4.8/5 (2,639 reviews)

8. Ada

Best for: enterprise teams automating high contact volumes

Ada sells AI agents for voice, messaging, and email to large companies. Playbooks turn your standard operating procedures into automated workflows, and Ada Computer lets the agent finish tasks in your systems. Pricing comes after a demo, sized by yearly contact volume, so it isn’t built for a five-person team.

Key features:

• Playbooks for complex procedures.
• Voice, messaging, and email agents on one platform.
• Testing and coaching to improve resolutions after launch.

Pros

• Handles multi-step jobs such as refunds or account changes.
• Ready-made playbooks for e-commerce, finance, gaming, insurance, SaaS, and travel.

Cons

• No public pricing.
• A small G2 sample of 174 reviews for an enterprise product.

Pricing: custom, quoted after a demo from annual contact volume.

Rating: G2 4.6/5 (174 reviews)

Read more: Lyro vs Ada

9. Sierra

Best for: big consumer brands that want a single agent on every channel

Sierra builds branded agents for large companies and runs one agent across chat, SMS, WhatsApp, email, voice, and ChatGPT. Its Ghostwriter tool builds an agent from SOPs, transcripts, or a plain-English goal. There is no public price or self-serve plan.

Key features:

• Ghostwriter to build and update agents from your own documents.
• One agent across six channels, including voice and ChatGPT.
• Outcome-based pricing.

Pros

• You pay for outcomes, not seats.
• Multilingual, multichannel agents built from your own material.

Cons

• No self-serve plan or published price.
• No G2 listing we could validate.

Pricing: custom and outcome-based, through sales.

Rating: no G2 listing we could validate (October 2026).

10. Decagon

Best for: enterprises that want to stress-test an agent before launch

Decagon builds voice, chat, and email agents around AOPs, agent operating procedures written in plain language. Its strength is quality control: simulations, live A/B tests, and always-on QA called Watchtower show how a change behaves before every customer sees it. It is sold to large companies through sales.

Key features:

• AOPs that describe workflows in plain language.
• Testing and QA: simulations, live experiments, and Watchtower.
• Insights on what customers ask and why.

Pros

• Lets you check a change before customers see it.
• Voice, chat, and email run on the same agent logic.

Cons

• No public pricing.
• Only 29 G2 reviews, a thin sample.

Pricing: custom, through sales.

Rating: G2 4.8/5 (29 reviews)

How to choose an AI agent for customer service

Buyers sort this decision by company size, existing software, and channel. Run these checks before you book a demo.

Check what it can do

Ask the vendor to run a refund, an address change, and a cancellation in your test account. An agent that only answers questions deflects tickets; one that acts closes them. Check which actions work without a developer.

Check the resolution rate and how it is counted

Vendors count a resolution differently: a confirmed fix, no further reply, or no human touch within 72 hours. Ask for the definition, then compare it with the billing unit, because that is what you pay for.

Check handoff and guardrails

Write the cases the agent must never handle alone, such as legal threats, large refunds, and angry customers. Test that the chat reaches your team with the history attached.

Check channels and your current stack

List where customers write today: chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, or phone. If you already run Zendesk, HubSpot, or Freshdesk, price that vendor’s own agent against a standalone one such as Lyro or Fin, which can sit on top of your help desk.

Compare the pricing model

Seat pricing, per-resolution fees, and per-minute voice billing grow differently. For 1,000 AI resolutions a month, $0.99 each is about $990 and $1.50 each is $1,500, before seats. Model your own volume, and read what counts as one resolution before you sign. Our chatbot pricing guide shows how the models compare.

Check security and run a pilot

Ask where customer data is stored, whether it trains the model, and what access controls exist. Then pilot the agent on your 50 most common tickets for two weeks and count what it resolved without a person.

Which AI agent should you pick?

• Small team or Shopify store: Tidio, with Lyro on a paid plan. Cart preview and order history sit next to the chat, and Lyro answers from your help center.
• Shopify brand with thousands of tickets: Gorgias, if you want a help desk built around orders and are fine paying per automated interaction.
• SaaS company that wants the agent first: Intercom Fin, since it runs on your current help desk.
• Already on Zendesk or Freshdesk: the vendor’s own AI agent; you keep your tickets and workflows.
• CRM-centered team: HubSpot Customer Agent, once you are on Service Hub Professional.
• Phone support: Retell AI for calls; add a chat tool for tickets.
• Enterprise with a project team: Ada, Sierra, or Decagon, after a pilot on your own tickets.

For more options, see our guides to the best agentic customer service software, AI customer service agents, and AI customer support software.

Frequently asked questions