Zendesk AI agents come with Zendesk's helpdesk, priced per agent seat plus per automated resolution. Sourceteller is a standalone assistant: no seats and no helpdesk to set up, one-off credit packs from $5, and the source passage shown on every answer.
Zendesk AI agents facts from its own pages, checked 5 October 2026
| Feature | Sourceteller | Zendesk AI agents |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | One-off credit packs. No subscription; credits never expire | Per-agent helpdesk subscription, plus per automated resolution |
| Lowest paid entry | $5 one-off pack | $19/agent/month (annual), 5 resolutions per agent included |
| Free option | 1,000 free credits, no card | 14-day trial |
| Shows sources to customers | Every answer links to the exact passage, including PDFs and scans | Optional setting shows article links |
| AI phone line | Your own number over SIP, 36 spoken languages, from the first pack | Voice AI agent on Suite plans; availability varies |
| Telegram | Built in | Through Sunshine Conversations, Suite Professional and up |
| WhatsApp / Messenger | Not yet, on the roadmap | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram |
| Shopify | Widget through your theme today; App Store app with order lookups coming | App for human agents; AI order lookups need a custom API step |
| Languages | 72 written, 36 spoken, plus Banglish | 80 languages |
| Handoff to a person | Gives customers your own contact route; no live-chat inbox | Full Zendesk helpdesk |
| Your data kept out of AI training | Never used to train models | Third parties don’t train on your inputs |
Zendesk needs a Support or Suite subscription (from $19 per agent per month, billed annually), which includes 5 automated resolutions per agent each month; extra resolutions cost $1.50–$2.00. Sourceteller has no seats or subscription: an answer costs 7 credits, about 1 cent.
No. Sourceteller works on its own: add your website and documents, then put the assistant on your website, phone line, Telegram or a share link. Zendesk AI agents require a Zendesk Support or Suite subscription.
Zendesk starts at $19 per agent per month (annual) with 5 automated resolutions per agent included, then $1.50–$2.00 per extra resolution. Sourceteller is pay-as-you-go: packs from $5, 7 credits per answer, credits never expire.
Zendesk can show article links if you turn on its "Display sources" setting. Sourceteller links every answer to the passage it came from by default, including PDFs and scanned files.
Checked 5 October 2026. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll correct it. Zendesk AI agents is a trademark of its owner.
That is the whole evaluation. If the answer comes back in your customer’s language with the right passage attached, you already know whether this works for you.
No card · credits never expire · every language from day one