The quick verdict
Plain fits small developer-led teams that want an API-first support tool and can work within its seat caps. Helply suits support teams that want the same modern base plus autonomous AI, without per-seat pricing.
- Helply: $0 per seat on every plan, with AI from $0.25 per resolution billed only when it resolves the conversation itself. Plain Horizon is $299 for three seats and $99 per seat after.
- Plain: per-seat plans with seat caps, AI agent included on credits.
- Helply adds specialized AI agents and account-level customer signals.
- Best for support teams that want the same modern base plus autonomous AI.
Helply vs. Plain at a glance
Both Helply and Plain are built for modern support teams. Helply extends that foundation with specialized AI agents, autonomous investigation, and seats that cost nothing.
| Capability | Helply | Plain |
|---|---|---|
| Core platform | AI-native customer support platform | B2B customer support platform |
| B2B focus | Yes | Yes |
| Account context | Yes | Yes |
| AI approach | Team of specialized AI agents | AI features / automation |
| AI investigation | Conversations, product, CRM, logs, code | Thread plus help center and docs, with citations. Code lookup via Cursor on Frontier. |
| Customer intelligence | Churn, expansion, bugs, gaps | B2B customer/support context |
| Pricing | $0 per seat, AI metered on delivery | $35 per seat on Foundation, $99 per seat on Horizon. Viewer seats free. |
| AI economics | Metered on use | Ari agent included, runs on monthly credits (2,000 on Foundation, 15,000 on Horizon). |
Three ways Helply goes further
Give every issue an AI teammate
Helply agents can investigate, reason, resolve, take action, or prepare the issue for the right human with full context.

Support conversations shouldn’t disappear when they close
Turn conversations into structured signals for churn, expansion, bugs, feature requests, and missing knowledge.

The modern help desk should cost less
Bring Support, Success, Product, Engineering, and leadership into Helply, without paying per seat.

The economics
| Capability | Helply | Plain |
|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | Every plan | Horizon |
| Price per agent per month, billed annually | $0 | $299 for 3 seats, $99 per seat after |
| Five agents | $0 | $497 |
| Monthly plan | Free plan $0, or paid plans from $99 with that amount of AI work prepaid | Included in seat price |
| AI agent | Support agent from $0.25 per resolution | Ari included, runs on 15,000 monthly credits |
| When the AI bills | Only when Support agent resolved the conversation itself | Per credit used |
| Team assistant add-on | Assist agent from $0.25 per assist | Sidekick included |
| Free seats | Unlimited users on every plan | Viewer seats free |
Legacy support software stacks per-seat plans and separate AI charges. Helply charges nothing per seat on any plan. You pay for the work the AI agents complete, at a published rate card, so your bill tracks resolved work rather than headcount.
Seats
$0
Every plan, every user
Support agent
$0.25
Per finished resolution
Paid plans
$99
Per month, prepaid AI work
Switching from Plain
Bring your conversations, accounts, and knowledge into Helply, reconnect your integrations, and run alongside your current setup until you are ready to transition.
- Run Helply alongside Plain on a slice of your queue.
- Bring your history, macros, knowledge, and customer context across.
- Cut over once AI resolution rates and workflows are where you want them.
Here is what comes with you:
- Conversations and history
- Accounts and customer records
- Knowledge and integrations
Which should you choose?
Choose Plain if:
- You want an API-first support tool and your team fits within 10 seats.
- Your current workflows are well served by Plain today.
Choose Helply if:
- You want the same modern base plus a team of autonomous AI agents.
- You want AI-native pricing and account-level customer intelligence.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Helply delivers modern support with account context, knowledge, and workflows, plus a team of AI agents, so it can run your support operation.
Both are built for modern support. Helply pushes further into a team of specialized AI agents, autonomous investigation across connected systems, and customer intelligence, with $0 seats and AI billed only on what it delivers.
Helply charges $0 per seat on every plan. You pay for the work the AI agents complete, from $0.25 per resolution. Confirm current Plain pricing directly with Plain.
Yes. Bring your conversations, accounts, and knowledge into Helply, reconnect your integrations, and run alongside your current setup until you are ready to transition.
Helply provides a team of specialized agents, for resolution, technical investigation, knowledge, quality, and customer intelligence, that work across the whole account, not just individual tickets.
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