Helply vs. Plain: The same modern base, different AI economics

The quick verdict

Plain fits small, developer-led B2B teams that want an API-first tool. Helply fits teams that want the same modern base with everyone who can help a customer in the inbox.

• Helply: unlimited users on plans from $49 a month, with AI work billed in credits.
• Plain: $45 to $99 per member seat billed annually, with 1,000 to 2,500 credits a month included.
• Helply adds Background Agents that flag churn, expansion and knowledge gaps without being asked.
• Helply is the best Plain alternative for teams that want its modern base without per-seat pricing or Foundation's five-member cap.

Helply vs. Plain at a glance

Plain and Helply both run Slack and email support with AI agents built in. They differ on who needs a paid seat and how AI work is billed.

Three ways Helply goes further than Plain

Give every issue an AI teammate

Helply's Support Agent pulls the account, product usage, past tickets and your knowledge before it acts. A sync error gets a Linear issue filed; a double charge gets the refund your policy allows.

Support conversations shouldn’t disappear when they close

Helply's Background Agents read every conversation without being asked. They turn it into signals for churn, expansion, bugs, feature requests and missing knowledge.

Bring in the whole company, not five members

Plain's Foundation plan stops at five members, and every member is a paid seat. Helply has unlimited users, so Support, Success, Product and Engineering work the same conversations.

The economics

An illustration: a five-person B2B team handles 1,000 conversations a month. On Plain Horizon that is $495 a month in seats, and the included credits cover about 25 Ari resolutions. On Helply, 1,000 B2B conversations use about 7,000 credits: $339 a month billed annually for the whole team.

Helply never charges per user. Plans start at $49 a month with unlimited users, and AI work is billed in credits weighted by complexity, so your bill grows with the work the AI does rather than with your headcount.

Teams that switched

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.

1. Start a 14-day free trial with 1,000 credits and no card, and run Helply alongside Plain on a slice of your queue.
2. Bring your history, macros, knowledge, and customer context across.
3. 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 your engineers can extend, and your team fits within five members.
• Your AI use stays light: Horizon's 2,500 included credits cover about 25 Ari resolutions a month.

Choose Helply if:

• You want the same modern base plus AI agents working in the background on churn, expansion and knowledge.
• You want to add people to the inbox without adding to the bill.

Frequently asked questions

• What is the best Plain alternative?

  Helply, for teams that want Plain's modern base without per-seat pricing. It includes unlimited users from $49 a month, with AI billed in credits.

• How is Helply different from Plain?

  Plain charges per member seat and caps Foundation at five members. Helply has unlimited users and adds Background Agents that work without being asked.

• How much does Plain cost?

  Plain Foundation is $45 per member a month and Horizon $99, billed annually. Foundation includes 1,000 credits a month and Horizon 2,500.

• How does Plain AI compare with Helply's agents?

  Plain has Ari for customers and Sidekick for reps. Helply pairs Support and Assist Agents with five Background Agents, plus any you build.

• How much does Helply cost?

  Helply starts at $49 a month for 500 credits, with unlimited users. A draft uses 1 credit, a lookup 4, an investigation 12.

• Can Helply replace Plain?

  Yes. Helply includes the inbox, ticketing, chat, help center, workflows and reporting, with AI agents built in.

• Can I run Helply alongside Plain before switching?

  Yes. Start a 14-day trial on part of your queue, compare resolution quality, then move the rest of your support across.