How you try it
Communicate$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renews
DeskuFree plan for 2 agents; 14-day trial with a $1 refunded check
Desku alternative
The Desku alternative with the AI already paid for.
Desku Growth is $39 a month, but its Eva AI runs on your own AI provider key, or on a $59 a month token add-on. Communicate Starter is also $39, and 3,000 AI replies are included. No API key, no token math. Try it for a one-time $1.
One-time $1 activation · 100 credits included · No automatic subscription
Starter3,000
AI included in the $39 Plan.
No API key to bring.
Your help center. Your inbox. Your team.
Compare Communicate and Desku row by rowCommunicate vs Desku
Every row, at monthly list price.
Desku wins on seats per dollar, a free plan, ticketing, a help center, Shopify and WooCommerce apps, and WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack on Business. Communicate wins on managed AI in the price, Actions, In-App Messages, and API, MCP, and CLI on every Plan. All of it is below.
Seats around $39
CommunicateStarter: 3 seats
DeskuGrowth: 6 agents
Seats around $99
CommunicateGrowth: 10 seats
DeskuAdvance $79: 12 agents
AI included in the price
Communicate3,000 AI replies on Starter, 8,000 on Growth
DeskuBring your own API key, or tokens add-on $59/mo
Human takeover and shared inbox
CommunicateEvery Plan
DeskuEvery plan
Agent takes actions
CommunicateLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rules
DeskuNot listed on its pricing page
Messages inside your product
CommunicateIn-App Messages on every Plan
DeskuNot listed on its pricing page
Ticketing and help center
CommunicateNot offered; connect your pages by URL
DeskuIncluded
Shopify and WooCommerce
CommunicateThrough Actions on your store API
DeskuBuilt-in apps from Advance, $79/mo
WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack
CommunicateWhatsApp and Slack coming soon
DeskuOn Business, $179/mo
AI help for agents while they reply
CommunicateNot offered
DeskuCopilot add-on, $29 per seat/mo
API, MCP, and CLI access
CommunicateAll three on every Plan
DeskuWebhooks on Business, $179/mo
Desku figures come from desku.io/pricing, checked on 3 October 2026. “Not listed” means the pricing page does not show it; check with Desku if it matters to you.
Yearly totals, checked
What AI support costs when the AI is included.
Monthly list prices times 12, from desku.io/pricing and our Plans, checked on 3 October 2026. If you already pay an AI provider and are happy to manage the key, Desku Growth alone may cost you less.
01 · $708 a year
Less on the entry plan, AI included
Desku Growth $39 plus the Eva AI token add-on $59 is $98/mo. Communicate Starter: $39/mo with 3,000 AI replies. That is $1,176 vs $468.
02 · $468 a year
Less for a team of about ten
Desku Advance $79 for 12 agents plus $59 tokens is $138/mo. Communicate Growth: $99/mo for 10 seats and 8,000 AI replies. That is $1,656 vs $1,188.
03 · $0 extra
For the AI model
No provider account, no key to rotate, no token bill from a second company. The AI is part of the Plan.
What changes
Same $39. The difference is who pays for the AI.
Desku is a full help desk with generous seats. Its AI depends on your own provider key or a token add-on. Communicate includes managed AI in every Plan.
- 01
No AI provider key needed
On Desku Growth, unlimited Eva AI needs your own API key, billed by that provider. On Communicate, AI replies come from your Plan credits.
- 02
A bill you can predict
One AI reply is one credit. Starter includes 3,000 a month. Desku’s token add-on is $59 a month for up to 5 million tokens, and token use varies by answer length.
- 03
Actions and In-App Messages
The Agent can call your API with approval rules, and you can nudge users inside your product. Both are on every Plan.
Used in production
Already answering customer questions.
- Teams building software
- Teams making content
- Teams running everyday tools
- Autoposting
- Vrid
- Niyam
- FAAD Network
- Nimblocity
Pure Digital- QCall
- Serri
- The Medical Insurance Exchange
How it works
Set up the AI without an API key, then compare answers.
Setup takes about 5 minutes. Your Desku widget stays live until you swap the snippet.
Knowledge
ConnectedHelp center
Ready for answers
Pricing page
Ready for answers
Shipping PDF
Ready for answers
Handoff rules
SavedRefund request
Member required
Complaint
Hand off
Product question
Agent answers
Preview
GroundedQuestion
Can I change my order?
Action
Order lookup
Result
Ready to publish
Designed for the edge cases
What you get on every Plan.
No add-ons. Plans differ only in credits, seats, and Agents.
01
Managed AI Agents
Up to 3 Agents on Starter and 10 on Growth. We run the model; you add sources.
Removesmanaging an AI provider account.
02
Actions with approval
Look up an order or update a record. Mark risky Actions Member required.
Removesswitching tabs to answer “where is my order?”.
03
In-App Messages
Show a targeted message inside your product from the Workspace that answers chat.
Removesa separate tool for announcements.
04
API, MCP, and CLI
Work with Conversations and Agents from your code, an AI assistant, or the terminal.
Removeswaiting for the Business plan to get webhooks.
Managed AI Agents
Actions with approval
In-App Messages
API, MCP, and CLI
Ask how Communicate compares to Desku.
This page runs on Communicate. Type a question below and the assistant on this page answers it.
FAQ
What Desku users ask before they switch.
Including the cases where Desku is the better fit.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Same price. The AI is already in it.
Open the Workspace for $1, add your help center, and see 3,000 AI replies without a key.
One-time $1 activation · Grounded answers · Human takeover · Cancel anytime