Per-Seat Pricing
Per-seat pricing (also called per-user or per-agent pricing) charges a fixed monthly fee for each individual who has access to the software. In customer support, this typically means paying for each support agent who can view and respond to tickets. It's the dominant pricing model among traditional helpdesks like Zendesk ($55-$115/seat) and Intercom ($39-$139/seat).
The per-seat problem in support
Per-seat pricing penalizes collaboration. Adding a product manager who occasionally reviews tickets costs the same as a full-time agent. Teams avoid giving support access to engineers, designers, or sales reps to control costs — even when broader access would improve support quality and cross-team visibility.
Alternatives to per-seat
Usage-based pricing charges per interaction (query, ticket, or resolution) regardless of how many people access the system. This aligns cost with actual support volume rather than team size. Platform fees with unlimited seats are another approach, charging a flat rate regardless of users.
EchoSDK's approach
EchoSDK charges zero per-seat fees. Your entire team — support, engineering, product, management — can access tickets via the dashboard and Slack integration at no additional cost. You pay only for query volume: free up to 1,000/month, then $49/month for up to 50,000 queries.
Related terms
Usage-Based Pricing
A pricing model where customers pay based on actual consumption (e.g., queries processed) rather than fixed per-seat or per-agent fees.
Support Platform Tax
The hidden cost overhead imposed by traditional helpdesk platforms through per-seat fees, AI upsells, premium add-ons, and mandatory vendor lock-in.