The established platforms are good
This needs saying plainly, because most comparison content pretends otherwise. The large helpdesk platforms are mature, reliable and deep. If you have hundreds of agents across several regions, they are the right answer and nothing here changes that.
Where per-agent pricing distorts decisions
Per-agent pricing was designed for markets where software is cheap relative to salaries. Where it is not, the model creates a perverse incentive: adding the person who would improve service also increases a bill that recurs forever.
Teams respond by keeping support understaffed, or by sharing logins — which breaks the accountability the software exists to provide.
The three questions worth asking any vendor
What does this cost when we double the team? Model it. The answer is often several times the current figure.
Can we get all our data out, including attachments? Ask for the actual export format and try it during the trial.
Which features are on which plan? Departments, SLAs, automation and reporting are operational necessities, not premium extras. If they sit two tiers up, price the tier you will actually need.
The evaluation test that beats any feature list
Give a new team member a ticket from a customer they have never met and time how long it takes them to be useful. Do it on every product you are considering. It measures the only thing that matters daily, and no demo script covers it.
When to stay where you are
If your current system works, your team is trained on it, and the cost is not distorting your staffing, migrating is a project with real risk and no obvious payoff. Change when something is actually wrong.