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Zoho Assist Free vs Paid: Detailed Comparison

Author: Natalie Paraskeva
Natalie Paraskeva Article author

Zoho Assist’s free plan covers the basics, but file transfer, reboot and reconnect, and custom branding are all locked behind a paywall, and the 5-machine unattended access cap is lower than most small IT teams need. This article breaks down the Zoho free vs paid difference across every tier, where the Zoho Assist free plan falls short in real support workflows, and where HelpWire, currently available at no cost, stands as a practical alternative.

Note:  If you need file transfer and unattended access without a subscription, see how HelpWire, free Zoho Assist alternative, compares in the section below.

Quick Overview:

  • • Free Plan: One technician, one concurrent session, five unattended computers. No file transfer, reboot and reconnect, or custom branding.
  • • Remote Support Standard ($10/tech/month): Core professional toolkit — file transfer, reboot and reconnect, voice chat, and helpdesk integrations.
  • • Remote Support Professional ($15/tech/month): Adds custom branding, session notes, and mobile support. Best for MSPs.
  • • Remote Support Enterprise ($24/tech/month): Session recording, audit, video chat, and compliance features.
  • • Unattended Access Standard ($10/month): Persistent fleet access with unlimited technicians, wake-on-LAN, and bulk deployment.
  • • Unattended Access Professional ($15/month): Extends Standard with diagnostics, virtual monitor, and session recording.

Zoho Assist Pricing Plans: In-Depth Plan Comparison

Zoho Assist splits into two separate product lines with separate subscriptions: Remote Support for attended sessions and Unattended Access for persistent machine management. You pay for each independently. The Free plan includes basic capabilities from both sides: one technician, one concurrent session, and up to five unattended computers.

The table below covers the most impactful features across all six plans. Full comparison: zoho.com/assist/plan-comparison.html

FeatureFreeRS Standard $10RS Professional $15RS Enterprise $24UA Standard $10UA Professional $15
Pricing (billed annually)$0$10/tech/mo$15/tech/mo$24/tech/mo$10/mo$15/mo
Number of technicians1LimitedLimitedLimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
File transfer
Reboot and reconnect
Instant chat
Voice chat
Video chat
Session notes
Session recording
Session audit
Custom branding
Zendesk / Freshdesk / Jira
Unattended computers5Add-onAdd-onAdd-on
Wake-on-LAN
ChromeOS / iOS / Android

Prices exclude local taxes. RS = Remote Support, licensed per technician. UA = Unattended Access, unlimited technicians at both tiers.

What the Zoho Assist Free Plan Includes

Zoho Assist is free to use at its base tier, and the free version is a functioning product, not a stripped trial. It covers unlimited attended sessions, up to 5 unattended computers, multi-monitor navigation, clipboard sharing, UAC compatibility, instant chat, remote audio, and AES-256 encryption with two-factor authentication. Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ integrations are included, as are Zoho Assist APIs and ZIA integration.

For a single technician managing a small personal setup, this is a usable baseline. The security defaults, TLS 1.2 transport with AES-256 encryption, IP-based restriction, and idle session timeout, are consistent across all tiers including free.

The free plan supports one technician. Adding a second person to your operation requires a paid plan.

Zoho Assist Free Version Limitations

The Zoho Assist free version’s gaps are not edge cases. They are features most IT professionals use in routine support sessions.
  • • No file transfer. Pushing a script, pulling a log file, or dropping a config onto a remote machine requires the Standard plan ($10/tech/month) or above. On the free plan, file movement requires a separate tool running alongside the session. This is the most commonly reported limitation. In Zoho’s own community forum, users regularly ask why file transfer is unavailable on Free, and Zoho’s support confirms it requires the Standard edition. It is not a bug. It is a deliberate plan gate.
  • • No reboot and reconnect. A mid-session reboot ends the free plan session entirely. The end user must reconnect manually, which creates friction on unresponsive machines or with non-technical users. Capterra reviewers also note occasional delays when reconnecting to a session after a restart, a pattern that appears across both free and paid tiers.
  • • One concurrent session only. The free plan supports a single active session at a time. In r/msp discussions around free remote support tools, users point out that needing to connect to two or three machines concurrently puts them into paid-licence territory. For a solo technician handling one user at a time, this is workable. For anyone supporting a small team, it becomes a bottleneck fast.
  • • No custom branding. Every session carries Zoho’s branding. Rebranding is available from RS Professional ($15/tech/month), a significant cost step for any client-facing IT operation.
  • • 5-machine unattended access cap. A small office of six or seven computers exceeds the limit immediately. Nonprofits, solo consultants, and internal IT teams at growing SMBs consistently hit this ceiling early. This is one of the most commonly raised objections to the free plan across IT forums.

“I don’t like the fact that Zoho limits the number of unattended access agents you can install.” — u/bradbeckett, r/sysadmin

  • • Session recording and video chat are Enterprise-only. Both features sit behind the most expensive tier ($24/tech/month). Video chat is often assumed to be available on mid-tier plans. It is not.

HelpWire: Free Alternative to Zoho Assist

HelpWire is remote access software built for IT support teams who need a complete tool without a subscription. It is currently available at no cost, and HelpWire features include everything Zoho Assist gates behind Standard or above.

  • File Transfer, Included Free

    Zoho Assist requires the Standard plan ($10/tech/month) before you can move a single file during a session. HelpWire includes file transfer in its current free access. Copy and paste files between the operator machine and the remote session directly during a live support session, without running a separate tool alongside it.

  • Unattended access

    Zoho Assist Free limits unattended access to 5 computers. HelpWire provides unattended access to remote workstations without the need for the end user’s presence. Gain real-time control of devices, enjoy uninterrupted access, switch users seamlessly, and restart connection anytime, anywhere.

  • Multiple Technicians, No Upgrade Required

    Zoho Assist Free supports one technician. Adding a second person to your team requires a paid plan. HelpWire does not restrict the number of operators, which matters the moment any IT team grows beyond a single person.

  • Reboot and Reconnect

    On Zoho Assist Free, rebooting a remote machine during a session ends the connection. The end user must reconnect manually. HelpWire includes reboot and reconnect as a standard feature. After the machine restarts, the operator reconnects without requiring the end user to take any action.

  • Real-Time Chat During Sessions

    Both Zoho Assist and HelpWire include in-session chat. HelpWire's real-time chat lets operators and end users communicate directly during troubleshooting without switching to a separate messaging tool.

FAQ

Zoho Assist has a permanent free plan that supports one technician, unlimited attended sessions, and up to 5 unattended computers. It is free with no time limit, but file transfer, reboot and reconnect, custom branding, and most third-party integrations require a paid plan. Remote Support plans start at $10/tech/month; Unattended Access plans start at $10/month flat (unlimited technicians).

The Zoho Assist free plan includes instant chat, multi-monitor navigation, clipboard sharing, and up to 5 unattended computers, but withholds file transfer, reboot and reconnect, and screen capture until Standard. Custom branding and session notes arrive at Professional. Session recording, video chat, and audit trails are exclusive to Enterprise. The free plan also limits usage to one technician.

The Zoho Assist free plan supports up to 5 unattended computers. For attended sessions, there is no published machine limit. The restrictions are on technician count (one) and unattended devices. Expanding beyond 5 unattended machines requires the Unattended Access Standard plan at $10/month (a flat monthly fee, not per technician).

HelpWire is currently available at no cost and does not place a published cap on unattended machines. It includes file transfer, supports multiple operators, and covers Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Tags:
Comparison, Free, Zoho Assist