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Help Scout
by Help Scout · Boston, United States · Since 2011
Email-based customer support.
Helpdesk softwareFree plan
- Starting price
- $25 per user/mo
- Standard plan on monthly billing; annual billing is stated as -16%
- Free trial / plan
- Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site, with 100 monthly contacts and 10 saved replies/tags
- Start without a card
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Web
- App Advisor rating
- 4.6
- transparency & India fit
What is Help Scout?
Help Scout is an email-first shared inbox and help desk with live chat, a knowledge base (Docs) and social/messaging channels, aimed at small and mid-sized support teams.
Pricing is per user per month across three paid tiers, with a genuinely free tier for up to 5 users.
Its AI chatbot, AI Answers, is priced separately on a per-resolution basis rather than bundled into the seat price.
What works well
- +A real free plan for up to 5 users, not just a trial.
- +WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and SMS are available from the entry paid tier rather than reserved for higher plans.
- +Per-resolution AI pricing ($0.75) is lower than several competitors' published per-resolution rates.
- +Pro includes up to 50 light users, a dedicated onboarding specialist and a strategic account manager.
What to watch out for
- −SSO/SAML and HIPAA are only on the $75/user Pro tier.
- −The free plan is tightly capped at 100 monthly contacts, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site.
- −Extra inboxes and Docs sites are separately chargeable ($10-$12/mo and $20-$24/mo).
- −AI Answers usage is on top of seats, so the bill is not fully fixed.
Best suited for: Small and mid-sized teams that live in email and want a shared inbox rather than a heavy ticketing system · Teams that need WhatsApp and social channels without buying a top-tier plan · Organisations under 5 users that want a free, non-expiring option
AI analysis of Help Scout
Analysing Help Scout — pricing, features, reviews and alternatives…
Generated by App Advisor's native engine from this listing's verified data — not a paid placement.
Help Scout features
Researched from Help Scout's official product pages · updated September 2026.
Inbox & ticketing
- Shared inbox
- Multiple inboxes (Standard and above)
- Unlimited tags and saved replies (Standard and above)
- Internal teams and company grouping (Plus and above)
- Round robin routing (Plus); multiple routing types (Pro)
Channels
- Live chat
- SMS
- Facebook Messenger
Knowledge base
- Docs knowledge base
- Multiple knowledge bases (Standard and above)
- Secure customer portal (Plus and above)
Automation & SLAs
- Basic workflows (Standard)
- Advanced workflows (Plus)
- Unlimited workflows (Pro)
- One basic SLA policy (Standard)
- Two advanced SLA policies (Plus)
- Unlimited SLA policies (Pro)
AI
- AI Inbox assistant (Standard and above)
- Unlimited AI Drafts (Plus and above)
- AI Answers chatbot, billed at $0.75 per resolution
Administration & security
- SSO/SAML (Pro)
- HIPAA compliance (Pro)
- Up to 50 light users (Pro)
- Dedicated onboarding specialist and strategic account manager (Pro)
AI capabilities
- AI Inbox assistant is included from the Standard plan.
- Unlimited AI Drafts are included from the Plus plan.
- AI Answers is an autonomous chatbot billed at $0.75 per resolution, with a 3-month free trial included (vendor-stated).
Help Scout pricing (USD)
SourceEvery edition as published by the vendor · free trial: 15 days. Prices exclude GST unless stated. Full Help Scout pricing breakdown
Free
$0
per month
- Up to 5 users
- 1 Inbox
- 1 Docs site
- 100 monthly contacts
- 10 saved replies/tags
Standard
$25
per user/mo
- Multiple inboxes
- Live chat
- SMS
- Messenger
- Multiple knowledge bases
- One basic SLA policy
- Basic workflows
- Unlimited tags and saved replies
- AI Inbox assistant
Plus
$45
per user/mo
- Everything in Standard
- Advanced workflows
- Two advanced SLA policies
- Secure customer portal
- Unlimited AI Drafts
- Round robin routing
- Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot integrations
- Internal teams
- Company grouping
Pro
$75
per user/mo
- Everything in Plus
- Unlimited workflows
- Unlimited SLA policies
- Multiple routing types
- SSO/SAML
- HIPAA compliance
- Up to 50 light users
- Dedicated onboarding specialist
- Strategic account manager
- Preferred Aircall pricing
Other pricing options & add-ons
AI Answers
per resolution; autonomous chatbot, with a 3-month free trial included
$0.75
Additional Inbox
on annual billing ($12/mo on monthly)
$10/mo
Additional Docs site
on annual billing ($24/mo on monthly)
$20/mo
- • Plan prices above are the monthly-billing figures shown on helpscout.com/pricing. The page states annual billing is '-16%' versus monthly; exact annual per-user figures were not read off the page, so none are asserted here.
- • The 15-day free trial (no credit card required) is stated for the Standard and Plus plans.
- • AI Answers is a usage-based add-on at $0.75 per resolution and is not included in the per-user price.
- • Pro includes up to 50 light users; light-user pricing outside Pro was not published on the page fetched.
Buying for a team? App Advisor can get you a volume quote and any partner discount available.
Integrations, security & India
Integrations
- Salesforce (Plus and above)
- Jira (Plus and above)
- HubSpot (Plus and above)
- Aircall (preferred pricing on Pro)
Security & compliance
- Vendor-stated: 'Help Scout is SOC2 Type 2 certified for Security and Availability.'
- Vendor-stated: Help Scout 'maintains ongoing compliance with the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and is able to process, maintain, and store protected health information'. HIPAA compliance is listed as a Pro-plan feature on the pricing page.
- SSO/SAML is available on the Pro plan.
- GDPR posture and EU/India data residency were not stated on the vendor security page fetched, so nothing is asserted here.
For Indian businesses
- Pricing is published in USD on the vendor's pricing page; no INR price list was found on the vendor site.
- INR billing, GST-compliant invoicing, India data residency and India-hours local support were not verifiable from the vendor pages fetched — confirm directly with the vendor before purchase.
- WhatsApp is listed as an included channel from the Standard plan on the vendor pricing page, which matters for Indian buyers; whether this is the WhatsApp Business API specifically was not stated there.
Is Help Scout the best choice for you?
Best choice if you are…
- Small and mid-sized teams that live in email and want a shared inbox rather than a heavy ticketing system
- Teams that need WhatsApp and social channels without buying a top-tier plan
- Organisations under 5 users that want a free, non-expiring option
Look elsewhere if you are…
- Teams needing SSO on a budget, since it starts at $75/user
- Large enterprises wanting published EU/India data residency guarantees
Still comparing? Get an unbiased shortlist and demos arranged for free.
Sources (2) · updated September 2026
Help Scout screenshots
Specifications
- Category
- Helpdesk software
- Vendor
- Help Scout
- Headquarters
- Boston, United States
- Founded
- 2011
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Starting price
- Free plan
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Platforms
- Web
- Best for
- Startup, Small business, SMB
- Made in India
- No
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Help Scout — frequently asked questions
How much does Help Scout cost?+
Help Scout's paid plans are $25 per user/mo (Standard), $45 per user/mo (Plus) and $75 per user/mo (Pro) on monthly billing. There is also a free plan for up to 5 users. Annual billing is stated as 16% cheaper than monthly.
Is Help Scout free?+
Yes, there is a free plan, but it is capped: up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 monthly contacts and 10 saved replies/tags. Beyond those limits you move to Standard at $25 per user/mo. Standard and Plus also have a 15-day free trial with no credit card required.
How much does Help Scout AI Answers cost?+
AI Answers, Help Scout's autonomous chatbot, is billed at $0.75 per resolution. It is a usage-based add-on on top of your per-user subscription, and the pricing page states a 3-month free trial is included.
Does Help Scout support WhatsApp?+
Yes. WhatsApp is listed among the channels included in the Standard plan on Help Scout's pricing page, alongside live chat, SMS, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
Which Help Scout plan has SSO?+
SSO/SAML is a Pro-plan feature at $75 per user/mo. Pro also adds HIPAA compliance, unlimited workflows, unlimited SLA policies, multiple routing types and up to 50 light users.
What is the difference between Help Scout Standard and Plus?+
Plus ($45 per user/mo) adds advanced workflows, two advanced SLA policies, a secure customer portal, unlimited AI Drafts, round robin routing, Salesforce/Jira/HubSpot integrations, internal teams and company grouping on top of everything in Standard ($25 per user/mo).
How long is the Help Scout free trial?+
15 days, with no credit card required, for the Standard and Plus plans.
Is Help Scout SOC 2 certified?+
Help Scout states on its security page that it 'is SOC2 Type 2 certified for Security and Availability'. It also states ongoing HIPAA compliance, and HIPAA is listed as a Pro-plan feature.
What is Help Scout?+
Help Scout is helpdesk software by Help Scout. Email-based customer support.
How much does Help Scout cost?+
Help Scout has a free plan. Check the vendor's pricing page for current plans.
Does Help Scout offer a free trial or free plan?+
Yes — Help Scout offers a free plan you can start with.
Is Help Scout made in India?+
No. Help Scout is developed by Help Scout in Boston, United States, though it is used by Indian businesses.
Who is Help Scout best suited for?+
Help Scout suits startup, small business, smb buyers looking for helpdesk software.
What are the best alternatives to Help Scout?+
Popular alternatives in helpdesk software include Freshdesk, Zoho Desk, Freshservice. Use App Advisor's compare tool to see them side by side.
How is Help Scout deployed?+
Help Scout is available as a cloud (SaaS) product, with web access.
About Help Scout
Help Scout · Boston, United States · Founded 2011 · 1 product in our catalogue
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