Head to head
Freshdesk vs Help Scout
Both platforms are scored with the same methodology and the same category rubric. Nothing on this page is influenced by advertising.
50/100 | 50/100Higher score | |
|---|---|---|
| Category rank | #7 | #11 |
| Confidence | High confidence | High confidence |
| External Reputation | 87 | 80 |
| AI Authority | 19 | 15 |
| Web Authority | 31 | 32 |
| Expert Assessment | 49 | 72 |
| TOP10 User Score | — | — |
| Pricing | $19/agent/month, billed annually (Growth) · free tier: Free trial available ("Try it free" / "Start for free" on every plan); trial length not published. Page metadata mentions a "Free Program for 2 users" but no free plan appears in the live plan cards. | $25/user/month billed annually (Standard); vendor-supplied monthly figure on G2 is $30/user/month · free tier: Free plan: 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 contacts/mo, 10 saved replies, 10 tags, 10 articles, 1 Beacon, 30-day report history, integrations limited to 1; 15-day free trial of Standard or Plus with no credit card |
| Pricing model | Subscription (per agent) with metered AI and automation add-ons | Subscription (per user/month) plus usage-based AI add-on |
| Best for | Small-to-mid support teams (roughly 10-500 agents), especially email-first operations, that want a full ticketing, portal and knowledge-base stack at a low entry price and want to pilot AI deflection without a separate AI contract. | Small-to-midsize support teams of roughly 5-50 agents with email- and chat-led volume who want a shared inbox and help centre live in days, and who value writing quality and ease of use over analytics depth — especially ecommerce, SaaS and services teams, plus non-profits and B Corps eligible for the Help Scout for Good discount. |
| Avoid if | You need routing, multiple SLA policies or custom dashboards on a tight budget (they force you to $55/agent), you run high AI volumes where metered sessions plus the $29 copilot inflate real cost, you require a published monthly price or a permanent free tier, or you must see documented compliance certification before purchase. | Your priority is reporting depth, custom dashboards or per-agent productivity analytics; you need native voice/telephony rather than an Aircall integration; you need SSO/SAML, IP restrictions or HIPAA on a budget; you need complex routing, heavy automation, ITSM or a CRM in the same tool; or your team is mobile-first or works on unreliable connectivity. |
| Markets | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-Market, Ecommerce, SaaS, Non-profits |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
A higher TOP SCORE means more of the evidence favours that platform on this methodology — it is not a recommendation, and it does not account for your specific requirements. Advertisers are never declared the winner of a comparison.