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Verified #7 in Communication

Help Scout

Shared inbox and help desk with AI drafts, an AI support agent and a free plan for up to 5 users.

From $25/user/mo Free plan
↗ helpscout.com Listed Nov 6, 2026 Communication · CRM & Sales
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Help Scout at a glance

Help Scout — Shared inbox and help desk with AI drafts, an AI support agent and a free plan for up to 5 users. It has a free plan, with paid plans from $25/user/mo and a free trial (Free plan; Envoy AI add-on has a 3-month free trial). Best for small and mid-sized support teams that want a simple shared inbox with AI help. It ranks #7 of 7 in our Communication guide.

Rating
Not rated yet
Starting price
$25/user/mo
Free plan / trial
YesTrial: Free plan; Envoy AI add-on has a 3-month free trial
Guide rank
#7 of 7 Communication
Best for small and mid-sized support teams that want a simple shared inbox with AI help Web · iOS · Android

About Help Scout

Help Scout is a customer support platform built around a shared Inbox that brings email, live chat, SMS, social messaging and voice into one workspace. Conversations are assigned automatically, context carries through handoffs, and workflows keep the queue organized.

On top of the Inbox, the vendor sells three AI and analytics products. Envoy is an AI agent (called Scout) that answers customer questions from your help content and hands off to a human when needed. Copilot drafts replies and answers questions from your knowledge base for agents. Signal surfaces conversation trends so teams can spot problems early. The vendor says it supports 12,000+ customer-first brands and that Scout resolves 73% of the requests it receives on average; treat that as a vendor claim.

Pricing is per user per month. A Free plan covers up to 5 users, 1 Inbox and 1 Docs knowledge-base site. Standard, Plus and Pro add more inboxes, advanced workflows, SLA policies, routing and integrations with Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot. SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance are listed on the Pro plan. Envoy is a paid add-on billed per resolution, with a 3-month free trial.

Help Scout suits small and mid-sized support teams that want a clean, email-like help desk without the setup weight of a large contact-center suite. Teams that need deep voice, workforce management or very large enterprise customization may prefer a heavier platform.

Help Scout pros & cons

What's good
  • A permanent Free plan covers up to 5 users, 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site.
  • Email, chat, SMS, social and voice land in one shared Inbox.
  • AI Drafts and Copilot help agents reply faster while a human stays in control.
  • Envoy AI is billed per resolution at USD 0.75, so cost follows results.
  • SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance are listed on the Pro plan.
Watch out for
  • Pro plan pricing and many advanced limits push larger teams to a sales conversation.
  • Extra inboxes cost USD 10 per month each on Standard, Plus and Pro.
  • The Free plan is capped at 100 contacts per month.
  • Fewer marketplace integrations than the largest help desks (the vendor lists 100+).

Key features

Shared Inbox
Email, live chat, SMS, social messaging and voice in one workspace with automatic assignment.
Envoy AI agent
An AI agent that answers from your content and escalates to humans; billed at USD 0.75 per resolution.
Copilot and AI Drafts
Generates reply drafts and answers agent questions from the knowledge base.
Signal analytics
Surfaces conversation trends and at-risk accounts beyond basic reports.
Docs knowledge base
Public help-center sites; multiple knowledge bases on paid plans.
Mobile apps
iOS and Android apps for answering customers on the go.

Help Scout pricing

Starting at
$25/user/mo
Free plan; paid from USD 25/user/month (Standard), as of Nov 2026
  • Free planYes
  • Free trialFree plan; Envoy AI add-on has a 3-month free trial
  • CurrencyUSD

Prices change — confirm on Help Scout's site before you buy.

Help Scout alternatives

All Communication tools

How Help Scout stacks up against the tools readers weigh it against.

Tool Rating From Free plan Endorsed Compare
Help Scout Help Scout This page — $25/user/mo Yes 0
HubSpot HubSpot Named by readers — $9/seat/mo Yes 0 Compare
Intercom Intercom Named by readers — $29/seat/mo No 0 Compare
Front Front Named by readers — — — 0 Compare
Zendesk Zendesk Named by readers — $19/agent/mo No 0 Compare
Close Close Best for inside-sales and outbound teams... 4.7 $9/user/mo No 0 Compare
C
Chili Piper Best for B2B revenue teams that need inbo... 		4.6 $1,250/mo (billed yearly) No 0 Compare
Compare Help Scout with… Help Scout vs HubSpot Help Scout vs Intercom Help Scout vs Front Help Scout vs Zendesk Help Scout vs Close Help Scout vs Chili Piper

Frequently asked questions

What is Help Scout?

Help Scout is a customer support platform with a shared Inbox for email, chat, SMS, social and voice, a Docs knowledge base, and AI products named Envoy, Copilot and Signal.

How much does Help Scout cost?

The pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 5 users, Standard at USD 25 per user per month, Plus at USD 45 and Pro at USD 75, with an advertised 16% discount for annual billing. Prices as of November 2026; check the pricing page for the current billing option shown.

Does Help Scout have a free plan?

Yes. The Free plan includes up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts per month.

How is Help Scout's AI agent priced?

Envoy is an add-on billed at USD 0.75 per resolution each month, with a 3-month free trial listed on the pricing page.

Is Help Scout HIPAA compliant?

HIPAA compliance is listed as a feature of the Pro plan. Confirm a signed agreement with the vendor before storing health information.

What are the main alternatives to Help Scout?

Zendesk, Intercom and Front are listed on ProductListo. Other common alternatives include Freshdesk and the support modules in HubSpot.

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