Help Scout
An email-style shared inbox for customer support with Docs and Beacon chat, per-user plans from a free tier to Pro, and AI Answers billed per resolution.
- Free plan
- Free trial
- Per-seat pricing
- Usage-based elements
- Cloud
- AI features
- Independent sources
What is Help Scout?
Help Scout is a customer support platform built around a shared inbox that feels like email, with a Docs knowledge base, Beacon live chat and widget, workflows and reporting, sold per user in Free, Standard, Plus and Pro plans.
- Best forSmall email-first support teams
- Team size fitSmall teams, Mid-size teams
- PricingFree plan for up to 5 users; Standard reported at $25 per user per month billed annually. Free plan available.
- Main limitationPer-inbox and per-Docs-site metering adds cost for teams with many brands or departments.
- AlternativesZendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom
Help Scout overview: who it is for and what it does.
Help Scout is a shared-inbox customer support platform that deliberately feels like personal email rather than a ticketing queue. Independent 2026 guides describe a shared inbox for email, live chat and social messages with collision detection, internal notes and saved replies, a Docs knowledge base, and Beacon, a chat and help widget.
Pricing is per user with unlimited contacts on paid plans. Guides report a Free plan for up to five users with one inbox, one Docs site and 100 contacts a month, then Standard at $25, Plus at $45 and Pro at $75 per user per month on annual billing. Plus adds features such as custom fields, advanced permissions, more inboxes and integrations with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Jira, while Pro is aimed at larger teams that need enterprise security, with a 10-user minimum.
AI is split in two. AI assistant features such as drafts, summaries and translation sit inside the inbox, while AI Answers, a customer-facing bot built on the knowledge base, is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution with a three-month free trial. Guides also note that Help Scout changed pricing models in 2025 and returned to per-user plans, so buyers should confirm the current structure.
Main problem it solves
Gives small and mid-size support teams a clean shared inbox, a self-service knowledge base and live chat without the complexity of a full ticketing suite.
Typical customer segment
Small teams on the Free and Standard plans, growing teams on Plus, and larger teams needing enterprise security on Pro.
Target users
- Email-first support teams that want a simple shared inbox
- Small teams that want a free start and a knowledge base
- Teams that want AI answers grounded in their own help content
Primary use cases
- Shared email inbox with internal notes
- Knowledge base with Docs
- Live chat and help widget with Beacon
- AI drafts, summaries and AI Answers
- Workflows and reporting
What makes it distinct
- An email-like inbox that avoids ticket-queue complexity.
- Unlimited contacts on paid plans with transparent per-user pricing.
- A published free tier and a customer-facing AI that bills only per resolution.
Help Scout features explained.
Inbox and knowledge base
- Shared inbox
- Email, live chat and social messages in one workspace, with collision detection, internal notes and saved replies.
- Docs knowledge base
- A help center site; the Free plan includes one Docs site, Standard one or more, and extra Docs sites cost $20 a month.
- Beacon
- A live chat and help widget; the Free plan includes basic Beacon widgets.
Automation and AI
- Workflows
- Basic workflows on Standard, with advanced workflows reported on Plus and above.
- AI assist in the inbox
- Drafts, summaries and translation inside the inbox; sources differ on which plans include each feature.
- AI Answers
- A customer-facing bot billed at $0.75 per resolution, only when the customer does not ask for more help, with a three-month free trial.
Plans and administration
- Inbox and user limits
- Standard is reported to allow 2 inboxes and up to 25 users, Plus 5 inboxes and up to 50 users, and Pro 10 inboxes.
- Integrations
- HubSpot, Salesforce and Jira integrations are reported to need Plus or above.
- Extra inboxes and light users
- Extra inboxes cost about $10 a month, and extra light users about $10 a month.
Help Scout pricing and plans.
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 15 Oct 2026 against Carly · Automation Atlas · Dupple · Chatarmin.
Pricing model
Per user per month by plan, billed annually for the lowest rates, with unlimited contacts on paid plans, plus usage-based AI Answers and add-ons.
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Yes A 15-day trial of Standard or Plus is reported.
Help Scout plans and prices (USD)
Free
$0
n/a
Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 contacts a month.
Standard
$25 per user per month billed annually
Annual or monthly
Up to 25 users, email and live chat, workflows, 100+ integrations.
Plus
$45 per user per month billed annually
Annual or monthly
More inboxes, custom fields, advanced permissions, extra integrations.
Pro
$75 per user per month billed annually
Annual
Enterprise security; a 10-user minimum is reported.
AI Answers (add-on)
$0.75 per resolution
Usage-based
Three-month free trial; monthly spend caps available.
These figures agree across several independent 2026 guides, one citing Help Scout's pricing page as of 29 September 2026. Help Scout's own pricing page was not reviewed directly. Sources disagree on Pro minimums and on which plan includes some AI features, and Help Scout has changed pricing models more than once, so confirm current terms with the vendor.
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesHelp Scout integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- 100+ integrations (Standard, reported)
- HubSpot, Salesforce and Jira (Plus and above)
- WhatsApp (Plus only, reported)
- Slack
Supported platforms
- Web
- Mobile apps
API
Not reviewed for this profile.
Data import and export
Not reviewed for this profile.
Integration depth was not assessed. Check Help Scout's integration directory.
Balanced and sourced.
Each point cites a source. Editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Strengths
- A real free plan for up to five users, with a Docs site and 100 contacts a month. [1]
- Paid plans have unlimited contacts and transparent per-user pricing, which makes budgeting predictable. [5]
- The email-like inbox is simple for small teams that find ticketing tools heavy. [3]
- AI Answers charges only when the bot resolves a conversation, with a free trial period. [1]
Limitations
- Per-inbox and per-Docs-site metering adds cost for teams with many brands or departments. [3]
- AI Answers is a separate per-resolution meter on top of seats. [2]
- The free plan is capped at 100 contacts a month, 10 saved replies and 10 tags, and has no workflows. [4]
- The Pro plan carries a reported 10-user minimum, and pricing models have changed repeatedly. [1]
Best for
- Small email-first support teams
- Teams that want a free start and a simple knowledge base
- Teams that want a pay-per-resolution AI bot grounded in their help content
May be less suited to
- Teams running many brands that each need separate inboxes
- Teams that need complex omnichannel routing and deep reporting out of the box
Alternatives to Help Scout.
Zendesk
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Explore →Related productIntercom
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Explore →Help Scout compared with similar customer support software.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Pricing model | Free plan | Channels | Automation | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Per user per month; AI Answers per resolution | Yes, up to 5 users | Email, live chat (Beacon), social | Workflows; advanced on Plus and above | AI assist in inbox; AI Answers $0.75 per resolution |
| Freshdesk | Per agent per month; AI sessions extra | Free Program: 1-2 agents for 6 months | Email-first; multichannel via Omni | Automation and SLAs from Growth | Freddy AI Copilot and AI Agent add-ons |
| Gorgias | Ticket-volume buckets; unlimited users | No free plan; trial reported | Email, chat, SMS, social, WhatsApp and voice | Macros and rules with Shopify order actions | AI Agent billed per resolution |
| Intercom | Per seat plus Fin AI per resolution | No permanent free plan identified | Messenger chat, inbox, email; SMS and WhatsApp per message | Workflows; advanced on Advanced and Expert | Fin AI Agent ($0.99 per resolution), Copilot add-on |
| Zendesk | Per agent per month; AI per resolution beyond allowance | No permanent free plan identified | Email, chat, social, voice (by plan) | Routing and AI agents by plan | AI agents, Copilot add-on |
| Zoho Desk | Per agent per month; light agents extra | Yes, up to three agents | Email, social, phone and chat (varies by plan) | Workflow rules, Blueprint and SLAs | Zia, Answer Bot and Zia Agent Studio |
Help Scout head-to-head.
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Help Scout questions and answers
What is Help Scout used for?
Help Scout is used to manage customer support in a shared inbox that feels like email, with a Docs knowledge base, Beacon live chat, workflows and reporting.
Does Help Scout have a free plan?
Yes. Independent 2026 guides report a Free plan for up to five users with one inbox, one Docs site and 100 contacts a month.
How much does Help Scout cost?
Guides report Standard at $25, Plus at $45 and Pro at $75 per user per month on annual billing, with unlimited contacts on paid plans. AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution. Confirm on helpscout.com.
How does Help Scout AI Answers pricing work?
AI Answers is billed at $0.75 per resolution when the bot answers and the customer does not ask for more help, with a three-month free trial and spend caps, according to independent guides.
Does Help Scout charge per contact?
Help Scout moved to contact-based pricing in 2025 and later returned to per-user plans. Paid plans are reported to have unlimited contacts, but confirm the current model.
What are the main alternatives to Help Scout?
Zendesk, Freshdesk and Intercom are common alternatives. See their profiles.
What integrations does Help Scout support?
Documented integrations and ecosystem items include 100+ integrations (Standard, reported), HubSpot, Salesforce and Jira (Plus and above), WhatsApp (Plus only, reported), Slack. API details: Not reviewed for this profile.
What are the limitations of Help Scout?
Per-inbox and per-Docs-site metering adds cost for teams with many brands or departments. AI Answers is a separate per-resolution meter on top of seats. The free plan is capped at 100 contacts a month, 10 saved replies and 10 tags, and has no workflows.
Which platforms does Help Scout run on?
Help Scout is documented as available on: Web, Mobile apps.
When was the Help Scout profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 15 Oct 2026. 5 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- Help Scout Pricing in 2026: Plans, AI Answers and Per-User Billing Carly Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- How much does Help Scout cost in 2026? Pricing breakdown Automation Atlas Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Help Scout review (updated July 2026) Dupple Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Help Scout pricing 2026 in detail: Free, Standard, Plus & Pro plans Chatarmin Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Help Scout Review 2026: Pricing, Pros & Cons Featurebase Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
Secondary-source profile. Vendor pages were not reviewed directly for this profile. Facts and prices are corroborated across independent third-party sources and may differ from the vendor's current pages. Confirm with the vendor before buying.
Plans, prices and AI Answers billing are corroborated across independent third-party sources, which differ on some plan details. Help Scout's own pages were not reviewed directly and capabilities were not tested.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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