What does Help Scout do?
Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk for email, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, with knowledge base (Docs) sites and AI features. A free plan covers 5 users and 100 contacts a month. Standard is $25 per user a month billed yearly ($30 monthly), and AI Answers through Envoy cost $0.75 per resolution.
- Shared Inbox. Email and messaging in one inbox, with tags, saved replies and workflows.
- Channels. Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from Standard.
- Docs knowledge base. Public help center sites, from 1 on Free to 5 on Pro.
- AI Inbox assistant and AI Drafts. AI help for agents; unlimited AI Drafts from Plus.
- Envoy AI Answers. AI agent that answers customer requests, priced per resolution with a 3-month free trial.
- SLAs and routing. One basic SLA on Standard, two advanced on Plus, unlimited on Pro, plus round robin routing from Plus.
Who is Help Scout for?
Help Scout is a good fit if you're a business owner or a customer support lead, and you need help answering customer questions.
How much does Help Scout cost?
Help Scout starts at $25/user/mo. It also has a free plan. Its pricing page lists a free trial. We checked this on Oct 22, 2026 on the official pricing page.
- Starts at
- $25/user/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 15 days, no credit card
Standard billed yearly ($30 billed monthly): up to 25 users, 2 inboxes. Free plan: 5 users, 100 contacts a month. AI answers via Envoy cost $0.75 per resolution.
Help Scout plans compared
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 5 users, 100 contacts a month, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site; no payment method needed |
| Standard | $30/user/mo | $25/user/mo | Up to 25 users, unlimited contacts, 2 inboxes, 2 Docs sites, live chat and SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, basic workflows, AI Inbox assistant |
| Plus | $54/user/mo | $45/user/mo | Up to 50 users, 5 inboxes, 3 Docs sites, advanced workflows, unlimited AI Drafts, Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot integrations |
| Pro | $90/user/mo | $75/user/mo | Minimum 10 users, 10 inboxes, 5 Docs sites, unlimited workflows, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance, up to 50 light users; demo via sales |
| Envoy (add-on) | Custom | Custom | $0.75 per AI resolution, billed monthly; 3-month free trial; pre-paid discounts available |
Prices are in USD, read on Oct 22, 2026: yearly prices from a US connection; monthly prices read by switching the page's Monthly/Annual toggle (yearly shows a "-16%" badge). Paid plans are priced per user. Extra inboxes cost $10/mo billed yearly ($12 monthly) and extra Docs sites $20/mo ($24 monthly). An AI resolution counts only when the customer gets an AI answer and doesn't escalate or ask for more help. Standard and Plus have a 15-day free trial with no credit card.
Checked Oct 22, 2026 on Help Scout's pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
Help Scout pros and cons
What stands out
- Free plan for up to 5 users and 100 contacts a month
- 15-day free trial on Standard and Plus with no credit card
- Unlimited contacts on all paid plans
- AI agent priced per resolution ($0.75), with a 3-month free trial
- Knowledge base sites included on every plan
Watch out for
- Priced per user, so cost rises with team size
- Pro needs at least 10 users ($750/mo billed yearly minimum)
- SSO and HIPAA only on Pro
- Extra inboxes ($10–12/mo) and Docs sites ($20–24/mo) cost extra
Based on Help Scout's own pages, not hands-on testing.
What are the alternatives to Help Scout?
We list 3 other AI Chatbots & Customer Support tools: ManyChat, Tidio, Zendesk. Each one below shows its starting price and when you might pick it instead.
Zendesk · From $19/agent/moChoose Zendesk if you want a lower starting price ($19/agent/mo vs $25/user/mo).
Compared in
Help Scout FAQ
Is Help Scout free?
Yes. The Free plan covers up to 5 users, 100 contacts a month, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, with no payment method required.
Does Help Scout have a free trial?
Standard and Plus have a 15-day free trial with no credit card. Pro is sold through a demo.
How much does Help Scout AI cost?
The AI Inbox assistant comes with Standard and unlimited AI Drafts with Plus. AI Answers through Envoy cost $0.75 per resolution, billed monthly, with a 3-month free trial.
What counts as an AI resolution in Help Scout?
Only when the customer gets an AI response and doesn't escalate, search the knowledge base, ask more questions or request more help.
Is Help Scout cheaper than Zendesk?
On entry plans billed yearly, Help Scout Standard is $25 per user a month, against $19 for Zendesk Support Team (email only) and $55 for Zendesk Suite Team. Help Scout also has a free plan; Zendesk does not.
Sources and how we checked
- Official pricing page, checked Oct 22, 2026
- Official website