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Acquire vs Help Scout

Acquire logo

Acquire

Live Chat

Conversational customer engagement platform

From
$50/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Help Scout has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Acquire no pricing published on website; Help Scout the free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
  • They diverge on capability: Acquire covers Co-browsing, Help Scout covers Shared inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acquire and Help Scout actually diverge.

Attributes where Acquire and Help Scout differ
AttributeAcquireHelp Scout
Starting price$50/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded20152011

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acquire

  • Co-browsing
  • Video chat
  • AI chatbots
  • Screen sharing
  • Zendesk
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • PCI DSS

Only in Help Scout

  • Shared inbox
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Jira
  • Shopify

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Knowledge base
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • HIPAA
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acquire

  • Live chat and messaging on a website or appnot Help Scout
  • Omnichannel support across chat, SMS, email and voicenot Help Scout
  • Video and cobrowsing sessions with customersnot Help Scout
  • Routing and SLAs across a support queuenot Help Scout
  • Call deflection from phone into digital channelsnot Help Scout

Help Scout

  • Shared inbox and help desk for customer support teamsnot Acquire
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Acquire

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acquire

  • No pricing published on website
  • Requires demo booking or signup to view pricing
  • Plan names mentioned without associated costs

Help Scout

  • The free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
  • Inboxes are rationed by plan, at 1 on free, 5 on Plus and 10 on Pro
  • Each plan also caps users, at 25 on Standard and 50 on Plus
  • The Pro plan at $75 per user per month carries a 10 user minimum, so the entry cost is $750 a month
  • SSO, SAML and HIPAA compliance are Pro only
  • AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution on top of the seat price

Pricing, plan by plan

Acquire

$50/month
  • Starter$50/month
    • Live chat
    • Basic co-browse
    • Canned responses
  • Professional$100/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Video chat
    • Chatbots
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom features
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantee

Help Scout

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • 1 Inbox
    • 1 Docs site
  • Standard$25/month
    • Multiple inboxes
    • Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger
    • Multiple knowledge bases
  • Plus$45/month
    • Standard features plus advanced workflows
    • Two advanced SLAs
    • Secure portal
  • Pro$75/month
    • Plus features plus unlimited workflows
    • Unlimited SLAs
    • SSO/SAML

Which should you pick?

Choose Acquire if

  • You need co-browsing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video chat.
Acquire review

Choose Help Scout if

  • You need shared inbox.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want customer profiles.
Help Scout review

Questions people ask

Is Acquire or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Acquire starts at $50/month and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acquire or Help Scout?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/month for Acquire and Free for Help Scout.
Does Acquire or Help Scout run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Yes. Help Scout has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acquire starts at $50/month.
What is Acquire best used for?
Acquire is most often used for live chat and messaging on a website or app, omnichannel support across chat, sms, email and voice, video and cobrowsing sessions with customers, routing and slas across a support queue. Of those, live chat and messaging on a website or app and omnichannel support across chat, sms, email and voice are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Acquire do that Help Scout cannot?
Acquire covers Co-browsing, Video chat, AI chatbots, Screen sharing. Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Customer profiles, Workflows, Reporting. Both handle Live chat, Knowledge base, Salesforce, HubSpot.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Acquire: What are Acquire's pricing tiers?

Acquire does not display pricing on its public website. The platform offers Self Service and Integrated Solution plans, but costs are only available upon request through booking a demo or contacting the sales team directly.

Source
Help Scout: How much does Help Scout cost?

Help Scout offers a free plan for up to 5 users. Paid plans start at $25/user/month (Standard), $45/user/month (Plus), and $75/user/month (Pro).

Source
Acquire: Does Acquire offer professional services?

Yes. Acquire offers tailored professional services to create a customer service solution specifically designed for your business needs. Pricing for these services is determined during a custom sales consultation.

Source
Help Scout: What is included in the Pro plan?

Help Scout Pro at $75/user/month includes unlimited workflows, unlimited SLAs, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance, up to 50 light users, dedicated onboarding, and a strategic account manager.

Source
Help Scout: Does Help Scout offer a free trial?

Yes, Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial for Standard and Plus plans with no credit card required. Pro plan requires booking a demo.

Source
Help Scout: What is the cost of Help Scout's AI Answers add-on?

Help Scout's AI Answers add-on costs $0.75 per resolution with a 3-month free trial included.

Source
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