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CRM · head to head

Agile CRM vs Help Scout

Agile CRM logo

Agile CRM

CRM

All-in-one CRM, Marketing, and Service Software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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

  • Each has a real cost: Agile CRM limited to 10 free users with basic features only; 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: Agile CRM covers Contact management, Help Scout covers Shared inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Agile CRM and Help Scout actually diverge.

Attributes where Agile CRM and Help Scout differ
AttributeAgile CRMHelp Scout
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
Founded20092011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 Agile CRM

  • Contact management
  • Lead scoring
  • Email automation
  • Marketing automation
  • Service desk
  • Web forms
  • Analytics
  • Zapier

Only in Help Scout

  • Shared inbox
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot

Both cover

  • Slack
  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Agile CRM

  • Managing customer relationships and contactsnot Help Scout
  • Automating sales workflows and pipeline trackingnot Help Scout
  • Running email marketing campaigns and lead generationnot Help Scout
  • Building helpdesk and customer support systemsnot Help Scout

Help Scout

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

Where each one falls short

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

Agile CRM

  • Limited to 10 free users with basic features only
  • Email and phone support included starting at $8.99 tier
  • CRM analytics features require additional per-usage pricing for email counts

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

Agile CRM

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 users
    • 1
    • 000 Contacts & Companies
  • Starter$8.99/monthly
    • 10
    • 000 Contacts & Companies
    • 3 Plugins
  • Regular$29.99/monthly
    • 50
    • 000 Contacts & Companies
    • 50+ Plugins/Integrations
  • Enterprise$47.99/monthly
    • Unlimited Contacts & Companies
    • 50+ Plugins
    • Dedicated Account Rep

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 Agile CRM if

  • You need contact management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want lead scoring.
Agile CRM review

Choose Help Scout if

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

Questions people ask

Is Agile CRM or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Agile CRM starts at Free and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Agile CRM or Help Scout?
Agile CRM starts at Free and Help Scout at Free.
Does Agile CRM or Help Scout run on more platforms?
Agile CRM runs on Web. Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Agile CRM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Agile CRM best used for?
Agile CRM is most often used for managing customer relationships and contacts, automating sales workflows and pipeline tracking, running email marketing campaigns and lead generation, building helpdesk and customer support systems. Of those, managing customer relationships and contacts and automating sales workflows and pipeline tracking are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Agile CRM do that Help Scout cannot?
Agile CRM covers Contact management, Lead scoring, Email automation, Marketing automation. Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles. Both handle Slack, GDPR, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Agile CRM: How much does Agile CRM cost?

Agile CRM offers a free plan for up to 10 users with basic CRM, sales, and helpdesk features. Paid plans start at $8.99/user/month for the Starter tier and go up to $47.99/user/month for Enterprise with unlimited contacts and custom features. Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20241226213740/https://www.agilecrm.com/pricing

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
Agile CRM: Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan at any time?

Yes, you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your plan at any time directly from Agile CRM's online dashboard, with no penalties or long-term contracts required.

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
Agile CRM: What is the uptime guarantee for paid plans?

Agile CRM offers a 99.5% uptime guarantee on all paid plans, ensuring your system is available 99.5% of the time. The platform is hosted on Google and Amazon cloud infrastructure for reliability.

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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