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All industries · head to head

Freshdesk vs Help Scout

Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

All industries

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

All industries

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Help Scout has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards; 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: Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Help Scout covers Shared inbox.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Freshdesk and Help Scout differ
AttributeFreshdeskHelp Scout
Starting price$19/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryAll industriesUnknown
Founded20102011

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Freshdesk

  • Ticketing
  • Automation
  • Self-service
  • Team collaboration
  • Multi-channel support
  • SLA management
  • Mobile apps
  • Microsoft Teams

Only in Help Scout

  • Shared inbox
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • HubSpot
  • Web support
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Jira
  • Shopify
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Freshdesk

  • Help desk and ticketing systemnot Help Scout
  • Customer support portal and knowledge basenot Help Scout
  • Multi-channel support coordinationnot Help Scout
  • AI-assisted support agent interactionnot Help Scout

Help Scout

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

Where each one falls short

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

Freshdesk

  • Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
  • Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
  • Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)

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

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.

Help Scout

Free
  • Standard$20/month
    • 2 mailboxes
    • 1 Docs site
    • Email & live chat
  • Plus$40/month
    • 5 mailboxes
    • Custom fields
    • Advanced permissions
  • Pro$65/month
    • 25 mailboxes
    • Enterprise security
    • HIPAA compliance

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want automation.
Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Help Scout?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshdesk and Free for Help Scout.
Does Freshdesk or Help Scout run on more platforms?
Freshdesk runs on Web. Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Yes. Help Scout has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshdesk starts at $19/month.
What is Freshdesk best used for?
Freshdesk is most often used for help desk and ticketing system, customer support portal and knowledge base, multi-channel support coordination, ai-assisted support agent interaction. Of those, help desk and ticketing system and customer support portal and knowledge base are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Freshdesk do that Help Scout cannot?
Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration. Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles. Both handle Reporting, Slack, Salesforce, Jira.
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Related pages

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