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Customer Support · head to head

Gladly vs Help Scout

Gladly logo

Gladly

Customer Support

Radically personal customer service

From
$180/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

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: Gladly no pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers; 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: Gladly covers Lifelong conversation, Help Scout covers Shared inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Gladly and Help Scout differ
AttributeGladlyHelp Scout
Starting price$180/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20142011

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

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 Gladly

  • Lifelong conversation
  • Omnichannel support
  • Customer timeline
  • Task management
  • IVR
  • Magento
  • Kustomer
  • Stripe

Only in Help Scout

  • Shared inbox
  • Live chat
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • HubSpot
  • Jira

Both cover

  • Knowledge base
  • Shopify
  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Gladly

  • Customer service built around a single customer record rather than ticketsnot Help Scout
  • Handling support conversations across voice, messaging and emailnot Help Scout

Help Scout

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

Where each one falls short

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

Gladly

  • No pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers
  • The pricing page presents outcome statistics in place of any cost information
  • Every route to a figure goes through a demo or sales conversation

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

Gladly

$180/month
  • Hero$180/month
    • All channels
    • Customer timeline
    • Knowledge base
  • Superhero$210/month
    • Everything in Hero
    • Custom reporting
    • Advanced rules

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 Gladly if

  • You need lifelong conversation.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want omnichannel support.
Gladly review

Choose Help Scout if

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

Questions people ask

Is Gladly or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Gladly starts at $180/month and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gladly or Help Scout?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $180/month for Gladly and Free for Help Scout.
Does Gladly 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. Gladly starts at $180/month.
What is Gladly best used for?
Gladly is most often used for customer service built around a single customer record rather than tickets, handling support conversations across voice, messaging and email. Of those, customer service built around a single customer record rather than tickets and handling support conversations across voice, messaging and email are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Gladly do that Help Scout cannot?
Gladly covers Lifelong conversation, Omnichannel support, Customer timeline, Task management. Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Live chat, Customer profiles, Workflows. Both handle Knowledge base, Shopify, Salesforce, SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gladly: How much does Gladly cost?

Gladly does not publish pricing on its website. The vendor directs prospective customers to request a demo or contact the sales team for custom pricing tailored to organizational needs.

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
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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