Software · head to head
Gladly vs Help Scout
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.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Gladly and Help Scout actually diverge.
| Attribute | Gladly | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $180/month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2014 | 2011 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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- 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 Gladly if
- You need lifelong conversation.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want omnichannel support.
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.
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.
Related pages
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