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Software · head to head

Help Scout vs Groove

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Software

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Groove logo

Groove

Software

Simple, powerful support for growing businesses

From
$12/month
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: Help Scout the free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier; Groove billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
  • They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Customer profiles, Groove covers Automation rules.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Help Scout and Groove differ
AttributeHelp ScoutGroove
Starting priceFree$12/month
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).

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 Help Scout

  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • HubSpot
  • Shopify
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA

Only in Groove

  • Automation rules
  • Collision detection
  • Zapier
  • Trello
  • SSL
  • 2FA

Both cover

  • Shared inbox
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Jira
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Help Scout

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

Groove

  • Shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teamsnot Help Scout
  • Handling email, chat and messaging support in one queuenot Help Scout

Where each one falls short

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

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

Groove

  • Billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
  • A minimum of 250 tickets a month applies, which is a $3,000 annual commitment before any usage
  • A quiet month still pays the 250 ticket floor
  • No mailbox limit is published

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Groove

$12/month
  • Standard$12/month
    • 1 mailbox
    • Knowledge base
    • Live chat
  • Plus$20/month
    • 5 mailboxes
    • Full reporting
    • Rules
  • Pro$35/month
    • 25 mailboxes
    • Salesforce
    • Enterprise SSO

Which should you pick?

Choose Help Scout if

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

Choose Groove if

  • You need automation rules.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want collision detection.
Groove review

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Groove better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and Groove at $12/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Help Scout or Groove?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Help Scout and $12/month for Groove.
Does Help Scout or Groove 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. Groove starts at $12/month.
What is Help Scout best used for?
Help Scout is most often used for shared inbox and help desk for customer support teams, publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat support. Of those, shared inbox and help desk for customer support teams and publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat support are not what Groove is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Groove cannot?
Help Scout covers Customer profiles, Workflows, HubSpot, Shopify. Groove covers Automation rules, Collision detection, Zapier, Trello. Both handle Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Reporting.
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Related pages

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