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Customer Support · head to head

Help Scout vs Hunter

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Hunter logo

Hunter

CRM

Email finding, verification and cold outreach platform for B2B prospecting

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Hunter free plan is limited to 50 credits per month and a single connected inbox, restricting real usage.
  • They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Hunter covers Domain search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Help Scout and Hunter differ
AttributeHelp ScoutHunter
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Androidweb, api
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded20112015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Help Scout

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

Only in Hunter

  • Domain search
  • Email verifier
  • Campaign sender
  • AI writing assistant
  • Browser extension
  • CRM integrations

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 Hunter
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Hunter

Hunter

  • Finding verified email addresses for a target companynot Help Scout
  • Verifying email lists before a campaignnot Help Scout
  • Running cold outreach sequences from connected inboxesnot Help Scout
  • Enriching CRM records with contact emailsnot 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

Hunter

  • Free plan is limited to 50 credits per month and a single connected inbox, restricting real usage.
  • Mobile phone or firmographic data is thinner than dedicated sales intelligence platforms.
  • Multichannel outreach (LinkedIn, calls, SMS) is not supported, unlike some competitors.
  • Higher-volume plans require annual billing to get the advertised discounted price.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Hunter

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 credits per month
    • 1 connected email account
    • Up to 500 recipients per sequence
  • Starter$34/month
    • 2,000 monthly credits (billed yearly)
    • 3 connected email accounts
    • Advanced filters
  • Growth$104/month
    • 10,000 monthly credits (billed yearly)
    • 10 connected email accounts
    • Priority support
  • Scale$209/month
    • 25,000 monthly credits (billed yearly)
    • 20 connected email accounts
    • Account manager included

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Hunter if

  • You need domain search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want email verifier.
Hunter review

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Hunter better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and Hunter at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Help Scout or Hunter?
Help Scout starts at Free and Hunter at Free.
Does Help Scout or Hunter run on more platforms?
Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hunter runs on web, api.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Hunter is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Hunter cannot?
Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles. Hunter covers Domain search, Email verifier, Campaign sender, AI writing assistant.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Hunter: What does Hunter cost?

Hunter's Free plan gives 50 credits/month. Paid plans (billed yearly) start at $34/month for Starter (2,000 credits), rising to $104/month for Growth and $209/month for Scale, with custom Enterprise pricing above that.

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
Hunter: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, Hunter's Free plan includes 50 monthly credits, basic database filters, one connected email account, and sequences capped at 500 recipients.

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
Hunter: How is usage metered?

Hunter meters usage in credits, consumed once per billing cycle for searches and verifications; credits reset monthly or accumulate annually depending on the billing plan.

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
Hunter: What does Hunter integrate with?

Hunter offers a browser extension, a Google Sheets add-on, CRM connections, and an API, alongside MCP support for AI tool integrations.

Source
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