Software · head to head
Help Scout vs LiveAgent
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; LiveAgent social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Shared inbox, LiveAgent covers Ticketing system.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Help Scout and LiveAgent actually diverge.
| Attribute | Help Scout | LiveAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 | 2004 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 Help Scout
- Shared inbox
- Customer profiles
- Workflows
- Reporting
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Jira
- SOC2
Only in LiveAgent
- Ticketing system
- Call center
- Social media
- Customer portal
- WordPress
- Magento
- Zapier
- SSL
Both cover
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Slack
- Shopify
- 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 LiveAgent
- Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot LiveAgent
LiveAgent
- Multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messagesnot Help Scout
- Ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teamsnot 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
LiveAgent
- Social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- The entry plan is limited to 3 email accounts, 2 live chat buttons and 3 contact forms
- WhatsApp numbers are rationed by plan, at 5 on Large Business and 20 on Enterprise
- The advertised prices require annual billing, and monthly billing raises the entry plan from $10 to $13 per agent
- Every published price is a discounted rate against a higher regular price
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
LiveAgent
Free- FreeFree
- 7-day ticket history
- 1 chat button
- 1 email account
- Small$9/month
- Unlimited ticket history
- 3 email accounts
- Customer portal
- Medium$29/month
- Call center
- 10 email accounts
- Advanced reporting
- Large$49/month
- Everything unlimited
- Senior account manager
- White glove setup
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 customer profiles.
Choose LiveAgent if
- You need ticketing system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want call center.
Questions people ask
- Is Help Scout or LiveAgent better?
- Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and LiveAgent at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Help Scout or LiveAgent?
- Help Scout starts at Free and LiveAgent at Free.
- Does Help Scout or LiveAgent 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?
- 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 LiveAgent is typically brought in for.
- What can Help Scout do that LiveAgent cannot?
- Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Customer profiles, Workflows, Reporting. LiveAgent covers Ticketing system, Call center, Social media, Customer portal. Both handle Knowledge base, Live chat, Slack, Shopify.