Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Help Scout vs Streak

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Streak logo

Streak

CRM

CRM superpowers for Gmail

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; Streak the free tier is email tools only, with pipelines, contact records and automation all requiring the Pro plan
  • They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Streak covers Pipeline management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Help Scout and Streak differ
AttributeHelp ScoutStreak
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), 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

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

Only in Streak

  • Pipeline management
  • Email tracking
  • Automation
  • Document tracking
  • Live engagement metrics
  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Google Sheets

Both cover

  • Slack
  • GDPR
  • Web 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 Streak
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Streak

Streak

  • Managing sales pipelines directly inside Gmailnot Help Scout
  • Tracking email opens and running mail merges from an inboxnot 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

Streak

  • The free tier is email tools only, with pipelines, contact records and automation all requiring the Pro plan
  • Free mail merge is capped at 50 a day
  • The entry paid plan is $49 per user per month, which is high for a CRM that lives inside Gmail
  • Integrations require a paid plan

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

Streak

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Email tracking
    • Mail merge 50 per day
    • Snippets
  • Pro$49/month
    • Core CRM features
    • Mail merge
    • Shared pipelines
  • Pro+$69/month
    • Advanced reports
    • Integrations and automations
    • Archived users
  • Enterprise$129/month
    • Custom roles
    • Data validation
    • Dedicated support

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 Streak if

  • You need pipeline management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email tracking.
Streak review

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Streak better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and Streak at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Help Scout or Streak?
Help Scout starts at Free and Streak at Free.
Does Help Scout or Streak run on more platforms?
Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android. Streak runs on Web.
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 Streak is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Streak cannot?
Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles. Streak covers Pipeline management, Email tracking, Automation, Document tracking. Both handle Slack, GDPR, Web support.

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
Streak: Is there a free version of Streak?

Yes, Streak offers a free tier with email tracking, mail merge up to 50 per day, snippets, and other basic features forever at no cost.

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
Streak: What discount is available for annual billing?

Streak offers a 20% discount when you pay annually instead of monthly on all paid plans.

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
Streak: What is the difference between Pro and Pro+ plans?

Pro+ costs $69 per month versus $49 for Pro and adds advanced reports, integrations, automations, and increases AI credits from 20 to 150 per user per month.

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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