Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Help Scout vs Twenty

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Twenty logo

Twenty

CRM

Open-source CRM platform for technical teams at AI speed

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; Twenty requires technical expertise to customize and maintain compared to no-code CRM platforms
  • They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Twenty covers Open-Source Framework.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Help Scout and Twenty differ
AttributeHelp ScoutTwenty
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded2011Unknown

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 Twenty

  • Open-Source Framework
  • Custom Database Objects
  • Multiple View Types
  • AI Integration
  • Workflow Engine
  • Data Migration
  • API Access
  • Multi-Language 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 Twenty
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Twenty

Twenty

  • Building custom CRM solutions for complex business processesnot Help Scout
  • Migrating from Salesforce or HubSpot while maintaining data ownershipnot Help Scout
  • Technical teams needing TypeScript-based customizationnot Help Scout
  • Organizations requiring self-hosted or air-gapped deploymentsnot Help Scout
  • Enterprises combining CRM with AI-powered workflowsnot 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

Twenty

  • Requires technical expertise to customize and maintain compared to no-code CRM platforms
  • Self-hosting increases operational overhead and infrastructure costs
  • Limited ecosystem of pre-built integrations compared to Salesforce
  • Smaller community and third-party extension library than established CRMs
  • Enterprise plan requires custom negotiation with no transparent pricing

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

Twenty

Free
  • Pro$9/month
    • Full customization
    • Custom apps
    • AI Agents
  • Organization$19/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Row-level permissions
    • SAML and OIDC SSO
  • Enterprise$null/year
    • Everything in Organization
    • Single-tenant isolation
    • IP allow-listing

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 Twenty if

  • You need open-source framework.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want custom database objects.
Twenty review

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Twenty better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and Twenty at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Help Scout or Twenty?
Help Scout starts at Free and Twenty at Free.
Does Help Scout or Twenty run on more platforms?
Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android. Twenty runs on Web, Self-hosted.
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 Twenty is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Twenty cannot?
Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles. Twenty covers Open-Source Framework, Custom Database Objects, Multiple View Types, AI Integration.

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
Twenty: Is Twenty free or paid?

Twenty offers a 30-day free trial without credit card. Cloud plans start at $9 per user per month (Pro) when billed annually, with Organization plan at $19 per user per month.

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
Twenty: Can I migrate data from Salesforce or HubSpot?

Yes, Twenty supports CSV and API-based migration from Salesforce and HubSpot, with support for 50,000+ records.

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
Twenty: What programming languages does Twenty support?

Twenty is built with TypeScript and provides a TypeScript-based Apps framework for creating custom extensions.

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
Twenty: How long does enterprise deployment take?

Enterprise deployment typically takes 1-2 weeks with Onboarding Packs or certified partners.

Source
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