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Customer Support · head to head

Help Scout vs Userlike

Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Userlike logo

Userlike

Live Chat

The leading GDPR-compliant customer messaging

From
Free
Free plan
Yes

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; Userlike userlike now operates as Lime Connect under Lime Technologies; the free plan is capped at 1 seat, 1 channel and 200 conversations
  • They diverge on capability: Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Userlike covers WhatsApp.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Help Scout and Userlike differ
AttributeHelp ScoutUserlike
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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
  • Customer profiles
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Jira
  • Shopify
  • SOC2

Only in Userlike

  • WhatsApp
  • Facebook Messenger
  • SMS
  • Video calls
  • Chatbot
  • Pipedrive
  • Zendesk
  • ISO27001

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • 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 Userlike
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Userlike

Userlike

  • Teams needing multilingual live chat with WhatsApp support who can tolerate a seat minimum on paid plansnot 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

Userlike

  • Userlike now operates as Lime Connect under Lime Technologies; the free plan is capped at 1 seat, 1 channel and 200 conversations
  • The Pro plan has a minimum of 3 seats and Enterprise a minimum of 5 seats, both priced per seat with Enterprise gated behind a custom quote
  • AI Agent, AI Copilot and Workflows are separately priced add-ons starting at 99 euros/month, 19 euros/month per seat and 50 euros/month respectively

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

Userlike

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 widget
    • 1 seat
    • Unlimited chats
  • Team$90/month
    • 4 widgets
    • 4 seats
    • WhatsApp
  • Corporate$290/month
    • 10 widgets
    • 10 seats
    • Analytics
  • Flex$undefined/month
    • Unlimited
    • Custom features
    • 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.

Choose Userlike if

  • You need whatsapp.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want facebook messenger.

Questions people ask

Is Help Scout or Userlike better?
Neither clearly leads. Help Scout starts at Free and Userlike at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Help Scout or Userlike?
Help Scout starts at Free and Userlike at Free.
Does Help Scout or Userlike 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 Userlike is typically brought in for.
What can Help Scout do that Userlike cannot?
Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Customer profiles, Workflows. Userlike covers WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Video calls. Both handle Live chat, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot.

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
Userlike: What does the free plan include?

The free plan includes 1 seat, 1 channel, and up to 200 conversations per month. It provides basic features like messenger customization, file sharing, and feedback collection.

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
Userlike: What is the cost of the Pro plan and what does it offer?

The Pro plan costs 105 euros per month (or 87 euros per month if billed annually) with a minimum of 3 seats. It includes unlimited channels and conversations, live translation, video calls, basic API access, and analytics.

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
Userlike: Is there a trial period before committing to a paid plan?

Yes, the platform offers a 14-day free trial of the Pro plan features. After the trial expires, accounts automatically downgrade to the Free plan unless upgraded.

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
Userlike: What add-on costs are available?

Additional features can be added separately: Connect AI Agent from 99 euros per month, Connect AI Copilot from 19 euros per user per month, Workflows from 50 euros per month for 1,000 runs, and WhatsApp Campaigns from 20 euros per month plus Meta fees.

Source
Userlike: How does billing work on the Pro plan?

The Pro plan is billed monthly or annually, with annual billing offering a 20 percent discount. Unused conversations roll over to subsequent months within the same contract year.

Source
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