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Customer Support · head to head

HelpCrunch vs Scratchpad

HelpCrunch logo

HelpCrunch

Customer Support

Live chat, helpdesk, and AI chatbot platform for customer support

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

Faster workspace over Salesforce for sales reps to update pipeline, take notes and manage deals

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Scratchpad has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: HelpCrunch pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.; Scratchpad scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • They diverge on capability: HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HelpCrunch and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where HelpCrunch and Scratchpad differ
AttributeHelpCrunchScratchpad
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, ios, androidWeb, Chrome extension
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM

Identical on both: 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 HelpCrunch

  • Live Chat Widget
  • Shared Team Inbox
  • AI Chatbot
  • Email Marketing Automation
  • Knowledge Base
  • Auto-resend by Email

Only in Scratchpad

  • Spreadsheet pipeline views
  • Call recorder and notetaker
  • AI field updates
  • Deal and account agent
  • Hygiene monitor
  • Notes linked to records
  • Custom prompts
  • Kanban and forecast views

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

HelpCrunch

  • Real-time website customer supportnot Scratchpad
  • Consolidating support and marketing email in one toolnot Scratchpad
  • AI-automated first-line customer responsesnot Scratchpad
  • Small business helpdesk ticketingnot Scratchpad

Scratchpad

  • A 60-rep Salesforce team whose forecast is unreliable because opportunity fields are updated once a week in a panic before the pipeline callnot HelpCrunch
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot HelpCrunch
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot HelpCrunch
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot HelpCrunch

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

HelpCrunch

  • Pricing is not fully transparent since it depends on email volume and AI usage tiers.
  • AI conversation add-ons become expensive at high volume, up to $8,000/month for 100,000 conversations.
  • Exact plan prices for Basic, Pro, and Unlimited are not published directly on the pricing page.
  • Smaller teams may find the tiered add-on system harder to predict than flat per-seat pricing.

Scratchpad

  • Scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • AI credits are metered per user per month at 400 on Solo and 800 on Team, which means heavy notetaking use pushes teams towards Enterprise for capacity rather than for features.
  • There is no proper native mobile application, so representatives who wanted to update records from a car park between meetings are back in a mobile browser.
  • Sync with Salesforce and call processing can lag, and a pipeline view showing yesterday state during a forecast call undermines the exact meeting the tool was bought to improve.
  • It creates a second notes surface alongside native Salesforce notes, so organisations end up with deal history split across two places unless they explicitly ban one of them.

Pricing, plan by plan

HelpCrunch

On request
  • Basic$undefined/month
    • Live chat
    • Shared inbox
    • Email volume tiers
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • AI conversations included
    • AI data sources included
  • Unlimited$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Highest email volume
    • Priority support

Scratchpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workspace limited to 3 views
    • 10 hours a month of call recording and notetaking
    • AI field updates
  • Solo$19/month
    • Unlimited views with sheets and notes
    • Call recorder and notetaker
    • AI field updates
  • Team$49/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • 800 AI credits per user per month
    • Gong integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited AI credits
    • White-glove agent services included
    • Enterprise security and administration

Which should you pick?

Choose HelpCrunch if

  • You need live chat widget.
  • You work on web, ios, android.
  • You also want shared team inbox.
HelpCrunch review

Choose Scratchpad if

  • You need spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome extension.
  • You also want call recorder and notetaker.
Scratchpad review

Questions people ask

Is HelpCrunch or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. HelpCrunch starts at On request and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HelpCrunch or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HelpCrunch and Free for Scratchpad.
Does HelpCrunch or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
HelpCrunch runs on web, ios, android. Scratchpad runs on Web, Chrome extension.
Can I use Scratchpad for free?
Yes. Scratchpad has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HelpCrunch starts at On request.
What is HelpCrunch best used for?
HelpCrunch is most often used for real-time website customer support, consolidating support and marketing email in one tool, ai-automated first-line customer responses, small business helpdesk ticketing. Of those, real-time website customer support and consolidating support and marketing email in one tool are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can HelpCrunch do that Scratchpad cannot?
HelpCrunch covers Live Chat Widget, Shared Team Inbox, AI Chatbot, Email Marketing Automation. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HelpCrunch: Is there a free trial for HelpCrunch?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a free trial with no credit card required, and includes free migration from competing tools.

Source
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

HelpCrunch: How does HelpCrunch charge for AI features?

Pro and higher plans include a free monthly limit of AI conversations and AI data sources; additional usage is purchased in blocks, for example 100 extra conversations for $29/month.

Source
Scratchpad: Is the free plan usable in production?

Yes for an individual: full workspace with three views, 10 hours of recording and 100 AI credits a month. Teams outgrow it on views and credits.

HelpCrunch: Does annual billing save money?

Yes, HelpCrunch offers a 20% discount on plans and AI add-ons when billed annually instead of monthly.

Source
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

No. Every user still needs their own Salesforce licence; Scratchpad is an interface on top.

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

Notetaking, summarisation, field update suggestions and agent queries. Enterprise removes the cap.

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