Customer Support · head to head
Missive vs Help Scout
Help Scout
Customer Support
Customer service software that people love
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Missive each plan caps users rather than only pricing them, at 5 on Starter and 50 on Productive; Help Scout the free plan caps contacts at 100 a month, so it is a volume trial rather than a standing free tier
- They diverge on capability: Missive covers Team chat, Help Scout covers Knowledge base.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Missive and Help Scout actually diverge.
| Attribute | Missive | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Mac, Windows | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2015 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).
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 Missive
- Team chat
- Tasks
- Calendar
- SMS
- Asana
- Trello
Only in Help Scout
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Customer profiles
- Workflows
- Reporting
- Slack
- Salesforce
- Jira
Both cover
- Shared inbox
- HubSpot
- GDPR
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Missive
- Shared team inbox across email, SMS and social messagesnot Help Scout
- Collaborating on customer conversations with internal comments and tasksnot Help Scout
Help Scout
- Shared inbox and help desk for customer support teamsnot Missive
- Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Missive
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Missive
- Each plan caps users rather than only pricing them, at 5 on Starter and 50 on Productive
- Integrations, automation rules and API access all require the Productive plan at $24 per user per month
- Rules are capped at 1,000 per workspace even on the paid tiers
- SAML SSO and IP restriction are Business only at $36 per user per month
- AI features need either Missive AI credits or a bring your own key arrangement rather than being included
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Missive
Free- FreeFree
- 3 users
- Basic features
- Email & chat
- Starter$14/month
- Unlimited users
- Shared inboxes
- Rules & automation
- Productive$18/month
- Starter + Calendars
- SMS
- Business$26/month
- Productive + API
- SAML SSO
- Priority support
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Missive if
- You need team chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Mac, Windows.
- You also want email.
Choose Help Scout if
- You need knowledge base.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want live chat.
Questions people ask
- Is Missive or Help Scout better?
- Neither clearly leads. Missive starts at Free and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Missive or Help Scout?
- Missive starts at Free and Help Scout at Free.
- Does Missive or Help Scout run on more platforms?
- Missive runs on Web, Ios, Android, Mac, Windows. Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Missive for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Missive best used for?
- Missive is most often used for shared team inbox across email, sms and social messages, collaborating on customer conversations with internal comments and tasks. Of those, shared team inbox across email, sms and social messages and collaborating on customer conversations with internal comments and tasks are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
- What can Missive do that Help Scout cannot?
- Missive covers Team chat, Email, Tasks, Calendar. Help Scout covers Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles, Workflows. Both handle Shared inbox, HubSpot, GDPR, Web support.