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Customer Support · head to head

Plain vs Help Scout

Plain logo

Plain

Customer Support

AI support infrastructure built for B2B teams

From
$35/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer Support

Customer service software that people love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Help Scout has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Plain foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams; 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: Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, Help Scout covers Shared inbox.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Plain and Help Scout differ
AttributePlainHelp Scout
Starting price$35/monthFree
Pricing modelTiered pricing per seat with credit systemsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: 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 Plain

  • Multi-channel consolidation
  • AI agents
  • Workflow automation
  • Sidekick assistant
  • Insights engine
  • Linear and Jira integration
  • Help Center and Knowledge Base
  • API-first extensibility

Only in Help Scout

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

What people use each for

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

Plain

  • Consolidating support from multiple channels into one inboxnot Help Scout
  • Automating support workflows with AI agentsnot Help Scout
  • Extracting insights and trends from customer conversationsnot Help Scout
  • Building custom support solutions with API accessnot Help Scout
  • Implementing AI-assisted customer support at scalenot Help Scout

Help Scout

  • Shared inbox and help desk for customer support teamsnot Plain
  • Publishing a knowledge base alongside email and chat supportnot Plain

Where each one falls short

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

Plain

  • Foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams
  • Pricing increases significantly from Foundation to Horizon ($35 to $299 per month)
  • No published pricing for Frontier (custom) plan
  • Additional seat costs ($99 per seat) add up for larger teams
  • Credit-based system requires monitoring usage to avoid overages

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

Plain

$35/month
  • Foundation$35/month
    • 2,000 credits per month
    • Slack and email channels
    • Ari AI agent
  • Horizon$299/month
    • 15,000 credits per month
    • All Foundation features
    • Microsoft Teams integration
  • Frontier$null/custom
    • Custom credit allowance
    • All Horizon features
    • Discord channels

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Plain if

  • You need multi-channel consolidation.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want ai agents.
Plain review

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

Questions people ask

Is Plain or Help Scout better?
Neither clearly leads. Plain starts at $35/month and Help Scout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Plain or Help Scout?
Help Scout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $35/month for Plain and Free for Help Scout.
Does Plain or Help Scout run on more platforms?
Plain runs on Web, API. Help Scout runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Help Scout for free?
Yes. Help Scout has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plain starts at $35/month.
What is Plain best used for?
Plain is most often used for consolidating support from multiple channels into one inbox, automating support workflows with ai agents, extracting insights and trends from customer conversations, building custom support solutions with api access. Of those, consolidating support from multiple channels into one inbox and automating support workflows with ai agents are not what Help Scout is typically brought in for.
What can Plain do that Help Scout cannot?
Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, AI agents, Workflow automation, Sidekick assistant. Help Scout covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Customer profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Plain: What is included in the Foundation plan?

The Foundation plan ($35/month per seat) includes 2,000 credits per month, support for Slack and email, Ari AI agent, Linear and Jira integrations, and Help Center access. Up to 5 seats are included.

Source
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
Plain: Can I use Plain with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, Microsoft Teams integration is available on the Horizon plan ($299/month) and higher.

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
Plain: Is there a free trial for Plain?

Yes, Plain offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. You can also get 50% discount through their startup program.

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
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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