Help Scout
Human-centered customer support software with shared inboxes, live chat, knowledge bases, automation, reporting and AI for growing support teams.
Help Scout combines shared inboxes, email, live chat, SMS/social channels, knowledge bases, Beacon, workflows, SLAs, reporting and AI assistance. It deliberately favors a simpler support experience over the deeper ITSM or contact-center breadth of heavier enterprise suites.
G2 currently lists the core Help Scout product at 4.4/5 with 431 reviews, while Capterra shows 4.6/5 from 226 reviews with 4.7 ease of use and 4.6 customer service. Review patterns consistently praise its clean interface and quick onboarding, while advanced routing/reporting depth is the main limitation.
Help Scout publishes a permanent Free plan for up to five users and annual-equivalent paid pricing at $25, $45 and $75 per user/month. Pricing is easy to understand, though AI Answers, extra inboxes, extra Docs sites and some higher-end security capabilities create incremental cost.
Help Scout advertises access to 100+ apps plus API, webhooks and OAuth. Its security documentation confirms SOC 2 compliance, ongoing penetration testing and strong operational controls; SSO/SAML and HIPAA capabilities are available on higher plans or as add-ons.
Scored by Aditya Verma
Quick facts
- Vendor
- Help Scout, PBC
- Pricing model
- paid
- Plan pricing
- $25/user/mo billed annually Vendor source checked; not a hands-on review
- Free plan
- Yes — check limits
- Free trial
- Yes — check eligibility
- Last verified
- Not yet verified
About Help Scout
Help Scout is customer-support software built around a collaborative shared inbox. It combines email support, live chat, SMS/social messaging, knowledge bases, Beacon self-service, workflows, SLAs, reporting and AI tools in a deliberately simple interface. A permanent Free plan supports up to five users, while Standard, Plus and Pro add progressively deeper automation, routing, integrations and security.
Best for
Small and midsize customer-support teams that prioritize a clean shared inbox, fast onboarding, knowledge/self-service and strong customer experience over complex ITSM-style administration.
Help Scout pros and cons
Pros
- Permanent Free plan supports up to 5 users, 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site.
- Clean shared-inbox experience with consistently strong ease-of-use feedback.
- Standard, Plus and Pro pricing is publicly listed and easy to compare.
- Live chat, social/messaging channels, knowledge base, workflows, SLAs and AI are integrated into one support workspace.
- SOC 2 compliance, annual penetration testing and 100+ app integrations support growing teams.
Cons
- −Advanced routing, reporting, permissions and security require higher tiers.
- −AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution after the introductory trial.
- −Extra Inboxes and Docs sites add recurring cost.
- −Some reviewers find reporting and workflow customization lighter than enterprise competitors.
- −Pro has a 10-user minimum and premium security capabilities can require add-ons.
Features
Platforms
Integrations
Pricing
$0. Permanent Free plan for up to five users with one Inbox, one Docs site and a limited monthly contact allowance.
$25/user/month on the currently displayed annual-billing view. Built for growing support teams moving beyond basic email.
$45/user/month on annual billing. Adds advanced workflows, stronger routing, customer portal and deeper integrations.
$75/user/month on annual billing, with a 10-user minimum. Adds the highest scale, routing and security capabilities.
Official pricing / availability source · Checked 6 October 2026. Confirm current taxes, regional terms and allowances. A listed plan is not necessarily the cheapest option.
Editorial verification: Not yet verified. Check the vendor's site for current pricing.