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Help Scout
Help Scout · founded 2011
What it is
Help Scout is customer support software that brings email, SMS, social, chat, and voice into a shared Inbox. It also includes ticket automation, SLA management, a customer portal, and Docs sites for searchable, branded help centers or knowledge bases. Teams can use permissions to control access at company, team, or user level, and connect the service to more than 100 tools or apps. A mobile app and API access are also listed. The Free plan costs nothing and includes five users, one Inbox, and one Docs site, with limits of 100 contacts per month, 10 saved replies, and 10 tags. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month, and annual pricing is shown as 16% lower than monthly pricing. Standard and Plus offer 15-day trials without a credit card; new accounts also get three months of unlimited AI Answers resolutions. Help Scout says it is HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II compliant. Support options include email, onboarding, and customer success management, with priority support on paid plans.
For and against
For
- Combines five customer contact channels in one Inbox.
- Includes ticket automation and SLA management.
- Free plan includes five users.
- Connects to more than 100 tools or apps.
- Offers a mobile app and API access.
Against
- Free plan allows one Inbox.
- Free plan is limited to 100 contacts per month.
- Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.
The verdict
Help Scout combines multichannel customer conversations with help-center publishing and team access controls. Its free tier has explicit usage limits, while paid plans begin at $25 per user per month.
Who it suits
It suits teams handling customer conversations across the listed channels and creating searchable help-center content. The Free plan may suit teams that can work within its user, Inbox, and Docs site limits.
Plans and prices
Free
5 users · 1 Inbox · 1 Docs site · 100 contacts per month
Read 28 Sep 2026 · helpscout.com
Standard
Up to 25 users · 2 Inboxes · 2 Docs sites · 1 basic SLA policy
Read 28 Sep 2026 · helpscout.com
Plus
Up to 50 users · 5 Inboxes · 3 Docs sites · 2 advanced SLA policies
Read 20 Sep 2026 · helpscout.com
Pro
Unlimited users · Minimum 10 users · 10 Inboxes · 5 Docs sites
Read 28 Sep 2026 · helpscout.com
AI Answers Add-on
Read 28 Sep 2026 · helpscout.com
On the record
- Included agent seats
- 5helpscout.com · read 20 Sep 2026
- AI Answers trial
- New accounts get 3 months of free, unlimited AI Answers resolutions.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Annual discount
- Annual pricing is shown as 16% lower than monthly pricing.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- API access
- Yeshelpscout.com · read 20 Sep 2026
- API access
- API access supports read/write data and plan-dependent limits up to 800 calls per minute.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Company history
- Help Scout says it started 15 years ago with a customer-focused support software premise.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Customer base
- Help Scout says it powers support for more than 12,000 customer-first brands.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Customer portal
- Yeshelpscout.com · read 20 Sep 2026
- Free plan limits
- The Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Help center
- Yeshelpscout.com · read 20 Sep 2026
- Available integrations
- Help Scout connects to more than 100 tools or apps.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Knowledge base
- Docs sites create searchable and branded help centers or knowledge bases.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Light users
- Plus includes 25 light users and Pro includes 50 light users.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Mobile app
- Help Scout offers a mobile app for supporting customers on the go.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Starting price
- Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Security compliance
- Help Scout is HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II compliant.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
- Shared inbox
- Yeshelpscout.com · read 20 Sep 2026
- Inbox limits
- Free allows 1 Inbox; Standard 2; Plus 5; Pro unlimited.helpscout.com · read 28 Sep 2026
