Freshdesk vs Help Scout
A side-by-side look at Freshdesk and Help Scout: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.
Which should you choose?
Choose Freshdesk if
- Small and mid-sized teams running email-first support
- Businesses that want traditional ticketing with less setup than Zendesk
- Companies already using other Freshworks products
Choose Help Scout if
- Small businesses and ecommerce brands with a handful of support staff
- Teams that want a warm, email-like support experience
- Companies that want many staff to have inbox access without paying per seat
Cheapest to start
Not confirmed
Free plan
Help Scout
Highest editor rating
Help Scout · 4.3
Key differences
- Listed for Freshdesk but not Help Scout: Roles & permissions, SLA management and Ticketing.
- Listed for Help Scout but not Freshdesk: Chatbot, Live chat and Webhooks.
| Compare | Freshdesk |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Yes |
| Starting price | From $19/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.1 |
| Ease of use | Easy (4/5) |
| Category | Customer Support |
| Pricing model | No free plan on the current pricing page; sign-up starts a 14-day trial of Enterprise. Growth is $19, Pro $55 and Enterprise $89 per agent per month, all billed annually, and the page lists no monthly rates. Every plan includes 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions; Freddy AI Copilot is a $29 per-agent add-on on Pro and Enterprise. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Facebook & Instagram, HubSpot, Jira, Mailchimp, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Zapier |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| AI assistant | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| Chatbot | No |
| Custom fields | Yes |
| Knowledge base / help centre | Yes |
| Live chat | No |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multichannel inbox (email, chat, social) | Yes |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Roles & permissions | Yes |
| Shared inbox | Yes |
| SLA management | Yes |
| Ticketing | Yes |
| Webhooks | No |
| Workflow automation | Yes |
Common questions
- Does Freshdesk or Help Scout have a free plan?
- Help Scout has a free plan. Freshdesk does not, though it offers a free trial.
- How long is the Freshdesk and Help Scout free trial?
- Freshdesk offers a 14-day free trial, and Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial.
- Which is easier to use, Freshdesk or Help Scout?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Help Scout is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 4 for Freshdesk. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.