Help Scout vs HubSpot
A side-by-side look at Help Scout and HubSpot: 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 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
Choose HubSpot if
- Small businesses that want a free CRM they can grow into
- Teams that plan to run marketing, sales and support from one platform
- Companies that value a polished interface over deep customization
Cheapest to start
Not confirmed
Free plan
Help Scout, HubSpot
Highest editor rating
HubSpot · 4.5
| Compare | Help Scout |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes |
| Starting price | From $50/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.3 |
| Ease of use | Very easy (5/5) |
| Category | Customer Support |
| Pricing model | Pricing is based on contacts helped per month with unlimited users: a free plan covers up to 50 contacts, Standard starts at approximately $50 per month and Plus at approximately $75 per month (each including 100 contacts, with extra contact bundles priced on top), and Pro is custom for high-volume teams. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Facebook & Instagram, HubSpot, Jira, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Trello, WooCommerce, Zapier |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| AI assistant | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| Chatbot | Yes |
| Custom fields | Yes |
| Email sync (Gmail / Outlook) | No |
| Forms & surveys | No |
| Knowledge base / help centre | Yes |
| Lead scoring | No |
| Live chat | Yes |
| Meeting scheduling | No |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multichannel inbox (email, chat, social) | Yes |
| Quotes & invoices | No |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Shared inbox | Yes |
| Visual pipeline | No |
| Webhooks | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Yes |
Common questions
- Does Help Scout or HubSpot have a free plan?
- Both do. Help Scout and HubSpot each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.
- How long is the Help Scout and HubSpot free trial?
- Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial, and HubSpot offers a 14-day free trial.
- Which is easier to use, Help Scout or HubSpot?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Help Scout is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 4 for HubSpot. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.