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help desk · Help Scout PBC

Help Scout

Shared-inbox help desk with a free plan for five users and paid plans from $25 per user a month.

69/100

#6 of 12 help desks
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

Help Scout suits small teams that want email, chat and social messages in one inbox, with SLAs from the first paid plan1,3,4. Phone is only through integrations1. The catch: single sign-on needs Pro at $75 a user, and AI Answers is billed per resolution on top1,6.

Best for: Small support teams that want a simple inbox with SLAs and a knowledge base.

Where the points come from

Channels and apps12 of 14
Workflow and SLAs21 of 21
Reports and connections17 of 18
Security12 of 12
Price7 of 15
Independent testing0 of 20

Channels and apps 12 of 14 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Support channelsEmail, Live chat, Social mediaChat from Standard; Messenger and Instagram create conversations on all paid plans. Phone is via integration only1,4,5.6 / 8
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidHelp Scout Docs says the mobile app installs from the App Store on iOS and from Google Play on Android7.2 / 2
Built-in help centreYesDocs knowledge base: 1 site on Free, with more sites on paid plans1.4 / 4

Workflow and SLAs 21 of 21 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
SLA policiesYesStandard has one basic SLA policy; Plus has two with conditions; Pro unlimited3.8 / 8
Ticket automation rulesYesStandard includes 150 basic workflows; Plus 500 advanced1.5 / 5
Automatic ticket assignmentYesPricing page lists round robin on Plus and load-balanced routing on Pro1.5 / 5
Built-in satisfaction surveyYesRating links are added to replies and feed the Happiness report8.3 / 3

Reports and connections 17 of 18 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Custom reportsYesPricing lists custom reports as views filtered by inbox, tag, folder or custom field; users with Manage Views permission create them1,9.5 / 5
Public APIYesDeveloper site documents an Inbox API to read and write inbox data; pricing lists API call limits per plan1,10.3 / 3
Named integrationsSlack, Jira, Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpotApp directory lists Slack, Jira, Salesforce and HubSpot; Shopify is featured on the page. Microsoft Teams not seen11.5 / 6
AI assistant with public priceYesAI Answers is $0.75 per resolution on paid plans, with a 3-month free trial1.4 / 4

Security 12 of 12 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001YesSecurity page says Help Scout is SOC2 Type 2 certified for Security and Availability2.6 / 6
Single sign-onYesHelp centre: SAML single sign-on is available on the Pro plan6.6 / 6

Price 7 of 15 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Free planYesFree plan includes 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site1.5 / 5
Cheapest paid plan$25/moStandard, $25 per user a month, as shown with the pricing page Annual toggle selected1.2 / 10

Independent testing 0 of 20 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
G2 AI CX evaluationNot testedG2 did not include it in the October 2026 test12.0 / 20

The rule behind each line: how we score help desks.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

PlanPrice as listedPer monthNotes
FreeUp to 5 usersFree1$01 inbox, 1 Docs site, 10 articles
StandardUp to 25 users$25/user/month1$251 basic SLA, 150 workflows, live chat
PlusUp to 50 users$45/user/month1$452 SLA policies, 500 workflows, round robin
ProMinimum 10 users$75/user/month1,6$75Unlimited SLAs and workflows, SAML single sign-on

The pricing page opens on its Annual toggle, which carries a 16% discount badge, and shows $25, $45 and $75 per user a month1.

Strengths

  • Free plan includes 5 users, an inbox and a Docs knowledge base1.
  • SLA policies start on Standard, with one basic policy3.
  • Messenger and Instagram conversations appear in the inbox on all paid plans4,5.
  • Names a SOC 2 Type 2 certification for Security and Availability2.
  • Round-robin assignment is listed from Plus, with load balancing on Pro1.

Limits

  • Phone is only through integrations; Help Scout does not host calls itself1.
  • SAML single sign-on requires the Pro plan6.
  • AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution on top of the plan1.
  • Free plan keeps only 30 days of report history and 10 Docs articles1.

Other help desks

  1. 1
    Zoho DeskSmall teams that want a low entry price and a free plan
    87/100
    $7/mocheapest paid plan
  2. 2
    LiveAgentSmall teams that want every channel in one tool at a low per-agent price
    79/100
    $15/mocheapest paid plan
  3. 3
    TidioSmall teams that want tickets, chat and an AI agent at a flat workspace price
    75/100
    $24.17/mocheapest paid plan
  4. 4
    FreshdeskSmall support teams that start with email and may add chat and social later
    70/100
    $19/mocheapest paid plan

All 12 help desks

Sources

  1. Help Scout pricing, Help Scout. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  2. Help Scout security, Help Scout. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  3. Create and manage service level agreements (SLAs), Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  4. Add the Messenger channel to Help Scout, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  5. Add the Instagram channel to Help Scout, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  6. Enable SSO in your account, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  7. Get started with the Help Scout mobile app, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  8. Gather feedback with satisfaction ratings, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  9. Reporting views, Help Scout Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  10. Help Scout developer documentation, Help Scout. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  11. Help Scout app directory, Help Scout. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  12. AI CX Agent Evaluations, General CX leaderboard, G2. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: www.helpscout.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Help Scout PBC.