Help Scout vs Ontraport vs Outgrow vs ActiveCampaign Comparison
Help Scout
Starting at $20 /User/Month
- Free Trial
- Large Enterprises
- Medium Business
Help Scout is a modern help desk system for growing businesses. It helps support teams grow from a few people to 10s of thousands of users, retain customers, and delight them with exceptional support. The goal is to succ…
Ontraport
Starting at $83 /month
- Free Trial
- Medium Business
- Small Business
Ontraport is a CRM and marketing automation platform designed for small and mid-sized businesses that need to manage contacts, automate marketing and sales, process payments, and build web experiences from a single syste…
Outgrow
Starting at Contact for pricing
- Free Trial
- Large Enterprises
- Medium Business
Outgrow is a powerful marketing automation suite that helps you grow your business with marketing and sales software integrations, lead scoring for sales, and personalization capabilities. It is an easy-to-use, powerful…
ActiveCampaign
Starting at $29 /User/Month
- Free Trial
- Freelancers / Consultants
- Large Enterprises
ActiveCampaign is the most powerful marketing automation tool designed to help you nail your next digital campaign. From nurture campaigns that convert new subscribers into long-term customers, to smart lead scoring that…
Help Scout leads on user satisfaction with a 4.5-star rating across 327 reviews.
Help Scout vs Ontraport vs Outgrow vs ActiveCampaign — at a glance
| Feature | Help Scout | Ontraport | Outgrow | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Reviews | 327 | 735 | 567 | 12,031 |
| Starting price | $20 /User/Month | $83 /month | Contact for pricing | $29 /User/Month |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | No | No | No |
| Best for | Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business | Medium Business, Small Business | Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business | Freelancers / Consultants, Large Enterprises, Medium Business |
| Category | Help Desk Software | Marketing Automation Software | Marketing Automation Software | Marketing Automation Software |
| Integrations | — | 51+ apps | — | — |
| Platforms | SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS | SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS, Browser Based (Cloud) | SaaS/Web/Cloud | SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS |
| API | Available | Available | Available | Available |
| Support modes | 24/7 (Live rep), Business Hours, Online | Business Hours, Online | 24/7 (Live rep), Online | Business Hours, Online |
| Certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR | GDPR | GDPR | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR |
| Data residency | US | — | Global | Global |
Key differences between Help Scout and Ontraport
- Pricing: Help Scout starts at $20 /User/Month, while Ontraport starts at $83 /month.
- Target audience: Help Scout is built for Large Enterprises and Medium Business, while Ontraport targets Medium Business and Small Business.
- User satisfaction: Help Scout scores higher with a 4.5-star average.
- Deployment: Help Scout supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS; Ontraport supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS, Browser Based (Cloud).
Compare Help Scout vs Ontraport vs Outgrow vs ActiveCampaign — and walk away knowing which one fits.
Which tool fits your team best
Which is actually cheaper for your team size
Where each product wins, per real buyers
Most Help Desk Software tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.
Biggest differences
Features
Pricing
Buying details
Security
Buyer feedback
Integrations
Product tour
Other options
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Biggest differences
Start here before you go deeper into features.
Best for growing businesses needing simple, unified customer support tools.
- You want an all-in-one platform combining email, live chat, knowledge base, and help desk.
- Your team values a user-friendly interface for fast onboarding and deployment.
- You prioritize personalized, human-centered customer support and collaboration.
- You require highly complex, customizable workflows and advanced automation features.
- You need transparent, publicly available pricing and self-serve purchasing options.
Best for SMBs needing customizable CRM and marketing automation workflows.
- You require an all-in-one platform integrating CRM, marketing automation, and analytics.
- Your business needs highly customizable workflows with tags, triggers, and templates.
- You have a marketing or sales team ready to leverage advanced automation features.
- You want a simple, out-of-the-box solution with minimal setup and learning.
- Your team lacks time or technical skill to manage a medium-complexity platform.
Best for creating interactive lead generation content with easy marketing automation.
- You need to build quizzes, calculators, or surveys without coding skills.
- Your focus is on lead generation and customer engagement campaigns.
- You want a user-friendly platform with versatile customizable templates.
- Your company requires extensive third-party app integrations and marketplace options.
- You need complex, enterprise-level automation workflows beyond simple streamlined setups.
Best for SMBs needing powerful, flexible marketing automation with integrated CRM.
- You want robust automation workflows with a visual builder for complex campaigns.
- You need strong segmentation and targeting for personalized marketing efforts.
- You value responsive, knowledgeable customer support to help navigate the platform.
- You require highly advanced, flexible email design customization beyond platform limits.
- You prefer very simple, minimal automation tools with little to no learning curve.
Help Scout: Best for growing businesses needing simple, unified customer support tools. Ontraport: Best for SMBs needing customizable CRM and marketing automation workflows.
Description | Help Scout is a modern help desk system for growing businesses. It helps support teams grow from a few people to 10s of thousands of users, retain customers, and delight them with ... Read More about Help Scout | Ontraport is a CRM and marketing automation platform designed for small and mid-sized businesses that need to manage contacts, automate marketing and sales, process payments, and build web ... Read More about Ontraport | Outgrow is a powerful marketing automation suite that helps you grow your business with marketing and sales software integrations, lead scoring for sales, and personalization capabilities. ... Read More about Outgrow | ActiveCampaign is the most powerful marketing automation tool designed to help you nail your next digital campaign. From nurture campaigns that convert new subscribers into long-term ... Read More about ActiveCampaign |
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SpotScoreWhat's this? ↗ | 9.7/10 | 9.3/10 | 9.0/10 | 9.8/10 |
User RatingsBased on verified Spotsaas reviews | ||||
Best Company Size | 10-50 employees51-1,000 employees | Small BusinessMedium Business | Small BusinessMedium Business | 10-500 employeesSmall to medium businesses |
Get pricing help | Get pricing help |
Where each option fits best
See where each product is strongest, which teams it fits, and what causes buyers to keep looking — before you commit.
Based on buyer reviews and verified product data collected by Spotsaas.
Key strengths
- Unified Platform for Support Channels: Combines email, live chat, knowledge base, and help desk in one intuitive interface—ideal for simplifying customer service operations.
- User-Friendly & Fast Onboarding: Designed with simplicity in mind, allowing teams to deploy and adapt quickly, without the complexity of traditional help desk systems.
- Strong Focus on Personal, Human Support: Helps teams maintain a personalized touch with customers, supported by features like shared inboxes, customer profiles, and collaboration tools.
No key benefits available yet.
No key benefits available yet.
- Smooth Automation: ActiveCampaign lets your marketing team create highly personalized customer experiences through reliable automation workflows. Set up a campaign that runs itself, engaging customers at the right moments without manual intervention.
- Advanced CRM Functionality: With its integrated CRM, ActiveCampaign helps you manage customer relationships efficiently. You'll gain insights into your sales pipeline and customer interactions, allowing you to make informed decisions that drive growth.
- Segmentation and Targeting: This platform lets you segment audiences precisely, making it easier to design messages based on user behavior and preferences. By doing so, you can significantly increase engagement rates and conversions.
Best fit
- 10 – 1,000 Employees
- SaaS, E-commerce, Education, Nonprofits, Startups, Digital Agencies.
- Customer Support Manager, Customer Experience Lead, IT Support Specialist, Operations Manager, Client Success Coordinator, Knowledge Base Administrator.
No best-fit guidance available yet.
No best-fit guidance available yet.
- 10 to 500 employees
- Martech, SaaS, E-commerce, Consulting, and Nonprofits
- Marketing Managers, Sales Managers, Customer Success Representatives, and CRM Administrators
Reasons buyers look elsewhere
- Help Scout is optimized for growing businesses, but larger enterprises may find it lacks advanced ITSM tools, ticket routing automation, or customizable SLAs available in platforms like Zendesk or ServiceNow.
- While it offers essential analytics, companies needing advanced BI integrations or custom reporting dashboards may seek tools with more granular insights.
- Help Scout includes customer profiles but doesn’t provide full CRM functionality; users with complex sales or account management workflows may require a dedicated CRM or deeper integration.
No alternatives guidance available yet.
No alternatives guidance available yet.
- Pricing starts at $15/month for basic automation but scales to $300+/month for enterprise features — teams under 10 people often switch to Mailchimp or ConvertKit for lower entry costs
- Interface requires 2–3 weeks of training for non-technical users; competitors like HubSpot and Klaviyo offer faster setup paths
- E-commerce sellers need Shopify or WooCommerce native connectors that ActiveCampaign doesn't provide natively — integration requires custom API work
Software Demo
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How do Help Scout, Ontraport, Outgrow and ActiveCampaign Compare on Features?
Total Features | 15 Features | 69 Features | 19 Features | 30 Features |
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Unique Features | No unique features | No unique features | No unique features | No unique features |
Get Quote | Get Quote |
Compare Help Scout, Ontraport, Outgrow and ActiveCampaign on pricing
Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.
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Other Details
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Get help choosing | Get help choosing |
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.
SOC 2 | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
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HIPAA | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
GDPR | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
ISO 27001 | ✗ No | ✗ No |
Single Sign-On (SSO) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Multi-Factor Auth (MFA) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Data Encryption | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Audit Logs | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Data Residency | 🇺🇸 US | — |
Help Scout vs Ontraport vs Outgrow User Reviews & Rating Comparison
User Ratings | ||||
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Rating Distribution | ||||
Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI | Buyer sentiment Buyers appreciate Help Scout's ease of use and unified support channels but note limitations in advanced customization and pricing transparency. What buyers like
Common complaints
| Buyer sentiment Overall, buyers appreciate Ontraport's powerful automation and comprehensive feature set but note a challenging learning curve and higher pricing. What buyers like
Common complaints
| Buyer sentiment Users generally praise Outgrow for its ease of use, customization options, and strong lead generation features, though some note limitations in integrations and advanced feature complexity. What buyers like
Common complaints
| Buyer sentiment Overall, buyers appreciate ActiveCampaign for its powerful automation, excellent support, and user-friendly interface, though some find the learning curve and email design limitations challenging. What buyers like
Common complaints
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Pros and Cons |
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Positive Reviews | No reviews available for the product | No reviews available for the product | No reviews available for the product | No reviews available for the product |
Integrations
Integration with other apps | No Integration information available. | No Integration information available. | No Integration information available. |
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List of Customers
Customers |  YETI  Trello  Mixmax | No Customers information available. |  Github  Codepen  VOD |  Platinum Skin Care  MOM  Heather Read Photography |
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Media and Screenshots
Screenshots |  7 Screenshots |  5 Screenshots |
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Videos |  3 Videos |  5 Videos |
Alternatives
Alternatives |
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Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, Help Scout or Ontraport?
- Help Scout edges out the other on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.5). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
- Do Help Scout and Ontraport offer a free trial?
- Yes, both Help Scout and Ontraport offer a free trial.
- What is the starting price of Help Scout vs Ontraport?
- Help Scout starts at $20 /User/Month. Ontraport starts at $83 /month.
- What are the top alternatives to Help Scout?
- Top alternatives to Help Scout include Zoho Desk, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Zendesk Support, LiveAgent.
- What are the top alternatives to Ontraport?
- Top alternatives to Ontraport include Outgrow, ActiveCampaign, CleverTap, Moosend, Omnisend.