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9.7

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Help Scout - Help Desk Software

Help Scout

Streamline customer support with Help Scout.

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Starts from $20/User/Month when Billed Yearly

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What is Help Scout?

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 succeed with Help Scout, so user can provide personal support during migration and a free trial before buying. Use Help Scout email support, live chat, help desk and knowledge base all in one easy to use interface. No more switching between multiple applications just to get the job done.

Pricing

  • Starts from $20/User/Month when Billed Yearly

  • Free Trial available

Customer Type

  • Large Enterprises

  • Medium Business

  • Small Business

Platform Type

  • SaaS/Web/Cloud

  • Mobile - Android

  • Mobile - iOS

Help Scout software demo

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Help Scout was reviewed internally using user feedback, in-house testing, and market research to assess its performance, reliability, and user experience. Learn how we review products and our evaluation process.

Help Scout is best suited for

  • employee count

    Employee count: 10 – 1,000 Employees

  • industries

    Industries: SaaS, E-commerce, Education, Nonprofits, Startups, Digital Agencies.

  • Job titles

    Job Titles: Customer Support Manager, Customer Experience Lead, IT Support Specialist, Operations Manager, Client Success Coordinator, Knowledge Base Administrator.

Benefits of using Help Scout

  • Unified Platform for Support Channels: Combines email, live chat, knowledge base, and help desk in one intuitive interface—ideal for streamlining 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.

Explanation of Help Scout Key Features

  • AI Assistant

    The AI Assistant in Help Scout enhances customer support by automating repetitive tasks, suggesting relevant help articles, and guiding agents with smart recommendations. It leverages machine learning to improve response accuracy and efficiency. This intelligent assistant reduces resolution times and empowers agents to focus on complex queries that require human expertise.

  • Alerts (Escalation)

    Alerts and Escalation in Help Scout notify agents or managers when tickets breach service expectations or remain unresolved for too long. Escalation rules are customizable, ensuring urgent issues are prioritized. This feature maintains accountability, supports timely resolution, and ensures that no customer query slips through the cracks in the support workflow.

  • Automated Routing

    Automated Routing in Help Scout streamlines ticket assignment by directing inquiries to the right team or agent based on predefined rules. Whether by keyword, channel, or customer type, this automation ensures faster response times and reduces manual effort. It enhances operational efficiency and ensures inquiries are handled by the most qualified team members.

  • Contract (SLA Management)

    Help Scout's SLA Management allows organizations to set expectations for response and resolution times through configurable Service Level Agreements. Teams are automatically alerted if SLA targets are at risk, enabling proactive intervention. This feature helps maintain service standards, ensures accountability, and improves customer satisfaction by delivering on promised support timelines.

  • Customizable Branding

    Customizable Branding in Help Scout allows companies to tailor their support experience with logos, brand colors, and messaging. This feature ensures consistency across customer-facing channels like the help center and emails. By maintaining visual and tonal alignment with company branding, businesses can build trust and deliver a cohesive customer experience.

  • Document Storage

    Document Storage in Help Scout provides a centralized space to manage and store internal documentation, support materials, and guides. Agents can access these documents while handling tickets, ensuring accurate and consistent responses. This feature promotes knowledge sharing and speeds up resolution by offering quick reference to essential information.

  • Knowledge Base

    The Knowledge Base in Help Scout, branded as Docs, offers a self-service resource center where businesses can publish FAQs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting content. It reduces ticket volume and empowers customers to find answers independently. Integrated search and article suggestions streamline the support experience for both users and agents.

  • Known Issue Management

    Known Issue Management in Help Scout helps teams document recurring problems that affect multiple customers. This feature allows linking tickets to a central issue, ensuring consistent updates and resolution tracking. It improves communication, reduces duplicate work, and ensures customers stay informed about progress on widespread or unresolved problems.

  • Live Chat

    Live Chat in Help Scout enables real-time customer conversations through the Beacon widget, allowing immediate responses to user inquiries. This feature helps reduce ticket volume and provides a personal, humanized support experience. With chat history and context-aware responses, agents can handle multiple conversations effectively and deliver quick, accurate help.

  • Macros (Templated Responses)

    Macros in Help Scout are pre-written, customizable responses that agents use to reply to common inquiries. These templated replies increase consistency, reduce typing time, and streamline the resolution of frequent issues. Macros can include personalization tokens, ensuring replies feel tailored while maintaining support efficiency and message accuracy.

  • Multi-Channel Communication

    Help Scout offers Multi-Channel Communication by consolidating email, live chat, and customer knowledge base interactions into one unified platform. This enables agents to manage inquiries from different channels without switching tools. It improves workflow efficiency, ensures context continuity, and provides customers with seamless support across preferred communication methods.

  • Self Service Portal

    The Self Service Portal in Help Scout empowers customers to find answers on their own through an accessible and searchable knowledge base. Available 24/7, this portal reduces incoming tickets and improves customer satisfaction. It allows users to browse help content, submit questions, and resolve issues without needing agent assistance.

  • Social Media Integration

    While Help Scout focuses primarily on email and chat, Social Media Integration can be achieved through third-party tools. When integrated, it allows customer service teams to manage social messages in the same environment as other support channels. This helps maintain unified support operations and ensures customers receive consistent service across platforms.

  • Surveys & Feedback

    Help Scout includes built-in customer satisfaction surveys that trigger after ticket resolution. These surveys help teams collect direct feedback on support performance. Insights from the feedback loop identify areas of improvement and agent strengths, enabling businesses to continuously enhance service quality and ensure customer satisfaction is actively monitored.

  • Ticket Management

    Ticket Management in Help Scout centralizes all customer interactions into organized threads, regardless of channel. Agents can tag, assign, prioritize, and collaborate on tickets to ensure timely and accurate responses. With smart workflows, automation, and collaboration tools, Help Scout simplifies support handling while maintaining a personal, efficient customer service experience.

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Why users might consider alternative to Help Scout?

  • 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.

  • Compared to Intercom or Freshdesk, Help Scout’s AI/chatbot capabilities are more limited, which may be a drawback for companies aiming for high-efficiency automation.

  • As teams grow significantly, some users report that Help Scout’s per-seat pricing can become less cost-effective compared to alternatives with flat-rate or feature-tiered options.

  • While it integrates with many popular tools, companies with highly customized workflows or niche platforms may prefer alternatives with more extensive or open integration ecosystems.

Help Scout Reviews & Ratings

4.4

Very Good

Based on 741 ratings & 325 reviews

Rating Distribution

Excellent

(237)

Very Good

(67)

Good

(11)

Poor

(5)

Terible

(5)

User Review

JG

Joe Garcia

03/19/24

5 out of 5

10 Years and counting

We've been using HelpScout for a decade and it's been a pleasure to grow our company alongside the HS team! We originally moved from a shared Google ...

Read more

AL

Amy Lozano Iltis

03/06/24

5 out of 5

Love HelpScout!

We love using HelpScout and their support team is super friendly and knowledgeable.

CH

Corina Hobbs

01/29/24

5 out of 5

Attractive Platform & Phenomenal Customer Support!

The Help Scout platform is one of the most user-friendly interfaces I have encountered in my career. The ability to customize workflows, mailbox ...

Read more

WB

Wes Brown

01/21/24

5 out of 5

Lisa Bradley-Excellent AM!

Lisa Bradley, our Account Manager, is always extremely helpful. When we've had questions about how to best utilize HelpScout and its many features she ...

Read more

Help Scout Customers

YETI-logo

YETI

Trello-logo

Trello

Mixmax-logo

Mixmax

OkCupid-logo

OkCupid

Honey-logo

Honey

Spindrift-logo

Spindrift

OnePageCRM-logo

OnePageCRM

Efficient App-logo

Efficient App

GrowSurf-logo

GrowSurf

Threadless-logo

Threadless

Help Scout Support

Customer Service

24/7 (Live rep)

Business Hours

Online

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

Help Scout is a Help Desk Software. Help Scout offers Social Media Integration, Multi-Channel Communication, Macros (Templated Responses), Document Storage, Customizable Branding and many more functionalities.

Some top alternatives to Help Scout includes Zendesk Support, Zoho Desk, Tidio Helpdesk, Freshservice and HESK.

Yes, Help Scout provides API.

Yes, Help Scout provides a mobile app.

Help Scout is located in Boston, Massachusetts

Help Scout offers Free Trial, Subscription pricing models

We don't have information regarding integrations of the Help Scout as of now.

The starting price of Help Scout is $20/User/Month when Billed Yearly

This software is researched and edited by

Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas, where he reviews and compares software tools that help businesses work smarter. Over the past two years, he has analyzed thousands of products across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — combining real-world research with a strong foundation in commerce and the CFA program. He's especially curious about AI, automation, and the future of work tech. Outside of SpotSaaS, you'll find him on a badminton court or tracking the stock market.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].