Helpwise vs SparrowDesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SparrowDesk grades higher than Helpwise: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
SparrowDesk grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Helpwise
Shared inbox for email, chat, WhatsApp and SMS with a help center
SparrowDesk
Help desk with shared inbox, live chat and a per-resolution AI agent
Which one is for you
Pick Helpwise if
- Fits if your support still lives in a shared Gmail or Outlook inbox
- Works for sales and ops teams of 2 to 10 who work in HubSpot or Pipedrive
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you work alone, since every plan needs at least 2 seats, and Advanced needs 3
- Tight if you're on Standard: 3 inboxes, 15 saved replies, 3 rules, no WhatsApp or SMS, and a 10-user cap
- Pricey if you want the chatbot and calls included, as that takes Advanced at $39 a user; on Premium they're $10 and $5 add-ons
- Watch out: 3 more inboxes cost $49 a month on top of your plan
- Skip it if you want a free plan: after the 7-day trial you pay
Pick SparrowDesk if
- Fits if you want a free help desk for a team of 3 or fewer
- Works for a small team that wants phone apps
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you use the AI, as Zoona is $0.49 a resolution and Copilot $8 an agent a month
- Tight if you stay free, since it stops at 500 conversations a month and has no portal, CSAT or teams
- Skip it if you need workflows or SLAs on the cheap plan, because they start at Professional, $49
- Watch out: Salesforce needs Enterprise, and Lite seats are capped from 5 on Starter
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHelpwiseGood | 2.8GPASparrowDeskGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStandard is $12 a user a month billed yearly ($15 monthly), inside the cheaper quarter of help desks. It's sold for at least 2 users, so one person pays $24. WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram and calls need Premium at $23, still under the middle. | B$16 an agent a month billed annually, inside the category's cheaper quarter of $19. Professional is $49. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day free trial of every plan, and then you pay. There's no free plan to stay on. | BFree for up to 3 users and 500 conversations a month, plus a 14-day trial with no card. |
| Features | BShared inboxes for Gmail, Microsoft 365, chat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and SMS, a help center, assignment rules, CSAT, SLAs, a chatbot and calls. Across the plans it covers the job, with the chatbot and phone as add-ons on Premium and included on Advanced. | BInbox, live chat, AI, workflows, SLAs and a help center. The listing shows no gap in the core support job, though workflows and SLAs start at Professional. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Connecting Gmail or Outlook is quick, but each channel, inbox and rule is its own bit of setup. | CNo store rating on record. Channels, workflows and the AI need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Shopify, Slack, Zapier, Asana, ClickUp and Jira. No desktop app, so it stops at a B. | BWeb plus iOS and Android, with Slack, Linear, HubSpot, Salesforce and WhatsApp. |
| Best for | moving support off a shared Gmail address | a help desk with a free plan for 3 users |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Helpwise and SparrowDesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
Helpwise starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SparrowDesk starts at $16 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Helpwise starts $4 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Helpwise for less, and 1 scores higher than SparrowDesk for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SparrowDesk also covers workflow automation, AI support agent and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Helpwise | SparrowDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $16 per agent / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for up to 3 users: live chat, email ticketing, shared inbox, prebuilt reports, public help center, 500 conversations a month. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of every plan | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SaaS Labs, Inc. | SurveySparrow Inc. |
| Price read from | helpwise.io | sparrowdesk.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Helpwise
- Seat minimums apply: 2 users on Standard and Premium, 3 on Advanced. Standard stops at 10 users.
- Standard covers only email, live chat and Facebook; WhatsApp, SMS, calling and Instagram need Premium.
- Add-ons: 3 more inboxes cost $49 a month, the chatbot $10 per user a month and the cloud phone $5 per active user a month.
- There is no free plan after the 7-day trial.
SparrowDesk
- Zoona costs $0.49 per resolution, Copilot $8 per agent a month for 1,000 credits, and Account Intelligence $8 a month for 1,000 credits.
- The free plan is limited to 500 conversations a month and no customer portal, CSAT or teams.
- Slack, Linear and HubSpot integrations start at Starter; Salesforce needs Enterprise.
- Lite seats are capped per plan, from 5 on Starter to 50 on Enterprise.
Key features
Helpwise
- Shared team inboxes
- Gmail, Microsoft 365, live chat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and SMS conversations in shared inboxes, with notes, mentions, shared drafts and collision detection.
- Knowledge base
- A help center for customers to look up answers, included from the Standard plan.
- Automation and assignment
- Rules that sort and assign conversations, from 3 on Standard to unlimited on Advanced, with round-robin or load-balanced assignment.
- Helpwise AI
- AI help with drafting and summarizing replies from Premium, and automatic prioritization of conversations on Advanced.
- Cloud phone and chatbot
- Calls and a website chatbot in the same inbox, sold as add-ons on Premium and included on Advanced.
- Mobile apps
- Apps for iOS and Android alongside the web app.
SparrowDesk
- Shared inbox
- Email, chat and channels such as Slack, WhatsApp, Facebook, Discord and Instagram arrive in one inbox with macros and merging.
- Zoona AI agent
- Answers customers in 40+ languages, hands off to a person with context, and trains on your site, PDFs and help center.
- AI Copilot
- An in-inbox assistant that summarizes conversations, drafts replies for agents to review and translates as you read.
- Workflows and SLAs
- Advanced workflows, round robin assignment, SLA policies and business hours are available from the Professional plan.
- Help center and portal
- A public help center on every plan; a customer portal where customers submit and track tickets starts at Starter.
- Account Intelligence
- Groups conversations into topics, flags problem ones early and drafts help center articles from resolved conversations.
Plans
Helpwise
Standard$12
per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
2 to 10 users, 3 shared inboxes, 15 saved replies, a help center, email, live chat and Facebook, 3 automation rules and standard analytics.
Premium$23
per user / month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
From 2 users. 10 shared inboxes, WhatsApp, SMS, calling and Instagram, 25 automation rules, CSAT surveys, all integrations and AI reply help.
Advanced$39
per user / month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
From 3 users. 30 shared inboxes, unlimited rules, SLAs, load-balanced assignment, AI prioritization, chatbot and calling included, and SSO.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom integrations, SSO, team onboarding and training, and a dedicated account manager. Priced on request.
SparrowDesk
Free$0
Up to 3 users with live chat, email ticketing, prebuilt reports and a public help center.
Starter$16
per agent / month, billed annually
Unlimited conversations, teams, ticket forms, customer portal and CSAT surveys, with 5 Lite seats.
Professional$49
per agent / month, billed annually
Adds workflows, round robin assignment, SLAs, business hours and 20 Lite seats.
Enterprise$89
per agent / month, billed annually
Adds SSO, custom roles, password policy and multiple brands, with 50 Lite seats; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Helpwise
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Helpwise's pricing page lists a 20% saving on annual billing: Standard is $12 per user a month billed annually against $15 monthly.
SparrowDesk
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
The pricing page shows yearly billing as saving 20% against monthly billing; the prices listed here are the yearly ones.
- Startups
Startup program for 90% off
SparrowDesk's pricing page advertises a startup program that takes 90% off; eligibility terms are not shown on the page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Helpwise or SparrowDesk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Helpwise is cheaper to start with: $12 a month for each person, against $16 a month for each person for SparrowDesk. Helpwise starts at $12 per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and SparrowDesk starts at $16 per agent / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Helpwise or SparrowDesk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SparrowDesk has a free plan. Helpwise does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.