# Help Scout

> Shared inbox and help desk with a knowledge base and AI answers

Help Scout is a customer support platform built around a shared inbox, where a team answers email, live chat, SMS and social messages together. It also includes Docs, a hosted knowledge base, and Beacon, a help widget that can be embedded in a website or app. Paid plans add workflows, SLA policies and AI writing tools, and the AI Answers add-on resolves routine customer questions automatically for a per-resolution fee.

- **Category:** Email Apps
- **Made by:** Help Scout (since 2011)
- **Website:** https://www.helpscout.com
- **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Help Scout has a free plan. Paid plans start at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site with 10 articles, 100 contacts per month, 10 saved replies and 30 days of report history. No AI tools are included.
- **Free trial:** 15-day free trial of Standard or Plus, no credit card required.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | Up to 5 users, 1 shared email Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts per month, with limited saved replies and no AI tools. |
| Standard | $25 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | Up to 25 users and 2 Inboxes, with live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, 1 basic SLA policy, 150 basic workflows and AI Assist. |
| Plus | $45 per user / month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly) | Up to 50 users and 5 Inboxes, with 500 advanced workflows, unlimited AI Drafts, round robin routing, a customer portal, and Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot. |
| Pro | $75 per user / month, billed annually ($90 billed monthly) | Unlimited users with a 10-user minimum and 10 Inboxes, plus unlimited workflows and SLA policies, SSO/SAML, HIPAA compliance and an account manager. |

Read from https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Help Scout before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **16% off with annual billing** (Annual discount): The pricing page shows a 16% discount for annual billing: Standard is $25 per user a month against $30 billed monthly, Plus $45 against $54 and Pro $75 against $90. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/
- **10% lifetime discount for non-profits and B Corps** (Nonprofit): Help Scout for Good gives non-profits and B Corporations a 10% lifetime discount on application, and up to 100% off for groups working on human rights, sustainability or representation in tech. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/for-good/
- **6 months free for early-stage startups** (Startups): New customers that are incorporated tech startups less than two years old with under $1 million in annual recurring revenue can apply for six months of the Plus plan and AI Answers at no charge. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/startups/

## Key features

- **Shared Inbox:** Email, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger conversations arrive in one shared workspace, where they can be assigned, tagged, snoozed and discussed in internal notes.
- **Docs knowledge base:** Docs sites publish a searchable, branded help center. The Free plan includes 1 site with 10 articles, and paid plans allow unlimited articles.
- **Beacon help widget:** An embeddable widget that offers suggested help articles, a contact form and live chat on any website page or inside an app.
- **Workflows and routing:** Workflows organize, assign or reply to conversations automatically: 150 basic on Standard, 500 advanced on Plus and unlimited on Pro. Round robin routing starts on Plus.
- **AI Answers and AI Drafts:** AI Answers replies to customers from knowledge base content at $0.75 per resolution. AI Drafts suggests replies based on past conversations on Plus and Pro.
- **Reports:** Pre-built reports cover volume, responses and customer happiness for each channel, with 30 days of history on Free, 2 years on Standard and all-time history on Plus and Pro.

## Good for

- Support teams moving off a shared Gmail or Outlook mailbox
- Small teams: the Free plan covers up to 5 users
- Companies that want a help center and live chat alongside email
- Non-profits and early-stage startups that qualify for its discounts

## Worth knowing

- The Free plan is limited to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts a month, and includes no AI tools.
- AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution once its 3-month free trial ends.
- Pro has a 10-user minimum, and trying Pro means talking to the sales team.
- Extra Inboxes cost $10 a month each on annual billing ($12 monthly) and extra Docs sites $20 ($24 monthly). Phone and voice work only through an integration.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.2 out of 5 from 319 ratings in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id966327660

## Works with

Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Linear, Shopify, Slack, Aircall, Zapier

**Tags:** Shared inbox, AI features, AI agents, Workflow automation, Reports, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Front](https://toolgpa.com/tools/front): Shared inbox and customer operations platform with AI and ticketing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/front-vs-help-scout)
- [Missive](https://toolgpa.com/tools/missive): Team email client with shared inboxes, internal chat and rules. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/help-scout-vs-missive)
- [Hiver](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hiver): Shared inbox and AI help desk that runs inside Gmail or standalone. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/help-scout-vs-hiver)
- [Zoho TeamInbox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-teaminbox): Shared inboxes for group email, WhatsApp and social messages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/help-scout-vs-zoho-teaminbox)
- [Gmelius](https://toolgpa.com/tools/gmelius): Shared inboxes and AI agents that work inside Gmail. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gmelius-vs-help-scout)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.helpscout.com/
- https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/
- https://www.helpscout.com/page-data/sq/d/1145654971.json
- https://www.helpscout.com/mobile/
- https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/
- https://www.helpscout.com/about/
- https://www.helpscout.com/for-good/
- https://www.helpscout.com/startups/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/help-scout
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).