Help Scout alternatives
Help Scout is free for up to 5 users, then $25 to $75 per user a month, with AI Answers at $0.75 per resolution. These alternatives suit teams that want chat first, an AI agent included in the price, or a help desk they host themselves.
Prices checked on 11 October 2026 against each company's own pricing page (Zendesk's and Intercom's on 7 October 2026), in US dollars before tax.
Quick summary
- unclench.ai: best flat-price option, an AI agent answering from your own docs with no per-resolution fees.
- Front: best for shared inboxes with more workflow.
- Freshdesk: best for email ticketing, from $19 per agent a month billed yearly.
- Zendesk: best for larger teams across email, chat and phone.
- Intercom: best for chat-first support with in-app messaging.
- Crisp: best low-cost chat inbox, free for 2 seats.
- Chatbase: best for an AI chatbot on its own, priced by messages.
- Chatwoot and FreeScout: best if you want to self-host open-source software.
What Help Scout costs
- Free: up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site. AI Answers isn't included.
- Standard: $25 per user a month, up to 25 users, 2 inboxes and 2 Docs sites.
- Plus: $45 per user a month, up to 50 users, 5 inboxes and 3 Docs sites.
- Pro: $75 per user a month, 10 users minimum, 10 inboxes and 5 Docs sites.
- Each paid plan is 16% less billed yearly. AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution, with three months free on a new account.
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starting price | How the AI is charged | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| unclench.ai | $49 a month for 2 seats, $99 for 10 | Included: 2,000 or 6,000 AI replies a month | Teams that want an AI agent answering from their own docs, with live handover |
| Front | Starter $25 per seat a month billed yearly, up to 10 seats; Professional $65 | Autopilot from $0.05 per conversation; Copilot $20 per seat a month | Shared inboxes with more workflow and collaboration |
| Freshdesk | Growth $19 per agent a month billed yearly; Pro $55, Enterprise $89 | First 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions included, then $49 per 100 | Email ticketing at a lower per-agent price |
| Zendesk | Support Team $19 per agent a month billed yearly; Suite Team $55 | 5 automated resolutions per agent a month included, then $1.50 to $2.00 each | Larger teams across email, chat and phone |
| Intercom | Essential $29 a seat a month billed yearly; Advanced $85 | Fin AI agent, $0.99 per outcome | Chat-first support with in-app messaging |
| Crisp | Free for 2 seats; Mini $45 a month per workspace | No AI on Free; $5 of AI credits on Mini, around 90 conversations | A low-cost chat inbox, priced per workspace |
| Chatbase | Hobby $40 a month for 700 message credits and 2 members; Standard $150 for 4,000 | Message credits included per plan; $40 per 1,000 more | An AI chatbot trained on your content, priced by messages |
| Chatwoot | Free cloud plan for 2 agents and 500 conversations a month; Startups $19 per agent | 300 AI credits a month on Startups, then $20 per 1,000 | Open source: self-host it or use their cloud |
| FreeScout | Free and open source, self-hosted | No AI listed in the core app | A free Help Scout-style inbox on your own server |
Free Help Scout alternatives
Help Scout's own free plan, 5 users, is more generous than most. If you need something else that starts free:
- Crisp: free for 2 seats, with a shared chat inbox and no AI credits.
- Chatwoot: a free cloud plan for 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, or free to self-host as open source.
- Zoho Desk: Free Edition for 3 users, with email ticketing.
- FreeScout: free and open source, built as a self-hosted Help Scout alternative.
How to choose
- You want AI answering customers in chat from your own docs, included in the price: unclench.ai, or Chatbase if you only need a chatbot.
- You want shared inboxes with more workflow: Front.
- You want email ticketing that costs less per agent: Freshdesk.
- Your team is growing past email and chat into phone and routing: Zendesk.
- You want to self-host: FreeScout or Chatwoot.
If you want shared inboxes with more workflow, Front is the closest step up.
But if you want an AI agent that answers customers from your own website and docs, hands the conversation to your team when it can't, and one flat monthly price with no per-resolution fees, that's what we built unclench.ai for: $49 a month for 2 seats and 2,000 AI replies, or $99 for 10 seats and 6,000.
When Help Scout is still the right call
If your support runs on email and you want a shared inbox and a help center that are quick to set up, Help Scout's free and Standard plans are hard to beat for a small team.
Questions, answered.
- How much does Help Scout cost?
- Free for up to 5 users. Paid plans are $25 (Standard), $45 (Plus) and $75 (Pro) per user a month, 16% less billed yearly. AI Answers is $0.75 per resolution.
- Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?
- Crisp (2 seats), Chatwoot's cloud (2 agents) and Zoho Desk (3 users) have free plans, and FreeScout is free to self-host. Help Scout's own free plan covers 5 users.
- Help Scout vs Freshdesk: which is cheaper?
- Freshdesk Growth is $19 per agent a month billed yearly; Help Scout Standard is $25 a month, 16% less billed yearly. Help Scout has a free plan for up to 5 users; Freshdesk has a 14-day trial instead.
- Help Scout vs Intercom: what's the difference?
- Help Scout is an email-first shared inbox from $25 per user a month, with AI Answers at $0.75 per resolution. Intercom is chat-first, from $29 a seat a month billed yearly, with its Fin AI agent at $0.99 per outcome.
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