Freshdesk vs Help Scout Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Freshdesk | Help Scout | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Number of plans | 3 | 3 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | ||
| Pricing model | per-seat | per-seat |
Growth
- Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)
- Ticketing & shared inbox
- Customer portal & knowledge base
- Out-of-the-box analytics & reporting
- Threads & tasks
- Roles & permissions
Pro
Popular- Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)
- Multilingual helpdesk
- Custom dashboards & reporting
- Intelligent routing
- Multiple SLA policies
- External collaborators
Enterprise
- Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)
- Freddy AI Insights
- Skill-based routing
- Sandbox
- Audit logs
- Allowed domains & IP whitelisting
Standard
- Multiple Inboxes
- Live chat and SMS
- WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger
- Multiple knowledge bases
- One basic SLA policy
- Basic workflows
- Unlimited tags and saved replies
- AI Inbox assistant
Plus
Popular- Advanced workflows
- Two advanced SLA policies
- Secure customer portal
- Unlimited AI Drafts
- Round robin routing
- Salesforce, Jira, and HubSpot
- Internal teams
- Group conversations by company
Pro
- Unlimited workflows
- Unlimited SLA policies
- Multiple routing types
- SSO/SAML
- HIPAA compliance
- Up to 50 light users
- Dedicated onboarding specialist
- Strategic account manager
- Preferred pricing on Aircall
Freshdesk vs Help Scout FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Freshdesk starts lower at $19/mo, compared to $25/mo for Help Scout.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Help Scout has a free plan. Freshdesk doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a per-seat model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Freshdesk: Freshdesk sits in the mid-market sweet spot — cheaper than Zendesk at comparable tiers but not competing on rock-bottom price like Help Scout's entry tier. They're clearly chasing teams that want an established, feature-rich helpdesk without paying enterprise-software prices, especially companies migrating off spreadsheets or basic email support. Help Scout: At $25-75/seat, Help Scout sits mid-market — pricier than bare-bones tools like Freshdesk's entry plans but cheaper than Zendesk or Intercom at scale. They're chasing small-to-mid teams who want a polished, human-feeling tool without enterprise complexity or enterprise pricing.
Still deciding? See the best Freshdesk alternatives or the best Help Scout alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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