Best Help Scout Alternatives (2026)
Looking for something other than Help Scout for support? Here are the 10 alternatives we track, ranked, with verified pricing for each.
Pricing verified Jul 27, 2026
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Help Scout alternatives at a glance
| Product | Entry price | Plans | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout this page's subject | $25/mo | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| Intercom | $29/mo | 4 | No | Yes |
| Zendesk | $19/mo | 4 | No | Yes |
| Crisp | $45/mo | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Botpress | $150/mo | 4 | Yes | No |
| Chaport | $39/mo | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| Chatwoot | $19/mo | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| DevRev | Custom | 3 | Yes | No |
| Five9 | $119/mo | 5 | No | No |
| Freshdesk | $19/mo | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| Freshservice | $19/mo | 4 | No | Yes |
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Intercom
SupportCustomer messaging platform.
Intercom sits mid-to-premium versus Zendesk or Freshdesk on a per-seat basis, but the real cost multiplier is Fin — it's positioning itself less as a helpdesk and more as an AI-support platform, competing with pure-play AI agent vendors as much as legacy ticketing tools. The 93% startup discount is a clear signal they're trying to land early-stage companies before they default to cheaper tools.
Plans: Essential $29/mo · Advanced $85/mo · Expert $132/mo · Fin AI Agent Contact Sales
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Zendesk
SupportCustomer service and engagement platform.
Zendesk sits in the premium-to-mid tier — more expensive than Freshdesk or Help Scout, but they're not apologizing for it. They're going after mid-market and enterprise teams that want a proven, deeply integrated platform and are willing to pay for brand reliability and ecosystem breadth.
Plans: Support Team $19/mo per seat · Suite Team $55/mo per seat · Suite Professional $115/mo per seat · Suite Enterprise + Copilot Contact Sales
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Crisp
SupportAll-in-one customer messaging.
Crisp sits in the budget-to-mid range of the live chat and customer messaging space — cheaper than Intercom or Drift by a wide margin, but not trying to be a bare-bones widget. They're going after SMBs and startups that want a capable tool without enterprise pricing.
Plans: Free $0/mo · Mini $45/mo · Essentials $95/mo · Plus $295/mo
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Botpress
SupportAI agent platform for developers.
At $150 to start, Botpress is mid-market — not a race-to-the-bottom tool like some no-code chatbot builders, but well below the enterprise-first pricing of players like Intercom or Drift. They're going after technical teams and growth-stage companies who want flexibility without paying six figures.
Plans: Free $0/mo · Plus $150/mo · Team $750/mo · Enterprise Contact Sales
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Chaport
SupportModern live chat for websites.
At $39 Pro and $129 Unlimited, Chaport is positioned as a budget-friendly alternative to Intercom or Drift — clearly chasing SMBs and startups who find the big players overkill. They're not the cheapest live chat out there, but they're well below mid-market players, making them a credible 'good enough at a fair price' option.
Plans: Free $0/mo · Pro $39/mo · Unlimited $129/mo
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Chatwoot
SupportOpen-source customer engagement.
Chatwoot is playing the affordable open-source-friendly angle hard — $39/seat Business tier undercuts Intercom and Zendesk significantly, and the free plan for open source projects is a direct community acquisition move. They're not chasing enterprise logos; they're trying to win dev-adjacent teams and scrappy support orgs who'd otherwise self-host.
Plans: Hacker $0/mo per seat · Startups $19/mo per seat · Business $39/mo per seat · Enterprise $99/mo per seat
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DevRev
SupportSupport and product on one AI-native platform.
Sitting against tools like Zendesk, Linear, and Intercom, DevRev is positioning itself as a modern alternative that blurs the line between customer support and product development. The free tier gets them in the door against incumbents, but the custom pricing on paid plans suggests they're not competing on being the cheapest — they're pitching value to teams who want a unified platform.
Plans: Mini $0/mo · Pro Contact Sales · Max Contact Sales
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Five9
SupportIntelligent cloud contact center.
At $119-159/seat for concurrent users with a 50-seat minimum, Five9 is squarely mid-to-premium enterprise CCaaS — not trying to compete with Talkdesk or Dialpad on price, and not pretending to. They're going after established contact center operations that need reliability and compliance over cost efficiency, competing more directly with Genesys and NICE than with scrappy challengers.
Plans: Digital $119/mo per seat · Core $159/mo per seat · Plus Contact Sales · Pro Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales
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Freshdesk
SupportCustomer support and ticketing.
Freshdesk sits in the mid-market sweet spot, undercutting Zendesk Suite (which starts around $55 just for Growth-equivalent features) while staying above bare-bones tools like Groove or Help Scout. They're clearly targeting SMBs and mid-market teams who find Zendesk expensive but have outgrown lightweight helpdesks.
Plans: Growth $19/mo per seat · Pro $55/mo per seat · Enterprise $89/mo per seat
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Freshservice
SupportITSM from Freshworks.
Freshservice sits in the mid-market sweet spot — cheaper than ServiceNow by a mile, but priced above Zoho Desk and basic helpdesks. They're clearly gunning for IT teams at mid-size companies who find Jira Service Management too dev-centric and ServiceNow too heavy.
Plans: Starter $19/mo per seat · Growth $49/mo per seat · Pro $99/mo per seat · Enterprise Contact Sales
None of these fit? Browse the full pricing directory →
Help Scout Alternatives FAQ
- What is the best alternative to Help Scout?
- Intercom is the closest Help Scout alternative we track for support. Paid plans start at $29/mo. Zendesk and Crisp are also worth a look.
- Are there free alternatives to Help Scout?
- Yes — Crisp, Botpress, Chaport and 3 more offer a free plan, so you can switch without paying up front.
- How much do Help Scout alternatives cost?
- Entry prices range from $19/mo (Zendesk) to $150/mo (Botpress). Each product page has the full verified tier breakdown.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Help Scout?
- Yes — Help Scout starts at $25/mo, while Zendesk ($19/mo), Chatwoot ($19/mo), Freshdesk ($19/mo) start lower.
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