Freshdesk vs Help Scout

Choosing between Freshdesk and Help Scout? Both platforms can work for customer support teams, but they usually fit different company sizes, workflows, and budget expectations.

SMBFree planEmailSimplicityEmailSMB

When to choose Freshdesk

  • Generous free plan
  • Intuitive UI
  • Quick to set up

When to choose Help Scout

  • Invisible to customers (looks like regular email)
  • Extremely easy to use
  • Great support

Key differences between Freshdesk and Help Scout

FactorFreshdeskHelp Scout
Best fitSaaS and product-led support teamssmall and mid-sized support teams
Starting priceFrom $15/agent/moFrom $20/agent/mo
G2-style rating4.4/54.4/5
Main focusAI-assisted support and automationAI-assisted support and automation
Categorysmb, saassmb

Freshdesk limitations

  • Advanced features locked behind high tiers
  • Limited custom reports on lower plans

Help Scout limitations

  • Lacks complex routing
  • No phone channel
  • Basic reporting

Switching from Freshdesk to Help Scout or the other way around?

Use Help Desk Migration to move tickets, customers, agents, groups, comments, attachments, and historical support data with less manual work.

Plan a migration

Related comparisons

Freshdesk vs ZendeskHelp Scout vs ZendeskFreshdesk vs IntercomHelp Scout vs IntercomFreshdesk vs Jira Service ManagementHelp Scout vs Jira Service ManagementFreshdesk vs Salesforce Service CloudHelp Scout vs Salesforce Service Cloud

Popular comparisons

Zendesk vs FreshdeskZendesk vs IntercomJira Service Management vs ZendeskSalesforce Service Cloud vs ZendeskGorgias vs Zendesk