Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Help Scout.
Want the closest match?
CrispMost similar to Help Scout in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Crisp in a new tab)Need a free plan?
TidioHas a free plan, rated 4.3 out of 5.
Visit (opens Tidio in a new tab)Want to pay less than Help Scout?
FreshchatFrom $19/mo, against from $25/mo for Help Scout.
Visit (opens Freshchat in a new tab)Want the best rated?
FrontRated 4.4 out of 5 in our review, against 4.5 for Help Scout.
Visit (opens Front in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Help Scout, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Help ScoutBaseline | 4.5 | $25/mo | Yes | A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing | |
| Crisp | 4.4−0.1 | $45/mo$20 more | Yes | A multichannel messaging inbox, not just an enterprise AI agent | vs Help Scout |
| Tidio | 4.3−0.2 | Free | Yes | Live chat and AI support built for small business budgets | vs Help Scout |
 HelpDesk | 4.2−0.3 | Not listed | No | One inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS, from the company behind LiveChat. | vs Help Scout |
 Thena | 4.2−0.3 | Not listed | No | B2B support conducted through shared Slack channels | vs Help Scout |
| Front | 4.4−0.1 | $25/moSame price | No | Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance. | vs Help Scout |
 Synthflow AI | 3.9−0.6 | Not listed | No | No-code voice AI priced per minute, built for appointment scheduling and lead qualification calls | vs Help Scout |
| Freshchat | 4.3−0.2 | $19/mo$6 less | Yes | Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support. | vs Help Scout |
 Hiver | 4.2−0.3 | $25/moSame price | Yes | Runs customer support from inside Gmail rather than in a separate helpdesk. | vs Help Scout |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Help Scout.
Crisp
4.4$45/mo
vs Help Scout$20 more−0.1
A multichannel messaging inbox, not just an enterprise AI agent.
- Multichannel shared team inbox (chat, email, and more)
- AI chatbot automation alongside human agent handoff
- Genuinely published, self-serve pricing
Published, accessible pricing unlike most enterprise-only competitors
Less specialized in pure AI resolution than dedicated enterprise agent platforms
Tidio
4.3Free
vs Help Scout−0.2
Live chat and AI support built for small business budgets.
- Live chat, shared inbox, and Lyro AI chatbot in one platform
- Genuinely published, self-serve pricing
- E-commerce-specific features like order status lookups
Accessible, transparent pricing unlike most enterprise-only competitors
Less suited to large-scale enterprise support volume
HelpDesk
4.2Not listed
vs Help Scout−0.3
One inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS, from the company behind LiveChat.
- Unified inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS
- AI reply suggestions, summaries and automatic tagging
- Language detection and tone adjustment
Collision detection stops two agents answering the same ticket
Plan pricing kept on a separate page
Thena
4.2Not listed
vs Help Scout−0.3
B2B support conducted through shared Slack channels.
- AI-powered support automation built for Slack Connect
- Designed for B2B SaaS support conversations, not consumer web widgets
- Triage and resolution within existing Slack channels
Genuinely native to a common B2B support workflow other tools don't address directly
No free tier or transparent self-serve pricing
Front
4.4$25/mo
vs Help ScoutSame price−0.1
Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance.
- Autopilot AI agent that resolves requests across channels
- Copilot for account signals, next steps and reply drafts
- Compass monitoring and recommendations for AI agents
Human teams and AI agents work in the same threads
Copilot and Autopilot cost extra on Starter and Professional
Synthflow AI
3.9Not listed
vs Help Scout−0.6
No-code voice AI priced per minute, built for appointment scheduling and lead qualification calls.
- No-code voice AI builder for appointment scheduling and lead qualification calls
- Per-minute pricing on the voice engine, roughly $0.09/minute plus model costs
- Direct calendar and CRM integrations configurable without code
No-code setup makes voice automation accessible without an engineering team
Per-minute-plus-model pricing structure needs tracking to avoid surprise costs at scale
Freshchat
4.3$19/mo
vs Help Scout$6 less−0.2
Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support.
- Unified inbox spanning web, mobile, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email, and SMS
- No-code chatbot builder for automating routine conversations
- Freddy AI Agent and Copilot add-ons for automated responses and agent assistance
Genuinely free tier for up to 10 agents, not a time-limited trial only
Freddy AI Agent and Copilot are billed as separate add-ons on top of per-agent pricing
Hiver
4.2$25/mo
vs Help ScoutSame price−0.3
Runs customer support from inside Gmail rather than in a separate helpdesk.
- Support ticketing inside Gmail
- Channels beyond email
- Assignment and cross-team collaboration
Teams keep working in the mailbox they already use
Tied to Google Workspace
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Help Scout free?
Help Scout has a free plan, and paid plans start from $25/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Help Scout?
Crisp is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: Tidio, Freshchat, Hiver.
What is the cheapest alternative to Help Scout?
Among paid plans, Freshchat has the lowest starting price (from $19/mo). If you need it free, start with Crisp.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.