Review · Business & work
Help Scout review
An email-first shared inbox and help desk with saved replies, workflows and a pay-per-resolution AI agent.
By the DBotMaker research desk · Updated November 7, 2026
- Capabilities (40%)
- 7.9
- Ease of setup (30%)
- 9.2
- Value (30%)
- 8.8
Help Scout is the easiest help desk to start with on this list. The Free plan covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, and Standard at $25 per user per month adds multiple inboxes, live chat and SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, multiple knowledge bases, basic workflows and unlimited tags and saved replies, which work as its macros. Plus at $45 brings advanced workflows, two advanced SLA policies, a secure customer portal, unlimited AI Drafts, round robin routing and Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot integrations. The AI agent, Envoy, is an add-on at $0.75 per resolution billed monthly, with a 3-month free trial. Help Scout says it connects to 100+ tools. It is lighter than Zendesk or Intercom: the Free plan limits saved replies to 10 and contacts to 100 a month, Standard tops out at 25 users, and advanced automation sits on higher tiers. For teams that live in email, that simplicity is the point.
Who it is for
Small support teams that want a simple inbox, a free starting plan and AI billed only when it resolves.
Price
Free plan for 5 users; Standard from $25 per user per month; AI agent at $0.75 per resolution.
Standard $ 25 per user/mo
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 7, 2026.
Key features
- Shared inboxes with unlimited tags and saved replies from Standard
- Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on Standard
- Envoy AI add-on billed per resolution with a 3-month free trial
- Advanced workflows, round robin routing and unlimited AI Drafts on Plus
- Multiple knowledge bases and an AI Inbox assistant
Strengths and weaknesses
- Strength: Free plan with 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site
- Strength: AI agent can be tried for 3 months at no cost
- Strength: Annual billing saves 16%
- Weakness: Free plan allows 10 saved replies and 100 contacts a month
- Weakness: Salesforce, Jira and HubSpot integrations start on Plus at $45
- Weakness: Standard is capped at 25 users
Key facts
- Free plan: 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site
- Paid plans: Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user per month
- AI price: $0.75 per resolution, billed monthly
- AI trial: 3 months
- Extra inboxes: $10 per month each
Where it ranks
Help Scout is No. 3 in our Best Help Desk Software verdict.
Alternatives we scored
Visit helpscout.com · Questions or corrections: editorial@dbotmaker.io