# Freshdesk vs Help Scout

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Help Scout

| Attribute | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 63.8 (42% (low)) | 81.7 (70% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A customer service platform that combines AI agents, team collaboration tools, and third-party app integrations to automate and enhance support operations. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What is Freshdesk?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Freshdesk offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at £15 per agent per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"Is Freshdesk free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Freshdesk. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What platforms does Freshdesk support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Freshdesk, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"Can Freshdesk be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Freshdesk, including MCP-connected AI tools and apps, Slack, Freshcaller and Freshservice. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://freshdesk.com","question":"What does Freshdesk integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Customer support software that enables team collaboration and messaging across multiple channels, with AI features to assist with responses and improve service speed and quality. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://www.helpscout.com","question":"What is Help Scout?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Help Scout offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.helpscout.com","question":"Is Help Scout free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Help Scout. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.helpscout.com","question":"What platforms does Help Scout support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Help Scout, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.helpscout.com","question":"Can Help Scout be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR for Help Scout. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Help Scout not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.helpscout.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Help Scout have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A customer service platform that combines AI agents, team collaboration tools, and third-party app integrations to automate and enhance support operations. | A customer support service that uses artificial intelligence to help businesses manage customer interactions through chat and communication features. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ai_agent":true,"free_tier":true,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":true,"sla_routing":true,"automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` | `{"hosting":"cloud","ai_agent":true,"sso_scim":false,"free_tier":true,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":false,"omnichannel":true,"sla_routing":false,"shared_inbox":true,"knowledge_base":true,"voice_telephony":false,"automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"MCP-connected AI tools and apps"},{"name":"Slack","native":true,"category":"chat"},{"name":"Freshcaller","native":true},{"name":"Freshservice","native":true}]` | `[{"name":"Shopify"}]` |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"£15/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Ticketing & shared inbox","Customer portal & knowledge base","Out-of-the-box analytics & reporting","Threads & tasks","Roles & permissions"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Launch AI-powered service over email","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"£39/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Multilingual helpdesk","Custom dashboards & reporting","Intelligent routing","Multiple SLA policies","External collaborators"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":39,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Scale AI-powered service across your business","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"£67/agent/month billed annually","features":["Freddy AI Agent (first 500 sessions included)","Freddy AI Insights","Skill-based routing","Sandbox","Audit logs","Allowed domains & IP whitelisting"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":67,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Deliver enterprise-grade, AI-powered service","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_agent_sessions":"500"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Freddy AI Copilot","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"agent","amount":23,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Additional AI Agent sessions","components":[{"per":{"qty":100,"unit":"sessions"},"kind":"metered","amount":36,"currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Day passes","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1.5,"currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"Connector app tasks","components":[{"per":{"qty":5000,"unit":"tasks"},"kind":"metered","amount":65,"currency":"GBP"}]}],"summary":"From £15/agent/month billed annually. 14-day free trial.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://freshdesk.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T11:47:05.273Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["1 Inbox","1 Docs site","10 saved replies","10 tags","Snooze","Send later","Customer profiles & history","Custom fields (up to 10)"],"minSeats":5,"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"5","inboxes":"1","contacts":"100/mo","docs_sites":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"$25/user/mo","features":["Multiple Inboxes","Live chat, Instagram, & Messenger","Multiple knowledge bases","One basic SLA policy","Basic workflows","Unlimited tags and saved replies","AI Inbox assistant","WhatsApp messaging","Saved replies","Views","Snooze","Send later"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing teams looking to automate more tasks and move beyond email","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"25","inboxes":"2 (additional $10/mo)","contacts":"Unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$45/user/mo","features":["Everything in Standard","Advanced workflows","Two advanced SLA policies","Unlimited AI Drafts","Round robin routing","Salesforce, Jira, and HubSpot integrations","Internal teams","Group conversations by company"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":45,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams managing higher volume and complexity across multiple channels","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"50","inboxes":"5 (additional $10/mo)","light_users":"25"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$75/user/mo","features":["Everything in Plus","Unlimited workflows","Unlimited SLA policies","Multiple routing types","SSO/SAML","HIPAA compliance","Dedicated onboarding specialist","Strategic account manager","Preferred pricing on Aircall"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":75,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams that need the highest level of scale and security","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"Unlimited (minimum 10)","inboxes":"10 (additional $10/mo)","light_users":"50"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"AI Answers","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"resolution"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.75,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $25/user/mo (Standard). Free tier includes 5 users, 1 inbox. 3-month free trial for AI Answers add-on.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.helpscout.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T11:46:20.369Z","startingPrice":{"amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.helpscout.com/blog/trust-ai-and-customer-service/ |

## Capabilities (Customer Support)

| Capability | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Ticket / case management | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Channels** |  |  |
| Live chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared inbox | - | ✓ |
| Omnichannel (email+chat+social+voice) | - | ✓ |
| Voice / telephony | - | ✗ |
| **Self-service** |  |  |
| Self-service knowledge base | - | ✓ |
| **Automation** |  |  |
| SLAs, triggers & routing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automation / macros | ✓ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| AI agent / copilot | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Reporting & dashboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | - | Cloud only |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SSO / SCIM | - | ✗ |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Public API | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:14:57.851Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*