vioscale
Comparison

Help Scout vs Intercom

On the evidence we track, Help Scout leads this comparison with a composite score of 82/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Help Scout full profile →Intercom full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
★Help Scout82
Intercom76
Score
Vioscale score
Help Scout82 / 100medium · 72%updating
Intercom76 / 100medium · 73%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Model
Help Scoutfreemium
Intercomfreemium
Price level
Help Scoutlow
Intercomlow
Transparent
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Integrations
Count
Help Scout1
Intercom4
Security
Disclosure policy
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Gdpr
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Hipaa
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Iso27001
Help Scout–
Intercom✓
Pci
Help Scout✓
Intercom–
Soc2
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Reliability
Sla pct
Help Scout99.99
Intercom–
Status page
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Market
Availability

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for customer support. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

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

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Help Scout

Leader

Help Scout is a customer service platform combining customer insights, team collaboration, and AI to connect support interactions. The platform provides ticketing, live chat, knowledge bases, and AI-powered agents across multiple channels.

Independently observed

Intercom

Intercom is a helpdesk platform with natively integrated AI Agent (Fin) that automatically resolves customer conversations. It includes omnichannel inbox, AI copilot for agents, and AI-powered customer insights.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Help Scout

Leader
from $25/moSubscriptionFree tier

From $25/user/mo (Standard). Free tier includes 5 users, 1 inbox. 3-month free trial for AI Answers add-on.

  • FreeFree
    • 1 Inbox
    • 1 Docs site
    • 10 saved replies
    • 10 tags
    • Snooze
    • +3 more
  • Standard$25/user/mo
    • Multiple Inboxes
    • Live chat, Instagram, & Messenger
    • Multiple knowledge bases
    • One basic SLA policy
    • Basic workflows
    • +7 more
  • Plus$45/user/mo
    • Everything in Standard
    • Advanced workflows
    • Two advanced SLA policies
    • Unlimited AI Drafts
    • Round robin routing
    • +3 more
  • ProContact sales
    • Everything in Plus
    • Unlimited workflows
    • Unlimited SLA policies
    • Multiple routing types
    • SSO/SAML
    • +4 more
as of verify ↗

Intercom

from $0.99/moUsage-basedFree tier14-day trial

From $0.99 per outcome (Fin). Optional Intercom Helpdesk from $29/seat/mo. Free 14-day trial.

  • Fin$0.99 per outcome
    • AI Agent resolution
    • Omnichannel deployment including voice
    • Multi-step workflow procedures
    • Simulations for testing
    • AI-powered CX Score insights
    • +3 more
  • Intercom Helpdesk$29 per seat per month
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Help Scout✓
Intercom✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Help Scout

Leader
1 total
  • Shopify
Independently observed

Intercom

4 total
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshchat
  • Salesforce Service Cloud
  • HubSpot Service Hub
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.