# Help Scout vs Kustomer

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Help Scout

| Attribute | Help Scout | Kustomer |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 81.7 (70% (medium)) | 57.2 (56% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"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}]` | `[{"answer":"Unified CX platform that uses AI agents to automate customer service across multiple channels while providing agents full customer context for personalized support. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://www.kustomer.com/pricing/","question":"What is Kustomer?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Kustomer does not publish its prices. Pricing is quoted on request, so the figure depends on your seat count and requirements. We record this as a pricing-transparency signal rather than guessing a number. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.kustomer.com","question":"How much does Kustomer cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Kustomer. 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.kustomer.com/pricing/","question":"What platforms does Kustomer support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Kustomer, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.kustomer.com/pricing/","question":"Can Kustomer be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 7 integrations for Kustomer, including Narvar, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok Shop, Google and Microsoft. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.kustomer.com/pricing/","question":"What does Kustomer integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Kustomer. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Kustomer not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.kustomer.com/resources/newsletter/trust-new-currency/","question":"What security certifications does Kustomer have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A customer support service that uses artificial intelligence to help businesses manage customer interactions through chat and communication features. | A customer service platform that consolidates customer information, support conversations, and AI-powered workflows to help teams handle inquiries more efficiently. It enables agents to access comprehensive customer context and supports integrations with post-purchase systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"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}` | `{"hosting":"cloud","ai_agent":true,"sso_scim":true,"free_tier":false,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":true,"omnichannel":true,"sla_routing":true,"shared_inbox":true,"knowledge_base":true,"voice_telephony":true,"deployment_model":"native_helpdesk_platform_feature","automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true,"pii_redaction_before_llm_processing":true,"gdpr_and_ccpa_customer_data_compliance":true,"omnichannel_deployment_web_whatsapp_sms":true,"analytics_dashboard_for_deflection_rate_roi":true,"dynamic_rag_from_help_center_and_past_tickets":true,"live_agent_handoff_with_full_conversation_context":true,"brand_tone_guardrails_and_anti_hallucination_rules":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Shopify"}]` | `[{"name":"Narvar"},{"name":"Facebook","native":true,"category":"social"},{"name":"Instagram","native":true,"category":"social"},{"name":"WhatsApp","native":true,"category":"messaging"},{"name":"TikTok Shop","native":true},{"name":"Google","native":true,"category":"auth"},{"name":"Microsoft","native":true,"category":"auth"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"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"]}` | `{"type":"quote","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.kustomer.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T11:47:56.444Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | quote |
| pricing.price_level | low | unknown |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | 99.9 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27701","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 42001","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://www.helpscout.com/blog/trust-ai-and-customer-service/ | https://www.kustomer.com/resources/blog/b2b-compliance-build-vs-buy/ |

## Capabilities (Customer Support)

| Capability | Help Scout | Kustomer |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 | Cloud only |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SSO / SCIM | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Public API | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:52:28.439Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*