# Help Scout vs Zoho Desk

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Help Scout

| Attribute | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 81.7 (70% (medium)) | 58.5 (70% (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":"AI customer service software that unifies customers, channels, and context to deliver exceptional customer service. Combines AI automation with human judgment for support team workflows. It is indexed under Customer Support.","source":"https://www.zoho.com/desk/","question":"What is Zoho Desk?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zoho Desk offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.zoho.com/desk/","question":"Is Zoho Desk free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Zoho Desk. 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.zoho.com/desk/","question":"What platforms does Zoho Desk support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Zoho Desk, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.zoho.com/desk/","question":"Can Zoho Desk be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 8 integrations for Zoho Desk, including Google, YouTube, Zoho CRM, Zoho Creator, Zoho Books, Zoho RPA, Zoho Catalyst and Zoho Cliq. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.zoho.com/desk/","question":"What does Zoho Desk integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA for Zoho Desk. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Zoho Desk not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.zoho.com/jp/compliance.html","question":"What security certifications does Zoho Desk 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. | AI customer service software that unifies customers, channels, and context to deliver exceptional customer service. Combines AI automation with human judgment for support team workflows. |
| 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,"free_tier":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":true,"omnichannel":true,"sla_routing":true,"shared_inbox":true,"knowledge_base":true,"automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 8 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Shopify"}]` | `[{"name":"Google"},{"name":"YouTube"},{"name":"Zoho CRM"},{"name":"Zoho Creator"},{"name":"Zoho Books"},{"name":"Zoho RPA"},{"name":"Zoho Catalyst"},{"name":"Zoho Cliq"}]` |
| 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"]}` | `{"freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.zoho.com/desk/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T17:04:28.435Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"ISO/IEC 27001","status":"active","validUntil":"2028-08-21"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27701","status":"active","validUntil":"2028-08-21"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27017","status":"active","validUntil":"2028-08-21"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27018","status":"active","validUntil":"2028-08-21"},{"name":"ISO 9001","status":"active","validUntil":"2029-02-02"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 20000-1","status":"active","validUntil":"2027-07-29"},{"name":"ISO 22301","status":"active","validUntil":"2026-11-20"},{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | 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.zoho.com/compliance.html |

## Capabilities (Customer Support)

| Capability | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 2026-10-16T19:19:27.243Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*