# Help Scout vs Intercom

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Help Scout

| Attribute | Help Scout | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 81.7 (72% (medium)) | 75.7 (73% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| 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":false,"free_tier":true,"live_chat":true,"ticketing":true,"api_access":true,"omnichannel":true,"sla_routing":false,"shared_inbox":true,"knowledge_base":true,"voice_telephony":true,"automation_macros":true,"reporting_dashboards":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Shopify"}]` | `[{"name":"Freshdesk"},{"name":"Freshchat"},{"name":"Salesforce Service Cloud"},{"name":"HubSpot Service Hub"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"IE","primaryMarkets":["IE","US","GB","AU","DE"],"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":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Fin","summary":"$0.99 per outcome","features":["AI Agent resolution","Omnichannel deployment including voice","Multi-step workflow procedures","Simulations for testing","AI-powered CX Score insights","Fin Vision image analysis","No integration fees","Unlimited teammates included"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"outcome","amount":0.99,"period":null,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"AI Agent pay-per-outcome model","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Intercom Helpdesk","summary":"$29 per seat per month","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Optional deeper platform integration","contactSales":false}],"summary":"From $0.99 per outcome (Fin). Optional Intercom Helpdesk from $29/seat/mo. Free 14-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.intercom.com/learning-center/ai-customer-service-agent-pricing-comparison","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T16:47:23.846Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":0.99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Customer Support)

| Capability | Help Scout | Intercom |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:33:32.980Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*