How Help Scout prices
Captured October 19, 2026 at 1440px wide.
Help Scout plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| StandardFor growing teams looking to automate more tasks and move beyond email. | $25 | per user/mo |
| PlusHighlightedFor teams managing higher volume and complexity across multiple channels. | $45 | per user/mo |
| ProFor teams that need the highest level of scale and security. | $75 | per user/mo |
As printed on the page captured October 19, 2026.
How does Help Scout pricing work?
The user is the value metric for the helpdesk and the resolution is the value metric for AI. Standard is '$25 per user/mo', Plus '$45 per user/mo' and Pro '$75 per user/mo', each framed by who it serves, from 'For growing teams looking to automate more tasks and move beyond email' to 'For teams that need the highest level of scale and security'. The plans step up through workflows, SLAs and routing: 'One basic SLA policy' and 'Basic workflows' on Standard, 'Advanced workflows', 'Two advanced SLA policies' and 'Round robin routing' on Plus, and 'Unlimited workflows', 'Unlimited SLA policies', 'SSO/SAML' and 'HIPAA compliance' on Pro. AI Answers sits in the same row as a fourth card tagged 'Add-on', so the AI price is read alongside the seat prices. Below the row, 'The Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site.'
Standard and Plus are self-serve through 'Try for Free', a 15-day trial with 'no credit card required', and Pro routes to 'Book a Demo' at a printed $75, with 'Unlimited (minimum 10)' users in the table. Pro is a sales-assisted plan with a public rate and a floor of ten seats, which gives the conversation a known starting point. The page opens on 'Deliver delightful support at every stage of growth' with the toggle set to 'Annual' and a '-16%' tag beside it, then runs through the four cards, the free plan line, logos from Moment, Switcher, brain.fm, Vimeo, Privy and BetterHelp, the 'How much can you save with AI Answers?' calculator, the 'Compare all plans and features' table, a seven-question FAQ, and a 'Ready to go?' band with 'Start for Free' and 'Get a Demo'. Plus carries the only filled blue button in both the card row and the table header.
AI Answers is an outcome meter. 'A resolution is a single conversation that is resolved by AI Answers without human assistance', it is not counted if the customer escalates or selects 'I still need help', and "You'll only be charged for one resolution per conversation". The same '$0.75 per resolution' appears under Standard, Plus and Pro in the table, so the AI price sits outside the seat tiers and every plan pays the same rate for the same outcome. Spend controls complete the meter: 'you can set a monthly cap on AI Answers resolutions', after which AI Answers pauses for the rest of the cycle, and 'Pre-paid discounts available' points to committed volume earning a lower rate. Below Pro, compliance is sold separately: SSO/SAML and IP restrictions read 'Add-on' on Standard and Plus, and HIPAA compliance is an 'Add-on' on Plus, while Pro includes all three. Extra capacity is priced by the unit, 'additional Inboxes $10/mo' and 'additional sites $20/mo'. Worth borrowing is the pairing of an outcome price with a cap and a calculator, which gives the buyer a forecast and a ceiling before the first resolution bills.
What does Help Scout's pricing page do well?
- The toggle opens on 'Annual' with a '-16%' tag beside it, so the saving is stated where the term is chosen
- AI Answers sits in the plan row as a fourth card marked 'Add-on', putting the outcome price next to the seat prices
- An AI Answers calculator turns conversations, reps and cost per rep into a three-year view, '$701,009' in savings and a '455%' return at its default inputs
- Every per-unit extra is printed in the table, from 'additional Inboxes $10/mo' to 'additional sites $20/mo'
- The FAQ defines a billable resolution in plain terms, including the 'I still need help' button that keeps a conversation unbilled
What does Help Scout's pricing page reveal about its pricing strategy?
- Two value metrics with two jobs: the seat prices the human team and '$0.75 per resolution' prices work the AI completes on its own
- The resolution rate is identical on every paid plan, so AI adoption is decoupled from plan choice
- Pro is a printed price behind 'Book a Demo' with 'Unlimited (minimum 10)' users, a sales-assisted plan with a known floor of ten seats
- A monthly spending cap and 'Pre-paid discounts available' make an outcome meter forecastable: a ceiling for cautious buyers and a lower rate for committed ones
- Security is unbundled below Pro: SSO/SAML, IP restrictions and HIPAA compliance are add-ons on lower plans and included on Pro, so compliance needs can be met without a full plan change
Learn with Orb
- GuideWhat is outcome-based pricing? AI Answers bills $0.75 per resolution, counted only when a conversation closes without human help or an 'I still need help' click; Orb's guide explains charging for results and how that differs from charging for usage.
- ProductSpend controls Help Scout lets customers set a monthly cap on AI Answers resolutions, with email alerts as spend nears it and the agent pausing at the cap; Orb's spend controls cover the alerts and triggers that keep usage pricing predictable.
- ProductExperience Kit The AI Answers calculator turns conversations, reps and cost per rep into $701,009 of three-year savings at its default inputs; Orb's Experience Kit builds calculators like this on one source of pricing truth.
Questions about Help Scout pricing
How much does Help Scout cost?
Help Scout's pricing starts at $25/user/mo. The page shows 3 plans, including a free plan. Paying annually saves 16%.
What pricing model does Help Scout use?
Help Scout prices per seat, combined with usage-based pricing. Buyers can sign up on their own or go through the sales team. Its plans are aimed mainly at small businesses.
Does Help Scout have a free plan?
Yes, Help Scout has a free plan, and its paid plans offer a free trial. Paid plans start at $25/user/mo.
Does Help Scout offer an annual discount?
Yes, paying annually saves 16%. A toggle on the page switches between monthly and annual prices. The listed prices start at $25/user/mo.
How is Help Scout's pricing page laid out?
The page shows 3 plans, highlights Plus, and includes a comparison table, a calculator and an FAQ. The breakdown above marks 14 points on it: 8 things it does well and 6 insights into the pricing.
What counts as a billable resolution in Help Scout AI Answers?
AI Answers is priced at $0.75 per resolution, billed monthly, and the same rate applies on Standard, Plus and Pro. Help Scout defines a resolution as "a single conversation that is resolved by AI Answers without human assistance." If a customer asks for more help or selects the "I still need help" button, the conversation is not billed. "You'll only be charged for one resolution per conversation, even if AI Answers responds to multiple questions."
Can I set a spending cap on Help Scout AI Answers?
Yes, "you can set a monthly cap on AI Answers resolutions." Once the cap is reached, AI Answers is disabled automatically for the remainder of the monthly cycle, and email notifications arrive as spending approaches the cap. New accounts also get 3 months of free, unlimited AI Answers resolutions, and "Pre-paid discounts available" covers teams committing to volume.
How much do extra Inboxes and Docs sites cost on Help Scout?
Additional Inboxes are $10 per month when paid annually, or $12 per month on monthly billing. Additional Docs sites are $20 per month when paid annually, or $24 per month. Standard includes 2 Inboxes and 2 Docs sites, Plus includes 5 Inboxes and 3 Docs sites, and Pro includes 10 Inboxes and 5 Docs sites.
From the page as captured October 19, 2026. Current prices are on helpscout.com
Freshdesk
$19/agent/moFreshdesk prices per agent across three plans at $19, $55 and $89 per agent per month billed annually, and puts a metered AI layer on every one: 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions included, then printed rates for more sessions, MCP actions and connector tasks. Each card carries its own add-on list, so the seat, the AI meters and part-time access are priced side by side.
Zendesk
$19/agent/moZendesk sells four per-agent plans, from Support Team at $19 to Suite Professional at $115, marked MOST POPULAR, and Suite Enterprise + Copilot through sales, and prints its add-ons at $50, $50 and $83 per agent. Beneath the seat price sits an outcome meter: AI agents come with every plan and bill by the Automated Resolution, a request the AI resolved with no escalation to a human agent.
Front
$25/seat/moFront prices three seat tiers at $25, $65 and $105 per seat per month and layers Front AI on top: Copilot at $20 per seat on Starter and Professional, and Autopilot metered at $0.05 per conversation. Every rate is printed, Enterprise included, and Enterprise carries Copilot, Smart QA and Smart CSAT in its seat price, which makes the top tier the home of the full AI suite. External AI agents and Compass are included on every plan.