Help Scout vs Freshdesk
A side-by-side look at what Help Scout and Freshdesk publish about pricing, plans and features.
This page sets the two products' recorded data side by side. It is not an editorial review — nobody has tested either product for this page, and the figures below are not independently verified. Read how we handle data and what each label means.
| Field | Help Scout | Freshdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Customer Support | Customer Support |
| Entry price | $22/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 15-day trial | 14-day trial |
| Tagged for | Small Teams | Small Teams |
| G2 rating unverified | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Capterra rating unverified | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
Where they differ
- Freshdesk lists a free plan; Help Scout does not, though it lists a 15-day trial.
- Entry pricing recorded here is $15/month for Freshdesk and $22/month for Help Scout. Plan structures differ, so these are not like-for-like — check both pricing pages before comparing totals.
Head to head
Help Scout
Help Scout keeps support human-scale: a shared inbox that feels like email, light workflows, Docs knowledge base and Beacon chat, without the enterprise machinery. Customers never see a ticket number, which fits brands that want conversations rather than cases. It is priced fairly and set up in a day; large operations needing complex routing, deep customization or heavy analytics will eventually need more platform than it offers.
Email-first support that feels personal.
What we record about Help Scout →Reported strengths
- Simple and human
- Great shared inbox
- Fast setup
Reported drawbacks
- Fewer enterprise features
- No free plan
Freshdesk
Freshdesk delivers most of what teams buy Zendesk for at a friendlier price, including a free tier for small crews. Ticketing, SLAs, canned responses, automations and a solid knowledge base come standard; Freddy AI adds summarization and reply suggestions on higher plans. Enterprises with complex routing and compliance needs may hit its ceilings, but for startups and mid-sized teams it is one of the strongest value plays in support software.
Affordable support desk with a free tier.
What we record about Freshdesk →Reported strengths
- Great value
- Free plan
- Easy setup
Reported drawbacks
- Advanced features gated
- Reporting limited on low tiers