Pick / avoid summary (fast)
Skim these triggers to pick a default, then validate with the quick checks and constraints below.
- ✓ Email is primary and shared inbox is sufficient
- ✓ Simplicity and fast adoption are priorities
- ✓ Small-to-mid team; 2 mailboxes OK or Plus affordable
- ✓ Need multi-channel support (chat, social, phone)
- ✓ Formal ticketing and automation required
- ✓ Free tier (2 agents) useful for trial
- × Standard caps at 2 mailboxes; additional Inboxes = $10/mo add-on each
- × Standard caps at 25 users; Plus at 50; Pro minimum 10 users
- × Free tier limited to 2 agents and 6 months; then forced to paid
- × Freddy AI sessions exhaust quickly; 500 free then $49/100 adds cost unpredictability
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Channel mix mattersemail-only teams often prefer Help Scout; multi-channel teams need Freshdesk.
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The trade-offsimplicity and low overhead vs feature breadth and channel coverage.
At-a-glance comparison
Help Scout
Email-centric support platform with shared inboxes, collision detection, and beacon widget. Standard $25/user/mo (2 mailboxes), Plus $50/user/mo, Pro custom. Simplicity over feature depth.
- ✓ Standard $25/user/mo vs Zendesk $55 and Intercom Essential $39; Plus $50 vs Freshdesk Pro $49
- ✓ Standard includes 2 mailboxes; Plus adds custom fields and advanced permissions
- ✓ Clean shared inbox UX; collision detection prevents duplicate replies
Freshdesk
Cloud helpdesk with generous free tier (2 agents, 6 months), Growth $15/agent/mo, Pro $49, Enterprise $79. Most Zendesk-equivalent features at 30–50% lower cost; Freddy AI add-on available.
- ✓ Free tier: 2 agents for 6 months; Growth $15/agent vs Zendesk Suite Team $55
- ✓ Pro tier $49/agent includes custom objects, advanced routing, SLA policies—matches Zendesk mid-tier
- ✓ Enterprise $79/agent vs Zendesk Suite Professional $115; 31% cheaper at scale
What breaks first (decision checks)
These checks reflect the common constraints that decide between Help Scout and Freshdesk in this category.
If you only read one section, read this — these are the checks that force redesigns or budget surprises.
- Real trade-off: Help Scout is email-first simplicity; Freshdesk is traditional helpdesk with broader channel support. The constraint is whether simplicity or feature breadth wins for your team.
- Ticket queue vs conversational support model: Is email/chat resolution threaded or formal tickets?
- Per-agent vs per-ticket pricing model: What is your projected ticket volume vs agent count?
- Enterprise depth vs simplicity and adoption: How many integrations and workflow automations do you need?
- General-purpose vs vertical-specific (e-commerce): Does order lookup and refund-in-ticket dominate your support queue?
Implementation gotchas
These are the practical downsides teams tend to discover during setup, rollout, or scaling.
Where Help Scout surprises teams
- Standard caps at 2 mailboxes; additional Inboxes = $10/mo add-on each
- Standard caps at 25 users; Plus at 50; Pro minimum 10 users
- Omnichannel weaker than Zendesk/Freshdesk; email and chat primary
Where Freshdesk surprises teams
- Free tier limited to 2 agents and 6 months; then forced to paid
- Freddy AI sessions exhaust quickly; 500 free then $49/100 adds cost unpredictability
- Enterprise features (audit logs, approval workflows) less mature than Zendesk
Where each product pulls ahead
These are the distinctive advantages that matter most in this comparison.
Help Scout advantages
- ✓ Clean shared inbox with collision detection
- ✓ Minimal config and fast adoption
- ✓ Email-first simplicity
Freshdesk advantages
- ✓ Multi-channel support and formal ticketing
- ✓ Free tier and automation from Growth
- ✓ Broader feature set for growth
Pros and cons
Help Scout
Pros
- + Email is primary and shared inbox is sufficient
- + Simplicity and fast adoption are priorities
- + Small-to-mid team; 2 mailboxes OK or Plus affordable
- + Don't need formal ticket routing or multi-channel
- + Minimal admin overhead desired
Cons
- − Standard caps at 2 mailboxes; additional Inboxes = $10/mo add-on each
- − Standard caps at 25 users; Plus at 50; Pro minimum 10 users
- − Omnichannel weaker than Zendesk/Freshdesk; email and chat primary
- − No native e-commerce order lookup; Gorgias for Shopify
- − Reporting and analytics less advanced; 30-day history on Standard, 2-year on Plus
- − Integrations limited to 1 on Free; Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira on Plus+
- − SSO/SAML add-on on Plus; HIPAA on Pro; enterprise features require Pro
- − API rate limits: 200/min Standard, 400 Plus, 800 Pro—can throttle integrations
Freshdesk
Pros
- + Need multi-channel support (chat, social, phone)
- + Formal ticketing and automation required
- + Free tier (2 agents) useful for trial
- + Feature breadth over simplicity
- + Growth path to Pro/Enterprise tiers
Cons
- − Free tier limited to 2 agents and 6 months; then forced to paid
- − Freddy AI sessions exhaust quickly; 500 free then $49/100 adds cost unpredictability
- − Enterprise features (audit logs, approval workflows) less mature than Zendesk
- − No native e-commerce order lookup; Gorgias excels for Shopify/BigCommerce
- − Chat-first UX less polished than Intercom; conversational support secondary
- − Collaborative inbox model weaker than Front for multi-touch B2B conversations
- − Knowledge base and self-service less advanced than Zendesk Guide
- − Reporting depth lags Zendesk Explore; custom reports more limited
Keep exploring this category
If you’re close to a decision, the fastest next step is to read 1–2 more head-to-head briefs, then confirm pricing limits in the product detail pages.
FAQ
How do you choose between Help Scout and Freshdesk?
Choose Help Scout when email is primary and you want shared inbox simplicity with minimal config—$25–$50/user. Choose Freshdesk when you need broader channel support (chat, social, phone), formal ticketing, and automation—$15–$79/agent with free tier. Help Scout breaks when you need multi-channel or formal routing; Freshdesk breaks when simplicity and adoption matter more than feature breadth.
When should you pick Help Scout?
Pick Help Scout when: Email is primary and shared inbox is sufficient; Simplicity and fast adoption are priorities; Small-to-mid team; 2 mailboxes OK or Plus affordable; Don't need formal ticket routing or multi-channel.
When should you pick Freshdesk?
Pick Freshdesk when: Need multi-channel support (chat, social, phone); Formal ticketing and automation required; Free tier (2 agents) useful for trial; Feature breadth over simplicity.
What’s the real trade-off between Help Scout and Freshdesk?
Help Scout is email-first simplicity; Freshdesk is traditional helpdesk with broader channel support. The constraint is whether simplicity or feature breadth wins for your team.
What’s the most common mistake buyers make in this comparison?
Choosing Help Scout for simplicity without modeling mailbox limits, or choosing Freshdesk for features when you only need email and simplicity would drive better adoption.
What’s the fastest elimination rule?
Pick Help Scout if email-first simplicity and adoption are the constraint.
What breaks first with Help Scout?
Multi-inbox and multi-Docs: $10–20/mo each adds up; 5 Inboxes = +$40/mo. Workflow limit (150 Standard, 500 Plus) hits as automation grows. User cap: 25 Standard, 50 Plus; Pro minimum 10 users—pricing jump.
What are the hidden constraints of Help Scout?
Additional Inboxes $10/mo, Docs sites $20/mo; multi-inbox/multi-docs add 30%+ to bill. Contacts: Free 100/mo; paid plans unlimited but 'contact' definition matters for billing. AI Answers $0.75/resolution; can set monthly cap but disables when hit.
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Sources & verification
We prefer to link primary references (official pricing, documentation, and public product pages). If links are missing, treat this as a seeded brief until verification is completed.