Help Scout vs Zendesk
Both sit in customer support. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: Zendesk starts $6 a month cheaper than Help Scout ($19 against $25, 24% less) on its Support Team tier. Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
Help Scout
helpscout.com
Shared inbox with no ticket numbers exposed to customers, plus docs and in-app messaging. Long favoured by teams who want support to feel personal.
Zendesk
zendesk.com
Omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, voice and social with heavy reporting, routing and SLA tooling. The default for larger support organisations.
| Help Scout | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $25/mo | $19/mo |
| Entry plan | Standard | Support Team |
| Paid annually | — | $19/mo |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free trial |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Category | Customer Support | Customer Support |
| Around since | 2011 | 2007 |
Every price here was read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
Help Scout vs Zendesk, answered
- Is Help Scout cheaper than Zendesk?
- No — Zendesk is the cheaper entry point, at $19 a month against Help Scout's $25, 24% less. Zendesk's figure is its annual rate — the vendor publishes no month-to-month price we could read.
- Do Help Scout or Zendesk have a free plan?
- Neither publishes an ongoing free plan. Check each vendor for a trial.
- What is the difference between Help Scout and Zendesk?
- Help Scout: Shared inbox with no ticket numbers exposed to customers, plus docs and in-app messaging. Long favoured by teams who want support to feel personal. Zendesk: Omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, voice and social with heavy reporting, routing and SLA tooling. The default for larger support organisations.
