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Customer Support

Freshdesk vs Help Scout

Which customer support tool is right for you? Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to make the best choice.

F

Freshdesk

4.43,600 reviews

Small to mid-sized support teams that want a modern help desk with strong ticketing, automation, and self-service, plus the option to scale into more advanced workflows and governance.

Starting at Free–$15/agent/month
H

Help Scout

4.44,200 reviews

Customer support teams at SMBs and mid-market companies that want an email-first shared inbox with a clean UX, strong self-service (knowledge base), and lightweight automation—without the complexity of enterprise service-desk tools.

Starting at $20/user/month

Side-by-Side Comparison

FeatureFreshdeskHelp Scout
PricingFree–$15/agent/month$20/user/month
G2 Rating4.4 (3,600 reviews)4.4 (4,200 reviews)
Capterra Rating4.54.6
Best ForSmall to mid-sized support teams that want a modern help desk with strong ticketing, automation, and self-service, plus the option to scale into more advanced workflows and governance.Customer support teams at SMBs and mid-market companies that want an email-first shared inbox with a clean UX, strong self-service (knowledge base), and lightweight automation—without the complexity of enterprise service-desk tools.

Pros & Cons

Freshdesk

Pros

  • + Easy to set up and use for day-to-day ticket handling
  • + Good automation and SLA management for the price
  • + Strong self-service/knowledge base capabilities
  • + Broad channel support and Freshworks ecosystem integrations

Cons

  • Advanced reporting/customization can require higher-tier plans
  • Complex workflows and permissions can be harder to manage at scale
  • Some integrations/features may require add-ons or additional Freshworks products

Help Scout

Pros

  • + Intuitive, fast shared-inbox experience that’s easy to adopt
  • + Strong knowledge base and in-app help widget for deflection
  • + Good collaboration features (notes, assignments, collision detection)
  • + Solid integrations and API for connecting to CRM/product tools

Cons

  • Advanced workflows, analytics, and admin controls can be limited vs. larger suites
  • Pricing and packaging can be less flexible as teams scale
  • Not a full ITSM/service-desk platform (limited ticketing/asset/SLAs compared to ITSM tools)