Our take
Pick Help Scout if support teams who will stay on Free at $0 (5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site) while they open a first Search list, then Standard at $25/user/month yearly when they need multiple Inboxes and live chat — not Plus $45 unless they need advanced workflows / a customer portal, and not Pro $75 unless they need SSO / HIPAA. Pick HubSpot if ops teams who will stay on Smart CRM at $0/seat while they open a
hosted Search conversation list
hosted Conversations inbox search
Best for
Help Scout A conversation table you start at a public $
HubSpot An inbox search you start at a public $
Free plan
Help Scout $0 · 5 users. 1 Inbox. 1 Docs site. 100 contacts/month. 10 saved replies. 10 tags. 10 Docs articles. 1 Beacon. Integrations limited to 1. No card (FAQ)
HubSpot $0 · /seat. No card. Schema: “HubSpot CRM is free to use with no credit card required. Priced per seat at $0.” Conversations inbox: all products and plans (help)
Lowest paid
Help Scout Extra Inboxes $10/mo
HubSpot HubSpot Credits $10/mo
Next step up
Help Scout Extra Docs sites $20/mo
HubSpot Starter $15/user/mo
Runs where
Help Scout Hosted
HubSpot Hosted
Watch out
Help Scout Free is 1 Inbox and 100 contacts/month
HubSpot The $15 / $50 / $75 cards are “Starts at” per seat / month
Last checked
Help Scout 2026-10-23 · helpscout.com/pricing
HubSpot 2026-10-23 · hubspot.com/products/crm
support teams who will stay on Free at $0 (5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site) while they open a first Search list, then Standard at $25/user/month yearly when they need multiple Inboxes and live chat — not Plus $45 unless they need advanced workflows / a customer portal, and not Pro $75 unless they need SSO / HIPAA.
Read the Help Scout pageops teams who will stay on Smart CRM at $0/seat while they open a first Conversations inbox search, then Starter at $15/month per seat when they need a paid hub — not Professional $50 unless they need multiple inboxes (Professional / Enterprise).
Read the HubSpot page