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 Zendesk if teams leaving a shared inbox who will start on Support Team at
hosted Search conversation list
Best for
Help Scout A conversation table you start at a public $
Zendesk A ticket table 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)
Zendesk No free plan
Lowest paid
Help Scout Extra Inboxes $10/mo
Zendesk Support Team $19/mo
Next step up
Help Scout Extra Docs sites $20/mo
Zendesk Suite Team $55/mo
Runs where
Help Scout Hosted
Zendesk Hosted
Watch out
Help Scout Free is 1 Inbox and 100 contacts/month
Zendesk There is no printed $0 forever agent seat
Last checked
Help Scout 2026-10-23 · helpscout.com/pricing
Zendesk 2026-10-23 · zendesk.com/pricing
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 pageteams leaving a shared inbox who will start on Support Team at $19/agent/month yearly while they open a first ticket list, then Suite Team at $55 when they need omnichannel + AI Agents.
Read the Zendesk page