Is Help Scout or Intercom cheaper?

As published, Help Scout starts at Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually and Intercom starts at No free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month. Verify current pricing at each vendor.

Does Help Scout have a free plan?

Yes, Help Scout has a free plan as of 2026-09-17.

Help Scout vs Intercom (2026 comparison)

Help Scout and Intercom are both help desk software. Help Scout is best for small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on (free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually). Intercom is best for product-led companies wanting live chat, in-app messaging and an AI agent in one platform (no free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month).

Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-09-17. Sources linked below.

At a glance

Feature	Help Scout	Intercom
Free plan	Yes	No
Pricing from	Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually	No free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month
Best for	small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on	product-led companies wanting live chat, in-app messaging and an AI agent in one platform
Founded	2011	2011
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android

Quick verdict

Choose Help Scout for small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on. Choose Intercom for product-led companies wanting live chat, in-app messaging and an AI agent in one platform. Both are compared on published information only, so confirm current pricing at each source below.

More options

Sources

FAQ

Is Help Scout or Intercom cheaper?: As published, Help Scout starts at Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually and Intercom starts at No free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month. Verify current pricing at each vendor.
Does Help Scout have a free plan?: Yes, Help Scout has a free plan as of 2026-09-17.