Help Scout
Simple shared-inbox helpdesk with AI Answers and AI Drafts
About
Help Scout is a helpdesk built around simplicity: email, live chat, and in-app messages land in a shared inbox that looks like email rather than a ticketing dashboard, with collision detection, saved replies, and a built-in Docs knowledge base. Its AI layer includes AI Answers ($0.75 per resolved conversation — the lowest per-resolution rate among major helpdesks, per third-party comparisons) and unlimited AI Drafts that suggest replies for agents. Plans: Free (100 contacts/mo), Standard $50/mo, Plus $75/mo, Pro custom — priced by contacts rather than seats, with unlimited users. G2 rates it 4.6/5. Honest limits: the AI is basic and won't cut workload dramatically, reporting thins out as teams grow, and reviewers note a practical ceiling around 20 agents or when complex automation and SLAs are needed.
What it can do
- Shared inbox; Docs knowledge base; AI Answers; AI Drafts; collision detection; saved replies; CSAT and NPS surveys; customer properties; 100+ integrations.
Setup
Create mailbox, connect email and chat channels, build Docs knowledge base, enable AI Answers on help widget.
Prerequisites
Support email addresses; help center content for AI Answers training.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 8/10
Scored 8/10 (verified tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: Pricing verified: Free / Standard $50 / Plus $75 per 100 contacts, unlimited users (saasworthy, Dec 2025); AI Answers $0.75/resolution verified across eesel.ai and customgpt.ai comparisons; AI Drafts unlimited on paid plans; G2 4.6/5 from 2,800+ reviews; Docs knowledge base and collision detection documented; Limitation: basic AI with limited workload reduction; reporting thins at scale; practical ceiling ~20 agents.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.