Comprehensive Comparison of Freshdesk vs Help Scout

Help Scout and Freshdesk are both robust customer support tools designed to enhance customer service experiences through effective ticket management, automation, and collaboration features. While both platforms share similar goals, they are tailored to meet different business needs. In this comparison, we will evaluate the most important features, pricing, and unique aspects of Help Scout and Freshdesk to help you determine which tool is best suited for your business.

Feature	Help Scout	Freshdesk
Pricing	$25/month/user (Standard) to $65/month/user (Pro)	Starts at $15/month/user (Growth) to custom pricing for Enterprise plan
Shared Inboxes	Available	Available
Live Chat	Available	Available
Knowledge Base	1 knowledge base in Standard, up to 10 in Pro	Available with various customization options
AI Tools	AI Summarize, AI Assist (Plus and Pro plans)	Freddy AI (including chatbots and automation) available
Automated Workflows	Available in all plans, advanced in Plus and Pro	Extensive automation options including ticket routing, SLAs, and scenario automation
Team Collaboration	Group users into teams, advanced permissions in Plus and Pro	Shared ownership, parent-child ticketing, and linked tickets
E-mail Integration	Available with shared inboxes	Convert emails into tickets with tracking and management
Custom Reports	Available with unlimited history in Plus and Pro	Customizable reports, dashboards, and schedule reports
Mobile Apps	Available	Available
File Transfer	Available	Available
Third-Party Integrations	100+ integrations including Salesforce, Jira, HubSpot	Wide range of integrations including Freshsales, Slack, and WhatsApp
Custom Permissions	Available in Plus and Pro plans	Custom roles and permissions with role-based access control
Custom API Access	Available in Pro plan	Available
Customer Self-Service	Basic self-service through knowledge bases	Self-service portal, knowledge base, and forums with chatbot support
Omnichannel Support	Email, live chat, social channels	Support across email, phone, chat, social media, WhatsApp, and website

Help Scout and Freshdesk are both excellent customer support tools, but they cater to slightly different needs. Here are three standout features:

Omnichannel Support

Freshdesk offers more extensive omnichannel support, including phone, chat, social media, and WhatsApp, making it ideal for businesses that require a unified platform to manage multiple customer communication channels.

Automation and AI

Freshdesk's Freddy AI and extensive automation capabilities provide a more robust solution for businesses looking to streamline their customer service processes, whereas Help Scout offers AI tools primarily in its higher-tier plans.

Team Collaboration

Both platforms offer strong collaboration features, but Freshdesk's options, such as parent-child ticketing and shared ownership of tickets, are particularly well-suited for teams handling complex or multi-stage customer issues.