What is the difference between Freshdesk and Help Scout?

Freshdesk is best for Small to mid-size teams wanting affordable support, while Help Scout is best for Teams that want email-like support conversations. Freshdesk starts at Free and Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo.

Is Freshdesk or Help Scout cheaper?

Freshdesk starts at Free with a free tier. Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?

Yes, Freshdesk offers a free tier (Free for up to 10 agents).

Freshdesk vs Help Scout

Freshdesk is cloud-based help desk with ticketing, automation, and multichannel support at accessible pricing, while Help Scout is help desk that feels like email — shared inboxes, knowledge base, and live chat without the ticket numbers. The biggest difference up front: Freshdesk is free, while Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo. Freshdesk is built for small to mid-size teams wanting affordable support, whereas Help Scout targets teams that want email-like support conversations.

At a glance

	Freshdesk	Help Scout
Best for	Small to mid-size teams wanting affordable support	Teams that want email-like support conversations
Starting price	Free	$20/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Automations	✓	—
Beacon	—	✓
Knowledge Base	—	✓
Multichannel	✓	—
Reports	—	✓
SLA Management	✓	—
Shared Inbox	—	✓
Ticketing	✓	—

Freshdesk

Strengths

Includes Ticketing as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments
Free for up to 10 agents — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 16+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Freshdesk → Full review

Help Scout

Strengths

Includes Shared Inbox as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Knowledge Base as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Pricing starts at $20/user/mo, which includes the full customer support feature set
Established product with 15+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $20/user/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Help Scout → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Freshdesk is completely free (Free for up to 10 agents), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Freshdesk offers Automations, Multichannel and SLA Management that Help Scout lacks. Help Scout brings Beacon, Knowledge Base and Reports that Freshdesk does not have.

Team fit: Freshdesk is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Help Scout is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Freshdesk's biggest strengths are: includes ticketing as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments. Help Scout's biggest strengths are: includes shared inbox as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes knowledge base as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.

Watch out for: With Freshdesk, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Help Scout, the main complaint is that starts at $20/user/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Freshdesk if...

You need a tool built for small to mid-size teams wanting affordable support
Budget is a hard constraint — Freshdesk is free, Help Scout is not
You specifically need Automations and Multichannel
You care about built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Freshdesk is designed for

Choose Help Scout if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want email-like support conversations
You specifically need Beacon and Knowledge Base
You care about includes knowledge base as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Help Scout is designed for