What is the difference between Help Scout and Tawk.to?

Help Scout is best for Teams that want email-like support conversations, while Tawk.to is best for Businesses wanting completely free live chat. Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo and Tawk.to starts at Free.

Is Help Scout or Tawk.to cheaper?

Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo. Tawk.to starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?

Yes, Tawk.to offers a free tier.

Help Scout vs Tawk.to

Help Scout is help desk that feels like email — shared inboxes, knowledge base, and live chat without the ticket numbers, while Tawk.to is 100% free live chat software with no limits on agents, chats, or contacts. The biggest difference up front: Tawk.to is free, while Help Scout starts at $20/user/mo. Help Scout is built for teams that want email-like support conversations, whereas Tawk.to targets businesses wanting completely free live chat.

At a glance

	Help Scout	Tawk.to
Best for	Teams that want email-like support conversations	Businesses wanting completely free live chat
Starting price	$20/user/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Beacon	✓	—
Free Live Chat	—	✓
Knowledge Base	✓	✓
Reports	✓	—
Shared Inbox	✓	—
Unlimited Agents	—	✓
Video Chat	—	✓

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

Tawk.to

Strengths

Includes Free Live Chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Includes Unlimited Agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ticket volume can quickly overwhelm small teams without triage automation

Try Tawk.to → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Tawk.to is completely free, 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: Help Scout offers Beacon, Reports and Shared Inbox that Tawk.to lacks. Tawk.to brings Free Live Chat, Unlimited Agents and Video Chat that Help Scout does not have. Both share Knowledge Base.

Team fit: Help Scout is geared toward small teams teams, while Tawk.to is aimed at any size 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: 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. Tawk.to's biggest strengths are: includes free live chat as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows. includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows.

Watch out for: With Help Scout, users commonly note that starts at $20/user/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With Tawk.to, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Help Scout if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want email-like support conversations
You specifically need Beacon and Reports
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

Choose Tawk.to if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting completely free live chat
Budget is a hard constraint — Tawk.to is free, Help Scout is not
You specifically need Free Live Chat and Unlimited Agents
You care about includes unlimited agents as a core feature, purpose-built for customer support workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Tawk.to is designed for