Help Scout is cheaper, but covers only 2 of 5 compared capabilities
$0/mo (Free) vs Zendesk Support Team at $19/mo — covering 40% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Cheaper. Not the same job.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Support Team plan at $19/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Free: 0 USD/monthly.
Zendesk costs $19/mo on the Support Team plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Help Scout covers 40% of the 5 capabilities compared against Zendesk. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Help Scout | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| SLA management | ↑ Standard | ✓ |
| Canned responses / macros | ✓ | ✓ |
| CSAT surveys | ↑ Standard | ✓ |
| Routing & assignment | ↑ Plus | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Zendesk has that Help Scout lacks.
- SLA management — Set and track response-time targets for tickets.Missing from Help Scout.
- CSAT surveys — Survey customers on satisfaction after a support interaction.Missing from Help Scout.
- Routing & assignment — Automatically route tickets to the right agent or team.Missing from Help Scout.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Free | Free |
| Standard | $25/seat/mo |
| Plus | $45/seat/mo |
| Pro | $75/seat/mo |
| Support Team | $19/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
| Suite Team | $55/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
| Suite Professional | $115/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
| Suite Enterprise + Copilot | Contact sales |
Share this comparison
For Help Scout: use the verified claim in your own marketing — card, badge, or link. The numbers stay tied to this evidence page.
Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Help Scout than Zendesk?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Free vs $19/mo on Support Team. That is $228 a year. But it covers only 2 of 5 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does Help Scout lack compared with Zendesk?
SLA management, CSAT surveys, Routing & assignment — 3 of the 5 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Zendesk: 2026-10-26; Help Scout: 2026-10-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/#main-content (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- Help Scout data last verified 2026-10-26