Zendesk is 24% cheaper
than Help Scout
$19/mo (Support Team) vs Help Scout Standard at $25/mo — covering 33% of the 12 compared capabilities.
Same job. Way less money.
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.
Standard plan at $25/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Support Team: 228 USD/yearly.
Help Scout costs $25/mo on the Standard 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 12 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Zendesk covers 33% of the 12 capabilities compared against Help Scout. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Zendesk | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel inbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live chat & messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Knowledge base / help center | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI agents | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI copilot | ✗ | ✓ |
| SLA management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Canned responses / macros | ✗ | ✓ |
| CSAT surveys | ✗ | ✓ |
| Routing & assignment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Voice / telephony | ✓ | ◐ |
| Support automations | ✗ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Help Scout has that Zendesk lacks.
- Omnichannel inbox — Manage messages from multiple channels in one inbox.Missing from Zendesk.
- AI agents — Let an AI agent resolve support requests automatically.Missing from Zendesk.
- AI copilot — Get AI-drafted reply suggestions for support agents.Missing from Zendesk.
- SLA management — Set and track response-time targets for tickets.Missing from Zendesk.
- Canned responses / macros — Reuse saved reply templates for common questions.Missing from Zendesk.
- CSAT surveys — Survey customers on satisfaction after a support interaction.Missing from Zendesk.
- Routing & assignment — Automatically route tickets to the right agent or team.Missing from Zendesk.
- Support automations — Automate routine support tasks like tagging or follow-ups.Missing from Zendesk.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| 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 |
| Free | Free |
| Standard | $25/seat/mo |
| Plus | $45/seat/mo |
| Pro | $75/seat/mo |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Zendesk than Help Scout?
24% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $19/mo on Support Team vs $25/mo on Standard. That is $72 a year.
What does Zendesk lack compared with Help Scout?
Omnichannel inbox, AI agents, AI copilot, SLA management, Canned responses / macros, CSAT surveys, Routing & assignment, Support automations — 8 of the 12 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Help Scout: 2026-08-31; Zendesk: 2026-08-31 — on the official pricing pages.
Sources & freshness
- https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-31)
- https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/#main-content (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-31)
- Zendesk data last verified 2026-08-31