The verdict
For a small team that wants to be live in a day and keep things simple, I'd pick Help Scout. It has a free plan, the inbox is easy to adopt, and it can replace both the shared mailbox and a separate knowledge base tool. If you need deep routing, workforce management, voice and an enterprise-grade set of features, pick Zendesk.
The trade-off in Zendesk is that useful AI and channel features sit above the entry plan, and several capabilities are add-ons, so ask for a full quote. In Help Scout, higher plans hold advanced workflows and single sign-on. Work out which plan holds what you need before you decide.
Side by side
| 13 points compared | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $25/mo | €19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | |
| AI chatbot / agent | Yes | Yes |
| AI search & answers | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain & branding | Yes | Yes |
| Help centre / knowledge base | Yes | Yes |
| Internal wiki | Yes | Yes |
| Live chat widget | Yes | Yes |
| Native ecommerce (Shopify) integration | Yes | Yes |
| Public help centre | Yes | Yes |
| Shared inbox & ticketing | Yes | Yes |
| Links |
Plans and pricing
Help Scout
- FreeFree
- Standard$25/mo/seat
- Plus$45/mo/seat
- Pro$75/mo/seat
Zendesk
- Support Team€25/mo/seat
- Suite Team€69/mo/seat
- Suite Professional€149/mo/seat
Who each is for
Choose Help Scout if…
Pick Help Scout when you are a B2B or SaaS support team of about five to fifty people and want a friendly inbox with a knowledge base attached. You can set it up quickly, and it helps that the inbox feels like email.
It connects to HubSpot, Slack, Shopify and Zapier. A very large support organisation with complex routing will want something heavier. The AI agent that answers customers is billed per resolution, so watch that line as volume grows.
Choose Zendesk if…
Pick Zendesk when support is a real function with several agents and you need structure, reporting and many channels from one vendor. Ticketing and the help centre are tied tightly together, and AI agents are part of the Suite plans.
It also has workforce management for forecasting and scheduling. Plan time for an admin to set up routing, triggers and the knowledge base. Zendesk charges per agent, so cost grows with the team. Skip it if you are small, with simple needs and a tight budget.
Other options worth a look
Manage customer support tickets across email, chat and social channels with knowledge base tools.
Centralises customer support across email, chat, social and SMS for ecommerce stores with order-data integration.
Supports customers across email, chat and phone with a unified inbox and an AI resolution agent.
Powers knowledge bases and help centres with AI search, chatbots and an AI writing agent.
Meta's messaging app and API that lets businesses chat with customers on WhatsApp, from small shops to enterprises.