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Free Help Scout alternatives

Top Customer Support & Live Chat like Help Scout

The most popular alternative to Help Scout is Freshdesk, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Help Scout are Crisp, Zoho Desk, and Chatwoot.

Most alternatives to Help Scout are in the Customer Support & Live Chat category, compared here by price, platform and features.

Help Scout alternatives
AllFreeOpen source
4 apps

All Help Scout alternatives

  1. Freshdesk

    4.5(3K) · App Store

    Freshdesk is a help desk tool from Freshworks that turns emails, web forms, chats, calls and social messages into tickets for support teams. It includes a knowledge base, SLA management, automations, collision detection and reporting, plus Freddy AI for suggested replies and self-service bots. A free plan covers small teams, and it connects with Freshworks' CRM and other business apps.

    12 Freshdesk alternatives

    Pros

    • Free plan for small teams with core ticketing
    • Turns email, forms, chat, calls and social messages into tickets
    • SLA rules, collision detection and automations for busy teams

    Cons

    • AI features and advanced automation cost extra or need top tiers
    • Admin settings get complex as workflows grow
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
    Categories
    Customer Support & Live Chat
    Platforms
    WebiPhoneAndroid
    Features
    AI assistantAnalyticsBuilt-in automationsIntegrationsKnowledge baseTicketing
    Visit websiteMore about Freshdesk

  2. Crisp

    4.7(3.8K) · App Store

    Crisp is a French customer messaging platform that gathers website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and other channels into one shared inbox. It includes a chatbot builder, AI answers based on your own content, a knowledge base, email campaigns and a status page. A free plan covers basic live chat, and paid plans add automation, AI features and more channels.

    8 Crisp alternatives

    Pros

    • Shared inbox for chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
    • Bundles a knowledge base, email campaigns and a status page
    • French company with a GDPR-minded approach to customer data

    Cons

    • Free plan is limited to basic chat, while AI and automation need paid plans
    • Reporting is lighter than in help desks built for large enterprises
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
    Categories
    Customer Support & Live Chat
    Platforms
    WebWindowsMaciPhoneAndroid
    Features
    AI chatbotGDPR compliantKnowledge baseLive chat widgetShared inboxUnified social inbox
    Visit websiteMore about Crisp

  3. Zoho Desk

    4.7(1.6K) · App Store

    Zoho Desk is a help desk application from Zoho that manages customer requests from email, phone, chat, social media and web forms as tickets. It offers a self-service knowledge base, SLA rules, workflow automation, analytics and Zia, an AI assistant that suggests answers and detects customer sentiment. It integrates tightly with Zoho CRM and has a free plan for small teams.

    10 Zoho Desk alternatives

    Pros

    • Tight integration with Zoho CRM shows customer context on tickets
    • Zia suggests answers and detects customer sentiment
    • Free plan for small teams, with paid tiers for SLAs and automation

    Cons

    • Interface feels busy, with many settings to learn
    • Works best when you already use other Zoho apps
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
    Categories
    Customer Support & Live Chat
    Platforms
    WebiPhoneAndroid
    Features
    AI assistantAnalyticsBuilt-in automationsIntegrationsKnowledge baseTicketing
    Visit websiteMore about Zoho Desk

  4. Chatwoot

    37.7Kstars

    Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform positioned as an alternative to Intercom and Zendesk. It unifies website live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and SMS in one shared inbox, with a help center, canned responses, automation rules and an AI assistant called Captain. Teams can self-host it for free or use the paid cloud version.

    11 Chatwoot alternatives

    Pros

    • Open source and free to self-host, keeping conversations on your servers
    • One inbox for chat, email, WhatsApp, social channels and SMS
    • Includes a help center, canned responses and automation rules

    Cons

    • Self-hosting requires maintaining the server, updates and integrations
    • Reporting and workflows are less deep than in Zendesk or Intercom
    Cost / License
    FreemiumOpen source
    Categories
    Customer Support & Live Chat
    Platforms
    WebiPhoneAndroidSelf-hosted
    Features
    AI chatbotAPI accessKnowledge baseLive chat widgetShared inboxUnified social inbox
    Visit websiteMore about Chatwoot

Help Scout vs its alternatives at a glance

Pricing, platforms and the key features of Help Scout, compared with its most popular alternatives.

Help Scout vs its alternatives at a glance
AppPricingPlatformsAI assistantAnalyticsIntegrationsKnowledge baseLive chat widget
Help ScoutFreemiumWeb, iPhone, Android
FreshdeskFreemiumWeb, iPhone, Android
CrispFreemiumWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android
Zoho DeskFreemiumWeb, iPhone, Android
ChatwootFreemiumOpen sourceWeb, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted

Help Scout alternatives: frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Help Scout?

The most popular alternative to Help Scout is Freshdesk: Help desk ticketing software from Freshworks. Other great alternatives are Crisp, Zoho Desk, and Chatwoot.

Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?

Yes, 4 alternatives are free or have a free plan, including Freshdesk, Crisp, Zoho Desk, and Chatwoot.

Is there an open source alternative to Help Scout?

Yes, one open source alternative is listed: Chatwoot.

Is Help Scout free?

Help Scout has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features.

Compare Help Scout with its alternatives

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