--- title: "Best Help Scout Alternatives 2026 | Capterra" description: "Looking for alternatives to Help Scout? Find out how Help Scout stacks up against its competitors with real user reviews, pricing information, and what features they offer." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/136909/Help-Scout/alternatives/" page_type: "alternatives" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- # Help Scout alternatives Last updated on October 19th, 2026 The best Help Scout alternatives are Milvus (best overall), Tidio (best free plan), Zoho Desk (best budget option), and Salesforce Sales Cloud (most reviewed). Together they hold 21,920 verified Capterra reviews, with overall ratings from 4.4 to 4.8 out of 5. Help Scout itself holds 4.6 out of 5 across 226 reviews. ### Help Scout - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (226 reviews) - Ease of use: 4.7 out of 5 - Starting price: $55.00 /mo - Key features: 5 of 9 top category features --- ## Top alternatives Help Scout alternatives compared | Product | Rating difference | Ease of use | Starting price | Key features | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.3 out of 5 | $55.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/136189/Salesforce/) — 4.5 out of 5 (832 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.1 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,789 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $15.00 /user/mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) — 4.4 out of 5 (18,816 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 4 of 9 top category features | | [LiveChat](https://www.capterra.com/p/62194/LiveChat/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,729 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [Milvus](https://www.capterra.com/p/202528/Milvus/) — 4.8 out of 5 (298 reviews) | Rated 0.2 higher than this product | 4.8 out of 5 | R$35.00 /user/mo | 4 of 9 top category features | | [Tidio](https://www.capterra.com/p/144040/Tidio-Chat/) — 4.7 out of 5 (590 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $24.17 /mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.4 out of 5 | $9.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [HelpDesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/185973/HelpDesk/) — 4.6 out of 5 (184 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $29.00 /user/mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [Dynamics 365](https://www.capterra.com/p/157279/Dynamics-365/) — 4.4 out of 5 (5,863 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.1 out of 5 | $50.00 /user/mo | 3 of 9 top category features | --- ## Top alternatives with AI capabilities The Help Scout alternatives with the strongest AI features are Salesforce Service Cloud, LiveAgent, and LiveChat, based on verified feature data and Capterra reviews. ### [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/136189/Salesforce/) — 4.5 out of 5 (832 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, Chatbot ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,789 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, AI Summarization, AI Text Generation, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbot, Generative AI ### [LiveChat](https://www.capterra.com/p/62194/LiveChat/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,729 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, AI/Machine Learning, AI Summarization, Chatbot, Generative AI, Natural Language Processing --- ## Top Free alternatives to Help Scout The best free alternatives to Help Scout are Zendesk Suite, Salesforce Service Cloud, and LiveAgent — all three offer a free plan alongside paid tiers. ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $55.00 /user/mo ### [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/136189/Salesforce/) — 4.5 out of 5 (832 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $25.00 /user/mo ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,789 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $15.00 /user/mo --- ## Top alternatives for SMBs Among reviewers from companies with 1-200 employees, the highest-rated Help Scout alternatives are LiveAgent (4.7), Tidio (4.7), and LiveChat (4.6). ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) - 1,089 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.7 out of 5 across 1,089 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 across 1,083 SMB reviews > "For us, it is an essential tool: it enables us to manage tickets, live chats, and client requests in a well-organised and professional manner." — Jacopo R., CEO (May 6, 2026) ### [Tidio](https://www.capterra.com/p/144040/Tidio-Chat/) - 419 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.7 out of 5 across 419 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.7 out of 5 across 418 SMB reviews > "Still working around the clock to test the configuration in my site" — Guillermo G., CEO (May 27, 2025) ### [LiveChat](https://www.capterra.com/p/62194/LiveChat/) - 932 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 across 932 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 across 924 SMB reviews > "smooth and easy so far." — Lisa T., Onwer (March 10, 2026) --- ## Why do teams switch from Help Scout? Of the 16 Capterra reviewers who reported switching away from Help Scout, the most common destinations were Zendesk Suite, Zoho Desk, and LiveAgent. ### What users preferred ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) - 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) — 9 reviewers switched here > "One of the highest reasons we switched was for the AI capabilities" — Meghann O., Manger, Customer Success (September 9, 2025) ### [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/) - 4.5 out of 5 (2,216 reviews) — 4 reviewers switched here > "Pour avoir le meilleur logiciel adapté à mes besoins." — Anschaire Gildas N., Ingénieur Informaticien (September 21, 2023) ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) - 4.7 out of 5 (1,789 reviews) — 3 reviewers switched here > "We needed a solution that also integrated with social & phone. In Help Scout there was a work around option to achieve this but it didn't really fit our needs. So we started looking for reviews of other apps and asking other business owners what they used. LiveAgent came up a couple of times as the best solution. When we saw there was a deal for a lifetime license we decided to give it a go and we never looked back." — Guy N., Owner (December 6, 2019) --- ## Find software for your specific use case ### Customer Service - [Stonly](https://www.capterra.com/p/202805/Stonly/) — 4.3 out of 5 (12 reviews) - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) - [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) — 4.4 out of 5 (18,816 reviews) ### Knowledge Base - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) - [Document360](https://www.capterra.com/p/177031/Document360/) — 4.7 out of 5 (292 reviews) - [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,494 reviews) ### Knowledge Management - [Stonly](https://www.capterra.com/p/202805/Stonly/) — 4.3 out of 5 (12 reviews) - [Axero](https://www.capterra.com/p/129326/Axero/) — 4.5 out of 5 (89 reviews) - [Document360](https://www.capterra.com/p/177031/Document360/) — 4.7 out of 5 (292 reviews) ### Help Desk - [Remote Monitoring and Management](https://www.capterra.com/p/144309/Atera/) — 4.5 out of 5 (461 reviews) - [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,494 reviews) - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) ### IT Ticketing Systems - [ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus](https://www.capterra.com/p/179501/ManageEngine-Service-Desk-Plus/) — 4.4 out of 5 (234 reviews) - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,094 reviews) - [Freshservice](https://www.capterra.com/p/132997/Freshservice/) — 4.5 out of 5 (805 reviews) ---