--- 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" --- # Help Scout alternatives Last updated on August 26th, 2026 The best Help Scout alternatives are Milvus (best overall), Freshdesk (best free plan), LiveAgent (best budget option), and Salesforce Sales Cloud (most reviewed). Together they hold 24,364 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 (4,090 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.3 out of 5 | $55.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [Odoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/135618/Odoo/) — 4.2 out of 5 (1,328 reviews) | Rated 0.4 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | $31.10 /user/mo | 6 of 9 top category features | | [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,471 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $19.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/136189/Salesforce/) — 4.5 out of 5 (829 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.1 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) — 4.4 out of 5 (18,807 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | $25.00 /user/mo | 4 of 9 top category features | | [Bitrix24](https://www.capterra.com/p/113540/Bitrix24/) — 4.2 out of 5 (1,003 reviews) | Rated 0.4 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | $69.00 /mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,788 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $15.00 /user/mo | 8 of 9 top category features | | [HelpDesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/185973/HelpDesk/) — 4.6 out of 5 (183 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $29.00 /user/mo | 9 of 9 top category features | | [LiveChat](https://www.capterra.com/p/62194/LiveChat/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,727 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 | --- ## Top alternatives with AI capabilities The Help Scout alternatives with the strongest AI features are Freshdesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, and Bitrix24, based on verified feature data and Capterra reviews. ### [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,471 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, Chatbot ### [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/136189/Salesforce/) — 4.5 out of 5 (829 reviews) - AI features: AI Copilot, Chatbot ### [Bitrix24](https://www.capterra.com/p/113540/Bitrix24/) — 4.2 out of 5 (1,003 reviews) - AI features: AI Summarization, AI Writing Assistant, Chatbot, Generative AI --- ## Top Free alternatives to Help Scout The best free alternatives to Help Scout are Zendesk Suite, Odoo , and Freshdesk — all three offer a free plan alongside paid tiers. ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,090 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $55.00 /user/mo ### [Odoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/135618/Odoo/) — 4.2 out of 5 (1,328 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $31.10 /user/mo ### [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) — 4.5 out of 5 (3,471 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $19.00 /user/mo --- ## Top alternatives for SMBs Among reviewers from companies with 1-200 employees, the highest-rated Help Scout alternatives are LiveAgent (4.7), LiveChat (4.6), and Zendesk Suite (4.4). ### [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) ### [LiveChat](https://www.capterra.com/p/62194/LiveChat/) - 931 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 across 931 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 across 923 SMB reviews > "smooth and easy so far." — Lisa T., Onwer (March 10, 2026) ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) - 2,027 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.4 out of 5 across 2,027 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.3 out of 5 across 1,853 SMB reviews > "It streamlines customer support, keeps tickets and communications organized, and helps provide fast, consistent, and professional service." — jane f., Personal Lines Executive (April 2, 2026) --- ## Why do teams switch from Help Scout? Of the 15 Capterra reviewers who reported switching away from Help Scout, the most common destinations were Zendesk Suite, Freshdesk, and LiveAgent. ### What users preferred ### [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) - 4.4 out of 5 (4,090 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) ### [Freshdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/124981/Freshdesk/) - 4.5 out of 5 (3,471 reviews) — 3 reviewers switched here > "Helpscout didn't have any new integrations on the horizon and were inflexible and slow" — Nate E., VP Customer Loyalty and Business Development (January 15, 2020) ### [LiveAgent](https://www.capterra.com/p/102188/LiveAgent/) - 4.7 out of 5 (1,788 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 - [HappyFox Help Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/83211/HappyFox/) — 4.6 out of 5 (93 reviews) - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,090 reviews) - [Salesforce Starter](https://www.capterra.com/p/227088/Salesforce-Starter/) — 4.4 out of 5 (226 reviews) ### Knowledge Base - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,090 reviews) - [Document360](https://www.capterra.com/p/177031/Document360/) — 4.7 out of 5 (292 reviews) - [livepro](https://www.capterra.com/p/165150/livepro/) — 4.8 out of 5 (182 reviews) ### Knowledge Management - [livepro](https://www.capterra.com/p/165150/livepro/) — 4.8 out of 5 (182 reviews) - [Bloomfire](https://www.capterra.com/p/131501/Bloomfire/) — 4.4 out of 5 (254 reviews) - [KMS Lighthouse](https://www.capterra.com/p/162694/Lighthouse-Desktop/) — 4.5 out of 5 (20 reviews) ### Help Desk - [Zendesk Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/164283/Zendesk/) — 4.4 out of 5 (4,090 reviews) - [SysAid](https://www.capterra.com/p/107225/SysAid/) — 4.5 out of 5 (522 reviews) - [HappyFox Help Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/83211/HappyFox/) — 4.6 out of 5 (93 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 (4,090 reviews) - [Freshservice](https://www.capterra.com/p/132997/Freshservice/) — 4.6 out of 5 (794 reviews) ---