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Customer Support comparison

Zendesk vs Help Scout

Our pick: Zendesk scores 8.9/10 against 8.2/10 for Help Scout. Here's how they differ and which one fits your needs.

Zendesk

Enterprise helpdesk with AI agents and copilot

8.9/10From $19/moOur pick
Visit Zendesk
VS

Help Scout

Human-friendly shared inbox and help desk with AI

8.2/10Free trial
Visit Help Scout

At a glance

ZendeskHelp Scout
Our score8.9/108.2/10
Best forSupport teams, EnterprisesSmall and mid-sized teams
TypeHelpdeskHelpdesk
PricingFree trialFree trial
Starting price$19/moSee website
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
Launched20072011

Key features

Zendesk

  • Ticketing
  • AI agents
  • Agent copilot
  • Intelligent triage
  • Help center

Help Scout

  • Shared inbox
  • Docs knowledge base
  • Beacon chat
  • AI drafts & summaries
  • AI Answers

Zendesk: pros and cons

Pros

  • Mature and scalable
  • Huge app marketplace

Cons

  • Advanced AI is an add-on
  • Can get expensive

Help Scout: pros and cons

Pros

  • Very easy to use
  • Customer-friendly experience

Cons

  • Fewer enterprise features
  • Limited automation

Verdict: Zendesk or Help Scout?

Choose Zendesk if you're support teams or enterprises and value mature and scalable.

Choose Help Scout if you're small and mid-sized teams and value very easy to use.

Overall we rate Zendesk slightly higher. Both are worth trying, and at least one has a free plan or trial. See all Customer Support tools for more options.

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