Comparison
Intercom vs Help Scout
Overview
Intercom is a customer communications platform combining AI-powered chat, ticketing, and help center tools to resolve customer issues faster with less agent effort.
Help Scout is a shared inbox and customer support platform for teams that want to provide email, chat, and self-service support with a personal, human touch.
Which should you choose?
Intercom leads with AI chat (Fin) and proactive messaging, priced from $29/month and built to scale to enterprise. Help Scout is a simpler, lower-cost shared inbox ($20/month) aimed at startups/SMBs, prioritizing a human-feeling support experience over AI automation. Choose Intercom if AI-driven deflection and product tours are priorities; choose Help Scout if you want a more affordable, human-centered inbox without the AI-usage billing.
TLDR
- —If AI-driven chat deflection and proactive messaging are priorities, choose Intercom.
- —If you want a simpler, more affordable, human-centered support inbox, choose Help Scout.
Features
- —AI chatbot (Fin)
- —Shared inbox
- —Ticketing
- —Help center
- —Proactive messaging
- —Product tours
- —Surveys
- —Reporting and analytics
- —Shared inbox
- —Live chat (Beacon)
- —Help center (Docs)
- —Workflow automation
- —Collision detection
- —Customer profiles
- —AI Summarize and Drafts
- —Reporting
Pricing
Intercom
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29/mo | Per seat/month plus Fin usage at $0.99 per outcome. |
| Advanced | $85/mo | Per seat/month plus Fin usage at $0.99 per outcome. |
| Expert | $132/mo | Per seat/month plus Fin usage at $0.99 per outcome. |
| Fin AI Agent | $0.99/mo | Can also be purchased for an existing helpdesk; billed per outcome. |
Help Scout
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $20/mo | Per user/month. |
| Plus | $40/mo | Per user/month. |
| Pro | $65/mo | Per user/month. |
Company Fit
Intercom
Help Scout