Help Scout's per-user pricing is simple and transparent: no hidden fees, no per-ticket charges. But AI features are limited to higher tiers, and costs scale linearly with every hire. Here's the full breakdown.
Help Scout pricing in 2026 is refreshingly simple compared to most helpdesk tools. Per-user fees, no per-ticket charges, no overage penalties. What you see is largely what you pay. The tradeoff is that AI features are gated behind higher tiers, and the per-seat model makes every new hire a direct cost increase.
This guide breaks down every Help Scout plan, what each tier actually includes, where the costs grow, and how the platform compares to conversation-based alternatives. We also compare with Chatsy pricing for the same team sizes so you can see the full picture.
Disclosure: We built Chatsy, which is used as an example in this guide.
Help Scout is one of the more transparent vendors in this category, but the Pro tier and AI add-on details remain partially private. We compiled this guide from three layers:
Where Pro tier figures could only be triangulated from reference customers, we labelled those numbers as "reported" rather than published. Where Help Scout's per-seat math was easy to extrapolate, we ran scenarios for 5, 15, and 50 agents to show how the bill scales. Verified March 2026.
Help Scout offers three plans. All are priced per user per month with annual billing discounts.
| Plan | Annual (per user/mo) | Monthly (per user/mo) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $25 | $30 | 2 mailboxes, 1 Docs site, email + live chat, basic reporting, 100+ integrations |
| Plus | $50 | $60 | 5 mailboxes, 2 Docs sites, AI features, custom fields, advanced permissions, teams |
| Pro | Custom | Custom | 25 mailboxes, 10 Docs sites, enterprise security, dedicated account manager, HIPAA compliance |
Standard is a complete shared inbox and help center solution for small teams. You get email and live chat support, a knowledge base (Docs), and basic automation. For teams under 10 users with straightforward support needs, this is often all you need.
Plus is where AI enters the picture. AI Drafts generates suggested replies, AI Summarize condenses long threads, and AI Assist helps agents write better responses. You also get custom fields, advanced permissions, teams, and more mailboxes.
Pro adds enterprise-grade features: HIPAA compliance, advanced security, 25 mailboxes, a dedicated account manager, and custom onboarding. Pricing is negotiated based on team size and requirements.
Help Scout's AI capabilities are meaningful but gated behind the Plus plan ($50/user/month).
| AI Feature | Standard | Plus | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Drafts (suggested replies) | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Summarize (thread summaries) | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Assist (writing improvements) | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Answers (customer-facing) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Basic | Advanced | Advanced |
Why this matters: A team on Standard ($25/user) that wants AI capabilities must upgrade every seat to Plus ($50/user). For a 10-user team, that is the difference between $250/month and $500/month: a 100% increase to access AI features.
Unlike tools where AI is a separate add-on you can enable for specific seats, Help Scout requires the entire team to be on the same plan. One agent needing AI means everyone upgrades.
Here is what Help Scout actually costs for three common team sizes. We include Standard (no AI) and Plus (with AI) scenarios.
| Plan | Calculation | Monthly Total | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5 x $25 | $125/mo | $1,500/yr |
| Plus | 5 x $50 | $250/mo | $3,000/yr |
| Plan | Calculation | Monthly Total | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 15 x $25 | $375/mo | $4,500/yr |
| Plus | 15 x $50 | $750/mo | $9,000/yr |
| Plan | Calculation | Monthly Total | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 50 x $25 | $1,250/mo | $15,000/yr |
| Plus | 50 x $50 | $2,500/mo | $30,000/yr |
The simplicity is the strength here: no overages, no add-on fees, no surprises. But the linear scaling means there are no volume discounts. User 50 costs the same as user 1.
Chatsy uses conversation-based pricing, you pay for message credits, not per user. AI is included in every plan. Here is the comparison:
| Team Size | Help Scout (Plus) | Chatsy (Equivalent) | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $250/mo ($3,000/yr) | Standard $150/mo ($1,800/yr) | ~$1,200 |
| 15 users | $750/mo ($9,000/yr) | Pro $500/mo ($6,000/yr) | ~$3,000 |
| 50 users | $2,500/mo ($30,000/yr) | Enterprise (custom) | Typically 50-70% less |
For small teams (under 5), Help Scout on Standard ($125/month) is competitive. But once you need AI features and your team grows beyond 10 users, the per-seat model makes Help Scout significantly more expensive than conversation-based alternatives.
Chatsy's Standard plan includes 3,500 message credits, 3 team seats, live chat, AI chatbot, knowledge base, and ticketing. The Pro plan includes 12,000 credits and 5 seats. AI is always included, no tier gating.
For a detailed comparison, see Chatsy vs Help Scout.
Help Scout is one of the more transparent tools in the category, but there are still a few areas where costs can exceed expectations.
Unlike tools where you can add AI for specific agents, Help Scout requires every user to be on Plus ($50/user) to access any AI feature. This all-or-nothing approach doubles the per-user cost.
There are no bulk discounts on Standard or Plus. A 50-person team pays exactly 50 times the per-user rate. Competitors often offer negotiated enterprise rates that bring the per-seat cost down at scale.
Standard includes only 2 mailboxes. Teams that manage support for multiple products, brands, or departments often need Plus just for the additional mailboxes, even if they do not need AI.
Standard includes 1 Docs site (knowledge base). Multi-product companies or teams that need separate customer-facing and internal knowledge bases must upgrade to Plus for a second site.
Premium integrations (Salesforce, Jira, HubSpot) require Plus. Teams on Standard that need CRM or project management integrations face an upgrade just for the integration, even if other Plus features are unnecessary.
How does Help Scout stack up against other helpdesk tools at common team sizes?
| Team Size | Help Scout (Plus) | Freshdesk (Pro + Freddy) | Zendesk (Suite Growth) | Intercom (Advanced) | Chatsy (Equivalent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $250/mo | $390/mo | $445/mo | $425/mo | $150/mo |
| 10 users | $500/mo | $780/mo | $890/mo | $850/mo | $150/mo |
| 15 users | $750/mo | $1,170/mo | $1,335/mo | $1,275/mo | $500/mo |
| 25 users | $1,250/mo | $1,950/mo | $2,225/mo | $2,125/mo | $500/mo |
| 50 users | $2,500/mo | $3,900/mo | $4,450/mo | $4,250/mo | Custom |
Help Scout is consistently the cheapest per-agent tool when you compare equivalent tiers with AI features. The simplicity of the pricing, no add-ons, no overages, means the advertised price is the real price.
However, conversation-based tools like Chatsy are substantially cheaper at every team size because they do not charge per seat. The gap widens as teams grow.
Help Scout's biggest pricing advantage is predictability. Here is what that looks like in practice:
What makes Help Scout pricing simple:
Where simplicity has limits:
For teams that value budget certainty above all else, Help Scout's transparency is a significant advantage. For teams that need to optimize costs at scale, the lack of flexibility can be limiting.
Help Scout offers discounts for annual billing.
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing (per user/mo) | Annual Savings (per user) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $30/user/mo | $25/user/mo | $60/user/yr (17%) |
| Plus | $60/user/mo | $50/user/mo | $120/user/yr (17%) |
| Pro | Custom | Custom | Negotiable |
For a 15-user team on Plus, annual billing saves $1,800/year ($150/month). This is meaningful and straightforward, no complex calculations needed.
One limitation of Help Scout's per-user model is that every user pays the same rate, regardless of how much they use the platform.
Common scenarios where this becomes costly:
Help Scout does not offer read-only seats, viewer roles, or discounted light-user pricing. Every person who needs access to the platform requires a full-price seat.
For comparison, Intercom offers "lite seats" at reduced cost for stakeholders who need visibility but do not handle conversations. Freshdesk offers "day passes" for occasional users. Chatsy includes team seats in the plan price regardless of individual usage levels.
Switching to Help Scout from another platform is relatively straightforward, but plan for these factors:
Help Scout's migration support is generally well-regarded. The Plus and Pro plans include more migration assistance, and Pro includes concierge migration.
Help Scout is the right choice when:
For teams that need AI included without tier gating, want to avoid per-seat scaling, or have more than 20 users, conversation-based tools like Chatsy provide better value at scale.
Best for: Small teams of 2-10 users with simple support needs, primarily email and live chat. Great value if you do not need AI features, have a single product/brand, and your integration needs are basic. One of the best options in the market for teams that want a clean, simple shared inbox.
Best for: Growing teams of 5-30 users that need AI features, multiple mailboxes, custom fields, and advanced permissions. The sweet spot for teams that have outgrown basic tools but do not need enterprise compliance. Evaluate whether AI features justify doubling the per-user cost.
Best for: Large organizations (30+ users) with HIPAA requirements, multiple products/brands (up to 25 mailboxes), and the need for a dedicated account manager. Negotiate pricing carefully, published rates for Standard and Plus suggest Pro starts well above $50/user/month.
Scenario: A 12-user SaaS support team on the Plus plan (needed for AI and Salesforce integration).
| Item | Calculation | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plus plan (12 users) | 12 x $50 | $600 |
| Total | $600/mo | |
| Annual total | $7,200/yr |
No add-ons, no overages, this is the total cost. Help Scout's simplicity is genuine.
Same team on Chatsy: Pro plan at $500/month ($6,000/year) covers AI chatbot, live chat, knowledge base, and ticketing with no per-user fees. Annual savings: approximately $1,200, with more AI capabilities included.
Use our support cost calculator to model your specific scenario.
Help Scout is excellent for email-first teams, but the per-seat model and AI roadmap are not for everyone:
If you need AI-first deflection or routing complexity, evaluate Chatsy or Intercom rather than fighting Help Scout's email-centric defaults.
No. Help Scout offers a 15-day free trial but no permanent free tier. The least expensive option is Standard at $25/user/month (annual billing). For teams needing a free option, consider Freshdesk (free for up to 2 agents) or Tidio (free with 50 conversations/month).
Help Scout AI features (Drafts, Summarize, Assist, Answers) are included in the Plus plan at $50/user/month. There is no way to add AI to the Standard plan as a separate add-on, you must upgrade the entire team to Plus.
No. Help Scout charges per user only. There are no per-ticket, per-conversation, or per-resolution fees. This makes costs fully predictable based on team size alone.
No. All users on a Help Scout account must be on the same plan. You cannot mix Standard and Plus users. If one team member needs AI, the entire team upgrades.
Help Scout works well for teams up to 30-50 users. Beyond that, the lack of volume discounts makes per-user costs significant ($2,500/month for 50 Plus users). Large teams should negotiate Pro pricing or evaluate alternatives with non-linear pricing.
Yes. Chatsy includes AI chatbot and AI-powered features in every plan, starting at $150/month. No per-user fees and no AI tier gating. See our Help Scout alternative guide for a full comparison.
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