Help Scout vs Zendesk
Help Scout and Zendesk, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Help Scout
The most intuitive customer support platform.
Best for SMB and mid-market across SaaS, ecommerce, education, and healthcare.
2011 · Boston, MA (fully remote).
Zendesk
AI-first resolution platform with autonomous AI agents that resolve tickets across all channels.
Best for Mid-market to enterprise support teams wanting an all-in-one omnichannel helpdesk with built-in AI agents. Also SMBs via self-serve.
2007 (Copenhagen, Denmark) · San Francisco, CA, USA.
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- Help ScoutPer seat monthly; AI Answers billed separately per resolution.
- ZendeskPer agent/mo, annual or monthly. Suite is omnichannel, Support is email/ticketing only. AI billed separately.
- Free plan
- Help ScoutYes. Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site.
- ZendeskNo
- Free trial / guarantee
- Help Scout15-day (Standard and Plus); 3-month unlimited AI Answers for new accounts.
- Zendesk14 days (Suite Professional + Copilot).
- Price
- Help ScoutStandard $25/user/mo (monthly); about $21 annual. · Plus $45/user/mo; about $38 annual. · Pro $75/user/mo; about $63 annual.
- Zendesk$19/agent/mo (Support Team, annual, email only). $55 (Suite Team, omnichannel). · $115/agent/mo (Suite Professional, annual). · Custom (Suite Enterprise + Copilot).
- Seat minimum
- Help ScoutPro: 10 users minimum; others none beyond Free's 5.
- ZendeskNot disclosed (none for self-serve).
- Unlimited agents
- Help ScoutYes. Pro (10-seat minimum).
- ZendeskNo. Priced per agent.
- Implementation fee
- Help ScoutNot disclosed; onboarding specialist is a paid add-on; Pro incl. account manager.
- ZendeskNot disclosed (Launch/Optimization Services extra).
- Transparency
- Help ScoutHigh. All prices public.
- ZendeskModerate. Base prices public; per-resolution AI and Enterprise pricing not.
- Pricing last verified
- Help Scout2026-06-02
- Zendesk2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- Help ScoutNative
- ZendeskNative
- Live chat
- Help ScoutNative (Beacon)
- ZendeskNative
- In-app messenger
- Help ScoutNative (Beacon iOS and Android SDK)
- ZendeskNative (Web Widget and mobile SDK).
- Voice
- Help ScoutVia integration (Aircall, CloudTalk, JustCall, Talkdesk, Ringover)
- ZendeskNative (Zendesk Talk, usage billed separately).
- SMS
- Help ScoutVia integration (Aircall)
- ZendeskNative (Zendesk Text).
- Help ScoutNative (added Mar 2026; Plus and Pro)
- ZendeskNative (all Suite plans).
- Social
- Help ScoutNative (Instagram confirmed; others implied)
- ZendeskNative (FB Messenger, Instagram; X, LINE, WeChat available).
- Unified inbox
- Help ScoutNative
- ZendeskNative. Agent Workspace.
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- Help ScoutVia integration only. No native telephony.
- ZendeskNative. Zendesk Talk, included in Suite.
- Voice AI / transcription
- Help ScoutNot offered natively (depends on partner).
- ZendeskYes. Live $0.027/min, post-call $0.01/min. Voice AI Agents in EAP.
- Telephony billed separately
- Help ScoutYes. Billed by the integration partner.
- ZendeskYes. Numbers $1–2/mo, inbound $0.016/min, recording $0.003/min.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Help ScoutYes. AI Answers resolves in Beacon and escalates to a human.
- ZendeskYes. AI Agents resolve multi-step, multi-intent requests end to end across email, messaging, and voice.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- Help ScoutYes. AI Assist (tone, grammar, translate), AI Drafts, and AI Summarize.
- ZendeskYes. Copilot handles next-best-action, auto-assist, triage, and call transcription. Add-on $50/agent/mo or in Suite Enterprise + Copilot.
- Claimed automation rate
- Help Scout73.19% average resolution with AI Answers.(claimed)source
- ZendeskUp to 80% (homepage). Customers: Hello Sugar 66%, TeamSystem 80% email, Best Egg 80% messaging.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- Help ScoutBeacon (web and mobile chat); AI Drafts and Assist in email, chat, and Docs.
- ZendeskEmail, messaging (web, mobile, social), voice (Voice AI Agents in EAP), and ticketing.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- Help ScoutAnswer and resolution only. No external API actions.
- ZendeskActions via API. Orchestrates refunds, cancellations, and legacy-system integrations. Agentic multi-step from May 2026.
- Knowledge sources
- Help ScoutDocs sites, public URLs, PDF, Word, Excel, Google Docs and Sheets, and Improvements snippets.
- ZendeskHelp center, external sources (Google Drive, PDFs), and Confluence, via a unified knowledge graph.
- Underlying model
- Help ScoutOpenAI API (version undisclosed); does not train its own model.
- ZendeskOpenAI (zero-retention) on Azure. Also Azure, Amazon Bedrock, and GCP options, plus proprietary intent models.
- Trains on past tickets
- Help ScoutNo. Never uses your data to train models.
- ZendeskYes. Resolution Learning Loop. Forethought acquisition adds self-improving agents.
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- Help ScoutYes. Run AI Answers through any scenario.(claimed)source
- ZendeskNot disclosed on AI pages. Enterprise plans include a general sandbox.
- Multilingual
- Help ScoutYes. AI Answers in 50+ languages; AI Assist translates 13.
- ZendeskYes. 80 languages at native fluency with auto-switch. KB in 40+ languages.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Help ScoutNative only.
- ZendeskNative to Zendesk (some deployment beyond Zendesk noted).
- AI pricing model
- Help ScoutPay-per-resolution add-on ($0.75); Assist, Drafts, and Summarize on Plus and Pro; 3-month free trial.
- ZendeskOutcome-based per successful resolution, with an allowance included. Packaging consolidated May 2026.
- AI unit price
- Help Scout$0.75 per AI resolution; prepay for up to 33% savings.
- ZendeskNot disclosed (per-resolution price not published).
- Copilot / Assist price
- Help ScoutIncluded on Plus and Pro (not Standard or Free).
- Zendesk$50/agent/mo (annual). Suite Enterprise + Copilot custom.
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Help Scout or Zendeskas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- Help ScoutSOC 2 Type 2.
- ZendeskSOC 2 Type II (report under NDA).
- GDPR
- Help ScoutYes. EU and UK GDPR, Swiss FADP; DPA; DPF participant.
- ZendeskYes. EU BCRs, ISO 27701, published DPA.
- HIPAA / PCI
- Help ScoutYes. Pro plan; BAA required.
- ZendeskYes. Advanced Compliance add-on with BAA.
- SSO / SAML
- Help ScoutYes. SAML SSO (Pro).
- ZendeskYes. SAML and OIDC, social SSO, 2FA.
- Data residency
- Help ScoutNo. AWS US only; no EU or regional hosting.
- ZendeskYes. US, AU, JP, EEA (Data Center Location add-on).
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Help Scout100+ apps.
- Zendesk1,800+ apps and integrations.
- Shopify depth
- Help ScoutNative. Order status, refunds, and order management in the inbox; Shopify App Store.
- ZendeskDeep native (built with Shopify). Order details, refunds, and cancellations in-context. Shopify and Plus, free.
- Open / public API
- Help ScoutYes. Inbox API, Docs API, Chat API, and Webhooks.
- ZendeskYes. REST APIs across Support, AI Agents, Talk, Custom Objects, and more.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- Help ScoutCustom Apps framework; Beacon iOS and Android SDK; no server-side SDK.
- ZendeskYes. Android, iOS, and Unity messaging SDKs, plus Apps Core API.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- Help ScoutYes. If/then workflow builder.
- ZendeskYes. No-code builder. App Builder (Pro+), Action Builder (Team+).
- Triggers / automations
- Help ScoutYes. Condition-triggered workflows (run once per conversation).
- ZendeskYes. Triggers and automations, with conditional logic across external integrations.
- Routing
- Help ScoutYes. Auto-assign via workflow rules.
- ZendeskOmnichannel (all plans). Skills-based and IVR (Pro+), intelligent triage (Enterprise+).
- Macros / canned responses
- Help ScoutYes. Saved Replies.
- ZendeskYes. Macros plus AI macro suggestions.
- SLA management
- Help ScoutYes. 1 policy on Standard, 2 on Plus, unlimited on Pro; NRT tracking.
- ZendeskYes. Growth/Professional+.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- Help ScoutYes. @Mentions.
- ZendeskYes
- Collision detection
- Help ScoutYes. Built in on all plans (yellow and red indicators).
- ZendeskNot disclosed on reviewed pages.
- Side conversations
- Help ScoutNot offered (notes and splits instead).
- ZendeskYes. In Agent Workspace.
- Shared inbox
- Help ScoutYes. Core product.
- ZendeskYes. Unified Agent Workspace.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- Help ScoutYes. Docs; 1 site on Free and Standard, extra at $20/mo.
- ZendeskYes. Guide, with branded help centers in 40+ languages.
- Help center
- Help ScoutYes. Docs, embeddable in Beacon.
- ZendeskYes. Multiple help centers per brand.
- Community forum
- Help ScoutNot offered.
- ZendeskYes. Zendesk Gather.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- Help ScoutYes. AI Answers from Docs; tracks search gaps.
- ZendeskYes. Generative AI search, semantic search, AI article generation, and gap detection.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- Help ScoutYes. 7 built-in reports.
- ZendeskYes. Explore. Prebuilt on all Suite plans, real-time on Pro+.
- Custom reports
- Help ScoutNo. Not native; raw data via Inbox API.
- ZendeskYes. Suite Professional+ (Explore Pro). Not on Team.
- Included in lowest tier
- Help ScoutReporting on all paid plans, including Standard.
- ZendeskTeam: prebuilt only. Professional+: custom plus real-time.
- CSAT surveys
- Help ScoutYes. Happiness report (post-conversation surveys).
- ZendeskYes. Native CSAT. Explore CSAT reporting on Pro+.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- Help ScoutSelf-serve; onboarding specialist (paid add-on); Pro incl. dedicated onboarding.
- ZendeskLaunch, Optimization, and AI Services. Zendesk Assist, Academy, and Help Center.
- Support channels
- Help ScoutEmail on all paid plans (priority); no customer phone support.
- ZendeskWeb and help form on all plans. Premier adds phone and 24/7.
- Dedicated CSM
- Help ScoutStrategic account manager on Pro.
- ZendeskPremier Plus: PSE plus TAM, monthly reviews. Enterprise: weekly.
- Implementation partners
- Help ScoutNot disclosed. No partner directory.
- ZendeskYes. 1,800+ Marketplace partners plus Professional Services.