Help Scout vs Zoho Desk
Help Scout and Zoho Desk, 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).
Zoho Desk
AI help desk software made human-simple.
Best for SMB and mid-market in the Zoho ecosystem. 125,000+ businesses.
Zoho Corp 1996; Zoho Desk launched 2016. · Chennai, India.
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.
- Zoho DeskPer agent/mo, tiered.
- Free plan
- Help ScoutYes. Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site.
- Zoho DeskYes. Up to 3 agents (basic email ticketing).
- Free trial / guarantee
- Help Scout15-day (Standard and Plus); 3-month unlimited AI Answers for new accounts.
- Zoho Desk15-day, no card.
- Price
- Help ScoutStandard $25/user/mo (monthly); about $21 annual. · Plus $45/user/mo; about $38 annual. · Pro $75/user/mo; about $63 annual.
- Zoho DeskExpress $7/agent/mo (annual). · Standard $14; Professional $23/agent/mo (annual). · Enterprise $40/agent/mo (annual).(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Help ScoutPro: 10 users minimum; others none beyond Free's 5.
- Zoho DeskFree 3 max; Standard 5 min.
- Unlimited agents
- Help ScoutYes. Pro (10-seat minimum).
- Zoho DeskNo. Priced per agent.
- Implementation fee
- Help ScoutNot disclosed; onboarding specialist is a paid add-on; Pro incl. account manager.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Onboarding session included.
- Transparency
- Help ScoutHigh. All prices public.
- Zoho DeskModerate. INR shown; USD via currency switch or third-party.
- Pricing last verified
- Help Scout2026-06-02
- Zoho Desk2026-06-02 (USD via third-party, verified 2026-04-24).
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- Help ScoutNative
- Zoho DeskNative
- Live chat
- Help ScoutNative (Beacon)
- Zoho DeskNative (Standard+).
- In-app messenger
- Help ScoutNative (Beacon iOS and Android SDK)
- Zoho DeskNative (ASAP SDK).
- Voice
- Help ScoutVia integration (Aircall, CloudTalk, JustCall, Talkdesk, Ringover)
- Zoho DeskVia integration (Zoho Voice separate; 15+ providers).
- SMS
- Help ScoutVia integration (Aircall)
- Zoho DeskVia integration (Zoho Voice or marketplace).
- Help ScoutNative (added Mar 2026; Plus and Pro)
- Zoho DeskVia integration
- Social
- Help ScoutNative (Instagram confirmed; others implied)
- Zoho DeskNative. Facebook, Instagram, X per brand (varies by plan).
- Unified inbox
- Help ScoutNative
- Zoho DeskNative. 10+ channels.
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- Help ScoutVia integration only. No native telephony.
- Zoho DeskIntegration. Zoho Voice separate product; 15+ third-party providers.
- Voice AI / transcription
- Help ScoutNot offered natively (depends on partner).
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Recording supported; AI transcription not mentioned.
- Telephony billed separately
- Help ScoutYes. Billed by the integration partner.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zoho Voice priced separately.
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.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia Agents (4 roles). Support Specialist and Resolution Expert in Early Access; others Coming Soon.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- Help ScoutYes. AI Assist (tone, grammar, translate), AI Drafts, and AI Summarize.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia: grammar/readability, quality scoring, summarization, tone, field prediction.
- Claimed automation rate
- Help Scout73.19% average resolution with AI Answers.(claimed)source
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed.
- AI channel coverage
- Help ScoutBeacon (web and mobile chat); AI Drafts and Assist in email, chat, and Docs.
- Zoho DeskWebsite Answer Bot, email, IM, community. On Desk and website.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- Help ScoutAnswer and resolution only. No external API actions.
- Zoho DeskBoth. Updates fields, triages/escalates, logs resolutions, runs blueprints.
- Knowledge sources
- Help ScoutDocs sites, public URLs, PDF, Word, Excel, Google Docs and Sheets, and Improvements snippets.
- Zoho DeskKB articles, past ticket history, open-domain (ChatGPT/Zia LLM).
- Underlying model
- Help ScoutOpenAI API (version undisclosed); does not train its own model.
- Zoho DeskProprietary Zia LLM (Qwen 14B/30B, GLM 4.7 Flash Standard; GLM 5 Pro). BYOK OpenAI/Gemini/Claude.
- Trains on past tickets
- Help ScoutNo. Never uses your data to train models.
- Zoho DeskYes. Resolution Expert analyzes history. Zoho states it does not use your data to train its models.
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- Help ScoutYes. Run AI Answers through any scenario.(claimed)source
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed.
- Multilingual
- Help ScoutYes. AI Answers in 50+ languages; AI Assist translates 13.
- Zoho DeskYes. 40+ languages (Zia/translation); help center 50+.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Help ScoutNative only.
- Zoho DeskNative only.
- AI pricing model
- Help ScoutPay-per-resolution add-on ($0.75); Assist, Drafts, and Summarize on Plus and Pro; 3-month free trial.
- Zoho DeskBase Zia in Enterprise tier. Zia Agents free, LLM tokens billed via Agent Wallet.
- AI unit price
- Help Scout$0.75 per AI resolution; prepay for up to 33% savings.
- Zoho DeskZoho LLM Standard $1/M tokens (30M free/mo); Pro GLM5 $3/M (20M free).
- Copilot / Assist price
- Help ScoutIncluded on Plus and Pro (not Standard or Free).
- Zoho DeskIncluded in Enterprise plan.
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Help Scout or Zoho Deskas 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.
- Zoho DeskSOC 2 Type 2.
- GDPR
- Help ScoutYes. EU and UK GDPR, Swiss FADP; DPA; DPF participant.
- Zoho DeskYes
- HIPAA / PCI
- Help ScoutYes. Pro plan; BAA required.
- Zoho DeskYes. HIPAA Type 2; Desk covered.
- SSO / SAML
- Help ScoutYes. SAML SSO (Pro).
- Zoho DeskYes. SAML, LDAP, ADFS; MFA.
- Data residency
- Help ScoutNo. AWS US only; no EU or regional hosting.
- Zoho DeskYes. US, EU, India, AU, JP, CA, SA, UAE datacenters.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Help Scout100+ apps.
- Zoho DeskNot disclosed. Zoho Marketplace plus Zoho Flow (1,000+ apps).
- Shopify depth
- Help ScoutNative. Order status, refunds, and order management in the inbox; Shopify App Store.
- Zoho DeskModerate. Free extension (2,200+ installs), auto-creates tickets, surfaces order data. One-directional.
- Open / public API
- Help ScoutYes. Inbox API, Docs API, Chat API, and Webhooks.
- Zoho DeskYes. REST API, OAuth 2.0; webhooks.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- Help ScoutCustom Apps framework; Beacon iOS and Android SDK; no server-side SDK.
- Zoho DeskYes. Java/iOS/Android SDKs; ASAP SDK; extensions.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- Help ScoutYes. If/then workflow builder.
- Zoho DeskYes. Blueprint (drag-and-drop) plus Workflow rules.
- Triggers / automations
- Help ScoutYes. Condition-triggered workflows (run once per conversation).
- Zoho DeskYes. Rule-based, time-based, field updates, alerts.
- Routing
- Help ScoutYes. Auto-assign via workflow rules.
- Zoho DeskYes. Skill-based (Enterprise), round-robin, Zia field prediction.
- Macros / canned responses
- Help ScoutYes. Saved Replies.
- Zoho DeskYes. Macros; response templates.
- SLA management
- Help ScoutYes. 1 policy on Standard, 2 on Plus, unlimited on Pro; NRT tracking.
- Zoho DeskYes. SLA policies, violation tracking, Blueprint SLA dashboard.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- Help ScoutYes. @Mentions.
- Zoho DeskYes. Comments and notes.
- Collision detection
- Help ScoutYes. Built in on all plans (yellow and red indicators).
- Zoho DeskYes. Simultaneous-open notification.
- Side conversations
- Help ScoutNot offered (notes and splits instead).
- Zoho DeskYes. TeamFeed and @mentions in ticket.
- Shared inbox
- Help ScoutYes. Core product.
- Zoho DeskNative. Unified, with history across handoffs.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- Help ScoutYes. Docs; 1 site on Free and Standard, extra at $20/mo.
- Zoho DeskYes. Full KB, SEO, HTML/CSS portal, versioning.
- Help center
- Help ScoutYes. Docs, embeddable in Beacon.
- Zoho DeskYes. Branded portal, ASAP widget, domain mapping.
- Community forum
- Help ScoutNot offered.
- Zoho DeskYes. Peer-to-peer forum.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- Help ScoutYes. AI Answers from Docs; tracks search gaps.
- Zoho DeskYes. Zia KB gap detection, article suggestions, Answer Bot.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- Help ScoutYes. 7 built-in reports.
- Zoho DeskYes. 10+ built-in dashboards.
- Custom reports
- Help ScoutNo. Not native; raw data via Inbox API.
- Zoho DeskYes. 30+ reports plus custom builder.
- Included in lowest tier
- Help ScoutReporting on all paid plans, including Standard.
- Zoho DeskBasic in Free; full depth in paid (tier breakdown unclear).
- CSAT surveys
- Help ScoutYes. Happiness report (post-conversation surveys).
- Zoho DeskYes. Happiness Ratings; automated follow-ups.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- Help ScoutSelf-serve; onboarding specialist (paid add-on); Pro incl. dedicated onboarding.
- Zoho DeskTailored onboarding session for paid customers.
- Support channels
- Help ScoutEmail on all paid plans (priority); no customer phone support.
- Zoho DeskClassic (free): email 24/7 plus calls 8/5. Pro/Ent add chat. Premium/Enterprise plans 24x5/24x7.
- Dedicated CSM
- Help ScoutStrategic account manager on Pro.
- Zoho DeskYes. TAM in Enterprise Support plan (25% of subscription, 25-license min).
- Implementation partners
- Help ScoutNot disclosed. No partner directory.
- Zoho DeskYes. Global partner network.