19 Best Help Scout Alternatives in 2026

By Elena Kowalski, Security & Enterprise EditorยทUpdated April 24, 2026ยท16 min read

The top 10 Help Scout alternatives in 2026 include Gladly (score 63/100, from $180/agent/mo), Gorgias (score 67/100, from $10/mo), Tidio (score 77/100, from $29/mo), and 16 more customer support tools. Help Scout is a customer support platform used by 12K+ orgs teams. Teams switching from Help Scout typically look for better pricing, specific customer support features, or different integration options. hiltonsoftware.co evaluates each Help Scout alternative using a weighted scoring system that measures user ratings (40%), feature depth (25%), value for money (20%), market presence (10%), and growth trajectory (5%). 5 of the 19 Help Scout alternatives offer free plans. The highest-rated Help Scout alternative is Gladly with a hiltonsoftware.co score of 63/100 and pricing starting at $180/agent/mo.

Help Scout (67/100 on hiltonsoftware.co) is a customer support tool used by 12K+ orgs users, with pricing from $22/user/mo. Below are 19 alternatives ranked by our proprietary score โ€” 5 of them offer free plans. The top-rated alternative is Gladly with a score of 63/100.

What are the best alternatives to Help Scout in 2026?

#1
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GladlyTOP PICK

People-centered customer service platform organizing support around customers, not tickets.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.7
From $180/agent/mo500+ orgs users
#2
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Gorgias

Helpdesk built for e-commerce with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.6
From $10/mo14K+ orgs users
#3
๐Ÿค–
TidioFREE PLAN

AI customer service platform with chatbots, live chat, and email for SMBs.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.6
From $29/mo500K+ orgs users
#4
๐Ÿ’ฌ
Intercom

Customer service platform combining AI chatbot, inbox, and help center.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $39/mo25K+ orgs users
#5
๐ŸŸข
CrispFREE PLAN

Customer messaging platform with shared inbox, chatbot, and CRM for startups.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $25/mo500K+ orgs users
#6
๐Ÿ—จ๏ธ
LiveChat

Live chat and customer service platform with customizable chat widgets.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $20/agent/mo38K+ orgs users
#7
๐Ÿ”ท
Dixa

Customer service platform unifying all channels with conversation routing.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $39/agent/mo800+ orgs users
#8
๐Ÿ“ฅ
Front

Shared inbox platform for teams handling email, SMS, and chat collaboratively.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $19/user/mo9K+ orgs users
#9
๐ŸŽต
Groove

Simple help desk and shared inbox for small businesses with knowledge base.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $4.80/user/mo12K+ orgs users
#10
๐Ÿ’›
Re:amaze

Customer support platform for e-commerce with live chat, helpdesk, and FAQ.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $29/agent/mo3K+ orgs users
#11
๐Ÿ“ง
HiverFREE PLAN

Gmail-based help desk that turns Gmail into a shared inbox for customer support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $19/user/mo10K+ orgs users
#12
๐ŸŒฑ
FreshdeskFREE PLAN

Helpdesk software with ticketing, live chat, and omnichannel support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $15/agent/mo60K+ orgs users
#13
๐ŸŸฃ
Kustomer

CRM-based customer service platform with full customer timeline view.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $89/agent/mo1K+ orgs users
#14
๐Ÿ“ž
Talkdesk

Cloud contact center platform with AI-powered voice and digital customer support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $75/agent/mo1.8K+ orgs users
#15
๐ŸฆŠ
HappyFox

Help desk and customer support software with ticketing, live chat, and self-service.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $9/agent/mo12K+ orgs users
#16
๐ŸŸข
Zoho DeskFREE PLAN

Context-aware help desk software with AI assistant and Zoho ecosystem integration.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $14/agent/mo100K+ orgs users
#17
๐ŸŽง
Zendesk

Enterprise customer service platform with ticketing, chat, and self-service.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.3
From $19/agent/mo100K+ orgs users
#18
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Drift

Conversational marketing and sales platform with AI chatbots for B2B.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.3
From $2500/mo5K+ orgs users
#19
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Kayako

Help desk software with unified customer journey view across all channels.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.1
From $30/agent/mo35K+ orgs users

Frequently asked questions about Help Scout alternatives

What is the best alternative to Help Scout?
The top-rated Help Scout alternative is Gladly with a hiltonsoftware.co score of 63/100. Gladly people-centered customer service platform organizing support around customers, not tickets. Gladly starts at $180/agent/mo. Other strong Help Scout alternatives include Gorgias (67/100, from $10/mo) and Tidio (77/100, from $29/mo).
Are there free alternatives to Help Scout?
Yes, 5 of the 19 Help Scout alternatives offer free plans. The highest-rated free Help Scout alternatives are Tidio (77/100), Crisp (74/100), Hiver (70/100). Unlike Help Scout (starting at $22/user/mo), these free Help Scout alternatives let teams get started without any financial commitment. Each free plan includes core customer support features.
How does Help Scout compare to Gladly?
Help Scout scores 67/100 while Gladly scores 63/100 on hiltonsoftware.co. Help Scout strengths include "human, email-like experience", while Help Scout limitations include "no free plan". Gladly starts at $180/agent/mo, compared to Help Scout pricing from $22/user/mo.
Last updated: March 2026ยทPricing verifiedยทMethodology

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