Help Scout

Help Scout is an email-first customer support platform founded in 2011, rated 4.4 out of 5 from 427 reviews on G2 (2026). The platform combines shared email inboxes, a knowledge base (Docs), live chat via the Beacon widget, and AI-powered features into a clean, email-thread-style interface favored by SaaS companies and small support teams. Help Scout uses per-user pricing across four tiers — Free ($0, 5 users), Standard ($25/user/month), Plus ($45/user/month), and Pro ($75/user/month, 10-user minimum). Standard includes email, live chat, Instagram, and Messenger. WhatsApp requires Plus or higher (helpscout.com, 2026). AI Answers — an autonomous chatbot that resolves customer questions from knowledge base content — is billed at $0.75 per resolution on all paid plans, with a 3-month free trial for new accounts (docs.helpscout.com, 2026). Telegram, Discord, and Zalo are not supported on any tier.

Converge is a messaging-first support inbox at $49/month flat for up to 15 team members. All channels — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, Zalo, Messenger, Gmail, email, and an embeddable chat widget — are included at that price. AI reply suggestions and translation carry no per-use fees. The fundamental design difference: Help Scout treats email as the primary channel with messaging bolted on at higher tiers; Converge treats messaging channels as equal to email from the start.

Help Scout's inbox renders conversations as email threads — no ticket numbers, no queue-style interface. This design decision makes it approachable for teams migrating from shared Gmail or Outlook accounts. Core features include saved replies, collision detection (real-time alerts when another agent is viewing the same conversation), customer profiles with conversation history, workflow automations (150 on Standard, 500 on Plus, unlimited on Pro), and tags for conversation categorization. The Beacon widget embeds live chat, Docs article search, contact forms, and proactive messaging in a single component. Docs supports custom domains, article categorization, and restricted access via API. Help Scout integrates with 100+ apps; Salesforce, Jira, and HubSpot require the Plus tier (helpscout.com, 2026).

AI features run on a layered pricing model. AI Assist (text expansion, shortening, translation) is included on all paid plans. AI Drafts — full reply drafts generated from conversation context and help content — are unlimited on Plus and Pro only. AI Summaries condense long threads into bullet points on Plus and Pro. AI Answers, the customer-facing chatbot, costs $0.75 per successful resolution on all paid plans (docs.helpscout.com, 2026). New accounts receive a 3-month unlimited AI Answers trial. A spending cap prevents surprise bills but disables the feature mid-month once the limit is hit. Channel coverage: Standard includes email, live chat, Instagram, and Messenger. WhatsApp requires Plus ($45/user/month). Phone and SMS are available only through third-party integrations (Aircall, etc.).

Converge covers WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, Zalo, Messenger, Gmail, email, and a chat widget at $49/month flat — no channel gating, no tier restrictions. AI reply suggestions with configurable tone (professional, friendly, casual), quick-reply matching, and message translation are included without per-use fees or credit limits. The Converge widget tracks visitor sessions, captures UTM parameters, records page views, and collects lead information before a conversation starts — website intelligence features that Help Scout's Beacon does not offer. Converge does not have a built-in knowledge base, collision detection, or Help Scout's email-thread conversation design.

Help Scout pricing (per user, per month, annual billing — helpscout.com, 2026):

• Free: $0 — 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 contacts/month, 10 saved replies, 10 tags, 1 Beacon
• Standard: $25/user/month — up to 25 users, 2 inboxes, 2 Docs sites, unlimited contacts, email + live chat + Instagram + Messenger, 150 workflows, AI Assist, 5 Beacons
• Plus: $45/user/month — up to 50 users, 5 inboxes, 3 Docs sites, WhatsApp, unlimited AI Drafts and Summaries, round robin routing, Teams feature, Salesforce/Jira/HubSpot, unlimited Beacons
• Pro: $75/user/month — 10-user minimum, unlimited users, 10 inboxes, 5 Docs sites, SSO/SAML, HIPAA (add-on), up to 50 light users, load-balanced routing, dedicated account manager

Add-ons: AI Answers at $0.75/resolution on all paid plans. Extra inboxes: $10/month each. Extra Docs sites: $20/month each. HIPAA and SSO/SAML available as add-ons on lower tiers. Aircall phone integration: add-on on Standard and Plus, preferred pricing on Pro.

Cost comparison for a team needing WhatsApp (requires Plus at minimum):

• 3 agents: Help Scout Plus = $135/month. Converge = $49/month.
• 5 agents: Help Scout Plus = $225/month. Converge = $49/month.
• 10 agents: Help Scout Plus = $450/month. Converge = $49/month.
• 15 agents: Help Scout Plus = $675/month. Converge = $49/month.

AI costs compound on top: 200 AI Answers resolutions/month adds $150/month; 500 resolutions adds $375/month; 1,000 resolutions adds $750/month (Featurebase, 2026). A 5-agent team on Plus with 500 monthly AI resolutions pays $600/month — over 12x what Converge charges for more channels and included AI. Help Scout also runs a newer contact-based pricing model for some accounts that bills by contacts helped rather than seats, with unlimited users — availability varies and pricing is not publicly listed on the main page (docs.helpscout.com, 2026).

Choose Help Scout if:

• Email is your primary support channel and you want an inbox that feels like email, not a ticketing system
• You need a built-in knowledge base (Docs) with custom domain support and self-service article search
• The Beacon widget's combination of help article search, AI Answers, live chat, and contact forms fits your self-service strategy
• Collision detection matters — your team frequently has multiple agents viewing the same conversation
• You need HIPAA compliance or SSO/SAML (Pro tier or add-on)
• Your team is under 25 agents focused on email, and $25/user/month Standard pricing works within budget

Choose Converge if:

• Your customers communicate through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, or Zalo — channels Help Scout either restricts to higher tiers or does not support
• You want $49/month flat pricing for up to 15 agents with no per-seat scaling
• You need AI reply suggestions and translation without per-resolution fees or monthly spending caps
• Visitor tracking with UTM attribution, beacon tracking, and lead capture in your chat widget matters for sales and marketing
• Your team is 3–15 agents and Help Scout's per-user pricing already exceeds or approaches $49/month total
• You want a 14-day free trial with no credit card required to test all channels immediately