Groove vs Help Scout

Groove ($16-$56/agent/month, G2 4.5/5) and Help Scout ($0-$75/user/month, G2 4.4/5) are both email-focused customer support platforms that excel at traditional helpdesk functionality. Both prioritize simplicity and email management over complex omnichannel features.

While both platforms share similar core philosophies around email-centric support, they differ in pricing structure, advanced features, and target market positioning.

Both platforms excel at email management with shared inboxes, collision detection, and team collaboration features. Groove focuses on simplicity with a clean interface and essential helpdesk features without overwhelming complexity.

Help Scout offers more advanced capabilities including a robust knowledge base system, detailed reporting and analytics, customer satisfaction surveys, and a more extensive integration marketplace. Its Beacon widget and proactive messaging features provide additional customer engagement options.

Groove's strength lies in its straightforward approach - it does email support very well without feature bloat, making it ideal for teams that want to focus purely on email-based customer service.

Groove's pricing ($16-$56/agent/month) is generally more affordable than Help Scout's higher tiers, especially for teams that need advanced features. Groove's top tier at $56/agent includes most advanced features, while Help Scout's comparable functionality requires the $75/user plan.

Help Scout offers a free plan for up to 2 users, making it attractive for very small teams or those wanting to test the platform. However, meaningful functionality requires paid plans starting at $25/user/month.

For mid-sized teams (5-15 agents), Groove often provides better value with its feature-to-price ratio, while Help Scout's free tier makes it appealing for startups and small teams.

Choose Groove if you want a straightforward, email-focused helpdesk with competitive pricing and don't need advanced features. Choose Help Scout if you value its superior knowledge base, reporting capabilities, and more mature ecosystem of integrations.

Choose Groove if: You want a focused, email-centric helpdesk without complexity, need competitive pricing for mid-sized teams, and prefer simplicity over extensive features.

Choose Help Scout if: You need advanced knowledge base functionality, detailed reporting, extensive integrations, or want to start with a free plan for small teams.

For teams wanting up to 15 agents without per-user fees, consider Converge at $49/month flat rate - providing comprehensive customer communication tools without the scaling costs of traditional per-agent pricing models.