Crisp vs Help Scout
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Crisp | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $95/mo | From $45/seat/mo |
| Best For | SMBs wanting comprehensive messaging with chatbot automation | Small-medium businesses wanting simple, email-focused support |
| Standout Feature | Built-in video calls and screen sharing for support | Clean, intuitive interface with excellent knowledge base |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
Crisp and Help Scout approach customer support from different angles. Crisp emphasizes real-time communication with live chat, video calls, and team collaboration, while Help Scout focuses on structured email support and ticket management.
Crisp (G2 4.5/5) targets teams wanting modern, chat-first customer engagement, whereas Help Scout (G2 4.4/5) serves businesses needing robust email-based support workflows.
Feature Comparison
Crisp excels with its live chat widget, video calling, screen sharing, and co-browsing capabilities. Its team inbox and real-time collaboration features make it ideal for immediate customer engagement.
Help Scout provides superior email management with collision detection, customer context, and conversation threading. Its knowledge base integration and automation rules streamline traditional support workflows.
The fundamental difference: Crisp optimizes for synchronous communication, while Help Scout excels at asynchronous support management.
Pricing Comparison
Crisp offers a generous free plan (2 seats, unlimited conversations) scaling to $295/month per workspace for advanced features. Mid-tier plans at $25-$95/month suit most growing teams.
Help Scout starts free (1 user, 25 conversations) and goes up to $75/user/month. The $20-$40/user/month range covers most team needs effectively.
Crisp's workspace-based pricing can be more economical for larger teams, while Help Scout's per-user model works better for smaller, specialized support teams.
Crisp
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive omnichannel support
- ✓ Good WhatsApp and Telegram integration
- ✓ Generous free tier for testing
Cons
- ✗ Interface can feel cluttered
- ✗ Plugin system adds costs
- ✗ Limited CRM compared to dedicated tools
Help Scout
Pros
- ✓ Clean, intuitive interface
- ✓ Excellent for email-based support
- ✓ Strong knowledge base features
Cons
- ✗ No native WhatsApp or Telegram
- ✗ Live chat (Beacon) is basic
- ✗ Limited automation capabilities
Verdict
Choose Crisp if you prioritize real-time communication and modern chat experiences. Choose Help Scout if email support and traditional ticketing are your foundation.
Choose Crisp if: You want to engage customers through live chat, video calls, and real-time collaboration, or need modern communication tools.
Choose Help Scout if: Email is your primary support channel, you need structured ticket workflows, or prefer traditional help desk functionality.
Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate for teams seeking balanced multi-channel support without workspace or per-user pricing constraints.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Crisp comparisons and all Help Scout comparisons.