The 5 Best Help Scout Alternatives for Customer Support in 2025

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Consider you received a customer service ticket that could have been quickly resolved with clear communication. Instead of replying and communicating directly with the customer, you have to jump through several hoops to access the customer’s information, find their previous interactions, and bring a teammate up to speed on their notes before you can reply.

This frustrating scenario is too common when using the wrong help desk software, which lacks the necessary tools and automations to promote smooth operations. If you’re looking for alternatives to Help Scout to help your team organize and improve customer satisfaction, you’re in the right place. This guide will introduce you to the five best Help Scout alternatives for customer support in 2025 as well as help desk best practices.

Brandwise's social media engagement software can help your team organize and improve customer satisfaction as you transition to a new help desk tool. With smooth integrations, you can quickly import and manage customer data to get your team up to speed and resolve tickets faster.

What is Help Scout, and Why Look for Alternatives?

Help Scout is a customer service and support platform designed to simplify email-based customer interactions for businesses of all sizes. Unlike traditional help desk solutions that rely on complex ticketing systems, Help Scout provides a shared inbox-style interface, making conversations more personal and streamlined.

Help Scout Features Every Business Should Know

Help Scout includes several features to improve email-based customer support, including:

Shared Inbox System

Help Scout's central inbox lets teams manage and respond to customer emails. The shared inbox ensures multiple team members can view ongoing conversations and avoid duplicate responses. It also allows internal notes and tagging for improved team collaboration.

Live Chat Support

Help Scout offers a website chat widget for real-time customer interactions. The live chat feature allows businesses to provide immediate support without requiring customers to submit tickets. It also includes proactive messaging, enabling companies to engage with website visitors.

Knowledge Base (Docs)

Help Scout enables companies to create self-service help centers with FAQ articles and guides. This feature reduces support volume by allowing customers to find answers independently, and it offers customizable branding to match a business’s website.

Workflows & Automations

Help Scout supports automation rules to route, tag, or prioritize emails based on custom conditions. The platform also enables automated follow-ups and pre-written response templates, helping reduce response times and improve support efficiency.

Collision Detection & Internal Notes

Help Scout prevents multiple agents from responding to the same inquiry simultaneously. The platform also enables team members to leave internal notes within conversations for context, ensuring smooth collaboration between support agents.

Reporting & Analytics

Help Scout track response times, customer satisfaction, and overall team performance to provide insights into the most common customer issues. This helps businesses identify trends and improve support operations.

Customer Profiles & History

Help Scout stores customer interaction history, allowing support agents to access past conversations to provide more personalized and efficient responses. The platform also integrates with CRM platforms for a 360-degree view of customer interactions.

Help Scout Pricing: Is It Cost-Effective for Businesses?

Help Scout operates on a tiered pricing model, with plans designed for businesses of different sizes.

Standard Plan ($25 per user per month)

Includes a shared inbox, live chat, knowledge base, basic automation, and reporting.

Limitations

No AI-powered features, limited integrations, and essential automation tools.

Plus Plan ($50 per user per month)

Includes advanced reporting, API access, workflows, and additional security features.

Limitations

It still lacks full-scale omnichannel support and AI-driven automation.

Pro Plan ($75 per user per month, minimum of 5 users)

Includes enterprise-level features, HIPAA compliance, Salesforce integration, and dedicated account management.

Limitations

It is more expensive than many competitors, with a high minimum user requirement.

While Help Scout’s pricing is competitive for small teams, scalability becomes costly for growing businesses that require advanced features.

Why Businesses Look for Help Scout Alternatives in 2025

While Help Scout is a strong choice for email-based customer support, several limitations may prompt businesses to seek alternatives.

Limited AI & Automation Capabilities

Help Scout’s automation tools are essential compared to competitors offering AI-powered chatbots and intelligent automation workflows. Businesses looking for predictive analytics, AI-driven auto-replies, and chatbot integration may find Help Scout lacking. Competitors like Zendesk and Freshdesk offer more advanced AI-driven automation to reduce manual workload.

Lack of Omnichannel Support

Help Scout focuses mainly on email support, with limited social media, phone, and SMS integrations. Companies managing customer interactions across multiple platforms (email, live chat, social media, WhatsApp, SMS) may require a more versatile solution. Tools like Brandwise and Intercom provide multichannel customer support, ensuring no inquiries go unanswered.

Limited Scalability for Large Businesses

While Help Scout is affordable for small teams, it lacks the enterprise-level ticketing features larger companies require. It does not support complex workflows, multiple departments, or large-scale customer engagement strategies. Businesses looking to scale may find Freshdesk or Zendesk a better fit.

Help Scout does not provide native social media support, making it difficult for businesses with high engagement on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to manage social media interactions. Companies must rely on third-party integrations, which adds extra costs. Platforms like Brandwise automate social media comment moderation and AI-generated responses, making them a better choice for brands with an active social presence.

Expensive for Large Teams

Pricing can increase quickly as a business scales. Companies with multiple support agents may find that $50+ per user per month is too costly compared to alternatives like Freshdesk, Gorgias, or Brandwise. No free plan is available, whereas competitors like Freshdesk offer free-tier options for small teams.

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Criteria for Choosing the Best Help Scout Alternative

How to Find a Help Scout Alternative With the Right Features

When evaluating a Help Scout alternative, businesses must assess how well the platform aligns with their customer service strategy, automation needs, and scalability requirements. Below are the most critical features to consider before making a decision.

Why It Matters

Modern customer service happens across multiple platforms—not just email.

Many businesses need a unified system to manage support inquiries from live chat, social media DMs, WhatsApp, SMS, phone calls, and email.

Without multichannel support, businesses risk losing customer engagement opportunities and slower response times on social platforms.

What to Look For

Smooth integration across all significant support channels (email, chat, social media, SMS, and phone).

A unified dashboard that allows agents to view and respond to conversations from all channels in one place.

Omnichannel automation that intelligently routes messages from different platforms to the correct agent.

Comparison

Help Scout: Primarily focuses on email support with limited chat capabilities.

Zendesk & Freshdesk: Offer full omnichannel support, including phone, chat, email, and social media integration.

Brandwise: Specializes in social media comment moderation and AI-driven customer engagement.

AI-Powered Automation & Chatbots

Why It Matters

AI-driven automation helps businesses scale customer support without increasing labor costs.

Intelligent chatbots reduce response times by handling common inquiries and routing tickets efficiently.

AI-generated responses ensure consistency in customer interactions, improving brand voice.

What to Look For

Chatbot automation is used to handle FAQs and low-complexity requests.

AI-powered ticket routing to assign inquiries to the correct department or agent.

Pre-built and custom workflows to automate repetitive tasks.

Smart replies that suggest responses based on previous conversations.

Comparison

Help Scout: It offers basic workflow automation but lacks AI-driven chatbots and predictive analytics.

Zendesk & Intercom: provides AI-powered self-service portals, chatbots, and intelligent ticket routing.

Brandwise: Uses AI-generated comment moderation and automated responses for social media interactions.

Scalability for Growing Businesses

Why It Matters

As businesses grow, customer support needs become more complex, requiring advanced team collaboration tools, analytics, and automation.

Some platforms that work well for small teams lack enterprise-level features, making them ineffective for larger businesses.

What to Look For

Flexible pricing plans that accommodate business growth.

Advanced collaboration tools like shared inboxes, internal notes, and agent performance tracking.

Enterprise-grade ticketing workflows for businesses managing high-volume inquiries.

Comparison

Help Scout: Works well for small teams but lacks enterprise-level ticketing and team management features.

Zendesk & Freshdesk: Highly scalable, offering enterprise-grade features for large customer service teams.

Brandwise: It is designed to scale with high-volume social media interactions, making it ideal for businesses handling thousands of customer comments and messages daily.

Pricing & Affordability

Why It Matters

Many businesses need a cost-effective solution that provides the right balance of features without overspending.

Some platforms become too expensive as teams grow, forcing companies to switch providers later.

What to Look For

Transparent pricing with no hidden fees.

Flexible plans that allow businesses to add users or features as needed.

Free trials or free-tier plans for testing before committing.

Comparison

Help Scout: Starts at $25 per user/month, but costs increase quickly for growing teams.

Freshdesk: Offers a free plan for small teams and affordable pricing for businesses scaling up.

Zendesk: More expensive but includes enterprise-grade features for large organizations.

Brandwise: Provides AI-powered automation at a competitive price, making it cost-effective for businesses focused on social media engagement.

Integrations with Other Tools

Why It Matters

Businesses often use multiple platforms—CRM software, e-commerce platforms, marketing automation tools, and social media managers.

A customer support solution should smoothly integrate with existing tools to prevent workflow disruptions.

What to Look For

CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).

E-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.).

Marketing automation tools (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, etc.).

Social media and AI moderation tools (Brandwise, Hootsuite, etc.).

Talk about Brandwise

Brandwise is a social media management software that helps brands improve customer engagement on social media. At its core is an advanced AI that automatically moderates comments on ads and posts, generating intelligent replies to comments and messages. This powerful tool streamlines workflow by consolidating social media interactions in one place and providing valuable AI-driven insights.

For brands struggling with high-volume social media interactions, Brandwise offers an efficient solution to automatically hide negative comments, provide AI-generated responses, and gain a deeper understanding of customer engagement patterns. Try our social media engagement software for free for 7 days to grow your social media accounts rapidly!

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The 5 Best Help Scout Alternatives for Customer Support in 2025

Brandwise is the best Help Scout alternative for social media engagement. This next-generation AI-powered social media management tool is ideal for brands tackling high volumes of customer interactions on social posts and ads. Unlike traditional help desks, Brandwise focuses on comment moderation, AI-generated replies, and customer engagement analytics.

Key Features

AI-Powered Comment Moderation

automatically filters out spam, hate speech, and negative comments on ads and social posts. It prevents brand reputation damage by hiding or blocking inappropriate remarks in real time.

AI-Generated Smart Replies

Uses machine learning to generate relevant, on-brand responses to customer inquiries. Ensures quick replies to common questions, improving engagement and reducing response times.

Consolidates messages, comments, and mentions from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn into one dashboard. Allows support teams to respond efficiently across multiple platforms.

Customer Engagement Analytics

It tracks frequently asked questions (FAQs) and sentiment trends, providing insights into which types of content generate the most engagement and customer feedback.

Pros

Brandwise is best for brands heavily focused on social media engagement. AI-driven automation significantly reduces manual response times. The platform also protects brand reputation by automatically managing negative comments. Lastly, data-driven insights help optimize customer engagement strategies.

Best For

Brandwise is ideal for e-commerce brands managing high-volume comments on ads, businesses with a strong social media presence, and companies looking to automate social media customer interactions.

2. Freshdesk – Best for Growing Businesses with Omnichannel Support

Freshdesk is a powerful, AI-driven customer support platform that offers email, live chat, phone, and social media support in one system. It is one of the best scalable alternatives to Help Scout, making it ideal for growing businesses that need automation and omnichannel capabilities.

Key Features

AI-Powered Ticketing & Chatbots

Automates responses to common inquiries.

Intelligent ticket routing directs customer issues to the right agent.

Multichannel Support

Handles email, live chat, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and phone calls.

Unified dashboard for tracking all customer interactions.

Self-Service Portal

Allows businesses to build help centers and FAQ pages to reduce support ticket volume.

Automated SLA Management

Ensures high-priority customer issues are escalated and resolved on time.

Pros

AI-driven automation improves efficiency.

Affordable pricing for small businesses.

Built-in call center support (unlike Help Scout).

Free plan available for small teams.

Cons

Some automation features are locked behind higher-tier plans.

Advanced analytics require premium subscriptions.

Best For

Businesses that need an affordable, scalable help desk.

Companies handling customer interactions across multiple platforms.

Support teams looking for a mix of automation and human-driven responses.

3. Spiceworks – Best Free Help Desk for IT & Small Teams

Spiceworks is a free help desk solution for IT support teams and small businesses needing a low-cost alternative to Help Scout.

Key Features

Ticket Management System

Centralized inbox for managing IT support requests.

Automated ticket assignments for IT teams.

Free Cloud Help Desk

100% free with no per-agent fees.

Customizable workflow automations.

Network Monitoring & IT Asset Management

Tracks devices, software, and system health.

Helps IT teams monitor and respond to technical issues in real-time.

Pros

Completely free (no licensing fees).

Ideal for IT support teams.

It is a simple setup with no complex onboarding.

Cons

Limited to IT and internal support teams (not ideal for e-commerce or customer service).

No AI or chatbot capabilities.

Best For

Small businesses need a free help desk.

IT teams managing internal support tickets.

4. Zoho Desk – Best for CRM Integration & AI-Powered Customer Support

Zoho Desk is a feature-rich customer support platform with deep CRM integration and AI-powered automation.

Key Features

Zia AI Assistant

AI-powered chatbot that suggests solutions and auto-resolves simple inquiries.

Predicts customer sentiment based on message tone.

CRM & E-commerce Integrations

Built-in integration with Zoho CRM, Shopify, and Salesforce.

Advanced SLA & Workflow Automation

Automates ticket routing, reminders, and escalation rules.

Pros

Excellent CRM integration.

Powerful AI automation.

Affordable for small businesses.

Cons

Limited third-party integrations outside the Zoho ecosystem.

Setup can be complex for beginners.

Best For

Businesses are already using Zoho CRM.

Teams looking for AI-powered support automation.

5. Zendesk – Best for Enterprise-Grade Customer Support

Zendesk is one of the most advanced customer support platforms on the market, offering AI-powered automation, omnichannel support, and enterprise-grade ticketing.

Key Features

AI Chatbots & Self-Service Automation

It helps businesses scale support without increasing agent workload.

Advanced Reporting & Analytics

Provides deep insights into customer interactions and support trends.

Omnichannel Support

Handles email, phone, live chat, SMS, and social media inquiries.

Pros

Highly scalable for large businesses.

AI-driven support reduces response times.

Deep analytics for tracking customer satisfaction.

Cons

Expensive for small teams (starts at $49 per user/month).

Complex setup process for non-tech users.

Best For

Large businesses need enterprise-level support.

Teams handling high-volume customer inquiries.

Final Thoughts & CTA

Each alternative to Help Scout offers unique strengths:

For social media engagement: Brandwise is the best AI-driven solution.

For omnichannel support: Freshdesk is a strong competitor.

For IT teams: Spiceworks provides a free help desk.

For CRM integration, Zoho Desk is a great fit.

For enterprise support, Zendesk is the most advanced option.

You have plenty of options if you’re looking for alternatives to Help Scout. The best choice for your business will depend on your unique goals and customer service needs. For example, if you want a tool that integrates smoothly with your existing software, you can prioritize your search to find Help Scout alternatives that offer the best integrations. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a way to streamline your customer support operations and improve your team’s efficiency, you might want to find a Help Scout alternative with robust automation features.