# Freshdesk vs Help Scout

> Freshdesk and Help Scout side by side: list prices, the bill with AI switched on at three team sizes, channels, languages, data hosting and compliance, with a pick for each kind of team.

Published: September 19, 2026 · Updated: September 19, 2026 · Prices and figures verified: September 18, 2026 · By the help-desk.reviews team

This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: [How we review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

Pick Help Scout if you are a small email-first team that wants a permanent free plan and AI charged only when it resolves; pick Freshdesk if you need EU data hosting, a native phone channel through Freshdesk Omni, or room to grow past Help Scout's seat caps.

Both are priced per agent with AI on top, and both publish every price. Their AI agents are billed on different units: Help Scout's AI Answers charges per resolution and nothing when the customer asks for a person, while Freshdesk's Freddy AI Agent charges per session whether or not the problem gets solved. Hosting is the other dividing line: Freshdesk offers the EEA on any plan, and Help Scout documents US hosting only.

**Bottom line**

- Help Scout is the better choice for a small email-first team, and Freshdesk is the one to pick if you need EU hosting, native phone or more users than Help Scout's self-serve plans allow.

## Side by side

|  | [Freshdesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/freshdesk) | [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/help-scout) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Score | **8.0** | **8.3** |
| Pricing model | Per seat, plus AI usage | Per seat, plus AI usage |
| Price from | $19 per agent per month | $25 per agent per month |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | $550 | $450 |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | **$1,085** | **$825** |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Mandatory extra fees | No | No |
| Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social messaging | Email, Live chat, WhatsApp, Social messaging |
| Agent interface languages | 49 languages · German: Yes · Spanish: Yes | Not documented · German: Not documented · Spanish: Not documented |
| EU data hosting | Yes | No |
| UK data hosting | No | No |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | Yes | Yes |
| Certifications | ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27701:2019, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 3, Cyber Essentials Plus, CSA STAR Level 1, EU-US Data Privacy Framework (with UK Extension), HIPAA BAA (Enterprise plan only) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR data processing agreement, HIPAA BAA (Pro plan only) |
| Best for | Budget-conscious teams that want EU hosting and a cheap per-agent entry price | Small teams that work mainly in email |

## Choose Freshdesk if

- You need EU data hosting, which Freshworks offers at sign-up on any plan and Help Scout does not document.
- You need native phone, chat and WhatsApp in one workspace, available in Freshdesk Omni from $29 per agent.
- Your team may grow past 50 users, beyond which Help Scout's only option is Pro, sold by sales.
- You bring in occasional agents, who pay by day pass ($2 a day on Growth) rather than a full seat.

## Choose Help Scout if

- You want to start free: Help Scout has a permanent free plan for up to 5 users.
- You want the AI agent billed only on success: AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution.
- You want AI drafting for agents without an add-on: AI Drafts is included from Plus, while Freddy AI Copilot costs $29 per agent.
- You want a documented import tool for bringing in existing emails and tickets.

## True cost at 3, 10 and 50 agents

| Product | 3 agents · Entry tier · seats only | 3 agents · Entry tier · with AI on | 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | 50 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 50 agents · Mid tier · with AI on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Freshdesk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/freshdesk) | $57 | **$155** | $550 | **$1,085** | $2,750 | **$5,425** |
| [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/help-scout) | $75 | **$188** | $450 | **$825** | $2,250 | **$4,125** |

_3 agents: 750 tickets a month, 150 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 10 agents: 2,500 tickets a month, 500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 50 agents: 12,500 tickets a month, 2,500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. Estimates from vendors' published USD list prices with annual billing, verified on the date shown on this page. Taxes, discounts, onboarding fees and telephony usage are not included._

Freshdesk: entry tier is Freshdesk Growth, mid tier is Freshdesk Pro, top tier is Freshdesk Enterprise (standalone Freshdesk, not Omni). Copilot costs $29 per agent and is not available on Growth. AI Agent sessions are priced at $49 per pack of 100 with none included monthly, and because sessions count whether or not they resolve, the real bill is higher than the resolutions entered here suggest. Help Scout: entry tier is Standard, mid tier is Plus, top tier is Pro with its 10-user minimum. AI Drafts is included from Plus, so the agent-assist add-on costs nothing there and is not available on Standard. AI resolutions are billed at $0.75 each. [Help desk true-cost calculator](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/tools/true-cost-calculator)

## Score breakdown

| Criterion | Weight | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| True cost with AI on | 30% | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 20% | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| AI, as documented | 15% | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Access and switching | 10% | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| Channels and languages | 10% | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Data protection and compliance | 15% | 5/5 | 2/5 |

> **Scored on a public rubric, from prices and documents you can open.** Every score on this site comes from six published criteria: true cost with AI on, pricing transparency, AI as documented, access and switching, channels and languages, and data protection. The cost level is arithmetic on the vendor's list prices. Each price comes from one product database and links to its source, so every page agrees with every other page. The order of our lists is set by our editors and does not always follow the score. Rubric v1.0 · Scores rate list prices and public documentation. We have not run hands-on tests yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freshdesk cheaper than Help Scout?

At entry level, yes: Freshdesk Growth costs $19 per agent per month on annual billing, against $25 for Help Scout Standard. On the middle plans Help Scout Plus costs $45 with AI Drafts included, while Freshdesk Pro costs $55 plus $29 for Copilot, so with AI on Help Scout usually comes out cheaper. Help Scout also has a free plan.

### Which has better AI pricing, Freshdesk or Help Scout?

Help Scout's. AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution, charged at most once per conversation and not at all if the customer asks for a person. Freshdesk's Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions, and a session is charged whether or not it resolves anything. See [per-seat vs per-resolution pricing](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/per-seat-vs-per-resolution-pricing).

### Can Help Scout or Freshdesk store data in the EU?

Freshdesk can: you choose the EEA data center at sign-up on any plan. Help Scout says it is hosted on AWS in the United States and documents no EU or UK region. See [help desks with EU data hosting](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/best/with-eu-data-residency).

### Can I migrate from Freshdesk to Help Scout?

Help Scout documents an import tool for emails and tickets. On the Freshdesk side, seats cannot be cut mid-term and fees are non-refundable, so plan the move for your renewal. See the [help desk migration checklist](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/guides/help-desk-migration-checklist).

## Related pages

- [Freshdesk review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/freshdesk)
- [Freshdesk pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/freshdesk)
- [The best Freshdesk alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/freshdesk)
- [Help Scout review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/reviews/help-scout)
- [Help Scout pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/pricing/help-scout)
- [The best Help Scout alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-us/alternatives/help-scout)

## Sources

- [Freshdesk pricing](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk Omni pricing](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/omni/pricing/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks price list (current as of June 13, 2025)](https://dam.freshworks.com/m/4bf615e1eea87a7/original/Freshworks-Price-List.pdf) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Understanding Freshdesk pricing plans](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/50000011778-understanding-freshdesk-pricing-plans) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Explore Freshdesk free plan](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/50000010099-explore-freshdesk-free-plan) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Understanding full-time vs occasional agents](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/37602-understanding-full-time-vs-occasional-agents) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Add and use collaborators to assist in ticketing](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/50000003573-add-and-use-collaborators-to-assist-in-ticketing) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Freddy AI Agent and chatbot sessions FAQs](https://crmsupport.freshworks.com/support/solutions/articles/50000004664-freddy-ai-agent-and-chatbot-sessions-faqs) — Freshworks Support · September 18, 2026
- [Manage Freddy AI add-ons](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/50000011515-manage-freddy-ai-add-ons) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks Terms of Service](https://www.freshworks.com/terms/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Manage languages](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/180033-manage-languages) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Where is your data (servers) located?](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/235810-where-is-your-data-servers-located-) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks Data Processing Agreement](https://www.freshworks.com/data-processing-addendum/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks sub-processors](https://www.freshworks.com/privacy/sub-processor/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks Trust Center](https://trust.freshworks.com/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [HIPAA configuration guide](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/238735-hipaa-configuration-guide) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [The Freddy AI trust framework](https://www.freshworks.com/theworks/company-news/freddy-ai-trust-framework/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk API: rate limit](https://developers.freshdesk.com/api/#ratelimit) — Freshworks Developers · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk upcoming changes (December 2025 to June 2026)](https://support.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/50000011682-freshdesk-upcoming-changes-december-2025-june-2026-) — Freshdesk Support · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk Omni](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/omni/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk apps](https://www.freshworks.com/apps/freshdesk/) — Freshworks Marketplace · September 18, 2026
- [Freshdesk](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results](https://www.freshworks.com/pressrelease/freshworks-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2025-results/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks reports record second quarter 2026 results](https://www.freshworks.com/pressrelease/freshworks-reports-record-second-quarter-2026-results/) — Freshworks · September 18, 2026
- [Freshworks pricing and buyer data](https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/freshworks) — Vendr · September 18, 2026
- [Help Scout pricing](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/) — Help Scout · September 18, 2026
- [User-based billing and plans guide](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/596-billing-and-plans-guide) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [Light users](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1464-light-users) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [Manage your contact-based plan](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1593-contact-based-billing-and-plans-guide) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [About annual payments](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1421-about-annual-payments) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [Import emails or tickets into Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1495-import-emails-or-tickets-into-help-scout) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [Security at Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1263-security-at-help-scout) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [HIPAA at Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/330-hipaa) — Help Scout Docs · September 18, 2026
- [AI transparency](https://www.helpscout.com/company/legal/ai-transparency/) — Help Scout · September 18, 2026
- [About Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/about/) — Help Scout · September 18, 2026
- [eCatholic customer story](https://helpscout.com/customers/ecatholic/) — Help Scout · September 18, 2026

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