Both charge for AI by the resolution instead of a flat fee, and both offer free seats for occasional collaborators. The real difference is philosophy: Intercom is built around a messenger-first product experience, while Help Scout is built around a free-to-start shared inbox.
Intercom and Help Scout both price AI by the resolution rather than a flat add-on, which makes this comparison more about product philosophy than cost structure. Intercom leans into a messenger-first experience built for product-led teams. Help Scout keeps a traditional shared inbox and backs it with a genuine free plan that Intercom doesn’t match.
Intercom‘s Essential plan is $29/seat/month with a 14-day trial and no free plan. Help Scout‘s Standard plan is $25/user/month, and its free plan covers up to 5 users.
Find this and other head-to-heads on our comparison hub and in our Best Helpdesk & Ticketing Software roundup, and read our full Intercom review and Help Scout review.
| Feature | Intercom | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid price | $29/mo (Essential) | $25/mo (Standard) |
| Free plan | ✗ (14-day trial only) | ✓ 5 users, 1 inbox |
| AI cost per resolution | $0.99/resolved conversation | $0.75/resolution |
| Free collaborator / light seats | ✓ 20 (Advanced), 50 (Expert) | ✓ 25 (Plus), 50 (Pro) |
| HIPAA support available | ✓ Expert tier only ($132/seat/mo) | Not confirmed in our research |
| Our overall score | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
Pricing: close on paper, a free plan apart in practice
The entry prices are nearly identical. The free-plan access isn’t.
Bottom line: Intercom's Essential plan is $29/seat/month and Help Scout's Standard plan is $25/user/month, a difference small enough that it rarely decides the comparison on its own. What does decide it for many smaller teams is that Help Scout offers a genuine free plan, up to 5 users, 1 shared inbox, 1 docs site, and 100 contacts per month, while Intercom offers only a 14-day trial with no permanent free tier. A team that wants to run real support before paying anything has a path with Help Scout that Intercom doesn't offer.
AI cost per resolution: a 24% gap
Both bill usage-based. The per-unit rate still differs.
Bottom line: Help Scout's AI Answers feature charges $0.75 per resolution. Intercom's Fin AI agent charges $0.99 per resolved conversation. Neither vendor bundles a flat monthly AI fee, so the comparison comes down directly to the per-unit rate: Help Scout's is roughly 24% cheaper than Intercom's. For a team running high AI deflection volume, that gap compounds quickly across a full month of resolutions.
Free collaborator seats: both offer them, at different scale
A shared idea executed slightly differently on each platform.
Bottom line: Both platforms let occasional responders join without a full paid seat. Intercom includes 20 free Lite seats on its Advanced plan ($85/seat/month) and 50 on Expert ($132/seat/month). Help Scout includes 25 light users on its Plus plan ($45/user/month) and 50 on Pro ($75/user/month). The two models are close in spirit, though Help Scout extends the benefit at a lower price point given its cheaper paid ladder overall.
Should I choose Intercom or Help Scout?
Bottom line: Help Scout suits teams that want a free plan and cheaper per-resolution AI pricing; Intercom suits chat/messenger-first, product-led teams willing to pay for a more conversational support experience.
- Your product is chat/messenger-first rather than email-first
- You need HIPAA support once you reach the top Expert tier
- You want in-app messaging and tooltips bundled with support
- You don't need a permanent free plan to evaluate the platform
- Fin AI's usage-based pricing fits your resolution volume
- You want a genuine free plan to start with up to 5 users
- Your team runs support primarily through a traditional shared inbox
- You want the cheaper per-resolution AI rate at $0.75 vs $0.99
- You already use HubSpot CRM and want deep native integration
- You want the higher-rated platform at 4.6/5
Help Scout is the narrow winner in our testing, scoring 4.6/5 against Intercom's 4.5/5. Its free plan and cheaper per-resolution AI rate ($0.75 versus Intercom's $0.99) make it the more accessible starting point for most small to mid-size support teams.
But Intercom remains the stronger fit for chat-first, product-led teams that want a messenger-centered support experience and are willing to pay for it, along with HIPAA support once they reach Intercom's top Expert plan.
If you're evaluating both, start by mapping your actual monthly AI resolution volume against each vendor's per-unit rate, since that's where the ongoing cost difference compounds over a full support team.
The most common questions teams ask when choosing between Intercom and Help Scout Help Scout is the narrow winner in our testing at 4.6/5 against Intercom's 4.5/5, pairing a free plan with a lower per-resolution AI cost of $0.75 versus Intercom's $0.99. Intercom's case is its messenger-first design and Fin AI agent, built for chat-heavy, product-led teams, along with HIPAA support once you reach its top Expert plan. Intercom's Essential plan is $29/seat/month, with no free plan and only a 14-day trial. Help Scout's Standard plan is $25/user/month, and Help Scout also offers a free plan for up to 5 users with 1 inbox and 100 contacts per month. Yes. Help Scout's free plan covers up to 5 users, 1 shared inbox, 1 docs site, and 100 contacts per month. Intercom has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial of its paid tiers. Both are usage-based rather than flat monthly fees. Intercom's Fin AI agent charges $0.99 per resolved conversation. Help Scout's AI Answers feature charges $0.75 per resolution, roughly 24% cheaper per unit than Intercom's rate. Yes, both do. Intercom includes 20 free Lite seats on its Advanced plan and 50 on its Expert plan. Help Scout includes 25 light users on its Plus plan and 50 on its Pro plan, both meant for occasional responders who don't need a full paid seat.Frequently asked questions: Intercom vs Help Scout
Is Intercom or Help Scout better?
How much does Intercom cost vs Help Scout?
Does Help Scout have a free plan?
How does Intercom's Fin AI pricing compare to Help Scout's AI Answers?
Do Intercom and Help Scout offer free collaborator seats?
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