Comparison
Help Scout vs Zendesk
How Help Scout and Zendesk compare on price, pricing model, features and reviews, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Quick verdict
Choose Help Scout if
- Small support teams under 25 users that want a simple inbox plus Docs.
- Teams needing HIPAA support (Pro plan, BAA)
Choose Zendesk if
- Support teams that want a broad omnichannel suite with a regional data hosting option.
- Teams comfortable paying per AI resolution.
Help Scout vs Zendesk side by side
| Help Scout | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Shared-inbox style help desk with a built-in Docs knowledge base and per-resolution AI pricing. | Enterprise-grade help desk with per-agent plans, a bundled Guide knowledge base and per-resolution AI pricing. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Starting price | Free up to 5 users; Standard $25 per user/month | $19 per agent/month billed annually (Support Team) |
| Pricing model | per user | per agent |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan, Free trial | Free trial |
| SAML SSO | Pro includes SSO/SAML; add-on on lower tiers. | Ambiguous on pricing table; enterprise details not published. |
| SCIM provisioning | Not published | Not published |
| Audit logs | Not published | Not shown on Support Team, Suite Team or Suite Professional. |
| Data residency | AWS, region not published. | US, AU, JP and EEA via Data Center Location add-on. |
| Contract | Not published | Month-to-month, annual and multi-year available. |
| Support | Email on Free/Standard; priority email on Plus and Pro; strategic account manager on Pro. | Business-hours digital support included; Premier 24/7 is an add-on. |
| G2 rating | 4.4 (428 reviews) | 4.3 (7,001 reviews) |
| Founded | Not verified | Not verified |
| Headquarters | Not verified | Not verified |
| Employees | Not verified | Not verified |
| Channel coverage | Not verified | Suite plans bundle email, messaging and voice channels; Contact Center add-on $83/agent/month. |
| Ticket automation and routing | Advanced workflows and round robin on Plus; unlimited workflows and SLAs on Pro. | Not verified |
| Knowledge base and self-service | Docs site included (1 on Free; additional sites $20/month annual) | Guide knowledge base included in Suite plans. |
| AI agents and assistance | AI Answers $0.75 per resolution; monthly spend cap available; 3 months free for new accounts. | AI agents billed per automated resolution; Copilot $50/agent/month on Professional and up. |
| Integrations | Salesforce, Jira, HubSpot on Plus. | Not verified |
| Pricing model | Per user plus per-resolution AI. | Per agent plus per-resolution AI fees and add-ons. |
| Target company size | Under 25 users on Standard; Pro for larger. | Tiers from Support Team to Enterprise. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Help Scout
- Free and Standard cap contacts at 100 per month.
- AI Answers is $0.75 per resolution with an optional monthly spending cap.
- Pro requires at least 10 users and holds SSO/SAML and HIPAA.
- Hosted on AWS, region not stated; public DPA exists.
Worth knowing about Zendesk
- Automated AI resolutions are billed at $1.50 (committed) or $2.00 (pay-as-you-go) beyond 5 to 10 included per agent per month.
- Copilot costs $50 per agent/month on top of Professional.
- Data center location choice is a paid add-on (US, AU, JP, EEA)
- Premier 24/7 support and professional services are add-ons on every listed plan.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Help Scout and Zendesk reviews.