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Last updated: October 29, 2026
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Help Scout vs Intercom (2027): Prices, AI Costs and Which One to Pick
Choose Help Scout if your support is mostly email and you want a free start: it's free for up to 5 users, paid plans cost $25, $45 and $75 per user, and AI costs $0.75 per resolution. Choose Intercom if your support is chat-first and in-app: Essential costs $19 per seat on annual billing ($29 monthly), Advanced $85, Expert $132, and its Fin AI agent costs $0.99 per outcome. Help Scout is cheaper for small email-first teams; Intercom is built for products whose customers talk to you inside the app.
- Help Scout: Free for 5 users (1 inbox, 1 docs site); Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user; AI $0.75 per resolution; 15-day trial, no card.
- Intercom: Essential $19/seat (annual), $29 monthly; Advanced $85; Expert $132; Fin $0.99 per outcome; 14-day trial, no card.
- 1,000 AI resolutions a month: $750 on Help Scout vs $990 on Intercom.
- 5 agents at entry level: Help Scout $0 (Free) vs Intercom $95/month (annual).
- 10 agents at mid level: Help Scout Plus $450 vs Intercom Advanced $850/month.
Help Scout vs Intercom at a glance
| Help Scout | Intercom | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 5 users | No |
| Entry plan | Standard $25/user | Essential $19/seat (annual) |
| Mid plan | Plus $45/user | Advanced $85/seat |
| Upper plan | Pro $75/user | Expert $132/seat |
| AI pricing | $0.75 per resolution | $0.99 per outcome (Fin) |
| Core channel | Chat and in-app Messenger | |
| Best for | Email-first small teams | SaaS products with in-app support |
Pricing compared
Entry level
Help Scout's free plan covers up to 5 users; Intercom has no free plan. Among paid entry plans, Intercom Essential is cheaper per seat ($19 annual vs $25), but costs $29 billed monthly.
Mid and upper levels
Help Scout Plus ($45) costs $40 less per seat than Intercom Advanced ($85). Help Scout Pro ($75) costs $57 less than Intercom Expert ($132).
AI costs
Both bill AI per resolved conversation: $0.75 on Help Scout and $0.99 on Intercom. At high volume, the difference adds up.
| AI resolutions per month | Help Scout | Intercom Fin |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | $150 | $198 |
| 1,000 | $750 | $990 |
| 3,000 | $2,250 | $2,970 |
What a real support team pays per month (before AI)
| Agents | Help Scout Standard | Intercom Essential (annual) | Help Scout Plus | Intercom Advanced | Help Scout Pro | Intercom Expert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $0 (Free) or $75 | $57 | $135 | $255 | $225 | $396 |
| 5 | $0 (Free) or $125 | $95 | $225 | $425 | $375 | $660 |
| 10 | $250 | $190 | $450 | $850 | $750 | $1,320 |
| 25 | $625 | $475 | $1,125 | $2,125 | $1,875 | $3,300 |
3-year cost with AI included
A team growing from 3 to 6 to 10 agents on mid-level plans, with 500 AI resolutions a month:
| Year (agents) | Help Scout Plus + AI | Intercom Advanced + Fin |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (3) | $1,620 + $4,500 = $6,120 | $3,060 + $5,940 = $9,000 |
| Year 2 (6) | $3,240 + $4,500 = $7,740 | $6,120 + $5,940 = $12,060 |
| Year 3 (10) | $5,400 + $4,500 = $9,900 | $10,200 + $5,940 = $16,140 |
| Total | $23,760 | $37,200 |
Intercom costs about 57% more in this scenario; its value must come from chat, in-app and proactive messaging features.
How each tool works
Help Scout is email-first. Shared inboxes, saved replies, customer profiles and a docs site make it easy to give personal answers. It also offers a website widget (Beacon) for help articles and contact.
Intercom is chat-first. Its Messenger lives on your website and inside your app, supports proactive messages, product tours and in-app announcements, and its Fin AI agent answers questions using your help center content. It's designed for software companies whose customers need help while using the product.
Features that decide the choice
| If you need… | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A free plan | Help Scout | Free for 5 users |
| Email support that feels personal | Help Scout | Inbox-first design |
| In-app chat and proactive messages | Intercom | Messenger-first design |
| The cheapest AI resolutions | Help Scout | $0.75 vs $0.99 |
| The cheapest paid entry seat | Intercom | $19 (annual) vs $25 |
| Lower prices at mid and upper tiers | Help Scout | $45 vs $85, $75 vs $132 |
Three real-world scenarios
A 4-person online business answering email
Help Scout's free plan covers it. Intercom would cost $76 a month on Essential (annual). Help Scout is the natural fit.
A SaaS startup with 5 agents and in-app chat
Customers ask questions while using the product. Intercom Essential at $95 a month plus Fin for common questions fits the workflow. Help Scout's widget can work, but Intercom's in-app features are deeper.
A 15-agent team using AI heavily
At 2,000 AI resolutions a month, Help Scout's AI costs $1,500 and Intercom's $1,980. Add seat costs and compare which AI resolves more conversations correctly during the trials.
Start Help Scout free → Free for 5 users, no credit card · Affiliate link
Hidden costs to watch
- AI per resolution on both tools grows with volume.
- Intercom monthly billing: Essential costs $29 instead of $19.
- Help Scout's free plan: 1 inbox and 1 docs site.
- Intercom Lite seats: 20 free on Advanced, 50 on Expert; check what they can do.
Alternatives worth comparing
| Tool | Entry price | Why consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp | Free for 2 seats; Mini $45/month for 4 | Cheapest flat-priced live chat |
| Zendesk | Support Team $19/agent (annual) | Omnichannel suites |
| Freshdesk | Growth $19/agent (annual) | Structured ticketing |
See Help Scout pricing, Intercom pricing, Intercom vs Zendesk and Intercom alternatives.
How to choose in 5 steps
- Find where customers contact you: email, website chat or inside your app.
- Estimate AI resolutions you expect each month.
- Price both with AI included at your volume.
- Trial both with the same help center content.
- Compare resolution quality, not only price.
Terms explained
- Messenger: Intercom's chat widget for websites and apps.
- Beacon: Help Scout's website widget.
- Fin: Intercom's AI agent, billed at $0.99 per outcome.
- AI resolution: a conversation resolved without an agent.
- Proactive message: a message sent to users before they ask.
Getting AI to resolve more conversations
On both tools, AI quality depends on your help content. Before switching AI on, review your top 20 help articles: make sure each answers one question clearly, uses the words customers use, and is up to date. Then start AI on a narrow set of topics, such as order status or password resets, and widen it as resolution rates improve. Whichever tool you pick, measure the share of conversations AI resolves without a follow-up from the customer.
Our verdict
Help Scout is the better choice for email-first support teams, especially small ones: it's free for up to 5 users, cheaper at mid and upper tiers, and its AI costs $0.75 per resolution. Intercom is the better choice for SaaS products with in-app, chat-led support, where its Messenger, proactive messages and Fin AI justify the higher price.
How we compiled this page
We compared Help Scout's and Intercom's official pricing pages on October 29, 2026. Intercom Essential uses annual billing; Advanced and Expert are shown as listed. AI scenarios multiply published per-resolution prices by example volumes.
FAQ
Is Help Scout cheaper than Intercom?
For small teams and at mid and upper tiers, yes. Intercom Essential's annual seat ($19) is cheaper than Help Scout Standard ($25), but Help Scout is free for up to 5 users.
Which has cheaper AI?
Help Scout: $0.75 per resolution versus $0.99 for Intercom's Fin.
Does Intercom have a free plan?
No. Intercom offers a 14-day trial without a credit card.
Which is better for SaaS companies?
Intercom, if customers need help inside your product. Help Scout, if most support happens by email.
Can I use Intercom's AI with Help Scout?
Intercom offers Fin for teams on other help desks; check Intercom's current options and pricing.
Which is easier to set up?
Help Scout, for email support: forward your address and start answering. Intercom takes longer because you install the Messenger on your site or app and configure Fin with your help content.
Sources
helpscout.com/pricing and intercom.com/pricing, checked October 29, 2026.
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