# Freshdesk vs Help Scout for help desk software

Freshdesk and Help Scout are closely matched for core workflows. Both support email ticketing, shared inbox, knowledge base, customer portal, and slas. Help Scout has confirmed free plan, API access, gdpr compliance, and live chat.

## Key decision points

- Help Scout has confirmed free plan; free plan is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Help Scout has confirmed API access; API access is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Help Scout has confirmed gdpr compliance; gdpr compliance is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Help Scout has confirmed live chat; live chat is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.

## Choose Help Scout if…

- Choose Help Scout if confirmed free plan matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed API access matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed gdpr compliance matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed live chat matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Freshdesk.

## Features

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Email ticketing | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Shared inbox | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Live chat | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Phone support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| WhatsApp support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Social media support | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Knowledge base | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Customer portal | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| SLAs | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Ticket routing | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Automation | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Macros | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| AI replies | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/)) |
| AI ticket summaries | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/)) |
| CSAT | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Custom fields | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Multiple brands | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Multiple inboxes | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |
| Multilingual support | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shopify integration | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) |
| CRM integrations | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) |

## Technical

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) |
| Webhooks | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) |

## Platforms

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile apps | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/mobile/)) |

## Security and compliance

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GDPR compliance | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/company/legal/terms-of-service/)) |

## Pricing

| Feature | Freshdesk | Help Scout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) |

## Evidence

- **Freshdesk — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticketing Handle customer escalations with our award-winning ticketing system that enables intelligent prioritization, assignment, and tracking of tickets. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Email Manage customer emails as a team.”
- **Freshdesk — Shared inbox:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Shared inbox Boost team collaboration and simplify communications with a shared inbox for your support team to collaborate and respond to incoming emails. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Shared inbox:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Shared Inbox Inboxes Collaborate on customer conversations in a shared workspace.”
- **Help Scout — Live chat:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Live chat Offer live chat anywhere on your website or in-app.”
- **Help Scout — Phone support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Phone/voice Make and receive phone calls, logged in Help Scout. Via integration”
- **Help Scout — WhatsApp support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “WhatsApp Handle customer conversations through WhatsApp.”
- **Help Scout — Social media support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Messenger Handle customer conversations through Facebook Messenger. Instagram Handle customer conversations through Instagram.”
- **Freshdesk — Knowledge base:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Knowledge base Create knowledge base articles to help your customers find answers to their inquiries independently. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Knowledge base:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Knowledge base Docs sites Build a searchable and branded help center or knowledge base.”
- **Freshdesk — Customer portal:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Customer portal Create a place for customers to submit tickets and self-serve information, powered by a robust knowledge base. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Customer portal:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Secure customer portal”
- **Freshdesk — SLAs:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple SLA policies Create multiple SLA policies to accomodate the expectations of different kind of customers and different agent shifts, products etc. ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — SLAs:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Set and track response targets across conversations to keep work on schedule.”
- **Freshdesk — Ticket routing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticket dispatch Categorize, prioritze, and route tickets to the rights teams by creating your own business rules. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Ticket routing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Routing Automatically assign conversations evenly across your team to balance the workload.”
- **Freshdesk — Automation:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Automations Save time and effort by automating repetitive and important tasks like follow-ups, escalations, and other tasks. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Automation:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Automation Workflows Organize, assign, or reply to conversations automatically.”
- **Freshdesk — Macros:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Ticket templates Create templates with pre-filled information like subject, description and ticket properties and use them to quickly create tickets and/or send emails. ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Macros:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Saved replies Create a library of FAQ responses you can search and insert in 2 clicks.”
- **Freshdesk — AI replies:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Email AI Agent * Email AI Agent that engages in back-and-forth replies, responds with the right resolution, and captures feedback. ✓ ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — AI replies:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/. Evidence: “Draft accurate replies with a click Get a head start on any reply with unlimited AI drafting, backed by your sources.”
- **Freshdesk — AI ticket summaries:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Summarization assistant * Catch up on long conversations in seconds with contextual summaries to respond with confidence. ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — AI ticket summaries:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/. Evidence: “Summarize long threads Pull critical context from back-and-forth messages to keep conversations moving.”
- **Freshdesk — CSAT:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/. Evidence: “95%+ CSAT Understand what drives customer service performance with AI Insights that spot trends and uncover root causes.”
- **Help Scout — CSAT:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Surveys, CSAT, NPS Collect survey responses and ratings anywhere on your website or in your app.”
- **Freshdesk — Custom fields:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Advanced custom fields Collect customer information unique to your business by creating custom fields for these details. ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Custom fields:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Custom fields Track up to 10 custom data points on each conversation for use in reporting and workflows.”
- **Help Scout — Multiple brands:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple knowledge bases”
- **Help Scout — Multiple inboxes:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple Inboxes Give every department or product its own dedicated place for support.”
- **Freshdesk — Multilingual support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/. Evidence: “Multilingual Help Desk Configure your helpdesk to work in multiple languages, so you can provide support in the languages your customers and agents speak. ✓ ✓”
- **Help Scout — Multilingual support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/ai-features/. Evidence: “Does AI Answers support multiple languages? Yes, AI Answers can handle conversations in over 50 languages, including Spanish, French, and many others.”
- **Help Scout — Shopify integration:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/. Evidence: “Shopify”
- **Help Scout — CRM integrations:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/. Evidence: “Salesforce”
- **Help Scout — API:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/. Evidence: “Build with the Help Scout API Check out our developer docs to create your own apps and integrations.”
- **Help Scout — Webhooks:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/. Evidence: “Webhooks”
- **Freshdesk — Mobile apps:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/. Evidence: “Mobile Apps”
- **Help Scout — Mobile apps:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/mobile/. Evidence: “Download the free Help Scout mobile app today.”
- **Help Scout — GDPR compliance:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/company/legal/terms-of-service/. Evidence: “Data Processing Amendment”
- **Help Scout — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “The Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site.”