# Help Scout vs Zoho Desk for help desk software

Help Scout and Zoho Desk are closely matched for core workflows. Both support free plan, email ticketing, shared inbox, live chat, and phone support. Help Scout has confirmed API access, gdpr compliance, customer portal, and macros.

## Key decision points

- Help Scout has confirmed API access; API access is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Help Scout has confirmed gdpr compliance; gdpr compliance is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Help Scout has confirmed customer portal; customer portal is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Help Scout has confirmed macros; macros is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.

## Choose Help Scout if…

- Choose Help Scout if confirmed API access matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed gdpr compliance matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed customer portal matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.
- Choose Help Scout if confirmed macros matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Zoho Desk.

## Features

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

## Integrations

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

## Technical

| Feature | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) | Not confirmed |
| Webhooks | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/help-desk-integration/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |

## Platforms

| Feature | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile apps | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/mobile/)) | Not confirmed |

## Security and compliance

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

## Pricing

| Feature | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/)) | Yes (verified 4 September 2026; [source](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage)) |

## Evidence

- **Help Scout — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Email Manage customer emails as a team.”
- **Zoho Desk — Email ticketing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Email Support your customers across multiple email channels.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Shared inbox:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “All your support conversations, one tidy inbox Bring customer conversations from every channel, organized in one contextual 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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Live chat:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Business Messaging Embed a live chat widget on your website or app to engage in real-time conversations with logged-in customers and seamlessly convert chats into support tickets.”
- **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”
- **Zoho Desk — Phone support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Telephony Integrate with leading telephony providers and set up a toll-free number to provide inbound and outbound phone support to your customers.”
- **Help Scout — WhatsApp support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “WhatsApp Handle customer conversations through WhatsApp.”
- **Zoho Desk — WhatsApp support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Instant messaging Communicate with customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WeChat, and Line from Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging module.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Social media support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Social media Respond to brand mentions and support tickets received from Instagram, Facebook, and X using Zoho Desk's social media module.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Knowledge base:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Knowledge base Create a repository of help articles, guides, and FAQs so customers can find assistance anytime.”
- **Help Scout — Customer portal:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Secure customer portal”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — SLAs:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Commit Set service level agreements with automated escalations and deadline tracking.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Ticket routing:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Skill-based assignment Automatically route tickets to agents based on their proficiency and availability.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Automation:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Orchestrate Auto-trigger actions based on events and guide teams through step-by-step resolution processes.”
- **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.”
- **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.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — AI ticket summaries:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Generative AI (BYOK) Connect your OpenAI (Availability: US, EU, AU, IN, JP, CA, UAE DCs ) or DeepSeek (Availability: CN DC) API key to enable GenAI capabilities such as customer sentiment analysis, contextual ticket summarization, and smart reply suggestions.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — CSAT:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Customer happiness ratings Automate the process of asking customers to rate the service upon ticket closure or after each response.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Custom fields:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Custom lookup fields Establish a one-to-many relationship between data fields across different modules.”
- **Help Scout — Multiple brands:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple knowledge bases”
- **Zoho Desk — Multiple brands:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Multi-brand help center Create self-service portals for multiple brands within the same Zoho Desk account.”
- **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.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Multilingual support:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Multilingual help center Publish Knowledge Base articles in over 40 languages.”
- **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”
- **Zoho Desk — CRM integrations:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/. Evidence: “Deeply integrated Integrates with 360+ apps, including the Zoho ecosystem and your existing stack.”
- **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”
- **Zoho Desk — Webhooks:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Webhooks Send automated messages or information to third-party apps every time an event occurs in Zoho Desk.”
- **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.”
- **Zoho Desk — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 4 September 2026. Source: https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html?source_from=zdesk_homepage. Evidence: “Zoho Desk Free Edition Easy email ticketing, right out of the box! Zoho Desk's free plan offers three user licenses to help you start small and grow your support team. ₹ 2,600 Free Forever”