Help Scout vs Intercom
Intercom scores 8.2 to Help Scout's 7.8 among the helpdesks we rate, and is the better pick for 3 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Intercom wins, 8.2 to 7.8
Help Scout has a free plan for up to 100 contacts a month; Intercom has none, starting at $39 a month per seat against Help Scout's $30 for Standard. Help Scout's AI answers in 50 languages against Intercom's 45, and states plainly it does not absorb account data into the model, where Intercom only offers an opt out. Intercom counters with ISO 27001 certification and three data regions; Help Scout holds neither an ISO certificate nor a region outside the US.
Pick Help Scout if you want to start free and keep AI off your data.
Pick Intercom if you want ISO 27001 certification and more data regions.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Free plan: Help Scout yes, Intercom no
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $30 against $39
- What the AI learns from: Help_center, website, files, helpdesk_sync, notion against Website, help_center, files
- But Help Scout leads on languages the AI answers in: 50 languages against 45 languages
- Channels it works in: Email, live_chat, voice, whatsapp, sms, messenger, instagram, slack against Email, live_chat, sms, whatsapp, instagram, messenger
- ISO 27001: Intercom yes, Help Scout no
- Audit log: Intercom yes, Help Scout no
- Choice of data region: Us, eu, au against Us
- But Help Scout leads on does not train AI on your data: Yes against unless you opt out
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other helpdesks we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Intercom leads on 4 of 7 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (10)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Help Scout
Intercom
For everything else about each tool, read the full Help Scout review and Intercom review.
Help Scout vs Intercom: common questions
Which is better, Help Scout or Intercom?
Intercom scores 8.2 and Help Scout 7.8 out of 10 among the helpdesks we rate. Intercom is ahead on aI that answers your customers, channels, security and privacy and support and branding. Help Scout is ahead on pricing.
Is Help Scout or Intercom cheaper?
Help Scout's cheapest paid plan is $30/user/mo and Intercom's is $39/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Help Scout and Intercom have a free plan?
Help Scout does and Intercom does not.
What can Help Scout do that Intercom cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: free plan.
What can Intercom do that Help Scout cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: iSO 27001 and audit log.
