How you try it
Communicate$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renews
Help ScoutFree plan for 5 users and 100 contacts a month; 15-day trial, no card
Help Scout alternative
The Help Scout alternative for AI-first website chat.
Help Scout is an email help desk at $25 per user a month, with AI Answers at $0.75 per resolution on top. If most of your questions arrive in website chat, Communicate answers them with AI for $39 a month in total: 3 teammates and 3,000 AI replies. Try it for a one-time $1.
One-time $1 activation · 100 credits included · No automatic subscription
VisitorAgent
The Agent answers in the website chat.
Your team takes the rest.
Your help center. Your inbox. Your team.
Compare Communicate and Help Scout row by rowCommunicate vs Help Scout
Every row, at list price.
Help Scout wins on email, its Docs knowledge base, a free plan for 5 users, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger on Standard, mobile apps, and HIPAA on Pro. Communicate wins on AI included in the price, flat pricing for the team, and Actions. All of it is below.
Price for 3 people
CommunicateStarter: $39/mo total
Help ScoutStandard: $75/mo ($25 per user)
Price for 10 people
CommunicateGrowth: $99/mo total
Help ScoutStandard: $250/mo; Plus: $450/mo
How AI answers are billed
CommunicateIncluded credits: 1 credit per AI reply
Help Scout$0.75 per resolution, after a 3-month free trial
AI billed per conversation, not per reply
CommunicateNo: every AI reply uses a credit
Help ScoutYes: only resolved conversations are charged
Website chat with human takeover
CommunicateEvery Plan
Help ScoutLive chat on every plan
Shared email inbox and tickets
CommunicateEmail channel, no ticketing
Help ScoutCore of the product
Knowledge base you host
CommunicateNot offered; connect your Docs by URL
Help ScoutDocs sites on every plan
Agent takes actions
CommunicateLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rules
Help ScoutWorkflows inside the inbox
Messages inside your product
CommunicateIn-App Messages on every Plan
Help ScoutBeacon messages
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger
CommunicateComing soon
Help ScoutOn Standard and up
Mobile apps
CommunicateMobile and Mac apps coming soon
Help ScoutiOS and Android
API, MCP, and CLI access
CommunicateAll three on every Plan
Help ScoutREST API
Security proof
CommunicateEncrypted at rest, two-factor login, isolated Workspaces, DPA on request; no SOC 2 yet
Help ScoutSOC 2; HIPAA on Pro
Help Scout figures come from helpscout.com/pricing, checked on 3 October 2026. Help Scout lists per-user prices on its pricing page; Communicate annual billing charges 10 months for 12.
Yearly totals, checked
What chat support with AI costs over a year.
List prices from helpscout.com/pricing and our Plans, checked on 3 October 2026, times 12. Help Scout includes 3 free months of AI Answers for new accounts; these totals are after that.
01 · $432 a year
Three people, before any AI
Help Scout Standard: 3 users at $25 is $75/mo. Communicate Starter: $39/mo for 3 seats. That is $900 vs $468 a year.
02 · $4,932 a year
Three people and 500 AI-resolved chats a month
Help Scout: $75 in users plus 500 resolutions at $0.75 is $450/mo. Communicate Starter: $39/mo with 3,000 AI replies. That is $5,400 vs $468.
03 · $1,812 a year
A team of ten
Help Scout Standard: 10 users at $25 is $250/mo. Communicate Growth: $99/mo for 10 seats and 8,000 AI replies. That is $3,000 vs $1,188.
What changes
Help Scout is built for email. Communicate is built for the chat.
If your customers write long emails, Help Scout is a great inbox. If they ask quick questions on your website, an AI Agent with your team behind it costs much less.
- 01
AI included, not per resolution
Help Scout AI Answers costs $0.75 for each resolved conversation, after a 3-month free trial. Communicate includes 3,000 AI replies on Starter and 8,000 on Growth.
- 02
No per-user bill
Help Scout Standard is $25 per user a month. Communicate Starter is $39 for 3 seats, and Growth is $99 for 10.
- 03
The Agent can act, not only answer
Actions let the Agent look up an account or call your API, with approval rules for anything risky.
Used in production
Already answering customer questions.
- Teams building software
- Teams making content
- Teams running everyday tools
- Autoposting
- Vrid
- Niyam
- FAAD Network
- Nimblocity
Pure Digital- QCall
- Serri
- The Medical Insurance Exchange
How it works
Put an AI Agent in front of your Help Scout inbox.
Setup takes about 5 minutes. Email keeps flowing to Help Scout while you test website chat.
Knowledge
ConnectedDocs site
Ready for answers
Pricing page
Ready for answers
Billing FAQ
Ready for answers
Channels
SplitWebsite chat
Communicate
Support email
Help Scout
Handoff
Shared Inbox
First week
ReviewedAI answered
312 chats
Handed off
41 chats
Wrong answers fixed
3
Designed for the edge cases
What a chat-first team gets on every Plan.
Plans differ only in credits, seats, and Agents. Nothing is held back for a higher tier.
01
An AI Agent in your website chat
Answers from your Docs, pages, and files, with the source behind each answer.
Removespaying per resolution to automate chat.
02
Shared Inbox with takeover
Handed-off chats land with the full history, assigned to the right teammate.
Removesasking the customer to repeat themselves.
03
Actions with approval
Look up an order or update a record. Mark risky Actions Member required.
Removescopying data between tabs.
04
API, MCP, and CLI
Work with Conversations and Agents from your code, an AI assistant, or the terminal.
Removeswaiting on a plan upgrade to build.
An AI Agent in your website chat
Shared Inbox with takeover
Actions with approval
API, MCP, and CLI
Ask how Communicate compares to Help Scout.
This page runs on Communicate. Type a question below and the assistant on this page answers it.
FAQ
What Help Scout users ask before they switch.
Including the cases where you should stay on Help Scout.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Let the AI take the chat. Keep the inbox you like.
Open the Workspace for $1, connect your Docs, and see how many chats never reach your team.
One-time $1 activation · Grounded answers · Human takeover · Cancel anytime