Bouts / Help Scout vs Intercom
Help Scout vs Intercom
Red cornerHelp Scout
$25 per user a month, billed annually
Blue cornerIntercom
$29 per seat a month, billed annually
Help Scout: Help Scout switched to billing by contacts helped in late 2024 and now sells per-user plans again; accounts already on contact-based plans are billed under separate terms.
Intercom: Intercom renamed itself Fin, and Salesforce completed its acquisition of the company on September 10, 2026.
Intercom wins 4–1 at 10 agents (clear win). Help Scout takes the bill; Intercom takes AI, desk basics, security and user verdict; one round is even.
The judges' card
| Round | Help Scout | What happened | Intercom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1The bill | W | At 10 agents with AI on: Help Scout $625, Intercom $1,075 a month. Help Scout is 42% cheaper and takes the round. | |
| Round 2Price tags | = | Both offer AI prices in public, but with a minimum, annual-only terms or vague limits. Even. | = |
| Round 3AI | Intercom offers an action-taking AI agent on chat, email and phone, with test runs and reporting; Help Scout offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Intercom takes the round. | W | |
| Round 4Desk basics | Intercom offers every channel natively, skills-based routing and 300+ integrations; Help Scout offers all that plus phone and messaging apps. Intercom takes the round. | W | |
| Round 5Security | Intercom offers SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, plus EU hosting, a HIPAA BAA or a no-training promise; Help Scout offers one audit report (SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001). Intercom takes the round. | W | |
| Round 6User verdict | On G2: Help Scout 4.4 from 431 reviews, Intercom 4.5 from 3,918 reviews. Intercom takes the round. | W | |
| Rounds won | 1 | Intercom wins, 1 even | 4 |
Does team size change it?
Only the bill round depends on team size. Here is the full result in each weight class.
Small team
- Help Scout
- $188
- Intercom
- $323
3 agents, 750 conversations a month. Intercom wins 4–1.
Mid-size team
- Help Scout
- $625
- Intercom
- $1,075
10 agents, 2,500 conversations a month. Intercom wins 4–1.
Large team
- Help Scout
- $1,563
- Intercom
- $2,688
25 agents, 6,250 conversations a month. Intercom wins 4–1.
Monthly bills from USD list prices, annual billing where offered, with the AI agent resolving 20% of conversations and agent assist for every agent. Plans: Help Scout Standard; Intercom Essential.
Tale of the tape
| Help Scout | Made by | Fin (formerly Intercom) |
|---|---|---|
| per agent | Pricing | per agent |
| $25 per user a month, billed annually | Paid plans from | $29 per seat a month, billed annually |
| Standard | Plan we priced | Essential |
| $188 | 3 agents, AI on | $323 |
| $625 | 10 agents, AI on | $1,075 |
| $1,563 | 25 agents, AI on | $2,688 |
| $0.75 per resolution | AI agent price | $0.99 per outcome |
| Email, Live chat, WhatsApp, Social, SMS | Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social, SMS |
| Up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts a month | Free plan | No |
| 15 days | Free trial | 14 days |
| Yes | Monthly billing | Yes |
| SOC 2 Type II | Audit reports | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001 |
| Hosted on AWS in the USA; no EU hosting is published | Data hosting | US, EU and Australia hosting |
| 4.4 (431) | G2 rating | 4.5 (3,918) |
| 4.6 (226) | Capterra rating | — |
Questions
Which is better, Help Scout or Intercom?
Intercom wins 4–1 at 10 agents (clear win). Help Scout takes the bill; Intercom takes AI, desk basics, security and user verdict; one round is even.
Is Help Scout cheaper than Intercom?
At 10 agents with the AI agent and agent assist on, Help Scout comes to $625 a month and Intercom to $1,075, from list prices. Help Scout takes the bill round.
Which has the better AI, Help Scout or Intercom?
Intercom offers an action-taking AI agent on chat, email and phone, with test runs and reporting; Help Scout offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Intercom takes the round.
