Product A
Help Scout
by Help Scout
Clean shared inbox and help desk built for customer-first teams.
Free tier
Visit Help Scout →Product B
Zoho Desk
by Zoho
Context-aware help desk from Zoho with a strong free tier.
Free tier
Visit Zoho Desk →Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Help Scout | Zoho Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | FreeBetter | Free |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Top Pros | Customers receive email-style replies (no ticket numbers) | Free plan includes 3 agents |
| Clean and simple UI | Deep Zoho CRM integration | |
| Beacon widget includes live chat and docs | Zia AI for ticket tagging and sentiment | |
| Top Cons | Less automation than Zendesk or Freshdesk | UI less intuitive than Freshdesk or Help Scout |
| Reporting limited on lower plans | Zoho branding hard to remove on lower plans |
Choose Help Scout if you…
- Want: customers receive email-style replies (no ticket numbers)
- Want: clean and simple ui
- Want: beacon widget includes live chat and docs
Choose Zoho Desk if you…
- Want: free plan includes 3 agents
- Want: deep zoho crm integration
- Want: zia ai for ticket tagging and sentiment