What is the best free alternative to Help Scout?

Gladly is the highest-rated free alternative to Help Scout. It offers dtc and consumer brands wanting premium support experiences and has a 4.7 star rating from 58 reviews.

Why do people look for Help Scout alternatives?

Common reasons include: Fewer enterprise features than Zendesk. No free tier — must pay from day one. Help Scout is large support operations prioritizing throughput and sla compliance..

Is Help Scout the best customer support tool?

Based on our review, Help Scout is recommended for teams that value personal, human customer support over ticket-based efficiency metrics.. However, Gladly may be better for dtc and consumer brands wanting premium support experiences.

What is cheaper than Help Scout?

Intercom Fin starts at $0.99/resolution compared to Help Scout at $22/user/mo (Standard). It has a 4.5 rating and is best for intercom customers wanting to deflect tickets with ai.

Best Help Scout Alternatives 2026: 8 Reviewed

Best Help Scout Alternatives 2026: 8 Reviewed | AICores · AICores

Help Scout vs Top Alternatives

	Help Scout	Gladly	Qualified	Missive
Price	$22/user/mo (Standard)	Custom (starts ~$150/agent/mo)	Custom (starts ~$3,500/mo)	$14/user/mo
Free Tier	✓	✓	✓	✓
Rating	★ 4.4	★ 4.7	★ 4.6	★ 4.6
Verdict	Recommended	Best for Consumer Brands	Best for Salesforce ABM	Best Collaborative Email
API	✓	✓	✓	✓

Best Help Scout Alternatives in 2026

Why Look for Help Scout Alternatives?

Top 8 Alternatives to Help Scout

Gladly — Best Customer Support Alternative for DTC and consumer brands wanting premium

Qualified — Best Customer Support Alternative for Enterprise Salesforce shops doing ABM

Missive — Best Customer Support Alternative for Small teams managing shared email collab

Help Scout vs Top Alternatives

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