Help Scout vs Jira Service Management Pricing (2026)
Compare / Help Scout vs Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)
Shortlist
Team size
25 seats

Help Scout vs Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)

Help Desk/Support pricing comparison · 2026

Help Scout has a free plan, then $30–$90/user/mo, while Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management) has a free plan, then $21.50–$55.28/user/mo. Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management) is typically 29% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Help pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Atlassian pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Help Desk/Support
Side-by-side · live
Help Scout
Help Scout is a customer service platform designed for teams who want powerful features wi
verified 15d ago
View pricing →
Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)
Jira Service Management (JSM) is Atlassian's IT service management platform, designed for
verified 1d ago
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Help median is $0 less than Atlassian · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $588
Spread 0%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Usage-based
$0.75 per resolution
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
Premium
$17K/yr
year 1 license · $55/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$588/yr
Vendr · n=137
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$588/yr
Vendr · n=33
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 12 sourced facts
8 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 6 sourced facts
4 hidden-cost · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 1d ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
4 documented
  • Forced Plan Upgrades with Steep Price Increases
    300-400% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Data Export Requires Developer Access — Effective Vendor Lock-In
    10-30% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Live Chat (Messenger) Restricted to Plus and Pro Plans
    $20/user/month
    1 source
  • AI Answers Add-On: Custom Pricing with No Published Rate
    $6,000-$7,500
    1 source
2 documented
  • Add-on and Plugin Licensing Overhead
    50-100% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Rapid Cost Escalation Beyond Free Tier
    $107.60/month for 4 agents
    2 sources
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
2out of 5 (23)
Best for
Individuals or small teams just starting out
Watch out
Forced plan upgrades and significant price increases with no grandfathering for long-term customers
TrustRadius
8out of 5 (705)
Best for
Small teams of up to 3 agents getting started with ITSM
Watch out
Expensive compared to competitors, especially with per-user plugin pricing
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Help pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Atlassian pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Help Desk/Support

Help Scout

Free plan; paid $30–$90
/user/mo
5 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Help Desk/Support

Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)

Free plan; paid $21.50–$55.28
/user/mo
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Help Scout and Jira Service Management both operate in the help desk/support category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Help Scout Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)
Free Free /month Free /month
Standard $30 /user/month $21.50 /agent/month
Plus $54 /user/month $55.28 /agent/month
Pro $90 /user/month Custom
AI Answers Custom —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Help Scout

4 scenarios
$25/month
Starter Setup
$50/month
Growing Business
$65/month
Enterprise Setup
See all 4 scenarios →

Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)

1 scenario
$0/month
Small IT Team (3 Agents)
Free plan covers up to 3 agents with ITSM templates, customer portal, email channel, and basic automation. Ideal starting point with no cost.

Market Intelligence

Help Scout

Median annual cost
$588
Based on
137 deals

Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)

Median annual cost
$588
Based on
33 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Help Scout 4 hidden costs

high
Forced Plan Upgrades with Steep Price Increases 300-400% of license costs
high
Data Export Requires Developer Access — Effective Vendor Lock-In 10-30% of license costs
medium
Live Chat (Messenger) Restricted to Plus and Pro Plans $20/user/month
medium
AI Answers Add-On: Custom Pricing with No Published Rate $6,000-$7,500 (source dated Apr 2025)
See all Help Scout hidden costs →

Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management) 2 hidden costs

high
Add-on and Plugin Licensing Overhead 50-100% of license costs
medium
Rapid Cost Escalation Beyond Free Tier
See all Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management) hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Help Scout Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)
Auto-renewal — —
Cancellation — —
Minimum commitment — —
Price escalation Multiple users report significant price increases and plan restructuring without grandfathering existing rates. Loyalty discounts have been removed from long-term accounts. One user reports a 5x annual cost increase tied to a forced plan migration. —

Continue researching

Help Scout

Atlassian Service Collection (Jira Service Management)

Related Comparisons