Quick Answer
Last verified:
High confidence

Help Scout offers usage-based pricing from $0.750 per user/month as of November 2026. Plans: Free (free), Standard at $30/user/month, Plus at $54/user/month, Pro at $90/user/month, and AI Answers (usage-based). Usage cost depends on the selected model and generation volume.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes

Help Scout offers 5 pricing tiers: Free, Standard, Plus, Pro, AI Answers. A free plan is available. Paid plans include Standard at $30/user/month, Plus at $54/user/month, Pro at $90/user/month. The Standard plan is growing teams automating tasks beyond email.

Last verified: | Sources: 9 pricing pages and reviews
Forever Free plan type

Yes, Help Scout offers a forever free plan as of November 2026. The free tier includes 3 features with limits on users and inboxes. Paid plans start at $30/user/month (Standard). Pricing verified from 9 sources by CostBench.

Forever Free

Help Scout's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.

What's Included in the Free Plan

  • Up to 5 users
  • 1 Inbox
  • 1 Docs site
Start Free at Help Scout

What's NOT Included (Paid Only)

  • Multiple Inboxes
  • Live chat, Instagram, Messenger
  • Multiple knowledge bases
  • Basic workflows
  • AI Inbox assistant

Free Plan Limits

Limit Free Plan Paid Plans
users 5
inboxes 1

You'll Need to Upgrade When...

  • You exceed the user limit
  • You need features like Multiple Inboxes or Live chat, Instagram, Messenger
  • You require premium support or SLA guarantees
  • You need to remove branding or watermarks
  • You need advanced integrations or API access

Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan

  • ! Help Scout branding may appear on your content or communications
  • ! Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
  • ! Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
  • ! API access is typically limited or not available
  • ! Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans

Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?

Free Plan is Enough If...

  • You're an individual or very small team
  • You need only basic features
  • You don't mind usage limits
  • Branding on output is acceptable
  • Community support is sufficient

Free vs Standard Plan Comparison

Free $0
Features 3 included 5+ included
Support Community/Email Priority Support
Branding Help Scout branding Your branding
Best For Individuals or small teams just starting out Growing teams automating tasks beyond email

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is Help Scout free?

Yes, Help Scout offers a forever free plan with 3 core features included. However, there are limits on users, inboxes that may require upgrading.

02 What's included in Help Scout's free plan?

Help Scout's free plan includes: Up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site. Key limits include users: 5, inboxes: 1.

03 What's NOT included in Help Scout's free plan?

The free plan excludes: Multiple Inboxes, Live chat, Instagram, Messenger, Multiple knowledge bases, Basic workflows, AI Inbox assistant. You'll also have Help Scout branding and limited support options.

04 When should I upgrade from Help Scout's free plan?

Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Multiple Inboxes or Live chat, Instagram, Messenger, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $30/user/month.

05 Is Help Scout's free plan really free forever?

Yes, Help Scout's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.

Try Help Scout Free
Pricing Alerts

Track Help Scout pricing

Get an email when Help Scout's pricing changes — plus the weekly SaaS Price Watch: verified price changes and deals across 3,000+ products. One-click unsubscribe.