Crisp
Help Scout
| Feature | Crisp | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $25/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, small-businesses, saas-companies, e-commerce | small-businesses, saas-companies, remote-teams, customer-focused-brands |
| Founded | 2015 | 2011 |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chatbot | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Inbox | ✓ | ✓ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ |
| Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Status Page | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Beacon | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Customer Profiles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Crisp Pros
- Very generous free tier (2 seats included)
- Per-workspace pricing instead of per-seat
- Built-in chatbot builder with no-code
- Clean and modern interface
✗ Crisp Cons
- Limited advanced automation compared to Intercom
- Chatbot AI less sophisticated than competitors
- Fewer integrations than larger platforms
✓ Help Scout Pros
- Feels like email to customers (no ticket numbers)
- Excellent knowledge base (Docs)
- Beacon widget for contextual help
- Simple and fast — minimal training needed
✗ Help Scout Cons
- Limited automation compared to Zendesk
- No built-in phone or video support
- Reporting less advanced on lower plans
The Verdict
Crisp is built for startups and small businesses, with a focus on live-chat and chatbot. Help Scout targets small businesses and saas companies and leads with shared-inbox and knowledge-base.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($25/mo for Crisp, $25/mo for Help Scout), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for small businesses, saas companies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.