Help Scout
JivoChat
| Feature | Help Scout | JivoChat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, saas-companies, remote-teams, customer-focused-brands | small-businesses, ecommerce, multilingual-teams, sales-teams |
| Founded | 2011 | 2012 |
| Shared Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✗ |
| Beacon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Customer Profiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Phone Calls | ✗ | ✓ |
| ✗ | ✓ | |
| Social Media | ✗ | ✓ |
| Crm | ✗ | ✓ |
| Visitor Monitoring | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ JivoChat Pros
- Good free plan
- Omnichannel support
- CRM built-in
- Easy setup
✗ JivoChat Cons
- Interface dated
- Limited automation
- Paid features add up
The Verdict
Help Scout is built for small businesses and saas companies, with a focus on shared-inbox and knowledge-base. JivoChat targets small businesses and ecommerce and leads with live-chat and phone-calls.
On pricing, JivoChat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $19/mo compared to $25/mo for Help Scout. That $6/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Help Scout edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Help Scout offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while JivoChat takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for small businesses — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Help Scout has a slight overall edge — but if good free plan matters most to you, JivoChat may still be the right call.