Help Scout Alternatives for Online Stores in 2026

The top Help Scout alternative is AeroChat. It runs the whole request inside the chat, from the question to the payment confirmation, on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and prices by AI responses instead of seats, contacts or messages. Other options are Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Tidio and HubSpot Service Hub. Each suits a different kind of business, and each is priced in a different way.

Why businesses look for a Help Scout alternative

Help Scout is a shared inbox and helpdesk. These are the reasons an online store usually starts comparing, based on Help Scout’s own pricing page:

• Two meters. Help Scout charges per user, and AI Answers costs US$0.75 for each conversation the AI resolves, as of November 2026.
• Email and chat first. Help Scout covers email, live chat and SMS. Stores whose customers use WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok Shop want those answered too.
• Answers, not actions. Stores want the chat to check the order, change the address and take the payment, not only reply.
• Store data. Stores want answers drawn from live product, stock and order data.

The alternatives

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows. It answers product, stock and order questions from your store on Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link, detects the payment and confirms the order in the same conversation, and in Malaysia books the delivery with POS Malaysia. It runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada. You describe a workflow in your own words, paste in the key of any system with a public API, and AeroChat builds it. It works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

• Suits: online stores and service businesses that want customers to ask, pay and get updates in one chat, on every channel they use.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, admin users are not limited, and your contact list does not change the plan. See the pricing page.
• Keep in mind: AeroChat does not list SMS, voice or WeChat today.

2. Zendesk

A customer service suite with ticketing, messaging, live chat, phone and AI agents.

• Suits: larger teams that need routing, phone and reporting across many departments.
• Pricing model: per agent. Suite Team is US$55 per agent a month billed annually, with 5 automated resolutions per agent included and US$2.00 for each pay-as-you-go resolution, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: automated resolutions above the included amount are paid one by one.

3. Freshdesk

A ticketing helpdesk with a shared inbox, a customer portal and knowledge base, and the Freddy AI Agent.

• Suits: teams that want a ticketing helpdesk priced per agent.
• Pricing model: per agent, from US$19 a month billed annually on Growth, as of November 2026. Freddy AI Agent includes 500 sessions once per account, then US$49 per 100 sessions.
• Limitation: the included AI sessions are a one-time allowance, so ongoing AI use is bought in session packs.

4. Gorgias

A helpdesk for ecommerce with an AI Agent added. Your team works tickets from email, chat and social channels in one place.

• Suits: stores with a large support team that works mostly in tickets.
• Pricing model: per ticket, plus per automated interaction for the AI Agent. The Starter plan is US$40 a month for 50 tickets and 30 AI interactions, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: two meters run at once. AeroChat is up to 5x more cost-efficient than Gorgias. See Gorgias vs AeroChat.

5. Re:amaze

A customer service helpdesk with live chat, email, social channels, an FAQ center and an AI Agent, plus SMS and voice on higher plans.

• Suits: teams that want a per-seat helpdesk with chat and phone on one screen.
• Pricing model: per team member, from US$29 a month, with 5 to 20 AI resolutions per user included and US$0.85 for each extra one, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: WhatsApp needs a number provided by Twilio. See Re:amaze vs AeroChat.

6. Tidio

Live chat and a help desk with the Lyro AI agent and automated Flows, covering live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

• Suits: small teams that want live chat and an AI agent in one tool, with website chat at the center.
• Pricing model: by conversations. Starter is US$24.17 a month for 100 billable conversations, and Lyro starts at US$32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: team conversations, AI conversations and Flows visitors are counted separately, so you size three numbers instead of one.

7. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot’s customer service software, with tickets, live chat, a knowledge base, calling and the Customer Agent, on the same records as HubSpot’s CRM.

• Suits: teams that already run sales and marketing in HubSpot and want service on the same records.
• Pricing model: per seat. Professional starts at US$90 per seat a month with a required one-time onboarding fee of US$1,500, and Enterprise starts at US$150 per seat with a US$3,500 onboarding fee. AI features use HubSpot credits, with extra credits at US$0.010 each, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: WhatsApp is listed from Professional, up to 1,000 messages a month. See HubSpot Service Hub vs AeroChat.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, website or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Tidio, HubSpot Service Hub.

How to choose

• Count what you are billed on. Seats, tickets, resolutions and AI credits each grow in a different way. Price a busy month on each unit.
• Decide where conversations should end. A helpdesk routes a ticket to a person. Decide which requests you want finished in the chat, such as order status, address changes and payments.
• List the channels your customers use. If customers message you on WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok Shop, check the tool answers there, not only by email and chat.
• Check the systems it connects to. Store, payment, courier, returns and CRM tools all hold part of the answer.
• Look at how workflows are set up. Decide whether your team wants to build rules and macros, or describe what should happen.

Questions

What is the top alternative to Help Scout?

AeroChat. It answers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, finishes the order in the chat, and charges no fee per resolution.

Can AeroChat work alongside Help Scout?

Yes. AeroChat works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

Which alternative answers on WhatsApp?

AeroChat, Tidio and Gorgias list WhatsApp. Re:amaze connects WhatsApp through a Twilio number, as of November 2026.

How is Help Scout priced?

Per user from US$25 a month on Standard, with AI Answers at US$0.75 per resolution, as of November 2026. See Help Scout pricing explained and Help Scout vs AeroChat.

Try the top Help Scout alternative

Sign up, connect your store and WhatsApp, and ask your own number where an order is. Then ask to change the address and see it done in the chat.

Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.

On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.