Help ScoutGenesys Cloud CXHelp Scout vs Genesys Cloud CX

Help Scout vs Genesys Cloud CX: $450 apart for five people

A shared inbox and help desk against a contact center platform: Help Scout is $450 a month cheaper for five people. Where Help Scout and Genesys Cloud CX split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Help Scout if email is your main channel and you want the calmest inbox your agents will ever use. Pick Genesys Cloud CX if you run a contact center where voice, routing and workforce management come first. For five people, Help Scout is $450 a month cheaper than Genesys Cloud CX ($125 a month on Help Scout against $575 on Genesys Cloud CX), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $80 below Help Scout. Help Scout and Genesys Cloud CX both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price. Neither Help Scout nor Genesys Cloud CX includes Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing Help Scout against Genesys Cloud CX, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceHelp ScoutHelp ScoutGenesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX
Built aroundA calm email inbox · Beacon adds chatThe contact center · voice first, digital added
Entry plan$25/user/mo · Standard: 2 inboxes$75/user/mo · CX 1: voice only
Chat in the price$25/user/mo · Beacon on every plan$115/user/mo · CX 2: adds digital channels
AI agent$0.75 per resolution · AI AnswersAI tokens · 250 a month included per org
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI inbox assistantIn tokens
Free planYes · 5 users, 100 contacts a monthNone · no printed trial

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    As a conversation in a shared inbox, assigned and tagged; it is email first, with Beacon chat beside it. Genesys Cloud CX has no ticket queue either.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    As an interaction routed by skills and queues, whether it is a call, a web message or an email. Help Scout has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    $25 buys two inboxes on Standard. More inboxes are $10 a month each; Pro has a ten-user minimum. $125 for five people, against $575 on Genesys Cloud CX.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    $75 buys voice on CX 1; web messaging, email and social start on CX 2 at $115 per user. $575 for five people, against $125 on Help Scout.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    AI Answers, the chatbot, is $0.75 per resolution. The AI inbox assistant is included. Genesys Cloud CX folds AI (AI tokens) into the plan instead.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    AI Experience tokens: a monthly allowance per org, then bought by usage, covering bots and agent assist. Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    Email, Beacon chat, Messenger and SMS; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. The same set as Genesys Cloud CX.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    Voice, web messaging, email, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram on the digital plans; no Telegram. The same set as Help Scout.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    Docs, the knowledge base, and customer profiles with properties; no contact center or campaigns. Genesys Cloud CX is a contact center platform instead.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    Workforce management, quality, speech analytics and outbound dialing for a contact center. Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    An afternoon: forward the support address, add Beacon, invite the team. Genesys Cloud CX is weeks.

    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

    Weeks: a contact center rollout with routing, IVR and workforce setup. Help Scout is an afternoon.

Sources: Help Scout pricing · Genesys Cloud CX pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Help Scout inbox: a conversation list, the email thread and the customer sidebar
Help ScoutHelp Scout. The Help Scout inbox: a conversation list, the email thread and the customer sidebar
The Genesys Cloud agent workspace: the interaction queue with a web message and the customer record
Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX. The Genesys Cloud agent workspace: the interaction queue with a web message and the customer record

What your team would pay

Move the sliders. Yearly-billing rates from each vendor’s pricing page, next to Sellio’s plan for the same number of seats.

5 people who answer customers

50

300 AI Answers resolutions on Help Scout, AI conversations on Genesys Cloud CX

3000+
Help ScoutHelp Scout

$350/mo

Two inboxes, Beacon chat, Docs.

5 × $25 seats
$125
300 AI Answers resolutions × $0.75
$225

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. $0.75 per resolution by AI Answers, as printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-06.

Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX

$575/mo

Voice, web messaging, email, social.

5 × $115 seats
$575
300 AI conversations × $0
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. Genesys bills AI in Experience tokens with a monthly allowance per org, so no per-conversation rate is printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

Sellio · Mini

$55/mo

One price for the workspace: 3 channels, 2 AI agents, $5 AI credit a month.

Workspace, 5 of 5 seats
$45
AI past 100 included conversations
$10
Copilot for agents
Included

About $0.05 per AI conversation past the credit, with a daily and monthly cap you set. Yearly billing takes 20% off. See every plan.

Pricing references: Help Scout pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Genesys Cloud CX pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Calculator uses yearly-billing rates. Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

5 people, website chat plus 2 more channels, 2 AI agents: $45 a month. Start free, no card.

Start freeSee every plan

Help Scout, Genesys Cloud CX and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureHelp ScoutHelp ScoutGenesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CXSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per user; extra inboxes $10; AI per resolution.
Per user; AI by tokens
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month.
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Beacon.
Web messaging on CX 2 and up
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
The core of the product.
CX 2 and up
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Included on paid plans.
CX 2 and up, plus fees
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Included on paid plans.
CX 2 and up
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not a channel.
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack notifications.
Teams and Slack integrations
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI Answers, trained on Docs.
Bots on tokens
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$0.75 per resolution.
Tokens, then usage
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to the inbox.
Routes to a queue
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Conversations with status; no separate ticket object.
Cases via work automation
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Workflows; rule lists with counts per plan.
Architect flows
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and Happiness ratings.
Deep contact center reporting
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile apps.
Desktop app
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Help Scout if

  • Email is your main channel and you want the calmest inbox your agents will ever use.
  • You want a mature knowledge base in the same product.
  • Five people cost $450 a month less than on Genesys Cloud CX ($125 against $575), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Genesys Cloud CX offers no trial.

Pick Genesys Cloud CX if

  • You run a contact center where voice, routing and workforce management come first.
  • Named, concurrent or hourly licensing matters for shift work.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Help Scout does not ship.
  • You want the AI in the seat price (AI tokens) rather than Help Scout's meter at $0.75 per resolution.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $125 a month on Help Scout against $575 on Genesys Cloud CX for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats, Genesys Cloud CX folds AI (AI tokens) into the plan, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither Help Scout nor Genesys Cloud CX includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Help Scout on Standard: $50, $125 and $250 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Genesys Cloud CX on CX 2: $230, $575 and $1,150 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $80 less than Help Scout and $530 less than Genesys Cloud CX for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $155 under Help Scout and $1,055 under Genesys Cloud CX.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox; Genesys Cloud CX is a contact center platform built around the contact center. Only Help Scout has a free plan (5 users, 100 contacts a month); Genesys Cloud CX offers no trial. Help Scout and Genesys Cloud CX both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price. Neither Help Scout nor Genesys Cloud CX includes Telegram outright. Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats; Genesys Cloud CX folds AI (AI tokens) into the plan. Neither Help Scout nor Genesys Cloud CX has a ticket queue, and only Genesys Cloud CX ships desktop apps. Help Scout is an afternoon; Genesys Cloud CX is weeks.

What each price leaves out

Help Scout: AI Inbox assistant included; AI Answers (the chatbot) $0.75 per resolution. Genesys Cloud CX: AI Experience tokens: 250 named or 350 concurrent a month per org included, then bought by usage. Beside Help Scout's $0.75 per resolution and Genesys Cloud CX's AI tokens, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    Help ScoutHelp Scout$0.75$360
    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CXAssumed $0$0
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout · 15 days, no card
    Genesys Cloud CXGenesys Cloud CX · None printed; contact sales
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Help Scout vs Genesys Cloud CX: the questions people ask

Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox; Genesys Cloud CX is a contact center platform built around the contact center.

  • Entry plan: Help Scout $25/user/mo (Standard: 2 inboxes); Genesys Cloud CX $75/user/mo (CX 1: voice only).
  • Chat in the price: Help Scout $25/user/mo (Beacon on every plan); Genesys Cloud CX $115/user/mo (CX 2: adds digital channels).
  • Sellio: Telegram, which neither Help Scout nor Genesys Cloud CX has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Help Scout and Genesys Cloud CX rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

No credit card required