Help 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.
Help Scout vs Salesforce Service CloudHelp Scout vs Salesforce Service Cloud: $250 or $1,950 for ten people
A shared inbox and help desk against an enterprise service CRM: Help Scout is $850 a month cheaper for five people. The six differences, what five people pay on each, and a third option.
By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below
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 Salesforce Service Cloud if the rest of the company runs on Salesforce and support must share the record. For five people, Help Scout is $850 a month cheaper than Salesforce Service Cloud ($125 a month on Help Scout against $975 on Salesforce Service Cloud), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45 for the workspace, is $80 under Help Scout. Help Scout and Salesforce Service Cloud both include email in the price; only Help Scout has website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram. Neither Help Scout nor Salesforce Service Cloud includes Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Help Scout and Salesforce Service Cloud sell here at one price.
At a glanceHelp ScoutSalesforce Service Cloud
Help ScoutSalesforce Service CloudBuilt aroundA calm email inbox · Beacon adds chatCases on the CRM · channels bought separately
Entry plan$25/user/mo · Standard: 2 inboxes$25/user/mo · Starter Suite
Chat in the price$25/user/mo · Beacon on every plan$195/user/mo · Core, plus messaging add-ons
AI agent$0.75 per resolution · AI AnswersFlex Credits · Agentforce; Max includes 2.75M a year
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI inbox assistantIn Agentforce
Free planYes · 5 users, 100 contacts a monthNone · trials on Starter to Advanced
The six differences that decide it
Everything else on this page follows from these.
- 01
Where a conversation starts
Help ScoutAs a conversation in a shared inbox, assigned and tagged; it is email first, with Beacon chat beside it. Salesforce Service Cloud raises a ticket where Help Scout keeps a conversation.
Salesforce Service CloudAs a case on the Salesforce record, routed by Omni-Channel to a queue or an agent. Help Scout has no ticket queue behind its conversations.
- 02
What the seat buys
Help 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 $975 on Salesforce Service Cloud.
Salesforce Service Cloud$25 buys the Starter Suite; the service editions run $195 on Core to $550 on Max, with channels as add-ons. $975 for five people, against $125 on Help Scout.
- 03
How the AI is billed
Help ScoutAI Answers, the chatbot, is $0.75 per resolution. The AI inbox assistant is included. Salesforce Service Cloud meters AI (Flex Credits) above the seats as well.
Salesforce Service CloudAgentforce is sold in Flex Credits by usage; only Max includes an allowance. Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats as well.
- 04
Channels in the price
Help ScoutEmail, Beacon chat, Messenger and SMS; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram are here and not on Salesforce Service Cloud.
Salesforce Service CloudEmail and web on the editions; chat, messaging, WhatsApp and voice are bought as add-ons. Help Scout adds website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram, which Salesforce Service Cloud lacks.
- 05
Beyond the inbox
Help ScoutDocs, the knowledge base, and customer profiles with properties; no contact center or campaigns. Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM instead.
Salesforce Service CloudThe whole CRM: sales, marketing, commerce, analytics and thousands of AppExchange apps. Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk instead.
- 06
Time to the first reply
Help ScoutAn afternoon: forward the support address, add Beacon, invite the team. Salesforce Service Cloud is weeks to months.
Salesforce Service CloudWeeks to months: an implementation, often with a partner. Help Scout is an afternoon.
Sources: Help Scout pricing · Salesforce Service Cloud 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.
Help Scout. The Help Scout inbox: a conversation list, the email thread and the customer sidebar
Salesforce Service Cloud. The Service Cloud console: the case with the contact, the knowledge panel and Omni-ChannelWhat 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.
Help ScoutSalesforce Service Cloud$1,575/mo
The service console; channels as add-ons.
- 5 × $195 seats
- $975
- 300 Agentforce conversations × $2
- $600
Yearly billing; monthly costs more. Agentforce was listed at $2 per conversation before moving to Flex Credits; the rate is a stated assumption. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.
$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); Salesforce Service Cloud 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.
Help Scout, Salesforce Service Cloud 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 ScoutSalesforce Service CloudSellio
Help ScoutSalesforce Service CloudSellioPricing
Pricing model
Per user; extra inboxes $10; AI per resolution.
Per user; channels and AI on top
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month.
None; trials
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock
Channels
Website live chat
Beacon.
Messaging add-on
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
The core of the product.
Email-to-case
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Included on paid plans.
Messaging add-on
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Included on paid plans.
Messenger via add-on
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.
Slack is a Salesforce product
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer
AI
AI agent trained on your docs
AI Answers, trained on Docs.
Agentforce
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$0.75 per resolution.
Flex Credits by 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
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Workflows; rule lists with counts per plan.
Flow
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and Happiness ratings.
Reports and Tableau
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus
Apps
Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile apps.
Browser and mobile
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 $850 a month less than on Salesforce Service Cloud ($125 against $975), before AI.
- You need website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price, which Salesforce Service Cloud does not include outright.
Pick Salesforce Service Cloud if
- The rest of the company runs on Salesforce and support must share the record.
- You have an implementation partner and a budget for add-ons.
- You need a ticket queue, which Help Scout does not have.
- Time to the first reply is weeks to months here and an afternoon on Help Scout.
The third option: Sellio
- You are two to ten people on Help Scout or Salesforce Service Cloud who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $125 a month on Help Scout against $975 on Salesforce Service Cloud for five people.
- You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats, Salesforce Service Cloud meters AI (Flex Credits) above the seats; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
- You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Help Scout nor Salesforce Service Cloud 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. Salesforce Service Cloud on Core: $390, $975 and $1,950 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 $930 less than Salesforce Service Cloud for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $155 under Help Scout and $1,855 under Salesforce Service Cloud.
Where the two agree, and where they split
Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox; Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM built around cases on the CRM. Only Help Scout has a free plan (5 users, 100 contacts a month); Salesforce Service Cloud offers a free trial. Help Scout and Salesforce Service Cloud both include email in the price; only Help Scout has website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram. Neither Help Scout nor Salesforce Service Cloud includes Telegram outright. Help Scout ($0.75 per resolution) and Salesforce Service Cloud (Flex Credits) both meter AI above the seats. Salesforce Service Cloud has tickets and Help Scout does not, and neither Help Scout nor Salesforce Service Cloud ships a desktop app. Help Scout is an afternoon; Salesforce Service Cloud is weeks to months.
What each price leaves out
Help Scout: AI Inbox assistant included; AI Answers (the chatbot) $0.75 per resolution. Salesforce Service Cloud: Agentforce by Flex Credits; Max includes 2.75M a year, others buy by usage. Beside Help Scout's $0.75 per resolution and Salesforce Service Cloud's Flex Credits, 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
- Step 1
Count agents and channels
Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.
5 people reply5 seatsWebsite chat61%WhatsApp27%Email12% - 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 closes480Help Scout$0.75$360Salesforce Service CloudAssumed $2$960Sellio$0.05$19Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.
- 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 Scout · 15 days, no cardSalesforce Service Cloud · Free trials on Starter, Pro, Core and AdvancedSellio · Free plan, no cardConfirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.
FAQ
Help Scout vs Salesforce Service Cloud: the questions people ask
Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox; Salesforce Service Cloud is an enterprise service CRM built around cases on the CRM.
- Entry plan: Help Scout $25/user/mo (Standard: 2 inboxes); Salesforce Service Cloud $25/user/mo (Starter Suite).
- Chat in the price: Help Scout $25/user/mo (Beacon on every plan); Salesforce Service Cloud $195/user/mo (Core, plus messaging add-ons).
- Sellio: one inbox for every channel: Telegram, which neither Help Scout nor Salesforce Service Cloud has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.
The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Help Scout and Salesforce Service Cloud on the same rows.
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.
No credit card required