MissiveHelp ScoutMissive vs Help Scout

Missive vs Help Scout: $240 or $250 for ten people

A team inbox and chat against a shared inbox and help desk: Missive is $5 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

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Missive if you want the team's chat and the customer's email in the same window. Pick Help Scout if email is your main channel and you want the calmest inbox your agents will ever use. For five people, Missive is $5 a month cheaper than Help Scout ($120 a month on Missive against $125 on Help Scout), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45 for the workspace, is $75 under Missive. Missive and Help Scout both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price. Neither Missive nor Help Scout includes Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what Missive and Help Scout sell here at one price.

At a glanceMissiveMissiveHelp ScoutHelp Scout
Built aroundShared email with team chat · one app for bothA calm email inbox · Beacon adds chat
Entry plan$14/user/mo · Starter: up to 5 users$25/user/mo · Standard: 2 inboxes
Chat in the price$14/user/mo · live chat widget on every plan$25/user/mo · Beacon on every plan
AI agentYour own key or credits · no per-conversation meter$0.75 per resolution · AI Answers
Copilot for agentsIncluded · with your AI keyIncluded · AI inbox assistant
Free planNone · 30-day trialYes · 5 users, 100 contacts a month

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    MissiveMissive

    As an email or a message in a shared conversation that teammates chat about in the same thread. Help Scout has no ticket queue either.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

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

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    MissiveMissive

    $14 buys the inbox for up to five users on Starter; rules and integrations start on Productive at $24. $120 for five people, against $125 on Help Scout.

    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 $120 on Missive.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    MissiveMissive

    AI runs on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key, or on Missive credits; nothing is metered per conversation. Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats instead.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    AI Answers, the chatbot, is $0.75 per resolution. The AI inbox assistant is included. Missive folds AI (your own key or credits) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    MissiveMissive

    Email, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger; no Telegram. The same set as Help Scout.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

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

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    MissiveMissive

    Team chat, tasks and calendars in the same app; native desktop apps. Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk instead.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    Docs, the knowledge base, and customer profiles with properties; no contact center or campaigns. Missive is a team inbox and chat instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    MissiveMissive

    An hour: connect the mailboxes and install the desktop app. Help Scout is an afternoon.

    Help ScoutHelp Scout

    An afternoon: forward the support address, add Beacon, invite the team. Missive is an hour.

Sources: Missive pricing · Help Scout 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 Missive app: the shared conversation with the team's chat beside the email
MissiveMissive. The Missive app: the shared conversation with the team's chat beside the email
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

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 conversations on Missive, AI Answers resolutions on Help Scout

3000+
MissiveMissive

$120/mo

Rules, integrations, analytics.

5 × $24 seats
$120
300 AI conversations × $0
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. Missive runs AI on your own provider key or credits; no per-conversation rate is printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

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.

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: Missive pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Help Scout pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). 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

Missive, Help Scout 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.

FeatureMissiveMissiveHelp ScoutHelp ScoutSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per user; AI on your key
Per user; extra inboxes $10; AI per resolution.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; 30-day trial
5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Drafts and rules with your key
AI Answers, trained on Docs.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Your own key or credits
$0.75 per resolution.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
No autonomous agent
Hands to the inbox.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

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

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Missive if

  • You want the team's chat and the customer's email in the same window.
  • Bringing your own AI key is better than a vendor's meter.
  • Five people cost $5 a month less than on Help Scout ($120 against $125), before AI.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Help Scout does not ship.

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.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Missive offers a 30-day trial, no card.
  • Time to the first reply is an afternoon here and an hour on Missive.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on Missive or Help Scout who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $120 a month on Missive against $125 on Help Scout for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: Missive folds AI (your own key or credits) into the plan, Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither Missive nor Help Scout includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Missive on Productive: $48, $120 and $240 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Help Scout on Standard: $50, $125 and $250 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $75 less than Missive and $80 less than Help Scout for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $145 under Missive and $155 under Help Scout.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Missive is a team inbox and chat built around shared email with team chat; Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox. Only Help Scout has a free plan (5 users, 100 contacts a month); Missive offers a 30-day trial, no card. Missive and Help Scout both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price. Neither Missive nor Help Scout includes Telegram outright. Missive folds AI (your own key or credits) into the plan; Help Scout meters AI ($0.75 per resolution) above the seats. Neither Missive nor Help Scout has a ticket queue, and only Missive ships desktop apps. Missive is an hour; Help Scout is an afternoon.

What each price leaves out

Missive: AI on your own key or Missive credits; no per-conversation price. Help Scout: AI Inbox assistant included; AI Answers (the chatbot) $0.75 per resolution. Beside Missive's your own key or credits and Help Scout's $0.75 per resolution, 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
    MissiveMissiveAssumed $0$0
    Help ScoutHelp Scout$0.75$360
    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.

    MissiveMissive · 30-day trial, no card
    Help ScoutHelp Scout · 15 days, no card
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

Missive vs Help Scout: the questions people ask

Missive is a team inbox and chat built around shared email with team chat; Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk built around a calm email inbox. Neither Missive nor Help Scout has a ticket queue, and only Missive ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Missive $14/user/mo (Starter: up to 5 users); Help Scout $25/user/mo (Standard: 2 inboxes).
  • Chat in the price: Missive $14/user/mo (live chat widget on every plan); Help Scout $25/user/mo (Beacon on every plan).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: Telegram, which neither Missive nor Help Scout has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Missive and Help Scout 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

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