Intercom vs Front vs Help Scout: which customer support software is best for a growing support team in 2026?
Every price and fact below was checked on each company's own website on October 11, 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom. No company pays to appear.
The short answer
Help Scout is the cheapest paid option for most small and growing teams, from $25 per user a month, and it also has a free plan for up to 5 users. Intercom is the better fit if you want an AI agent doing the first line of support, with the helpdesk from $29 per seat a month plus $0.99 per resolved outcome. Front is the pick for teams that run support from a shared inbox across email, SMS and WhatsApp, from $25 per seat a month on Starter.
Side by side
| Intercom | Front | Help Scout | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #1 | #2 | #3 |
| Best for | Support teams that want an AI agent handling conversations alongside a helpdesk | Teams that manage customer conversations from a shared inbox across several channels | Small and growing teams that want a simple, low-cost helpdesk |
| Plans and list price per seat | Essential $29, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat a month, shown with annual billing | Starter $25, Professional $65, Enterprise $105 per seat a month, shown with annual billing | Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user a month. The page has a Monthly or Annual toggle with 16% off annual |
| Free plan | Not mentioned on the pricing page | Not mentioned on the pricing page | Free plan with 5 users, 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site |
| AI agent pricing | Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per outcome on every plan. Can also be used with another helpdesk | Autopilot AI agent is an add-on starting at $0.05 per conversation. Copilot, QA and CSAT are included on Enterprise | AI Answers add-on at $0.75 per resolution, with a 3-month free trial |
| Seat or user limits | 1 full seat minimum. Advanced includes 20 free Lite seats and Expert includes 50 | Starter up to 10 seats, Professional up to 50 seats, Enterprise no limit stated | Pro includes up to 50 light users. No other user cap stated for paid plans |
| Channels | Messenger live chat and shared inbox on Essential | Starter supports a single channel type. Professional and Enterprise add email, SMS, social and WhatsApp | Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on Standard |
| SSO | Expert ($132) and up | Professional ($65) and up | SSO/SAML is listed on Pro ($75). The comparison table also marks it as an add-on, so check which plans |
| SLAs | Service level agreements on Expert ($132) | Not mentioned on the pricing page | One basic SLA policy on Standard, two advanced on Plus, unlimited on Pro |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 14 days with Professional features, no credit card | 15 days on Standard or Plus, no credit card. Pro trial goes through sales |
| Startup discount | Early Stage: 93% off for companies under $10M raised with 15 employees or fewer | Not mentioned on the pricing page | Not mentioned on the pricing page |
The winner, by what you need
Small teams on a tight budget
Help Scout
It has a free plan for 5 users, and its paid plans start at $25 per user a month, level with Front Starter and below Intercom Essential at $29.
AI-first support
Intercom
Fin AI Agent is priced at $0.99 per outcome on every Intercom plan and the page says it can also run on top of other helpdesks.
Support spread across email, SMS and WhatsApp
Front
Professional ($65 per seat) is the plan that adds email, SMS, social and WhatsApp in one inbox, and the Starter plan is limited to one channel type.
Early-stage startups
Intercom
Intercom publishes a 93% Early Stage discount for companies under $10M raised with 15 employees or fewer. The other two pricing pages do not mention a startup programme.
Teams that need SLAs and compliance features
Help Scout
Help Scout includes SLA policies on all three paid plans, from one basic policy on Standard to unlimited on Pro at $75 per user. Intercom only lists SLAs on Expert at $132 per seat.
Worth knowing
- Intercom and Front show their prices with annual billing selected. Intercom says annual billing saves up to 26% and Front says 24%. Monthly billing costs more.
- Help Scout shows a Monthly or Annual toggle with 16% off annual. The page text I read did not say which toggle the headline prices belong to, so confirm on the pricing page before budgeting.
- AI usage is billed on top of seat prices at all three vendors, so your total depends on how many conversations the AI resolves. Front's Autopilot price is quoted as a starting figure and sales handles it.
- Front Professional and Enterprise are listed as request a demo, and Help Scout Pro is a demo-led plan. Final quotes can differ from the list prices.
- Prices are list prices in US dollars as shown on 11 October 2026 and can change at any time.
See all eleven in the full ranking: Intercom vs Front vs Help Scout: 11 Best Customer Support Software 2026.
Sources
- Intercom plans, per-seat prices, $0.99 per outcome Fin pricing, Lite seats, SSO and SLAs on Expert, 1 seat minimum, 14-day trial, Early Stage 93% discount: https://www.intercom.com/pricing
- Front plans, per-seat prices, seat limits, channels by plan, SSO on Professional, Autopilot from $0.05 per conversation, 14-day Professional trial, annual save 24%: https://front.com/pricing
- Help Scout plans, per-user prices, Free plan limits, AI Answers $0.75 per resolution and 3-month trial, SLA policies by plan, SSO/SAML on Pro, 15-day trial, 16% annual discount: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/