HelpScout is a dedicated customer service platform with simplicity and affordability as core strengths, while HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM ecosystem that integrates sales, marketing, and service. HelpScout costs 40% less for basic customer support, but HubSpot offers significantly more features for businesses needing integrated customer lifecycle management.
HelpScout vs HubSpot — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose HelpScout if you run a small-to-medium support team, need a simple, affordable customer service platform without sales/marketing complexity, and want fast deployment. Choose HubSpot if you need an integrated CRM that connects customer service with sales pipelines, marketing automation, and want to scale across multiple departments with one unified system.
Cloud-based customer support platform focused on simplicity and team collaboration.
All-in-one CRM platform with integrated marketing automation, sales, and customer service tools.
Structured comparison data for HelpScout vs HubSpot with 242 attributes.
Monthly Cost (50-person team, full suite)
Starting Price (per user/month, billed annually)
Professional Tier Price (per user/month)
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price
CRM Contact Storage Limit (Free/Entry Tier)
AI Sentiment Analysis / Social Listening
Team Members Supported (Free/Standard Tier)
Starting Monthly Price (Single User/Starter Tier)
Price for 10-Person Support Team (Annual)
HelpScout vs HubSpot — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for HelpScout vs HubSpot.
Which is better for a small customer support team?
HelpScout is the clear winner for small support teams (5-20 agents). It costs 40% less ($20/user vs $45+), deploys in 1-2 days versus 3-7 days for HubSpot, and has an intuitive interface built specifically for support agents. Unless you need sales pipeline or marketing automation, HelpScout delivers faster ROI and lower complexity.
Can HelpScout replace HubSpot for a growing company?
Not fully. HelpScout excels at customer support but lacks sales pipeline management, email marketing automation, and advanced reporting. HubSpot integrates these capabilities. A growing company needing to connect sales and support workflows should choose HubSpot; one focused purely on support excellence should choose HelpScout.
HubSpot has 1,500+ integrations versus HelpScout's 150+, giving HubSpot a 10x advantage for connecting to third-party tools. However, HelpScout integrates with all major platforms (Slack, Zapier, Salesforce, etc.). If you need 15+ integrations, both work; if you need 50+, HubSpot is safer.
What's the cost difference for a mid-size operation?
For a 20-person support team, HelpScout costs ~$4,800/year ($20/user × 20 × 12) for their Standard plan. HubSpot's Service Hub Professional tier costs $800/month ($9,600/year) for similar support features but adds sales and marketing. HelpScout is 50% cheaper if you only need support; HubSpot is cheaper if you need the full CRM.
Which platform has better AI and automation?
HelpScout's AI is purpose-built for support: it suggests automated responses, detects sentiment, and powers self-service knowledge bases. HubSpot's AI works across sales, marketing, and support with predictive analytics and workflow automation. HelpScout's AI is better for support-only; HubSpot's is better for full customer lifecycle automation.