Honest Comparison
A side-by-side comparison for support teams who want to know the real costs and trade-offs. We're honest about what each tool does better.
A note on honesty
We built this comparison to be genuinely useful, not to make ourselves look good. Where Help Scout is better, we say so. Help Scout has been building support tools since 2011 and their email-first shared inbox is one of the most polished in the industry. What we do offer is flat pricing that doesn't scale per user, real-time collaboration tools, and support analytics included at every tier.
$79/mo flat
Unlimited agents included
Annual cost: ~$948/year
$50/user/mo
15 agents = $750/month
Annual cost: $9,000/year
| Feature | Taktik | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat widget Help Scout calls theirs "Beacon" | ||
| Shared inbox Help Scout's core strength — email-first shared inbox | ||
| Canned responses / saved replies | ||
| SLA management Help Scout doesn't offer native SLA tracking | All paid tiers | |
| CSAT surveys | ||
| Custom reporting Custom reports require Help Scout Plus plan | All paid tiers | $50/user tier |
| Team management | ||
| Skill-based routing Help Scout uses folder-based assignment, not skill routing | ||
| Swarm Mode (expert collaboration) Unique to Taktik — pull in experts without per-user cost | ||
| Product insights (feedback loop) Taktik turns support conversations into product feedback | ||
| AI features Taktik: browser-based ML (similar conversations, reply suggestions, customer insights) included at no extra cost | Included | |
| Knowledge base Help Scout Docs is a solid, well-designed knowledge base | ||
| In-app messaging Help Scout Messages for proactive in-app outreach | ||
| Self-serve search (Beacon) Beacon lets customers search your docs before contacting support | ||
| SSO/SAML | Coming soon | $50/user tier |
| Month-to-month billing Both offer month-to-month, though Help Scout discounts annual | ||
| No per-user pricing Help Scout charges per user on every plan |
Help Scout was built email-first and it shows. Their shared inbox experience is one of the most intuitive in the industry. If your team handles primarily email tickets and values a clean, simple interface, Help Scout excels here.
Help Scout Docs is a well-designed knowledge base with a clean editor, custom domains, and SEO-friendly output. We don't have a knowledge base yet — it's on our roadmap. If self-serve content is critical, Help Scout has the edge.
Beacon combines live chat, knowledge base search, and contact forms in one widget. Customers can search your Docs before starting a conversation, reducing ticket volume. This integrated self-serve approach is thoughtfully designed.
Help Scout is a certified B Corp with a strong commitment to customer-first values. Their transparent culture and human-centered approach to support tooling resonates with mission-driven companies.
Help Scout charges per user on every plan. Adding a 16th agent costs another $50/month. Taktik's Pro plan includes unlimited agents at a flat monthly rate — your cost doesn't grow with your team.
Help Scout doesn't offer native SLA tracking — teams typically use workarounds or third-party integrations. Taktik includes SLA management at every paid tier, with configurable targets and breach alerts.
Pull in subject-matter experts on complex tickets without adding seats. Engineers, product managers, and specialists collaborate on conversations without per-user licensing.
Support conversations become product feedback. Track feature requests, bug reports, and customer sentiment — turning your support team into a product intelligence source.
Route conversations to agents based on expertise, not just availability. Technical questions go to technical agents. Billing questions go to billing specialists. Help Scout uses folder-based assignment instead.
Response time, resolution rate, CSAT, and agent performance — included at every paid tier. Help Scout gates custom reporting behind the Plus plan ($50/user). Their standard reports cover basics but lack SLA tracking and agent-level breakdowns.
Taktik includes a built-in Help Scout importer. Bring over your conversation history, contacts, and saved replies. Most teams complete the switch in under a day.
View migration guide →Help Scout charges $50/user/month on the Plus plan (which most teams need for features like custom fields, advanced permissions, and Salesforce integration). A 15-agent team pays $9,000/year. Taktik includes SLAs, analytics, and team features at every paid tier with flat pricing and month-to-month billing.
Yes. Taktik includes a built-in Help Scout importer that brings over your conversation history, contacts, and saved replies. Most teams complete migration in under a day.
Help Scout has a built-in knowledge base (Docs), a mature Beacon widget with self-serve search, in-app messaging, and a broader integration library built over 13 years. Taktik focuses on the core 20% of features 80% of teams use — live chat, shared inbox, SLAs, analytics, and collaboration.
Help Scout started as an email-first tool and its shared inbox experience is polished. If your team handles 90%+ email tickets and doesn't need real-time chat, Help Scout is a strong choice. Taktik is built for teams that need both live chat and email in one place.
Yes. Help Scout prices per user across all plans: $25/user (Standard), $50/user (Plus), and custom Enterprise pricing. Taktik offers flat monthly pricing with unlimited agents included on the Pro plan.
Try Taktik free. No credit card required. If we're not the right fit, you'll know in the first week.
Want to see how we build? Visit the Taktik Trust Centre — our engineering practices, security measures, and quality standards, all in plain language.