A Help Scout alternative for teams that want AI included
Help Scout is a well-liked email help desk, so a Help Scout alternative has to earn its place. This page compares the two honestly, using Help Scout's official pricing page, including the areas where Help Scout is clearly ahead.
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Kora Reply vs Help Scout at a glance
Help Scout: An email-first help desk with Docs knowledge base sites, sold per user, with a small free plan. Kora Reply is a help desk for teams of up to 12 people: one shared inbox for email, live chat and WhatsApp, tickets with response targets, saved replies, a public knowledge base and an AI agent that hands off with a summary. Competitor prices below are list prices from Help Scout's official pricing page, checked Oct 2026; they change often, so follow the source links before you decide.
| Topic | Kora Reply | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per user on Starter, one flat price on Team. A pooled monthly AI quota is included in every plan; no fee per resolution.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Per user per month, plus $0.75 per AI resolution.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Free plan | Free: up to 2 users, 100 conversations and 50 AI agent conversations a month, 1 email inbox and 1 live chat widget.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Free: 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site, 10 articles, 100 contacts/month, 10 saved replies.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Entry paid plan | Starter: $12 per user/month, up to 6 users. Email, live chat, public knowledge base, AI agent (300 AI conversations a month) and WhatsApp (beta).korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Standard: $25 per user/month billed annually, $30 billed monthly. Up to 25 users, 2 Inboxes, 2 Docs sites, 1 basic SLA.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Plan with live chat, help center and AI agent | Starter already includes email, live chat, the public knowledge base and the AI agent. Team: $79/month flat for up to 12 users.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Standard lists live chat and SMS plus WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. Email on all plans.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| AI agent pricing | Included quota: 50 (Free), 300 (Starter), 1,500 (Team) AI conversations a month. Extra packs: $10 per 500. Counted once per conversation the AI answers, whether it resolves it or hands off.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | AI Answers: $0.75 per resolution, charged once per conversation, optional monthly spending cap. New accounts get 3 months of unlimited AI Answers resolutions.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
| Starter and Team, in beta: connect your own WhatsApp Business number through the official Cloud API; Meta's fees are paid to Meta.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | Listed on the Standard plan card alongside Instagram and Messenger.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 | |
| Trial | No trial clock: the Free plan stays free. Paid plans are set up with the team over WhatsApp.korareply.com/pricingcurrent plans | 15 days on Standard and Plus, no credit card.helpscout.com/pricingchecked Oct 2026 |
Competitor prices are list prices from each vendor's official pricing page, for the plan and billing period named, checked Oct 2026. Promotions and discounts may apply. Spotted an outdated fact? Email hello@korareply.com and we will correct it.
Free plans compared: Help Scout Free and Kora Reply Free
Both products have a free plan, with different limits. Help Scout Free allows 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site with 10 articles, 100 contacts a month and 10 saved replies (helpscout.com/pricing, checked Oct 2026). Kora Reply Free allows 2 users, 100 conversations and 50 AI agent conversations a month, 1 email inbox, 1 live chat widget and 20 published articles.
If you have more than two people and very low volume, Help Scout Free gives you more seats. If you are two people and want the live chat widget and an AI agent from the start, Kora Reply Free covers that. On paid plans, Help Scout charges $0.75 per AI resolution; Kora Reply includes an AI quota.
Why small teams choose Kora Reply over Help Scout
- AI conversations are included in every Kora Reply plan; Help Scout charges $0.75 per AI resolution after the first three months.
- Starter at $12 per user/month compared with Help Scout Standard at $30 monthly or $25 billed annually.
- Team is a flat $79/month for up to 12 users, so adding the seventh to twelfth person does not raise the bill.
- Live chat and a public knowledge base are on the Free plan.
Where Help Scout is stronger
- A free plan for up to 5 users, more seats than most free tiers.
- Email on every plan and Docs knowledge base sites, with up to 3 Docs sites on Plus.
- AI resolutions can be capped with a monthly spending limit, and new accounts get 3 months of unlimited AI Answers.
When to choose Help Scout instead
A fair comparison should say when the other tool wins. Choose Help Scout if:
- You have 3 to 5 people and very low volume: Help Scout Free allows 5 users (with 100 contacts a month).
- You need several knowledge base sites or more than 12 users on one plan.
- You want hundreds of workflows: Standard includes 150 basic workflows and Plus 500 advanced ones.
What Kora Reply does not do yet
- No phone or voice channel.
- No SSO, multibrand or HIPAA program.
- No skills-based or round-robin routing yet; tickets are assigned by people.
- Reports and CSAT surveys are still on the roadmap.
- A new product: no public reviews or long track record yet.
- Plans stop at 12 users; bigger teams are better served elsewhere.
Switching from Help Scout to Kora Reply
There is no automatic importer yet, so moving is a fresh start rather than a migration. For a small team that usually takes an afternoon:
- Create a Kora Reply workspace on the Free plan and invite your teammates.
- Forward your support email address to Kora Reply so new messages arrive as tickets, and keep Help Scout open for conversations already in progress.
- Recreate your most-used saved replies and copy your top help articles into the knowledge base.
- Set response targets for each priority on your business hours.
- Add the live chat widget to your site, then turn on the AI agent once the articles are in.
Frequently asked questions
Kora Reply Starter is $12 per user/month with an AI quota included, while Help Scout Standard is $25 per user/month billed annually or $30 monthly plus $0.75 per AI resolution (helpscout.com/pricing, checked Oct 2026). Compare the features you need, not only the price.
Yes. Help Scout Free allows 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site with 10 articles, 100 contacts a month and 10 saved replies (checked Oct 2026).
When you need more than 12 users, several knowledge base sites, hundreds of workflows, or a free plan for up to 5 people with low volume.
Yes. Saved replies with the customer's details filled in are on every Kora Reply plan, and you insert them by typing a slash in the reply box.
Both answer from your help content. Help Scout charges $0.75 per resolution; Kora Reply counts each AI-answered conversation against a monthly quota included in the plan and hands off to a person with a summary when it cannot help.
Try Kora Reply alongside Help Scout
Start on the Free plan, forward a test address and see how your team works in one shared inbox before you move anything.