The friendly inbox, with AI that answers everywhere
Help Scout is a genuinely pleasant shared inbox. But its customer-facing AI Answers runs only in the Beacon widget, bills $0.75 per resolution, and per-user pricing climbs as you hire. Asks puts the AI agent on every channel — email included — at a flat price.
7-day trial · No per-resolution fees
Choose Asks if you want AI resolving real volume across chat, email, and social with predictable pricing. Stay on Help Scout if your team answers most email personally and loves its writing-first workflow.
Asks vs. Help Scout
| Asks | Help Scout | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat $39 / $149 / $349 per month with AI credits included — no per-resolution or per-conversation meter | $25 / $45 / $75 per user per month; AI Answers metered at $0.75 per resolution on top |
| Customer-facing AI | Every channel — website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Slack, Discord — with citations | AI Answers runs only in the Beacon web widget; email and social stay human-answered |
| AI assist for the team | Suggested replies, thread summaries, tone rewrite — included in every plan | AI Drafts on Standard; Summarize gated to Plus ($45/user) and up |
| Team size economics | 10 / 25 / 50 seats included in flat plans — hiring doesn't move the bill | Per-user pricing: every hire is +$25–75/month |
| Channels | 8 channels in one shared inbox, customers recognized across them | Email, Beacon chat, and Docs — messaging channels aren't the focus |
Competitor details from public pricing pages and docs, as of mid-2026 — verify before deciding.
AI that isn't widget-only
Most support volume for growing teams is email and messaging. Asks' agent answers there too — grounded in your content, with citations — not just in the corner of your website.
Resolutions shouldn't have a price tag
At $0.75 per AI resolution, 1,000 resolved conversations cost $750 on top of seats. Asks includes AI answering in every flat plan.
Pricing that survived 2025
Help Scout's pricing-model changes burned trust with long-time customers. Asks keeps it simple: three flat plans, seats included, no meters.
When Help Scout is the better choice
- Your team personally answers most conversations and mainly wants a beautiful email workflow.
- You're deep in Help Scout Docs and Beacon and your volume is low enough that $0.75/resolution stays cheap.
- You want a genuinely free plan for a tiny team (Help Scout offers one; Asks offers a 7-day trial).
Is Asks cheaper than Help Scout?
For teams where AI does real work, usually: five people on Help Scout Plus is $225/month before a single $0.75 AI resolution. Asks Business is $149/month flat with 25 seats and 4,000 AI answers included.
Can Asks answer customer emails with AI like Help Scout?
That's a key difference — Help Scout's customer-facing AI runs only in its Beacon widget. Asks answers email itself: grounded replies from your knowledge base, sent automatically or held for team approval, with escalation into the same shared inbox.
Does Asks have a knowledge base like Help Scout Docs?
Yes — write articles in-app, and they double as AI training content alongside your website and uploaded documents. A hosted Help Center is included for customer self-service.
Try the Help Scout alternative today
Train Asks on your website in minutes, test it in the playground, and see the difference before your trial ends.