LiveAgent vs Help Scout Pricing (2026)
Compare / LiveAgent vs Help Scout
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Team size
25 seats

LiveAgent vs Help Scout

Help Desk/Support pricing comparison · 2026

LiveAgent pricing ranges from $15–$85/agent/month, while Help Scout ranges from $0–$75/user/month. Help Scout is typically 10% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit LiveAgent pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Help pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Help Desk/Support
Side-by-side · live
LiveAgent
LiveAgent pricing starts at $19/agent/month ($15/agent/month on annual billing) for the Sm
verified 11w ago
$588 $250K
View pricing →
Help Scout
Help Scout is a customer service platform designed for teams who want powerful features wi
verified 11w ago
$588 $250K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Help median is $249K less than LiveAgent · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $588
Spread 100%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Medium
$11K/yr
year 1 license · $35/seat
Plus
$14K/yr
year 1 license · $45/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$250K/yr
Vendr · n=5 · limited data
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$588/yr
Vendr · n=137
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 15 sourced facts
10 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 12 sourced facts
8 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
4 documented
  • No Refunds on Annual Prepaid Plans
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Auto-Renewal Lock-In with Junk-Mail Renewal Notices
    5-10% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Slow Technical Support Causing Extended Downtime
    5-20% of license costs
    3 sources
  • VoIP and Call Center Feature Unreliability
    5-15% of license costs
    3 sources
4 documented
  • Forced Plan Upgrades with Steep Price Increases
    300-400% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Data Export Requires Developer Access — Effective Vendor Lock-In
    10-30% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Live Chat (Messenger) Restricted to Plus and Pro Plans
    $20/user/month
    1 source
  • AI Answers Add-On: Custom Pricing with No Published Rate
    $6,000-$7,500
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

LiveAgent
Help
Auto-renewal
Yes
—
Cancellation
—
—
Commitment
—
—
Price escalation
No published schedule; no source evidence of mid-contract price increases
Multiple users report significant price increases and plan restructuring without grandfathering existing rates. Loyalty discounts have been removed from long-term accounts. One user reports a 5x annual cost increase tied to a forced plan migration.
Can downgrade
No
—
Based on 5 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
2.3out of 5 (23)
Best for
Small teams managing basic help desk operations
Watch out
No refunds on annual plans, even for same-day agent removal requests
Trustpilot
2out of 5 (23)
Best for
Individuals or small teams just starting out
Watch out
Forced plan upgrades and significant price increases with no grandfathering for long-term customers
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit LiveAgent pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Help pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Help Desk/Support

LiveAgent

$15–$85
/agent/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Help Desk/Support

Help Scout

$0–$75
/user/month
5 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

LiveAgent and Help Scout both operate in the help desk/support category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan LiveAgent Help Scout
Small $19 /agent/month Free /month
Medium $35 /agent/month $25 /user/month
Large $59 /agent/month $45 /user/month
Enterprise $85 /agent/month $75 /user/month
AI Answers — Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

LiveAgent

4 scenarios
$45/month
Small Team Setup
$145/month
Growing Business
$690/month
Enterprise Support
See all 4 scenarios →

Help Scout

4 scenarios
$25/month
Starter Setup
$50/month
Growing Business
$65/month
Enterprise Setup
See all 4 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

LiveAgent

Median annual cost
$250,000
Based on
5 deals

Help Scout

Median annual cost
$588
Based on
137 deals

What Users Say

LiveAgent

Trustpilot
2.3out of 5 (23)
Top complaints
  • No refunds on annual plans, even for same-day agent removal requests
  • Support only via email with 2–4 day response times; no phone or live chat for technical issues
  • VoIP and call center features are unreliable — missed notifications, dropped calls, poor audio quality

Help Scout

Trustpilot
2out of 5 (23)
Top complaints
  • Forced plan upgrades and significant price increases with no grandfathering for long-term customers
  • No bulk data export — migrating away requires custom API scripting, creating effective vendor lock-in
  • Frequent product changes that break existing workflows, particularly the knowledge base editor

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

LiveAgent 4 hidden costs

high
No Refunds on Annual Prepaid Plans 5-15% of license costs
medium
Auto-Renewal Lock-In with Junk-Mail Renewal Notices 5-10% of license costs
high
Slow Technical Support Causing Extended Downtime 5-20% of license costs
medium
VoIP and Call Center Feature Unreliability 5-15% of license costs
See all LiveAgent hidden costs →

Help Scout 4 hidden costs

high
Forced Plan Upgrades with Steep Price Increases 300-400% of license costs
high
Data Export Requires Developer Access — Effective Vendor Lock-In 10-30% of license costs
medium
Live Chat (Messenger) Restricted to Plus and Pro Plans $20/user/month
medium
AI Answers Add-On: Custom Pricing with No Published Rate $6,000-$7,500
See all Help Scout hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term LiveAgent Help Scout
Auto-renewal Yes —
Cancellation — —
Minimum commitment — —
Price escalation No published schedule; no source evidence of mid-contract price increases Multiple users report significant price increases and plan restructuring without grandfathering existing rates. Loyalty discounts have been removed from long-term accounts. One user reports a 5x annual cost increase tied to a forced plan migration.
Can downgrade No —

Continue researching

LiveAgent

Help Scout

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