Help Scout earned its reputation on a clean shared inbox and a fair price. In 2026 the price is per user again, and the AI is metered per resolution. For a small team, those two facts decide more than the feature list does.
The numbers, side by side
Worked example: three Standard users and 300 AI resolutions in a month is about $300. Retily Pro is $79 for three seats with 9,000 AI answers included.
Where the models differ
The AI meter. Help Scout's AI Answers cost $0.75 per resolution on top of the seats, with a spending cap you set. Retily includes AI credits in the plan, and nothing is charged per resolution.
The entry price. Help Scout's free plan stops at 100 contacts a month and excludes live chat, the API and the AI. Retily has no free plan: Starter is $9 a month with live chat, the API and 500 AI answers, and the first month is $1.
Languages. Help Scout translates agent replies only on Pro and only in chat. Retily lets your team read and write in their own language on tickets and chat, on every plan, with the translation previewed before it goes out.
Where Help Scout is the better pick
If you need WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS channels, phone support through Aircall, native iOS and Android apps, Workflows on inbound email, SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA paperwork, Help Scout has them today and Retily does not. Choose on what you will actually use.
Try the alternative before you decide
Retily builds an AI agent from your website, usually in about a minute, before you sign up: see it answer from your own site. Then start for $1, and move to Pro, with three seats, when your team joins.
Prices checked on each vendor's public pricing page on the date above. If you find one that has changed, tell us and we will fix it.