QuackbackHelp Scout alternative
Quackback vs Help Scout: an open-source Help Scout alternative
Help Scout charges for each user, and its AI Answers add a fee for each resolution. Quackback is an open-source Help Scout alternative with a shared inbox, tickets, a help center and Quackback AI, plus a status page and feedback boards. Seats are included in the plan, and the AI agent has no per-resolution fee.
Try Quackback free
- 14-day Pro trial, no card needed
- Keep using it free if you don't upgrade
- Open source. Self-host with Docker
- Inbox, help center and status page in one
Quackback and Help Scout, feature by feature
Prices, features and hosting side by side. A tick means it's included; a note says on which plan.
| Feature | Quackback | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | 1 seat, 1 board, 50 posts | 5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month |
| Paid plans | $29/mo, billed annually | $25, $45 or $75 per user a month (Standard, Plus, Pro), billed annually |
| Team of 5 | $29/mo on Pro (5 seats) | $125/mo on Standard, $225/mo on Plus |
| Team of 10 | $59/mo on Business (20 seats) | $250/mo on Standard, $450/mo on Plus |
| Team of 20 | $59/mo on Business (20 seats) | $500/mo on Standard, $900/mo on Plus |
| AI agent | Included from Pro, no per-resolution fee | $0.75 per resolution, with a monthly cap you set |
| Self-hosted | YesFree, with every feature | No |
| Inbox and channels | ||
| Live chat and emailIn one shared inbox | Yes | YesLive chat from Standard |
| GitHub issues as a channelIssues and comments arrive as conversations | Yes | No |
| SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger | No | YesStandard and up |
| Turn a conversation into feedbackCreate a post or add a vote for the customer, in one click | Yes | NoNeeds a separate feedback tool |
| SLA policies | YesA default SLA on every plan | Yes1 on Standard, more on higher plans |
| Saved replies | YesMacros, with actions | Yes10 on Free, more on paid plans |
| HIPAA | No | YesPro; paid add-on on a lower plan |
| Help center and AI | ||
| Help center | Yes | YesDocs, 1 site on Free |
| Ask AI in the help centerAnswers that cite your own articles | YesEvery plan | YesAI Answers, $0.75 per resolution |
| Copilot for your teamDrafts and improves replies in the inbox | YesEvery plan | YesAI Drafts, unlimited on Plus and up |
| Quackback AI usage | YesStandard AI usage on Pro, more on higher plans | Billed per resolution |
| Beyond support | ||
| Status pageIncidents, maintenance and subscriber emails | YesEvery plan | No |
| Feedback boards and voting | Yes | No |
| Public roadmap | Yes | No |
| Changelog | Yes | No |
| Single sign-on | YesOIDC, on Enterprise | YesSAML on Pro; paid add-on on Standard and Plus |
| Integrations | YesA smaller catalogue, Business and up | YesA larger catalogue; Salesforce and Jira on Plus |
| Hosting and data | ||
| Open sourceRead, audit and change the code | AGPL-3.0 | No |
| Self-hostingRun it on your own servers | YesDocker, with every feature | No |
| Where your data lives | Our cloud, or your own Postgres | Help Scout's cloud |
Help Scout details come from Help Scout's public website, checked 6 November 2026, and can change, so check their pricing page before you decide. Quackback prices are for Cloud, billed annually; self-hosting is free under AGPL-3.0.
Quackback vs Help Scout: the full picture
Help Scout is a calm, well-made help desk. A shared inbox feels like email, Docs gives you a help center, and Beacon puts both in your app. Its free plan covers 5 users, and Standard adds live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
The cost grows two ways. Every user is billed, and AI Answers add $0.75 for each conversation they resolve. Quackback charges one price per plan with seats included, and Quackback AI, the agent for customers and the Copilot for your team, comes with the plan, with no per-resolution fee.
Quackback also covers what Help Scout leaves to other tools: feedback boards, a public roadmap, a changelog and a status page. A conversation becomes a feedback post or a vote in one click. And it is open source under AGPL-3.0, so you can self-host every feature.
Be clear about the gaps. Quackback's channels are live chat, email and GitHub issues, with no SMS, WhatsApp or social. Help Scout's free plan has more seats, it offers HIPAA on Pro, and its integration catalogue is larger. Quackback has no importer for past Help Scout conversations.
Which one fits your team
Both are good tools. Here is where each one is the better choice.
Where Help Scout fits
Help Scout suits small and mid-sized support teams that want an email-first inbox, a polished help center and messaging channels, fully managed.
- A free plan for up to 5 users
- SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on Standard
- HIPAA on Pro, or as an add-on on a lower plan
- A long track record and a larger integration catalogue
Where Quackback fits
Quackback suits teams that support customers over chat and email and want feedback, a help center and a status page in the same product, at a price that doesn't grow with every AI answer.
- Quackback AI included from Pro, with no per-resolution fee
- Seats included: 5 on Pro, 20 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise
- Feedback boards, roadmap, changelog and status page built in
- Open source under AGPL-3.0, with every feature when you self-host
Further reading: Quackback vs Intercom · Quackback vs Zendesk · The Quackback inbox · All comparisons
See Quackback for yourself
A working demo of Quackback with sample data. Click around: open a conversation, reply, switch pages.
One inbox, with AI beside you
Live chat, email and GitHub issues land in one inbox. Quackback AI answers first and hands over to your team, Copilot drafts your replies, and one click turns a request into a feedback post.
Explore the inboxA help center that answers
Write articles once. Customers search them in the portal and the widget, and Ask AI answers their question with citations from your own articles.
Explore the help centerHow can we help?
Search the guides or browse by topic.
Popular articles
Switching from Help Scout
There is no Help Scout importer, so you move one channel at a time and keep Help Scout open until its last conversations close.
Move your email
Forward your support address to the inbound address Quackback gives you. When you self-host, connect the mailbox over IMAP instead.
Swap Beacon for the widget
Replace the Beacon snippet with the Quackback widget and identify signed-in users from your app.
Recreate saved replies
Rebuild your saved replies as macros, with variables and actions such as assign, tag and close.
Add your articles
Add your Docs articles in Quackback's editor, so customers and Quackback AI can use them.
Redirect old article links
Point your help-center domain at Quackback and add redirect rules, so links to moved articles still land on the right page.
Past conversations stay in Help Scout. Quackback has no help-desk importer, so export what you need to keep before you close the account.
Common questions
Is Quackback a good Help Scout alternative?
For teams that support customers over live chat and email, yes. Quackback has a shared inbox, tickets, SLAs, macros, a help center and an AI agent, plus feedback boards, a roadmap, a changelog and a status page. If you rely on SMS, WhatsApp or social channels, or need HIPAA, Help Scout covers those today.
How much does Help Scout cost compared with Quackback?
Help Scout is free for 5 users, then $25, $45 or $75 per user a month on Standard, Plus and Pro, billed annually. AI Answers add $0.75 per resolution. Quackback's paid plans start at $29/mo, billed annually, with 5 seats on Pro and 20 on Business, and Quackback AI comes with the plan. A team of 10 pays $59/mo on Quackback Business, against $250/mo on Help Scout Standard before any AI resolutions.
Does Quackback charge per AI resolution?
No. Quackback AI usage is included in every plan, from Basic AI usage on Free to 20x Standard AI usage on Enterprise. The AI agent that answers customers starts on Pro, Copilot works on every plan, and usage resets each month.
Can I import my Help Scout conversations and Docs?
No. Quackback has no help-desk importer, so past conversations stay in Help Scout, and Docs articles are added in Quackback's editor. Forward your support email, swap Beacon for the Quackback widget, rebuild saved replies as macros and set redirect rules for old article links.
What does Help Scout do that Quackback doesn't?
Help Scout has SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger channels, HIPAA on Pro (an add-on on lower plans), a free plan for 5 users and a larger integration catalogue. Quackback's free plan has 1 seat, and its channels are live chat, email and GitHub issues.
Have another question? Talk to the team.