Help Scout vs PromptLab: which should you use for a shared inbox in 2026?
Help Scout is a support help desk with live chat and a knowledge base; PromptLab is a sales CRM with an inbox built in. Price, channels and AI compared.
Published 20 October 2026. Prices and features from each vendor's own pages.
The short answer
Help ScoutPaid from $25/seatChoose it if you run customer support and want live chat, a knowledge base and AI Answers.
PromptLabIn the CRM from $11.99/seatChoose it if you want your sales emails, WhatsApp and Telegram threads on the contact and deal they belong to.
Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk for customer support teams, with live chat, a knowledge base and AI features. PromptLab is a CRM for B2B teams that sell products, with a shared inbox built in. They are built for different work, so the choice is a support tool beside your CRM, or a sales inbox inside the CRM.
Below, we look at price, how mailboxes and channels connect, notes and AI, and what each does for support and for sales. We make PromptLab, so every figure comes from Help Scout's own pricing and product pages and PromptLab's pricing page, and we say where Help Scout is stronger. Prices are per user a month, Help Scout billed annually and PromptLab billed monthly, unless we say otherwise.
Help Scout vs PromptLab at a glance
| Checked on 20 October 2026 | Help Scout | PromptLab |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | 5 users, 1 inbox | |
| Paid plans, a month | $25 – $75per seat | $11.99 – $99per seat |
| Free trial | 15 days | 14 days |
| Billing | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
| Shared inbox | ||
| Gmail and Outlook accounts | Via forwarding | |
| Assign conversations | ||
| Internal comments | ||
| WhatsApp in the same inbox | ||
| AI reply drafts | From$45/month | |
| CRM integrations | From$45/month | Built in |
Pricing: $25 to $75 against $11.99 to $99
Help Scout has a Free plan with 5 users, 1 inbox and 100 contacts a month. Standard is $25 a user a month, Plus is $45 and Pro is $75 when billed annually; Standard is $30 billed monthly. A trial of Standard or Plus lasts 15 days with no credit card. AI Answers is billed at $0.75 a resolution.
PromptLab is $11.99 for Basic, $23.99 for Professional and $99 for Business, billed monthly, with a 14-day free trial on Basic and Professional. It has no free plan. Help Scout's price is the support tool alone; PromptLab's is the whole sales CRM. A team that also pays for a CRM pays for both.
Forwarded mail against connected mailboxes
Help Scout connects Gmail and Microsoft 365 mailboxes by auto-forwarding or a redirect rule to a Help Scout inbox, and the team should then stop replying in Gmail. WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger are listed among Standard's core features, and WhatsApp needs a WhatsApp Business Platform account.
PromptLab's inbox connects Gmail, Outlook, Exchange and other IMAP mailboxes, next to WhatsApp and Telegram, on Basic. SMS joins on Professional with a number. Each thread is linked to its contact and deal, which is a sales view rather than a support view.
Notes, inboxes and AI drafts
Help Scout lets teammates ping a user or team with an @mention in a note, without assigning the conversation. Standard includes 2 inboxes and Plus 5; extra inboxes cost $10 a month each when paid annually. AI Drafts, which writes replies from past conversations and help content, is unlimited on Plus and Pro.
PromptLab has assignment and internal notes on a thread. It has no AI reply drafts, SLAs, help-desk features or live chat.
Where Help Scout is stronger
For customer support, Help Scout is the stronger tool. Standard lists live chat and SMS, multiple knowledge bases and an AI inbox assistant. AI Answers is an AI agent that resolves customer questions. There is a free plan to start on.
It also connects Salesforce, HubSpot and Jira on Plus; Standard is limited to one integration. PromptLab is not a support desk, and a team answering tickets at volume should use a tool like Help Scout.
Which should you choose?
Choose Help Scout if…
- You run customer support and want live chat, a knowledge base and AI Answers.
- You want a free plan for up to 5 users and 1 inbox to start with.
- You want AI Drafts to write replies from past conversations, on Plus.
Choose PromptLab if…
- You want your sales emails, WhatsApp and Telegram threads on the contact and deal they belong to.
- You want the inbox, quotes and orders in one CRM, priced per user.
- You want Gmail, Outlook, Exchange or IMAP mailboxes beside WhatsApp and Telegram in one inbox.
Frequently asked questions
Is PromptLab a Help Scout alternative?
Not for support. PromptLab has no help-desk features, SLAs, live chat or AI reply drafts. It is an alternative only if your shared inbox is for sales conversations tied to deals.
Is Help Scout cheaper than PromptLab?
For a small support team, it can be: Help Scout has a free plan for 5 users, 1 inbox and 100 contacts a month, then Standard at $25 a user a month billed annually. PromptLab starts at $11.99 billed monthly with no free plan, and that price includes the CRM.
Can PromptLab replace Help Scout?
For a sales team, its inbox can replace a shared mailbox. For a support team, no: PromptLab has no live chat or help-desk features, and Help Scout adds knowledge bases and AI Answers.
Does Help Scout work with a CRM?
Yes. Salesforce, HubSpot and Jira integrations are listed on Plus at $45; Standard is limited to one integration.
Is there a CRM with a shared inbox built in?
Yes. PromptLab connects Gmail, Outlook and IMAP mailboxes alongside WhatsApp and Telegram, with assignment and internal notes, on every plan from $11.99 a user a month with a 14-day free trial.
Sources
- Help Scout, checked on 20 October 2026: Help Scout pricing, Help Scout shared inbox, Help Scout WhatsApp docs, Help Scout AI Drafts docs, Help Scout Gmail forwarding docs, Help Scout @mentions docs
- PromptLab, checked on 20 October 2026: PromptLab pricing
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