Zendesk → Help Scout
Switching Zendesk to Help Scout for 15 agents: Zendesk Suite Team is $9,900 a year, Help Scout Standard is $4,500 (−$5,400), and our self-scored effort is 6–13 days (14/25). Checked 2026-11-10.
COST BY SEATS · ANNUAL BILLING
| Seats | Zendesk Suite Team | Help Scout cheapest fit | Difference / yr | Effort (days, range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 seats | $3,300 | Standard · $1,500 | −$1,800 | 6–13 days |
| 15 seats | $9,900 | Standard · $4,500 | −$5,400 | 6–13 days |
| 50 seats | $33,000 | Standard · $15,000 | −$18,000 | 9–20 days |
Sources: Zendesk pricing and Help Scout pricing, checked 2026-11-10. The cheapest Help Scout plan may lack features your current plan has. Change the plan in the estimator.
Migration check
| Question | What the vendor documents | Official doc |
|---|---|---|
| Can I export from Zendesk? | Zendesk help: exporting ticket, user, or organization data | |
| Can I import into Help Scout? | Help Scout's built-in Import2 tool imports your ticket history and the customer profiles attached to those tickets from Zendesk. | Help Scout docs: move from Zendesk to Help Scout |
| Knowledge base | The built-in tool does not include knowledge-base articles. Help Scout asks you to contact them first so they can switch you to an older tool that imports Docs articles; do not start Import2 first or you may get duplicates. | — |
| Not moved | Macros and triggers are not imported; Zendesk custom fields can only be mapped to custom fields you create in Help Scout first. | — |
More from the vendors: Help Scout docs: import emails or tickets
Steps (hand-written from the docs above)
- Create every user and inbox in Help Scout first; mapping fails without them.
- If you have a Zendesk help center, message Help Scout before importing anything.
- Tag Zendesk tickets (for example "imported") so you can find them afterwards.
- Run the sample import, review it, then switch email forwarding and forms to the new inbox.
- Recreate macros as saved replies and triggers as workflows; export what you want to keep from Zendesk.
Effort score
| Factor | Score (1 easy, 5 hard) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Export | 3 / 5 | Based on the export documentation linked above. |
| Import | 3 / 5 | Based on the destination vendor's import documentation linked above (first-party tool vs scripting, what is not imported). |
| Permissions | 3 / 5 | Users, roles and groups usually need to be created and mapped by hand before data can land. |
| Integrations | 3 / 5 | Email forwarding, forms, plugins and API keys all have to be re-pointed; default score unless the vendors document a connector. |
| Training | 2 / 5 | Similar concepts with new menus. |
Total 14 / 25 → 6–13 days for up to 15 seats (×1.5 for 16–50, ×2 above). This is our judgment from public docs, not a measured project. Rubric.
Other moves from Zendesk
Sponsored station: none yet. We do not sell any product that competes with Zendesk or Help Scout.