Help Scout bills spike with contact volume. Tawk.to is free but stamps their brand on your widget. SupportWire keeps it simple: one price, your brand, AI included.
Feature comparison
22 features.
7 categories.
No hiding.
Every feature that matters for customer support, compared honestly across 3 platforms.
| Feature | HelpScout | Tawk.to | SupportWire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||
| Starting Price | Free / $25 / $75 / Custom | Free core | Simple per-seat pricing |
| Pricing Model | Contact-based, unpredictable | Free + paid add-ons | Transparent per-seat |
| Per-Resolution AI Fees | $0.75 per AI resolution | $29-$399/mo add-on | Included in every plan |
| Channels | |||
| Live Chat | Beacon widget, reactive | Free live chat | Real-time with proactive triggers |
| Phone Support | Not available (14+ years) | Not available | All plans |
| Ticketing | Shared inbox | Basic ticketing | Full ticketing with SLAs |
| Knowledge Base | Public only, broken editor | Hosted on their subdomain | Public and internal |
| AI | |||
| AI Chatbot | $0.75/resolution add-on | Basic add-on | AI-native, included |
| AI Learning | Public articles only | Not autonomous | Learns from conversations |
| 24/7 Automation | Keyword-matching only | Stops when agents offline | Works 24/7 autonomously |
| Platform | |||
| Setup Time | Hours to days | Minutes (basic chat) | Hours, not weeks |
| Design Quality | Clean, simple | Recently refreshed, still dated | Modern, minimal |
| Widget Performance | Light Beacon widget | ~700KB payload | Performance-optimized |
| White-Label Branding | Limited customization | $19/mo to remove branding | Your brand only |
| Cancellation | Straightforward | Post-cancellation charges reported | One-click, any time |
| Data & Security | |||
| Data Export | CSV export available | Limited export | Full data portability |
| SOC 2 Compliance | SOC 2 certified | No SOC 2, no HIPAA | |
| Analytics | |||
| Reporting | Basic dashboards | Basic reports | Full analytics |
| SLA Management | No SLA tracking | Not available | Built-in SLA tracking |
| CSAT Surveys | Satisfaction ratings | Not available | Built-in |
| Integrations | |||
| Native Integrations | 100+ apps | Limited native + Zapier | Growing ecosystem |
| Open API | REST API | Limited API | Full REST API |
Pricing
Starting Price
HelpScout
Free / $25 / $75 / Custom
Tawk.to
Free core
SupportWire
Simple per-seat pricing
Pricing Model
HelpScout
Contact-based, unpredictable
Tawk.to
Free + paid add-ons
SupportWire
Transparent per-seat
Per-Resolution AI Fees
HelpScout
$0.75 per AI resolution
Tawk.to
$29-$399/mo add-on
SupportWire
Included in every plan
Channels
Live Chat
HelpScout
Beacon widget, reactive
Tawk.to
Free live chat
SupportWire
Real-time with proactive triggers
Phone Support
HelpScout
Not available (14+ years)
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
All plans
Ticketing
HelpScout
Shared inbox
Tawk.to
Basic ticketing
SupportWire
Full ticketing with SLAs
Knowledge Base
HelpScout
Public only, broken editor
Tawk.to
Hosted on their subdomain
SupportWire
Public and internal
AI
AI Chatbot
HelpScout
$0.75/resolution add-on
Tawk.to
Basic add-on
SupportWire
AI-native, included
AI Learning
HelpScout
Public articles only
Tawk.to
Not autonomous
SupportWire
Learns from conversations
24/7 Automation
HelpScout
Keyword-matching only
Tawk.to
Stops when agents offline
SupportWire
Works 24/7 autonomously
Platform
Setup Time
HelpScout
Hours to days
Tawk.to
Minutes (basic chat)
SupportWire
Hours, not weeks
Design Quality
HelpScout
Clean, simple
Tawk.to
Recently refreshed, still dated
SupportWire
Modern, minimal
Widget Performance
HelpScout
Light Beacon widget
Tawk.to
~700KB payload
SupportWire
Performance-optimized
White-Label Branding
HelpScout
Limited customization
Tawk.to
$19/mo to remove branding
SupportWire
Your brand only
Cancellation
HelpScout
Straightforward
Tawk.to
Post-cancellation charges reported
SupportWire
One-click, any time
Data & Security
Data Export
HelpScout
CSV export available
Tawk.to
Limited export
SupportWire
Full data portability
SOC 2 Compliance
Analytics
Reporting
HelpScout
Basic dashboards
Tawk.to
Basic reports
SupportWire
Full analytics
SLA Management
HelpScout
No SLA tracking
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
Built-in SLA tracking
CSAT Surveys
HelpScout
Satisfaction ratings
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
Built-in
Integrations
Native Integrations
HelpScout
100+ apps
Tawk.to
Limited native + Zapier
SupportWire
Growing ecosystem
Open API
HelpScout
REST API
Tawk.to
Limited API
SupportWire
Full REST API
Go deeper
Read the full story.
Feature tables only tell half of it. Each deep-dive walks through pricing traps, real Trustpilot quotes, and where the product breaks down for growing teams.
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