AI customer support agent features & capabilities compared: Help Scout vs. Drift
Help Scout and Drift are both AI customer support platforms designed to assist businesses in managing and deflecting support tickets. Help Scout offers a clear pricing structure at $765 per 1,000 tickets or chats, with three usage tiers (Standard, Plus, and Pro), all of which come with no usage limits. Help Scout includes an email lead capture feature but lacks human handover capabilities, analytics or insights, and an AI email assistant.
Drift, on the other hand, does not provide a specific price per 1,000 tickets or chats, instead offering pricing on a per-organization basis (POA). Drift includes human handover functionality, allowing for seamless transitions between AI and human agents, which Help Scout does not offer. Similar to Help Scout, Drift includes an email lead capture feature but does not provide analytics/insights or an AI email assistant.
Overall, both platforms share the common feature of email lead capture but differ in their approach to human handover and pricing transparency.
Full breakdown: All available features and pricing
| Feature | Help Scout | Drift | + My AskAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offers AI Customer Support Features? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offers AI Features for Support Agents? | No | No | Yes |
| AI Price Per 1,000 tickets/chats | $765 | POA | $99 |
| Usage Tiers | Standard - no usage limit Plus - no usage limit Pro - no usage limit |
Not provided | Essentials - 200 conversations/mo Pro - 1,000 conversations/mo Enterprise - Unlimited $0.10 per conversation beyond limits |
| Human Handover | No | Yes | Yes |
| Conversation Analytics/Insights | No | No | Yes |
| AI Email Assistant | No | No | Yes |
| Email Lead Capture | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing Page | Help Scout pricing page | Drift pricing page | My AskAI pricing page |
| Content Limits | Standard - no content limit Plus - no content limit Pro - no content limit |
Not provided | Essentials - Unlimited webpages & documents Pro - Unlimited webpages & documents Enterprise - Unlimited webpages & documents Updated automatically |
| Number of Chatbots/Agents | Not provided | Not provided | Essentials - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Pro - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Enterprise - Unlimited |
| Hosted Help Centre | Yes | No | No |
| Chatbot Flow Builder | No | Yes | No |
| Integrations (Content/Knowledge) | Not provided | FAQs Customer Interactions Product and Service Information Feedback Loops |
Websites Files (PDF, Docx, txt, CSV, pptx, mp3, mp4 (audio), xlsx) Google Drive Notion Confluence SharePoint Gitbook OneDrive Dropbox Zendesk Intercom Salesforce |
| Integrations (End Users) | Shopify Weebly Squarespace Wix Webflow |
https://www.drift.com/platform/integrations/ | Website Zendesk (app) Intercom (app) HubSpot (app) Slack (app) Teams (app) Zapier Tidio LiveChat Crisp SalesIQ (Zoho) Tawk Freshchat WhatsApp (via Intercom/Zendesk) Instagram (via Intercom/Zendesk) Messenger (via Intercom/Zendesk) X/Twitter (via Intercom/Zendesk) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SOC-2 Compliant | Yes | Yes | No |
| Support | Support levels are consistent across plans, with all customers receiving timely and effective assistance. | Premium - 12/5 customer support, Dedicated Customer Success Manager, Recurring Meetings, Strategy Sessions, Executive Business Reviews, Sales User Training, Access To Technical Support & Live Chat, and Access To On-Demand Resources Advanced - 24/7 customer support, Dedicated Customer Success Manager, Recurring Meetings, Strategy Sessions, Executive Business Reviews, Sales User Training, Access To Technical Support & Live Chat, and Access To On-Demand Resources Enterprise - 24/7 customer support, Dedicated Customer Success Manager, Recurring Meetings, Strategy Sessions, Executive Business Reviews, Sales User Training, Access To Technical Support & Live Chat, and Access To On-Demand Resources |
Essentials - Web, email Pro - Priority web, email, video Enterprise - Slack, Success manager |
| AI Models Available | AI Assist and AI Answers are powered by OpenAI's API service | Fine-tuned OpenAI |
Essentials - GPT-4o Pro - GPT-4o Enterprise - GPT-4o/Claude/Gemini |
| API Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Help Scout
Help Scout is primarily a customer support platform offering various features, but it does not provide AI customer support capabilities. It focuses on traditional support mechanisms such as email lead capture and hosted help centers. Help Scout does not offer AI features for support agents, human handover, or conversation analytics/insights, which limits its capacity to deflect support tickets through AI.
In terms of pricing, Help Scout operates on a tiered structure with no usage limits across its Standard, Plus, and Pro plans. However, it lacks a dedicated AI pricing model since it does not offer AI functionalities. Help Scout integrates with various website builders like Shopify, Weebly, and Squarespace, and is GDPR and SOC-2 compliant.
Drift
Drift is an AI-powered customer support platform that includes features such as human handover and a chatbot flow builder. Drift leverages AI to enhance customer interactions but does not offer specific AI features for support agents. Pricing for Drift's AI capabilities is not publicly available and is provided on a per-quote basis.
Drift's usage tiers are not explicitly detailed, and it lacks conversation analytics/insights and an AI email assistant. The platform supports email lead capture and integrates with various content and knowledge sources like FAQs and customer interactions. Drift also offers a range of end-user integrations, including popular platforms like Slack and Teams. Drift is both GDPR and SOC-2 compliant, and provides extensive support options depending on the plan.
My AskAI
My AskAI stands out by offering comprehensive AI customer support features that can be integrated within platforms like Help Scout and Drift. It provides AI features for support agents, human handover, conversation analytics/insights, and an AI email assistant, enhancing its ability to deflect support tickets effectively.
Pricing for My AskAI is competitive, starting at $99 per 1,000 tickets/chats, with usage tiers that range from Essentials to Enterprise, offering flexibility and scalability. Each tier includes unlimited webpages and document content limits, which are updated automatically. My AskAI supports a wide range of integrations, including websites, various file types, and popular platforms like Google Drive, Notion, and Salesforce.
My AskAI's AI models are powered by advanced technologies such as GPT-4o, Claude, and Gemini, providing robust AI capabilities. While it is GDPR compliant, it does not hold SOC-2 compliance. Support levels vary from web and email support in the Essentials plan to priority support and a dedicated success manager in the Enterprise plan.
Conclusion
In summary, Help Scout lacks AI customer support features, focusing on traditional support methods. Drift offers AI-powered customer support but does not provide AI features for support agents or detailed usage tiers. My AskAI, however, provides a comprehensive suite of AI features, competitive pricing, and extensive integrations, making it a robust choice for enhancing customer support through AI.
Compare Help Scout with other AI support agents
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