Help Scout and LiveChat both offer AI customer support platforms designed to deflect support tickets, but they differ significantly in features and pricing. Help Scout charges $765 per 1,000 tickets or chats and offers three usage tiers: Standard, Plus, and Pro, all with no usage limits. However, Help Scout does not provide human handover, analytics/insights, or an AI email assistant. It does include email lead capture as part of its feature set.
In contrast, LiveChat is priced at $52 per 1,000 tickets or chats and also operates with no usage limits. LiveChat supports human handover and provides analytics/insights, which can be crucial for optimizing customer support strategies. Like Help Scout, it does not offer an AI email assistant but does include email lead capture. These differences highlight LiveChat's broader set of features and significantly lower cost compared to Help Scout, positioning it as a more feature-rich and cost-effective option for AI-driven customer support.
| Feature | Help Scout | LiveChat | + My AskAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offers AI Customer Support Features? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offers AI Features for Support Agents? | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Price Per 1,000 tickets/chats | $765 | $52 | $99 |
| Usage Tiers | Standard - no usage limit Plus - no usage limit Pro - no usage limit | No usage limit | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| AI Email Assistant | No | No | Yes |
| Email Lead Capture | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing Page | Help Scout pricing page | LiveChat 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 | Starter - 1 agent Team - unlimited agents Business - unlimited agents Enterprise - based on contract | Essentials - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Pro - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Enterprise - Unlimited |
| Hosted Help Centre | Yes | Yes | No |
| Chatbot Flow Builder | No | Yes | No |
| Integrations (Content/Knowledge) | Not provided | Knowledge base Product pages Terms of service FAQs | 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.livechat.com/marketplace/apps | 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 | No | No |
| Support | Support levels are consistent across plans, with all customers receiving timely and effective assistance. | Starter - Help Center, 24/7/365 Support Team - Help Center, 24/7/365 Support Business - Help Center, 24/7/365 Support Enterprise - Help Center, 24/7/365 Support | 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 | Not provided | Essentials - GPT-4o Pro - GPT-4o Enterprise - GPT-4o/Claude/Gemini |
| API Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
This analysis focuses on the AI customer support features of Help Scout, LiveChat, and My AskAI. The goal is to compare their capabilities, pricing, and overall offerings aimed at deflecting support tickets.
Help Scout does not currently offer AI customer support features, whereas LiveChat and My AskAI both do. This makes Help Scout less competitive in the realm of automated customer support solutions.
Similarly, Help Scout lacks AI features designed to assist support agents. LiveChat and My AskAI both provide these features, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of human agents.
The AI pricing per 1,000 tickets/chats varies significantly among the platforms. Help Scout charges $765, making it the most expensive. LiveChat offers a more affordable rate at $52, while My AskAI is priced at $99, striking a balance between cost and functionality.
Help Scout offers three plans with no usage limits: Standard, Plus, and Pro. LiveChat also has no usage limits. In contrast, My AskAI provides tiered plans: Essentials (200 conversations/month), Pro (1,000 conversations/month), and Enterprise (unlimited conversations). Additional usage is billed at $0.10 per conversation beyond the limits.
Both LiveChat and My AskAI support human handover, allowing for seamless transitions from AI to human agents. Help Scout does not offer this feature, which could limit the effectiveness of its customer support.
LiveChat and My AskAI provide conversation analytics and insights, aiding in performance tracking and optimization. Help Scout does not offer these analytical features.
My AskAI stands out by offering an AI email assistant, a feature not available in either Help Scout or LiveChat. This can significantly reduce the workload on human agents by automating email responses.
All three platforms—Help Scout, LiveChat, and My AskAI—offer email lead capture capabilities, ensuring that potential customer inquiries are efficiently gathered and managed.
Help Scout and LiveChat do not specify content limits. My AskAI, however, offers unlimited webpages and documents across all its plans, with automatic updates, providing extensive flexibility.
LiveChat offers different numbers of agents based on the plan, ranging from one agent in the Starter plan to unlimited agents in higher-tier plans. My AskAI provides one chatbot with two modes (public and private) in Essentials and Pro plans, and unlimited chatbots in the Enterprise plan. Help Scout does not provide specific information on the number of chatbots or agents.
Both Help Scout and LiveChat offer a hosted help center, whereas My AskAI does not. This could be a consideration for companies looking for an all-in-one hosted solution.
LiveChat includes a chatbot flow builder, enhancing the customization of chatbot interactions. Help Scout and My AskAI do not offer this feature.
LiveChat integrates with knowledge bases, product pages, terms of service, and FAQs. My AskAI offers a broader range of integrations, including websites, various file types, and platforms like Google Drive, Notion, Confluence, and more. Help Scout does not provide specific information on content or knowledge integrations.
Help Scout integrates with platforms like Shopify, Weebly, Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow. LiveChat has a marketplace for various apps. My AskAI offers extensive end-user integrations, including websites, Zendesk, Intercom, HubSpot, Slack, Teams, and many more, providing versatility and ease of use.
All three platforms are GDPR compliant. Help Scout is also SOC-2 compliant, whereas LiveChat and My AskAI are not. Regarding support, Help Scout offers consistent support across all plans. LiveChat provides 24/7/365 support across all its tiers. My AskAI offers tiered support, with higher levels receiving priority web, email, video support, and access to a success manager.
Help Scout uses OpenAI's API service for its AI models. LiveChat does not provide specific information on the AI models it uses. My AskAI offers GPT-4o across its Essentials and Pro plans and provides options for GPT-4o, Claude, and Gemini in its Enterprise plan. All three platforms provide API access.
In summary, while Help Scout offers robust traditional customer support features, it lacks AI capabilities, making it less competitive compared to LiveChat and My AskAI. LiveChat provides comprehensive AI features and integrations but at a lower cost. My AskAI offers a balanced approach with competitive pricing, extensive integrations, and unique features like an AI email assistant, making it a strong contender in the AI customer support market.
