Bouts / Help Scout vs Jira Service Management
Help Scout vs Jira Service Management
Red cornerHelp Scout
$25 per user a month, billed annually
Blue cornerJira Service Management
$750 a year for up to 3 agents on Standard (about $20.83 per agent a month), or $25 per agent a month billed monthly
Help Scout: Help Scout switched to billing by contacts helped in late 2024 and now sells per-user plans again; accounts already on contact-based plans are billed under separate terms.
Jira Service Management: Jira Service Management is now sold only inside Atlassian's Service Collection, bundled with Customer Service Management, Assets and Rovo; the apps cannot be bought separately.
A draw at 10 agents, 2–2. Help Scout takes the bill and user verdict; Jira Service Management takes AI and security; 2 rounds are even.
The judges' card
| Round | Help Scout | What happened | Jira Service Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1The bill | W | At 10 agents with AI on: Help Scout $625, Jira Service Management $979 a month. Help Scout is 36% cheaper and takes the round. | |
| Round 2Price tags | = | Both offer AI prices in public, but with a minimum, annual-only terms or vague limits. Even. | = |
| Round 3AI | Jira Service Management offers an AI agent that also takes actions in other systems; Help Scout offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Jira Service Management takes the round. | W | |
| Round 4Desk basics | = | Both offer all that plus phone and messaging apps. Even. | = |
| Round 5Security | Jira Service Management offers SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, plus EU hosting, a HIPAA BAA or a no-training promise; Help Scout offers one audit report (SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001). Jira Service Management takes the round. | W | |
| Round 6User verdict | W | On G2: Help Scout 4.4 from 431 reviews, Jira Service Management 4.3 from 986 reviews. Help Scout takes the round. | |
| Rounds won | 2 | Draw, 2 even | 2 |
Does team size change it?
Only the bill round depends on team size. Here is the full result in each weight class.
Small team
- Help Scout
- $188
- Jira Service Management
- $294
3 agents, 750 conversations a month. Draw, 2–2.
Mid-size team
- Help Scout
- $625
- Jira Service Management
- $979
10 agents, 2,500 conversations a month. Draw, 2–2.
Large team
- Help Scout
- $1,563
- Jira Service Management
- $2,448
25 agents, 6,250 conversations a month. Draw, 2–2.
Monthly bills from USD list prices, annual billing where offered, with the AI agent resolving 20% of conversations and agent assist for every agent. Plans: Help Scout Standard; Jira Service Management Service Collection Premium.
Tale of the tape
| Help Scout | Made by | Atlassian |
|---|---|---|
| per agent | Pricing | per agent |
| $25 per user a month, billed annually | Paid plans from | $750 a year for up to 3 agents on Standard (about $20.83 per agent a month), or $25 per agent a month billed monthly |
| Standard | Plan we priced | Service Collection Premium |
| $188 | 3 agents, AI on | $294 |
| $625 | 10 agents, AI on | $979 |
| $1,563 | 25 agents, AI on | $2,448 |
| $0.75 per resolution | AI agent price | $1.00 per AI agent resolution, no included allowance; free until December 3, 2026; 1,000 assisted conversations a month included on Premium and Enterprise, then from $0.30 each |
| Email, Live chat, WhatsApp, Social, SMS | Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp |
| Up to 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site and 100 contacts a month | Free plan | Up to 3 agents with 2GB storage |
| 15 days | Free trial | 14 days, extendable to 30 |
| Yes | Monthly billing | Yes |
| SOC 2 Type II | Audit reports | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018 |
| Hosted on AWS in the USA; no EU hosting is published | Data hosting | Pin data to the US, EU, Germany, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Singapore or South Korea, from Standard |
| 4.4 (431) | G2 rating | 4.3 (986) |
| 4.6 (226) | Capterra rating | 4.5 (779) |
Questions
Which is better, Help Scout or Jira Service Management?
A draw at 10 agents, 2–2. Help Scout takes the bill and user verdict; Jira Service Management takes AI and security; 2 rounds are even.
Is Help Scout cheaper than Jira Service Management?
At 10 agents with the AI agent and agent assist on, Help Scout comes to $625 a month and Jira Service Management to $979, from list prices. Help Scout takes the bill round.
Which has the better AI, Help Scout or Jira Service Management?
Jira Service Management offers an AI agent that also takes actions in other systems; Help Scout offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Jira Service Management takes the round.
Other bouts
Sources
Help Scout
Jira Service Management
- Service Collection pricing
- Service Collection licensing FAQ
- Get started with live chat
- Get started with voice support
- About AI agent resolutions
- Get instant AI help while working in Customer Service Management
- How Rovo credits work
- Jira Service Management reviews
- Jira Service Management reviews
- Jira Service Management reviews