Help Scout vs Drag

Help Scout9.1Visit Drag8.9Visit

Higher score Help Scout #3 in Shared Inbox Software 9.1/10 Free plan · 15-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Help Scout

vs

Drag #5 in Shared Inbox Software 8.9/10 7-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Drag

• Help Scout fits best

  Support teams wanting a free-to-paid help desk

• Drag fits best

  Gmail teams needing board-based workflows

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Side by side

Feature	Help Scout 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Drag 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.9
Ranking	#3 in Shared Inbox Software	#5 in Shared Inbox Software
Best for	Support teams wanting a free-to-paid help desk	Gmail teams needing board-based workflows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$25/user/mo	$12/user/mo (best)
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	15 days	7 days
Free trial length	15 days · no card needed	7 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome extension
Integrations	100+ integrations	6 integrations
Features Help Scout 0/4 · Drag 4/4
Internal comments	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Collision detection	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Assignment automation	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Shared mailboxes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mail platforms	Not checked yet	Gmail
Our review
Pros	Free plan supports 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site Shared inboxes include internal notes and collision detection Paid tiers add SLAs, workflows, portals, APIs, and AI features	Kanban, list, and preview views organize shared Gmail conversations. Assignments, collision detection, and routing support team collaboration. Varley, Drag's AI, tags, summarises and drafts replies, included from the $18 Plus plan.
Cons	Multiple Inboxes and live chat start on the Standard plan Advanced routing, portals, and key integrations require Plus Pro trial access is handled through sales	The workflow is centered on Gmail rather than multiple mail platforms. The $12-per-user monthly starting price requires annual billing. WhatsApp, Varley Agents, API and MCP access, and round-robin assignment require the Pro plan.
Our verdict	Help Scout is a cloud customer support platform for growing businesses and customer-facing teams. It brings shared inboxes, knowledge bases, customer portals, service-level agreements, workflows, reporting, integrations, mobile apps, and… Read the review →	Drag turns Gmail into a shared workspace for customer email and team workflows. Teams can organize conversations in Kanban, list, or preview board views, assign work, add private notes, collaborate on drafts, and detect duplicate replies.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Help Scout — where it wins

  • Free plan supports 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site
  • Shared inboxes include internal notes and collision detection
  • Paid tiers add SLAs, workflows, portals, APIs, and AI features

  Where it doesn't

  • Multiple Inboxes and live chat start on the Standard plan
  • Advanced routing, portals, and key integrations require Plus
  • Pro trial access is handled through sales

• Drag — where it wins

  • Kanban, list, and preview views organize shared Gmail conversations.
  • Assignments, collision detection, and routing support team collaboration.
  • Varley, Drag's AI, tags, summarises and drafts replies, included from the $18 Plus plan.
  • Starter includes web, desktop, and mobile apps plus 10 automation rules.

  Where it doesn't

  • The workflow is centered on Gmail rather than multiple mail platforms.
  • The $12-per-user monthly starting price requires annual billing.
  • WhatsApp, Varley Agents, API and MCP access, and round-robin assignment require the Pro plan.

• Help Scout9.1/10 · Free plan · 15-day trial

  A free-to-paid support platform with strong collaboration, automation, and help-center depth.

  Visit Help ScoutFull verdict →
• Drag8.9/10 · 7-day trial

  Drag adds assignments, automation, visual boards and its AI, Varley, to shared inboxes in Gmail.

  Visit DragFull verdict →