SolarWinds Service Desk vs Help Scout

SolarWinds Service Desk7.3Visit Help Scout7.1Visit

Higher score SolarWinds Service Desk #5 in Ticketing Software 7.3/10 From $39/mo (annual) · 30-day trial ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit SolarWinds

vs

Help Scout #6 in Ticketing Software 7.1/10 Free plan · paid from $25/user/mo · 15-day trial Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Help Scout

• SolarWinds Service Desk fits best

  IT desks managing tickets, assets, and SLAs

• Help Scout fits best

  Small teams wanting a straightforward shared inbox

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Side by side

Feature	SolarWinds Service Desk 7.3/10 Visit ↗	Help Scout 7.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.3	7.1
Ranking	#5 in Ticketing Software	#6 in Ticketing Software
Best for	IT desks managing tickets, assets, and SLAs	Small teams wanting a straightforward shared inbox
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	$25/user/mo
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Free trial length	30 days	15 days · no card needed
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community · 24/7	Email, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, 2FA	HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations	200+ integrations	100+ integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market
Features SolarWinds Service Desk 2/5 · Help Scout 2/5
SLA management	✓	✓
Workflow automation	Not published	Not published
Customer portal	Not published	✓ (best)
Knowledge base	✓ (best)	Not published
Reporting and analytics	Not published	Not published
Specs
Included agents	Not published	Not published
Supported channels	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Links incident tickets with asset records and configuration items. Includes a self-service portal, knowledge base, and SLA monitoring. Mobile apps support notifications, incident actions, and asset inventory.	Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site Shared inbox adds internal notes and collision detection Plans add workflows, SLAs, customer portal, and AI features
Cons	Essentials starts at $39 per technician monthly, billed annually. Advanced and Premier add-ons raise the per-technician annual-billed rate. Additional IT asset management pricing may apply.	Free plan is limited to 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site Standard starts at $25 per user per month; higher tiers cost more Pro trial access is handled through sales
Our verdict	SolarWinds Service Desk is a cloud IT service management platform for IT teams handling employee incidents and service requests. It combines ticket routing and prioritization with a service portal, knowledge base, service catalog, SLAs,… Read the review →	Help Scout brings customer conversations, help content, workflows, and support-history access together in a cloud platform. Its shared inbox is designed for customer-facing teams that need to coordinate replies, with internal notes and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• SolarWinds Service Desk — where it wins

  • Links incident tickets with asset records and configuration items.
  • Includes a self-service portal, knowledge base, and SLA monitoring.
  • Mobile apps support notifications, incident actions, and asset inventory.

  Where it doesn't

  • Essentials starts at $39 per technician monthly, billed annually.
  • Advanced and Premier add-ons raise the per-technician annual-billed rate.
  • Additional IT asset management pricing may apply.

• Help Scout — where it wins

  • Free plan includes 5 users, 1 Inbox, and 1 Docs site
  • Shared inbox adds internal notes and collision detection
  • Plans add workflows, SLAs, customer portal, and AI features

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan is limited to 1 Inbox and 1 Docs site
  • Standard starts at $25 per user per month; higher tiers cost more
  • Pro trial access is handled through sales

• SolarWinds Service Desk7.3/10 · From $39/mo (annual) · 30-day trial

  A broad IT service desk with ticketing, asset management, and mobile workflows.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →
• Help Scout7.1/10 · Free plan · paid from $25/user/mo · 15-day trial

  A shared-inbox support platform with a free plan and tiered workflow, SLA, and AI features.

  Visit Help ScoutFull verdict →