Help Scout vs Zendesk
Help Scout vs Zendesk, compared side by side on 19 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Help Scout is on 63/100 and Zendesk on 62/100.
Where each one leads
Help Scout
- funding raised: $51.8M against $500K
Zendesk
- agent readiness: 61/100 against 43/100
- headcount: 6,706 against 292
At a glance
| Measure | Help Scout | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Customer support platform blending AI and human tools for scalable, personalized customer interactions. | Cloud-based customer service and engagement platform providing ticketing, messaging, and AI-powered support tools. |
| Category | Customer Support Software, Help Desk Software, Knowledge Base Software, Live Chat Software | Customer Service, Software, AI, SaaS |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2011 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Help Scout | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 292 | 6,706 |
| Headcount growthLast 12 months | +8.2% | Not published |
| Total funding | $51.8M | $500K |
| Latest round | Series B1 | Seed |
| Valuation | Not published | $10B |
| LinkedIn followers | 33,590 | Not published |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Help Scout | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 63/100 | 62/100 |
| Traction | 59/100 | 48/100 |
| Team | 70/100 | 30/100 |
| Search visibility | 39/100 | 33/100 |
| Quality | 68/100 | 81/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (43/100) | C (61/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 87/100 | 93/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Help Scout | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Vercel | Not detected |
| CDN | Vercel | Cloudflare |
| CMS | Ghost | Not detected |
| Frameworks | Not detected | Next.js |
| Analytics | Not detected | Google Tag Manager |
| Support stack | Not detected | Zendesk |
| Open source | No | Yes |
Help Scout vs Zendesk: common questions
Which is better, Help Scout or Zendesk?
On our 0-100 score Help Scout rates higher (63/100 against 62/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 19 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Help Scout and Zendesk compare on the numbers?
Help Scout leads on funding raised ($51.8M against $500K). Zendesk leads on agent readiness (61/100 against 43/100), headcount (6,706 against 292).
Read the full Help Scout review and pricing or the Zendesk review and pricing. You can also browse other Help Scout alternatives we track.