Comparison

Help Scout vs Aircall

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Help Scout

Manage customer support requests efficiently from your mobile device. This app allows you to access mailboxes, handle conversations, and reply to customers with saved responses. Stay connected with your team and improve customer relationships on the go.

Highlights
  • Access all mailboxes
  • Handle assigned conversations
  • Reply with saved replies
  • Apply tags to conversations
  • Add notes to conversations
  • Change conversation status
  • Assign conversations (Plus Plan)
Features
Read full description

Help Scout's iOS app gives you powerful customer support software in your pocket so you can quickly assist customers from wherever you are. Keep your finger (literally) on the pulse of what's happening with your customers, collaborate remotely, and put the life back into work-life balance — all without compromising your customers’ experience. Build stronger customer relationships through fast, personalized email support — simply log in and get to work! With the Help Scout app, you’ll be able to: • Navigate to any Help Scout mailbox with a tap • Access all conversations and handle those assigned to you • Reply to customers quickly with saved replies - you’ll look like a genius without even trying • Apply tags to categorize conversations or trigger automations like magic • Add notes to conversations to keep everyone in the loop, even in the remote-est location • Change conversation status with a single swipe • Keep conversations moving by assigning them to a team member or teams (Plus Plan only) • Apply custom fields to keep reporting data pristine (Plus Plan only)

About

Aircall

This app extends your business phone system to your mobile device, allowing you to manage calls, messages, and customer interactions on the go. It provides features like business numbers, call recording, AI summaries, and CRM integrations to enhance productivity and customer service.

Highlights
  • Business phone numbers
  • Call recording and notes
  • SMS/MMS messaging
  • AI-driven call summaries
  • CRM and Helpdesk integrations
  • Mobile notifications
  • Call transfer and conferencing
Features
Read full description

Extend the Aircall desktop experience to mobile. Trusted by 20K+ businesses, Aircall is more than a business phone; it’s an integrated customer communications and intelligence platform. Achieve more with virtual agents, AI-driven insights, and automation. Extend your desktop experience to mobile Stay connected with your team and customers, and keep your work flowing smoothly, no matter where you are, with the Aircall app for iOS. Step away with confidence Stay connected and respond to customers quickly, even when you're away from your computer. Receive instant alerts for voicemail, missed calls, text messages, and assignments with mobile notifications, so you'll never miss a thing. Create work-life privacy and separation Manage business calls conveniently from your mobile device, without exposing your personal phone number. Keep productive on-the-go Record calls, have notes automatically taken for you, and instantly track business conversations in 100+ CRM or Helpdesk integrations for attribution. Faster response times Are missed calls leading to missed opportunities? Instantly view and assign missed calls, texts, call back requests, and voicemails to teammates right from your mobile device. Stay connected and in control Get the best experience on mobile when you connect using a reliable WiFi network. In-app notifications will alert you to network, headset, or infrastructure problems, so you can adjust your setup or transfer your call to a GSM cellular network. Aircall Features for iOS: Business numbers Select local, toll-free, mobile numbers or port existing numbers. Phone controls Mute, hold, transfer, and add to conference call. Messaging Send and receive SMS/MMS text messages. Notifications Respond faster and get alerted when a conversation comes in. Availability settings Manage when you're available for calls, especially on shared lines. Unified view Calls, texts, voicemails, and status logs are captured around the customer. Call recordings Capture and pause call recordings for quality assurance. AI assist Save time with automatic call summaries, transcriptions, and instant insights. Integrations Instantly record your conversation activity into your systems of record. Contacts Access your business contact information list on-the-go, from anywhere. Assign to Manage your inbox by assigning conversations to teammates. Transfer to GSM network Switch to cellular if your WiFi network connection is unstable. Sign up for Aircall today If you have any feedback or questions, please visit our Help Center or email our Support team for assistance.

Screenshots

Help Scout4 screens
Aircall3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Help Scout at freemium against Aircall's subscription. Aircall's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aircall holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 323 and 334 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 36% and 36% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Help Scout ships an update every 3 weeks, Aircall fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Help Scout versus Aircall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelp ScoutAircall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (323 ratings)4.4 (334 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.6% of reviews35.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings323334 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelp Scout PBCAircall.io Inc.

Customer experience

Help Scout

All ratings323 ratings
Positive77.7%
Neutral5.9%
Negative16.4%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive35.6%
Neutral18.6%
Negative45.8%

Aircall

All ratings334 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews256 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral8.2%
Negative55.9%

User reviews

Help Scout

From 323 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great mobile app
  • 👍 Convenient for on-the-go support
  • 💡 Helpful for quick responses
  • 🚀 Smooth and fast
  • 👍 Clean and user-friendly interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Lacking security features
  • 💡 Missing key desktop features
  • 👎 Frustrating updates that remove functionality
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Aircall

From 334 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient mobile app
  • 📞 Seamless desktop-mobile integration
  • 📊 Helpful analytics and reporting
  • 🤝 Good CRM integrations
  • 💬 Reliable text messaging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 📉 Unreliable call quality and connectivity
  • 🕰️ Slow app performance and loading times
  • 🔇 Missing key features like voicemail playback
  • 💰 Overpriced compared to competitors

Bugs and requests

Help Scout

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Login issues and sign-outs
  • Unassigned inbox not loading
  • Formatting issues with saved replies
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to view and manage customer profiles
  • Support for live chat
  • Improved notification system
  • Customizable inbox views
  • Integration with other tools

Aircall

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Calls frequently drop or fail to connect
  • Text messages often delayed or not received
  • Mobile app randomly logs users out
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Inconsistent performance across different devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to send and receive multimedia messages
  • Improve mobile app stability and user experience
  • Provide better customer support and issue resolution
  • Introduce more customization and personalization options
  • Enhance call management features like call transfer

In-app purchases

None

Help Scout

No in-app purchases

None

Aircall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Help Scout free?
Help Scout is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aircall free?
Aircall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Help Scout or Aircall?
Aircall is rated higher. Help Scout averages 4.2 out of 5 from 323 ratings, while Aircall averages 4.4 from 334 ratings.
Do Help Scout or Aircall have ads?
Neither Help Scout nor Aircall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Help Scout or Aircall?
Help Scout ships an update every 3 weeks, and Aircall fortnightly. Most recently, Help Scout was updated on October 16, 2026 and Aircall on October 19, 2026.

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