# Help Scout vs Textline

The clearest difference is rating: Help Scout at 4.2 against Textline's 2.7. Help Scout also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Textline's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs freemium) and iOS requirement (14.5 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Help Scout holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Help Scout has 306 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 35% and 35% positive.

Help Scout ships an update fortnightly, Textline every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Help Scout | Textline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (306 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/help-scout/id966327660/reviews)** | [2.7 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textline/id1144596682/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **306** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | 35.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 95 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Help Scout PBC](https://appshunter.io/developer/966327659) | [Textline, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1144596681) |

## What reviewers say

### Help Scout

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/help-scout/id966327660)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### Textline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textline/id1144596682)

Enable your team to provide customer support and sales through SMS. Customers can text your business directly without needing an app, leveraging the high open rates of text messages for faster responses and improved satisfaction. This mobile app syncs with the web service for on-the-go team collaboration.

**Highlights:** Team SMS for customer support, Dedicated business phone numbers, Syncs with web service, Conversation assignments, Message templates, Automated responses, NPS surveys via SMS

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Help Scout free?

Help Scout is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Textline free?

Textline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Help Scout or Textline?

Help Scout is rated higher. Help Scout averages 4.2 out of 5 from 306 ratings, while Textline averages 2.7 from 22 ratings.

### Do Help Scout or Textline have ads?

Textline shows ads; Help Scout does not.

### Which is updated more often, Help Scout or Textline?

Help Scout ships an update fortnightly, and Textline every 2 months. Most recently, Help Scout was updated on September 21, 2026 and Textline on June 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*