# Help Scout vs ThriveDesk

The clearest difference is rating: Help Scout at 4.2 against ThriveDesk's 3.0. Help Scout also leads on ratings volume (306 vs 2). ThriveDesk's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and review sentiment (50% vs 35%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Help Scout has 306 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of Help Scout's written reviews are positive against 50% of ThriveDesk's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Help Scout ships an update fortnightly, ThriveDesk every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Help Scout | ThriveDesk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (306 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/help-scout/id966327660/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrivedesk/id1612184462/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **306** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 95 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Help Scout PBC](https://appshunter.io/developer/966327659) | [THEME EXPERT](https://appshunter.io/developer/1612184464) |

## 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


### ThriveDesk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrivedesk/id1612184462)

Manage customer support and sales inquiries on the go with a shared inbox. Features include instant replies, conversation tagging, and internal notes for seamless team collaboration. Improve response times and customer experience directly from your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Shared Inbox for team access, Instant saved replies (canned responses), Conversation tagging and assignment, Internal notes for team collaboration, Live chat integration, Spam filtering and auto BCC

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Help Scout free?

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

### Is ThriveDesk free?

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

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

Help Scout is rated higher. Help Scout averages 4.2 out of 5 from 306 ratings, while ThriveDesk averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Help Scout or ThriveDesk have ads?

Neither Help Scout nor ThriveDesk shows ads.

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

Help Scout ships an update fortnightly, and ThriveDesk every 3 weeks. Most recently, Help Scout was updated on September 21, 2026 and ThriveDesk on September 9, 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.*