An honest Help Scout alternative for UK teams.
Help Scout is a genuinely good email-first helpdesk, and it has a real Free plan and a built-in knowledge base. Solves is a UK-first, email-first alternative that earns its place on multi-brand from one login, GBP team-band pricing with no per-seat penalty, and first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view. Here is the straight comparison, including where Help Scout is the better choice.
Competitor figures verified 13 June 2026. We do not claim feature parity with Help Scout.
The short answer
Who should switch, and who should not
Both tools are email-first and pleasant to use, so this is not a case of one being broken. The decision is about fit. Solves suits UK SMEs who run more than one brand, want to pay in GBP by team band, and care about first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view. Help Scout suits teams who want a free plan or a built-in knowledge base.
You should look at Solves if
- You support more than one brand and want them in one login and one unified queue, with brand badges, per-brand mailboxes and a guard against replying as the wrong brand.
- You want GBP pricing by team band, so an occasional helper who picks up overflow does not cost a full per-seat licence.
- You want first-response and resolution SLA timers, with per-brand targets and a clear breaching view that surfaces overdue tickets.
- You want owned email tickets, assignment, private notes kept separate from public replies, saved replies scoped per brand, and backlog and first-response reports, without a large suite to configure.
You should stay with, or choose, Help Scout if
- Help Scout's Free plan (up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, around 100 contacts a month) already covers you, and a paid Starter is not enough.
- A built-in public knowledge base (Help Scout Docs) is central to how you deflect and answer questions. Solves does not have one today.
- You rely on Help Scout features Solves has not built, such as workflows and automations, custom fields, AI drafting or a customer-facing portal.
Honest comparison
Solves vs Help Scout, side by side
Both are email-first and pleasant. This sets out the real differences, including where Help Scout is ahead. Figures verified on the date shown; we do not claim feature parity.
| Solves | Help Scout | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Starter GBP 29, paid from the start | Free plan at USD 0: up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, ~100 contacts/mo |
| Built-in knowledge base | Not built today | Yes, Docs is included |
| Multi-brand from one login | Core: brands, per-brand mailboxes, unified queue, wrong-brand send guard | Mailbox per channel; not built around several brands in one queue |
| How you pay | GBP team bands ex VAT, no per-seat penalty | Per user, per month (USD ~25 / ~45 / ~75) |
| SLA timers | First-response and resolution targets, per-brand, with a breaching view | Available on paid plans |
| Live chat, phone and social | Not included, by design | Beacon chat and messaging available |
| Currency and focus | GBP, UK SMEs, email-first | USD-led, global, email plus messaging |
Competitor facts last verified 13 June 2026. Re-check the vendor's current plans before deciding.
Help Scout pricing and free-plan caps are from the Help Scout pricing page, verified 13 June 2026 and subject to change. Solves is at pilot stage and only claims shipped features. We do not claim Solves matches Help Scout feature for feature.
Where Solves earns its place
Three reasons a UK team picks Solves
Not more features than Help Scout. A tighter fit for these specific needs.
Multi-brand from one login
Run several customer-facing brands in one queue, each with its own mailbox, from-name and signature, and a guard that locks the composer to the ticket's brand so no one replies as the wrong one.
GBP team bands
Pay in pounds by team band rather than per seat. The helper who answers overflow on a busy Monday does not trigger a full per-user licence, and invoices show VAT.
SLA timers
First-response and resolution timers, with per-brand targets, surface a breaching view so nothing quietly ages out.
The fair view
Where Help Scout is the better fit
A comparison that only flatters one side is not worth reading. Here is where we would point you to Help Scout without hesitation.
If Help Scout's Free plan suits you, that is a real, ongoing zero-cost option: up to 5 users, one inbox, one Docs site and around 100 contacts a month (verified 13 June 2026). Solves has a Starter at GBP 29, but it is deliberately paid from the start, not a free-forever tier. If a permanent free plan is what you need, Help Scout has one and Solves does not.
If a built-in knowledge base matters, Help Scout Docs lets you publish self-serve help articles alongside the shared inbox. Solves does not have a knowledge base today. The same goes for workflows and automations, custom fields, AI drafting and a customer portal: those are Help Scout strengths that Solves has not built. If your support leans on any of them, Help Scout is the safer choice.
And if you are already happy on Help Scout, you may not need to move at all. The strongest reasons to look at Solves are multi-brand from one login, GBP team-band pricing and first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view. If none of those is pressing, staying put is a sensible decision.
No feature-parity claim
Solves is at pilot stage and email-first. It does not match Help Scout feature for feature, and it has no knowledge base, no free-forever plan, no automations and no live chat today. This page compares fit, not feature counts, and points you to Help Scout where Help Scout is the better tool.
FAQ
Help Scout alternative questions
Is Solves a Help Scout alternative?
Solves is a UK-first, email-first support desk that turns shared inboxes into owned tickets, so it covers much of the same ground as Help Scout's shared inbox. The honest differences: Help Scout has a genuine Free plan and a built-in knowledge base (Docs), neither of which Solves has today. Solves is built around running several brands from one login, GBP team-band pricing with no per-seat penalty, and first-response and resolution SLA timers with a breaching view that surfaces overdue tickets.
How much does Help Scout cost compared with Solves?
Help Scout lists a Free plan at zero, then paid plans at roughly USD 25, USD 45 and USD 75 per user per month, with AI billed separately per resolution (verified 13 June 2026). Solves prices in GBP by team band rather than per seat: a Starter at GBP 29, Team GBP 79, Growth GBP 149 and Agency/MSP GBP 299 per month ex VAT, with annual paid as ten months. The team-band model means an occasional helper does not cost a full seat.
Does Solves have a knowledge base like Help Scout Docs?
No. A public knowledge base is not built in Solves today. If a self-serve Docs site is central to how you support customers, Help Scout is the better fit on that point, and we would say so. Solves focuses on the shared inbox: owned tickets, assignment, notes, SLAs and multi-brand.
Is Solves like Zendesk or Freshdesk?
Solves is closer in spirit to a lightweight shared inbox than to a large suite. Zendesk has no permanent free plan (a 14-day trial only; UK plans from GBP 15 a month billed yearly) and Freshdesk's free tier is time-limited to 1 to 2 agents for 6 months rather than forever-free (verified 13 June 2026). Both carry far more channels and configuration than Solves. Solves stays email-first and deliberately smaller, for UK SMEs who want owned email tickets without a contact-centre build.
How does Solves compare with Intercom?
Intercom is chat-first with an AI agent and no free plan (a 14-day trial, with Fin billed per resolution). Solves does not do live chat, social or voice at all: it is email-first by design. If your support is mostly live messaging, Intercom is a different category of tool. If it is mostly email from one or more support addresses, Solves is the closer match.
What about Zoho Desk?
Zoho Desk has a free edition for around 3 agents and sits inside the wider Zoho suite, with paid editions from roughly USD 14 per agent per month (verified 13 June 2026). Solves does not aim for suite breadth: it is a focused email desk with GBP team bands. If you need a deep suite, Zoho Desk fits that brief better.
Can I move my Help Scout history into Solves now?
Not yet. A guided import is planned for the pilot and is not a working transfer from a live Help Scout account today, so we would not claim it reads your account right now. During the early-adopter pilot we help by hand with setup, mailbox checks and migrating your saved replies. Treat any import as coming, not shipped.
Run your brands on a UK-first email desk
Join early access for the pilot: setup help, mailbox checks and saved-reply migration, on GBP team-band pricing.