Kommio vs Help Scout

Help Scout is loved for a reason: it feels like email, small teams learn it in an afternoon, and Docs plus Beacon cover the basics of self-service. Kommio starts from a similar calm inbox and adds what teams need as they grow: teams, custom roles with visibility scopes and field masking, multi-step automations, messaging channels on the same thread, and the option to self-host.

The feature-by-feature table, pricing checked on 20 October 2026, the migration path and a FAQ are on the Help Scout alternative page.

Where Help Scout is strong

• A simple, well-liked shared inbox with very low training cost.
• Docs knowledge base and the Beacon widget.
• Good fit for small teams with mostly email support.

Where Kommio is different

• Custom roles with visibility scopes and per-role field masking.
• Automations with conditions and multi-step actions, plus macros.
• Self-hosted option, a plugin surface and a versioned public API.

Choose Help Scout when

A small team wants an email inbox that feels like email, with light chat and docs.

Choose Kommio when

You are growing past a single inbox, need teams and roles, or need messaging channels on the same thread.

How to evaluate the two

Connect the same support mailbox to both and invite the colleague who will join next quarter. Give them a role that should not see customers’ phone numbers, add a second team with its own inbox, and connect one messaging channel your customers already use. Where each tool makes you add a workaround is where you will feel it at twenty agents.

Moving from Help Scout? Kommio Cloud is free and you can create a workspace yourself; contacts come in by CSV import and conversation history through the API, and a Help Scout importer is planned. Write to [email protected] for a migration plan.