Choose the same team on each distinct project. Orka includes unlimited projects; other providers bill by workspace, seat, store allowance or usage.
Just meA crew of 20
One projectTen projects
Orka Pro€29.00/ month · EUR · AI separate
3 projects · one subscription · no extra project fee
Help Scout$126.00/ month · base only
3 inboxes + 3 Docs sites · $90.00 team base + $36.00 project add-ons / month
Base subscriptions only, before taxes, AI, usage and discounts. A shared widget across several domains is not the same as separately configured projects. Seat fit is not feature parity. Check the plan’s limits above and Orka’s included features. Orka prices are in EUR; competitor prices are in USD. No currency conversion or automatic savings claim.
Billing rules & official sources +
One account can contain several inboxes and Docs sites. This estimate allocates one inbox, one Docs site and one Beacon to each project: extra inboxes are $12/month and extra Docs sites $24/month on monthly billing. Sharing them lowers that cost. Standard allows five Beacons; Pro has a ten-user minimum. Project billing ↗
USD monthly Standard $30/user, Plus $54/user, Pro $90/user (minimum 10). Annual equivalents are $25/$45/$75. The calculator assumes one inbox and one Docs site per project; monthly extras are $12/inbox and $24/Docs site beyond included allowances. AI Answers is extra. Official source ↗
START WITH THE JOB, NOT THE LOGO
Why look beyond Help Scout?
Help Scout deserves a trial for email-led operations. Orka is appealing when a smaller shared crew needs unlimited independent projects and multilingual public help without per-site add-ons.
A growing portfolio A different workflow A clearer budget
Help Scout is a strong fit for shared email, docs and beacon. Your reasons to look elsewhere should be specific: multiply paid seats, not entire subscriptions, by your team; count extra inboxes and Docs sites for separate products; automatic Beacon chat translation is documented on Pro. These five options address different priorities. Their order is an editorial route through the choices, not a score or a claim that one product wins every category.
INSIDE ORKA
Every project. The same place to answer.
See which product a question belongs to, keep your team together and add the next project without another subscription.
The same three people answering for three distinct projects. Base subscription only; AI, usage, taxes and discounts stay separate.
ORKA PRO · UNLIMITED PROJECTS€29/ month total
3 people. 3 projects. One subscription. Launch a fourth project: still €29.
HELP SCOUT · Standard · 2 inboxes & 2 Docs sites$126/ month base total
3 inboxes + 3 Docs sites · $90.00 team base + $36.00 project add-ons / month
One account can contain several inboxes and Docs sites. This estimate allocates one inbox, one Docs site and one Beacon to each project: extra inboxes are $12/month and extra Docs sites $24/month on monthly billing. Sharing them lowers that cost. Standard allows five Beacons; Pro has a ten-user minimum. How project billing works ↗
Updated 18 October 2026. Orka in EUR; competitor in USD. No currency conversion or automatic savings claim.
FIVE ROUTES WORTH EXPLORING
Pick the tool that fits your crew.
01
FOR A MIXED PORTFOLIO
Orka
One inbox. Unlimited projects.
Built for the founder who supports a SaaS, a new app and a store with the same small crew. Conversations stay together while project filters and teammate access keep the context clear. Start with human replies, add drafts you approve, or let Orky answer from your knowledge when you are away.
Budget
Free €0 / 1 person. Light €9 / 2. Pro €29 / 3. Max €99 / 12, then €8 per extra member. Monthly EUR; unlimited projects; AI separate.
Knowledge
Free help center, custom domain, Markdown, collections, automatic translation and in-widget search.
Trade-off
A hosted support workspace. Do not choose it as a self-hosted platform or assume it includes automatic order refunds or an enterprise phone contact center.
A team that wants a broad messaging platform, visual automation and a well-established workspace workflow.
What it brings
Ten-seat Essentials bundle
Visual workflows with conditions and actions
Mature inbox and a real Markdown knowledge base
Budget & knowledge
$95 / workspace · Essentials · 10 seats.
Project cost: Each separate workspace has its own subscription. One shared widget on several domains can remain in one workspace. Catalogue totals exclude eligible multi-workspace discounts.
The knowledge base is on Essentials and Plus, with Markdown, custom domains and multiple languages.
Before you decide
A login can access several workspaces, each with separate settings and subscription. A single workspace can also host its widget on several domains.
Separate premium workspaces are billed separately.
An established service organization with routing rules, multiple channels and formal operating requirements.
What it brings
Configurable workflows and workload management
Phone, SMS, WhatsApp and email alongside chat
Expert adds SLAs and identity controls
Budget & knowledge
$39 / seat · Essential · monthly.
Project cost: Separate monthly workspaces are billed separately. Expert also offers multiple brands within one workspace; a shared setup or a negotiated contract can change the total.
Public help center on Essential; multilingual and private help centers on Advanced and Expert.
Before you decide
Expert includes a multibrand Messenger and help center. Multiple team inboxes start on Advanced.
A software team connecting customer support to product feedback and engineering investigations.
What it brings
Bug reports with screenshots and technical context
Unlimited seats and projects from Team
Knowledge, product feedback and support in one platform
Budget & knowledge
$179 / month · Team · monthly · unlimited seats and projects.
Project cost: Starter covers one seat and one project. Team and Pro include unlimited seats and projects in one subscription; AI usage and other metered services are additional.
Public help center, custom domain and article knowledge for Kai from Team; article languages and AI translation are documented.
Before you decide
Starter has one seat and one project. Team and Pro include unlimited seats and projects without a project multiplier.
Use monthly prices rather than the annual headline.
Project cost: Freshworks documents one Freshchat account across several websites, with separate site IDs and multiple widgets. Seats and add-ons drive this estimate, not a subscription multiplied by every domain.
Freshchat has FAQ content; Freshworks documents its transfer into solution articles for Freshdesk Omni. Confirm the standalone plan’s public portal scope rather than assuming every Freshdesk capability is included.
Before you decide
One Freshchat account can serve multiple websites. Site IDs distinguish context and multiple widgets support different branding.
Keep Freshchat, Freshdesk and Freshdesk Omni pricing separate.
List every SaaS, app, store and website the team supports. A Shopify-only helpdesk and a mixed-project inbox solve different problems. Check whether a new product needs another paid workspace or can join your existing setup.
Who answers?
Count full-time agents and occasional helpers. A free unlimited-agent plan can suit a larger quiet team; a seat bundle can suit a small busy crew. Do not price twenty users if only three people need access, or overlook part-time teammates who do.
Where do answers live?
Use one real policy article to test search, translations, widget access and AI knowledge. If you already have an excellent documentation system, include the work of keeping or moving it in the decision. Importing articles does not automatically reproduce every workflow.
What happens after launch?
Test an exception, a project handover and a busy week. Record usage in the units the vendor bills. Keep your current channel available while the new setup is evaluated, and switch only when the actual operating day is better.
Which Help Scout alternative is best for several projects?+
Orka is designed for founders and small teams running a mixture of SaaS products, apps and stores. Other tools also support multiple sites or brands; compare the workspace structure and billing rather than assuming every multi-site offer works the same way.
Should I switch away from Help Scout?+
A support team that values Help Scout’s established email workflow and an integrated Docs-and-Beacon experience. If that describes your team and the workflow is working, staying may be the sensible choice. Switch for a specific benefit that outweighs the migration effort, not because another page declares a universal winner.
Which alternative is the cheapest?+
There is no single answer without team size and usage. Orka Free and tawk.to’s core product are free, and several other tools offer free tiers. Included seats, conversation limits, AI allowances and paid extras change the total.
Which option includes a help center?+
Orka includes one with a custom domain and multilingual publishing on every plan. The shortlist cards describe each alternative’s documented knowledge offer and the relevant plan. Docs publishes a branded searchable help center and connects to Beacon and AI knowledge. Paid plans include different numbers of Docs sites.
How should I compare AI allowances?+
Keep input/output tokens, AI chats, messages and successful outcomes separate. Run the same sample questions, compare answer quality and human handover, then measure usage under each vendor’s definition.
When was this shortlist updated?+
Updated 18 October 2026, with the official sources linked below. This is Orka’s editorial selection, not an exhaustive market ranking. Please send factual corrections to [email protected].
CHECK OUR WORK
Good comparisons leave a paper trail.
Updated 18 October 2026. Pricing and project-billing references are linked below. Published by Orka, so this is our analysis, not an independent endorsement or a hands-on benchmark. USD prices exclude taxes and use monthly billing unless stated otherwise.
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Help ScoutTHE SHORTLIST · 18 OCTOBER 2026
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