Buffer vs Help Scout
Side-by-side plans, pricing, and feature gates for Buffer and Help Scout, verified . Buffer is primarily social media management; Help Scout is primarily help desk.
Plans side by side
Every published plan from each vendor, with the headline monthly anchor price. Some prices scale with subscriber count or seats; full detail lives on each tool's page.
Buffer
- Free
Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel
Free - Essentials
Most popular: $5/month per channel
$5/mo - Team
Unlimited team members and approval workflows
$10/mo - Agency
Custom package for agencies managing many clients
Custom
Help Scout
- Free
Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site
Free - Standard
Entry paid tier with live chat and AI Inbox assistant
$25/mo - Plus
Advanced workflows, unlimited AI Drafts, WhatsApp
$45/mo - Pro
Unlimited users, SSO/SAML, HIPAA, dedicated onboarding
$75/mo
Limits at the entry paid tier
Compares Essentials (Buffer) against Standard (Help Scout). Both are the lowest-priced non-free, non-custom plan on each side.
| Limit | Buffer | Help Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Team seats | 1 | 25 users (max) |
When Buffer wins
- Solopreneurs and small brands publishing to a handful of networks
- Content creators who want a clean, fast scheduling UI
- Small agencies on a budget that can live with the Team plan
Where Buffer is the wrong fit
- Enterprise brands managing 20+ channels (Hootsuite or Sprout Social fit better)
- Teams whose primary need is social listening; Buffer's listening is thin
- Organizations needing deep approval and governance workflows across hundreds of accounts
When Help Scout wins
- SaaS support teams of 5 to 50 with email and chat as the main channels
- Healthcare-adjacent companies that need HIPAA on the help desk
- Teams that prefer a calm conversational inbox over the ticket-grid model
Where Help Scout is the wrong fit
- Enterprises with thousands of agents (Zendesk or Freshdesk fit better)
- Companies whose primary support channel is voice (no built-in voice)
- Teams that need deeply customizable ticket fields beyond what Help Scout exposes
Common questions
- Is Buffer cheaper than Help Scout?
- Both Buffer and Help Scout have free or custom entry pricing, so a direct entry-tier price comparison is not meaningful.
- Does Buffer or Help Scout have a free plan?
- Both have free plans. Buffer: Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel. Help Scout: Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site.
Buffer: https://buffer.com/pricing · Help Scout: https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/
Last verified . Pricing changes between refreshes; confirm at the vendor before purchasing.