Intercom → Help Scout

Plan mapping at the entry paid tier

The lowest non-free, non-custom tier on each side. Use this for the "if I'm on $X with Intercom, what's the equivalent on Help Scout?" gut check.

Step-by-step migration

1. 01

   Export your list from Intercom

   Pull a fresh CSV of every active subscriber. Capture the fields you actually use downstream: email is required, name is standard, signup date and tier (free/paid) are useful when Intercom provides them.

2. 02

   Provision Help Scout

   Sign up, set sender identity, and verify your sending domain (DKIM, SPF, DMARC). Do this before importing the list; sending from an unverified domain is the single fastest way to land in spam at the moment of cutover.

3. 03

   Import the list and map fields

   Upload the CSV. Map email + name + any custom fields. Decide whether to import as one list or split into segments/tags. Intercom-style organization rarely maps 1:1, so plan the split before the upload, not after.

4. 04

   Rebuild automations and templates

   Help Scout's automation builder is structurally similar but won't import Intercom's flows directly. Rebuild only what you actively use; the move is a chance to delete the unused ones rather than lift-and-shift dead infrastructure.

5. 05

   Send a test broadcast

   Pick a small segment and send a real broadcast (not just a preview). Verify deliverability, link clicks, and unsubscribe flow. If anything's off, you find it before the announcement, not after.

6. 06

   Announce the move and cut over

   Send your last broadcast from Intercom announcing the new sender domain and what to expect. Cut over DNS and sending from Help Scout on the same day, not staggered. A dual-send week creates more confusion than it prevents.

Intercom-to-Help Scout specific gotchas

Universal steps cover most of the work. These are the failure modes unique to this exact pair.

• #1

  Intercom conversations export as JSON via the Intercom API. Help Scout's import accepts a structured format; plan a 24 to 48 hour freeze window where both inboxes are watched, then point new email routing at Help Scout once the historical import settles.

• #2

  Email-routing change: Intercom forwards your support@ address into the Intercom messenger. Help Scout takes the same address but the DNS / forwarding configuration differs (you'll re-MX or re-forward). Test against a staging address before flipping production.

• #3

  Saved replies / macros: Intercom calls these 'Saved Replies', Help Scout calls them 'Saved Replies' too, but the merge-tag syntax differs. Plan to rebuild the 5-15 most-used macros first; the long tail is rarely worth direct migration.

• #4

  Workflows / triage rules: Intercom's outbound and inbound rules don't translate to Help Scout's Workflows 1:1. Audit which Intercom rules are actually firing (most teams have rules that haven't been touched in 2+ years) and rebuild only the active ones.

• #5

  Customer property sync: Intercom's user attributes do not import to Help Scout's customer properties. Plan the customer-record reconciliation as part of cutover; consider a two-way sync via a CDP (Segment, RudderStack) if customer attributes are load-bearing for your support workflows.

• #6

  Beacon (the in-app widget) replaces Intercom Messenger functionally but with a different visual register. Test on each major page where Messenger was embedded before retiring Messenger; help-content surfacing differs.

Common questions

Is Help Scout cheaper than Intercom?

At the entry tier, yes: Help Scout starts at Free while Intercom starts at $29/mo. Pricing scales differently above that, so check the side-by-side plan grid for your specific contact count.

Will my data transfer cleanly?

Most live chat data transfers, but rarely 1:1. The "Pair-specific gotchas" section above is hand-curated for this exact migration: it covers what exports from Intercom, how it imports into Help Scout, and which structural pieces (workflows, integrations, custom domains) require rebuild rather than direct port. The constraint usually isn't the data export; it's the rebuild work for anything Help Scout models differently.

How long does the migration take?

A clean migration for this pair is typically 1-2 weeks of focused work: data export, integration reconnection (CRMs, webhooks, payment processors), feature rebuild for whatever doesn't port directly, test run, cutover. The constraint is rarely the export itself; it's the integration reconnection and the rebuild work for any feature that Help Scout models differently from Intercom.

Are Intercom and Help Scout in the same category?

No. Intercom is primarily a live chat tool; Help Scout is primarily a help desk tool. The migration involves changing both your tooling AND part of your workflow shape; the "Why migrate" and "Bad fit" sections above are honest about whether that's the right move for your team.

Where can I see Intercom vs Help Scout side-by-side?

The /compare/help-scout-vs-intercom page on TierGauge shows side-by-side plans, headline pricing, included features, and limit comparison at the entry paid tier. This migration guide is the long-form decision narrative; the compare page is the data-only dashboard.