askVela vs Help Scout

The Help Scout alternative for online stores.askVela sells in the chat.

Help Scout is a friendly support inbox billed per user, and every AI resolution costs $0.75. askVela is the chat for your store, with AI drawn from your catalog, at a fair flat rate.

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Head to head

askVela vs Help Scout

Per-user pricing or a store chat with AI at a fixed price.

FeatureaskVelaHelp Scout
Pricing modelFair flat ratePer user plus per AI resolution
Team membersUnlimited, included$25–75 per user per month
AI answers1,000, 4,000, or 12,000 AI answers per month included$0.75 per resolved conversation
Cost as your team growsStays the sameRises with every user

List prices according to the vendor, as of 09/2026. · Run your own numbers · All askVela prices

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Where Help Scout falls short

A good inbox, expensive AI

Charming for email replies, quickly expensive for a growing store.

Per-user pricing

Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user per month. Every new person raises the bill.

AI by usage

AI Answers costs $0.75 for every resolved conversation. The better the AI runs, the higher the bill.

An inbox, not store advice

Help Scout comes from email support. Product advice from a catalog in the chat isn't its focus.

Why askVela

Answers at the moment of purchase

Your customers ask while they look at products. askVela answers right away.

Chat on every page

The widget answers questions right in the store, with product cards and an add-to-cart button, in 2.7 seconds.

Knowledge from the catalog

Variants, prices, availability and data sheets, every answer with a source.

Fair flat rate

Unlimited agents and a fixed AI quota, with no fee per resolved conversation.

Works with every shop system

ShopifyOne-click appWordPressInstall the plugin, doneEverything elseOne script tag is enough

Playground

No video. No mockup. The real dashboard.

One click creates your personal sandbox workspace – with real conversations, real AI and every setting. You click through exactly the product your customers get.

  • No sign-up
  • 60 minutes, all yours
  • Deletes itself

Pays-for-itself guarantee

If it doesn't pay for itself, you get the fee back.

If your dashboard shows less attributed revenue in the first 60 days after the trial than you paid askVela in that time, we refund the plan fee. Requirements: widget live and store connected via plugin or app. Once per customer; answer packs excluded.

Guarantee conditions

Frequently asked questions

01Is it true that Help Scout's AI costs per resolution?

Yes. AI Answers costs $0.75 for every resolved conversation, on top of the per-user price of $25 to $75 a month. With askVela, AI answers are included in the flat rate as a fixed quota.

02How much does askVela cost?

A fair flat rate: €39, €99, or €249 per month, with 1,000, 4,000, or 12,000 AI answers per month and unlimited agents. No billing per user or per resolved conversation.

03Can askVela answer emails too?

Yes. askVela connects mailboxes via IMAP and SMTP; the AI answers emails by the same rules as in the chat.

04Is askVela GDPR-compliant?

Yes. askVela is hosted in Frankfurt am Main, and the DPA under Art. 28 GDPR is included.

Ready to modernise your support?

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