Help Scout Beacon Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Help Scout Beacon costs Free to $75 per user/mo as of September 2026, with 5 plans available including a free tier. Plans: Free (free), Standard at $25 per user/mo, Plus at $45 per user/mo, Pro at $75 per user/mo, and AI Answers at $0.75/resolution. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
Help Scout Beacon offers 5 pricing tiers: Free, Standard, Plus, Pro, AI Answers. A free plan is available. Paid plans include Standard at $25 per user/mo, Plus at $45 per user/mo, Pro at $75 per user/mo.
Yes, Help Scout Beacon offers a forever free plan as of September 2026. The free tier includes 0 features with limits on users. Paid plans start at $0.75/resolution (AI Answers). Pricing verified from 2 sources by CostBench.
Help Scout Beacon's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| users | 5 | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like advanced automation
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Help Scout Beacon branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs AI Answers Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | AI Answers $0.75/resolution | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 0 included | 0+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Help Scout Beacon branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Small teams needing the basics | Growing teams |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Help Scout Beacon free?
Yes, Help Scout Beacon offers a forever free plan with 0 core features included. However, there are limits on users that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Help Scout Beacon's free plan?
Help Scout Beacon's free plan includes: . Key limits include users: 5.
03 What's NOT included in Help Scout Beacon's free plan?
The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have Help Scout Beacon branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Help Scout Beacon's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $0.75/resolution.
05 Is Help Scout Beacon's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Help Scout Beacon's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
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