Escape the admin burden.
Keep the power.
HelpSpot gives you the enterprise-grade service tools you need without the six-figure consulting fees, hidden add-on costs, or endless implementation timelines.
Why teams switch from Salesforce
The same frustrations we hear from every Salesforce switcher
Consultant Dependency
Salesforce is notoriously complex. Implementations often cost 2-5x the annual license fee and require certified consultants to configure even basic workflows.
Admin-Free Simplicity
HelpSpot is designed for support teams, not developers. You can manage settings, users, and workflows yourself without a certification.
The "Shell" Plan Trap
The $25 'Starter' plan lacks API access and limits automation. It serves as a funnel to force you into the expensive $100/agent/mo 'Pro' or 'Enterprise' tiers.
All-Inclusive Features
One price gets you everything. API access, automation, custom reporting, and AI are standard on every plan from day one.
Hidden Usage Fees
Storage is capped at a tiny 10GB per org and portals charge per-login. Success is penalized with higher monthly bills.
Unlimited & Predictable
Unlimited tickets, unlimited storage, and unlimited customer history. No per-login fees for your customer portal. Predictable annual pricing.
Salesforce vs HelpSpot
See how the two platforms compare on what matters most
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The $25 plan is a dead end
It removes API access, limits file storage to 1GB, and blocks advanced automation. It's designed to force an upgrade to the $100+ Pro Suite.
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AI is a luxury add-on
Einstein AI features are powerful but expensive, often costing an additional $50 per user, per month on top of your license fee.
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Support taxes your bill
Standard support is slow and web-only. To get phone support, you must pay for the 'Premier Success Plan,' adding 30% to your total contract cost.
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Data residency is complex
Guaranteeing EU data residency often requires 'Hyperforce' or specific Enterprise contract amendments. It's not a simple checkbox.
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Everything included
One price gets you every feature we build. SLAs, collision detection, custom fields, and reporting are all standard from day one.
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AI included for free
We don't charge a tax on technology. Smart features like triaging, translation, and ticket summarization are included for every user at no extra cost.
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Your data, your choice
Choose US Cloud, EU Cloud, or Self-Hosted. Complete control over where your customer data lives, at no extra cost.
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White glove onboarding
We help you migrate, configure your account, and train your team—for free. We invest in your success from day one.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Comparing Salesforce Starter ($25/agent/mo) vs HelpSpot
HelpSpot
|
Salesforce
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Feature | All Inclusive | Starter Suite $25/user/mo |
|
Core Ticketing
|
||
| Familiar email-inspired workflow | ||
| Email-to-ticket conversion | ||
| Collision detection | Pro Suite ($100+) Only | |
| Custom fields | ||
| Conditional field logic | Enterprise ($175+) Only | |
| Rich customer replies (images, files, emoji) | ||
| Unlimited mailboxes | ||
|
Portal & Knowledge Base
|
||
| Customer portal | Paid Add-on | |
| Contact form | Web-to-Case | |
| Portal theme customization | $100+ plan | |
| Multi-brand portals | Enterprise ($175+) Only | |
| Knowledge base | ||
| Knowledge base WYSIWYG | ||
|
Automation & Workflow
|
||
| Trigger rules | Flow Builder (Complex) | |
| Time based automation rules | $100+ plan | |
| Round-robin assignment | $100+ plan | |
| SLA management | Enterprise ($175+) Only | |
|
AI Features
|
||
| AI writing assistance | Included | +$50/agent |
| AI ticket summarization | Included | +$50/agent |
| AI translation | Included | +$50/agent |
| Intelligent triage | Included | +$50/agent |
|
Reporting & Analytics
|
||
| Built-in reports | ||
| Custom report builder | $100+ plan | |
| Real-time dashboards | $100+ plan | |
| Scheduled report exports | $100+ plan | |
| Export to Excel/CSV | ||
| Direct SQL database access | Self-hosted | Paid Add-on (Data Cloud) |
|
Pricing Model
|
||
| Feature tiers | 1 tier | 4 tiers + add-ons |
| Add-on costs | None | Many (AI, Support, Data) |
| Unlimited tickets | ||
| Cancel anytime | Annual Contract | |
| Refund policy | ||
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Support & Deployment
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| Phone support | All plans | +30% fee |
| Self-hosted option | ||
| EU data residency | Included | Enterprise/Hyperforce |
| Access logs and redaction | Paid Shield Add-on | |
| Data & attachment storage | Unlimited | 1GB Limit (Starter) + Overage |
| Implementation help | Free | $5,000+ Consultants |
| API access | Unlimited | No (in Starter) |
Ready to simplify your support?
The true cost of Salesforce
Salesforce's $25 Starter plan is missing the features you need. A realistic setup with AI and support costs far more.
Salesforce
Pro Suite + AI + Premier Support estimate
Pro Suite ($100/mo) + AI (~$50/mo) + Premier Support (30%)
HelpSpot
Simple pricing, everything included
Save over $18,000 in year one
Migration made easy
We'll help you every step of the way
Export Your Data
Use Salesforce's data export tools to download your cases and contacts.
Import to HelpSpot
Our team works with you to import your historical data and get everything configured.
Go Live
Connect your email accounts to HelpSpot. Your team picks up right where they left off.
Deploy Your Way
Same price, same features. Choose the deployment that works for you.
Same powerful features and pricing across all hosting options.
US Cloud
CloudUS-East Region
Dedicated AWS infrastructure with 99.9% uptime. Managed updates and automated backups.
EU Cloud
CloudFrankfurt Region
GDPR-compliant hosting. Full data sovereignty with all information isolated within the EU.
Self-Hosted
EnterpriseOn-Premise Infrastructure
Complete control on your own hardware. Ideal for air-gapped networks or strict compliance.
Maximum Control & Data ResidencyCompare other platforms
See how HelpSpot stacks up against other help desk solutions.
"Of the number of helpdesk systems we looked into, ranging from the off-the-shelf expensive systems to completely 'free', your product was the best looking, simplest for both the customer and the staff, the quickest to set-up and configure and reasonably priced."
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about switching from Salesforce
Yes. Salesforce is an enterprise development platform, not a ready-to-use help desk. Even 'simple' setups often require navigating complex flow builders, permission sets, and object managers. Most teams end up hiring a consultant (costing thousands) just to get the basics working. HelpSpot includes free white glove onboarding to get you started quickly.
We don't recommend it. The $25 'Starter' plan is a 'walled garden'—it has NO API access (so you can't connect your other tools) and severe limits on automation and customization. Most teams are forced to upgrade to the $100/user Professional plan almost immediately to get a functional system.
Yes! We know your sales team might need to stay on Salesforce. HelpSpot's Live Lookup feature lets you pull real-time customer data from Salesforce directly into your tickets. Your support team gets full context without needing expensive Salesforce licenses.
Salesforce charges based on 'Data Storage' (records) and 'File Storage' (attachments), with a small 10GB shared limit and high overage fees. HelpSpot includes unlimited storage for everything—history, attachments, and logs—so you never have to delete data to save money.
HelpSpot is the best Salesforce Service Cloud alternative for teams that need powerful support tools without the implementation burden. Salesforce requires months of consulting and six-figure budgets to deploy. HelpSpot delivers ticket management, automation, SLAs, AI, and reporting out of the box in 1-2 days. It integrates with Salesforce CRM via Live Lookup, so you keep your customer data connected.
A typical Salesforce Service Cloud implementation takes 3 to 6 months for basic setup and up to 12 months for complex configurations. Most organizations hire consultants at $150-300/hour because Service Cloud requires configuring permission sets, flow builders, and object relationships. HelpSpot can be fully operational in 1-2 days with free onboarding included.
Common hidden costs include: Premier Support (30% added to your contract), Einstein AI ($50/user/month), data storage overages beyond 10GB, sandbox environments, implementation consulting ($5,000-$50,000+), and admin training certifications. Many teams spend 2-5x their license cost on add-ons and services. HelpSpot includes all features, support, and onboarding in one annual price.
Trusted by teams who made the switch
Trusted by industry leaders
Ready to switch?
We'll help you move.
Start your free trial and our team will help migrate your data, train your agents, and get you up and running. No risk, no commitment.
