Compare
Help Scoutvs
Podia
Help Scout is a human-feeling help desk: shared inbox, Docs, Beacon chat, and AI drafts. Podia sells courses, downloads, coaching, and webinars from one simple site with email.
How Help Scout and Podia compare
Help Scout is support that feels like email from a person. A shared inbox with assignments and saved replies, Docs for a knowledge base, Beacon for chat and self-service, customer profiles, workflows, reports, and AI drafts and summaries help small teams deliver warm, organized support. Nothing about it feels like a ticket number.
Podia is the all-in-one that stays friendly. Courses with drip and quizzes, digital downloads delivered the second someone pays, coaching products, events, a community with paid plans, a website with a real blog, and Podia Email with broadcasts and campaigns, all under one login and one bill. Sales tax across 230 jurisdictions, 20 plus currencies, coupons, bundles, and payment plans come standard, and Shaker and Earthquaker drop the transaction fee to zero. For a creator selling digital products, Podia removes a lot of glue.
Where they are different
Help Scout
- Help Scout is the support tool beside your site.
- Help Scout handles email and Beacon chat for anyone.
- Help Scout has no marketing email.
Podia
- Podia's coaching product takes payment and then hands booking to Calendly, SavvyCal, Acuity, or YouCanBookMe.
- Podia Email sends from Podia and includes 100 to 1,000 subscribers by plan.
- Podia's chat inbox gathers chat.
- Podia gives one assistant on Shaker with full access.
Choose Help Scout when a small team needs a warm, organized help desk with a knowledge base.
Choose Podia when courses, downloads, and paid memberships are what you sell and you want checkout, tax, and delivery handled for you.
Compare features
What's on Help Scout and Podia
A check means that capability is available. Help Scout and Podia are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteHelp Scout: Not includedPodia: Included
Public content
- BlogHelp Scout: Not includedPodia: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceHelp Scout: IncludedPodia: Included
- Email on your domainHelp Scout: IncludedPodia: Not included
- Marketing emailsHelp Scout: Not includedPodia: Included
- Campaign workflowsHelp Scout: Not includedPodia: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatHelp Scout: IncludedPodia: Included
- Messaging CenterHelp Scout: IncludedPodia: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsHelp Scout: Not includedPodia: Included
Team
- Admin usersHelp Scout: IncludedPodia: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Help Scout or Podia, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Help Scout or Podia may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Help Scout vs Podia pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Help Scout
Current plans and prices
See what Help Scout charges on their pricing page.
Podia
Current plans and prices
See what Podia charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Help Scout and Podia
You don't pay until you publish.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Help Scout or Podia?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Help Scout or Podia when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Help Scout and Podia are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Help Scout or Podia?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Help Scout or Podia for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Help Scout and Podia?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Help Scout and Podia set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Help Scout or Podia to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.