Brandwave

How popular isHelp Scout?

In September 2026, people searched for Help Scout by name about 19,100 times worldwide, a 53.8% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 4.2% of all global customer knowledge base platform searches, placing Help Scout fourth out of nine platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about customer knowledge base platforms, Help Scout appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Help Scout is the fourth most searched of 9 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. ZendeskShare of searches 65.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. FreshdeskShare of searches 20%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  3. GitBookShare of searches 8.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. Help ScoutShare of searches 4.2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. Document360Share of searches 0.97%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top customer knowledge base platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Help Scout was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Help Scout is the third most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Zendesk1st
  2. Document3602nd
  3. Help Scout3rd
  4. Intercom4th
  5. Helpjuice5th
  6. Freshdesk6th
  7. KnowledgeOwl7th
  8. ProProfs Knowledge Base7th
  9. GitBook–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Zendesk5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Document3604 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Freshdesk3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Help Scout3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helpjuice3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Intercom3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • KnowledgeOwl1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ProProfs Knowledge Base1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • GitBook0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about customer knowledge base platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which customer knowledge base platforms compete with Help Scout?

Help Scout against customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Zendesk, Freshdesk, GitBook, Help Scout. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthZendeskFreshdeskGitBookHelp ScoutDocument360HelpjuiceIntercomKnowledgeOwlProProfs Knowledge Base
Oct 202560.9%18.4%10.9%6.8%1.4%1.1%0.12%0.26%0.08%
Nov 202561%18.6%11.2%5.7%1.7%1.3%0.26%0.26%0.08%
Dec 202562%18.9%11.1%4.7%1.4%1.4%0.21%0.21%0.06%
Jan 202665.2%16.3%11.7%4.1%1.2%1.2%0.13%0.23%0.05%
Feb 202667.2%16.8%8.4%4.2%1.5%1.3%0.2%0.29%0.05%
Mar 202670.2%16%7.4%3.6%1.3%1.1%0.19%0.25%0.04%
Apr 202664.3%16.2%9.9%6%1.8%1.2%0.34%0.34%0.06%
May 202671.5%14.7%7.5%3.7%1.1%0.87%0.24%0.24%0.06%
Jun 202666.1%16.6%9.9%5.1%0.99%0.81%0.28%0.22%0.03%
Jul 202665.7%16.5%10.1%5.1%1.2%0.82%0.27%0.27%0.05%
Aug 202665%16.4%10%6.1%1.2%0.77%0.34%0.26%0.04%
Sep 202665.6%20%8.1%4.2%0.97%0.63%0.35%0.22%0.03%

  1. 1.Zendesk

    65.6%

    Held 1st. 301K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  2. 2.Freshdesk

    20%

    Held 2nd. 91.8K estimated branded searches, +47.8% vs prior month. Share +3.6 points.

  3. 3.GitBook

    8.1%

    Held 3rd. 37.1K estimated branded searches, -1.6% vs prior month. Share -1.9 points.

  4. 4.Help Scout

    4.2%

    Held 4th. 19.1K estimated branded searches, -17.2% vs prior month. Share -1.9 points.

  5. 5.Document360

    0.97%

    Held 5th. 4.5K estimated branded searches, +0.45% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  6. 6.Helpjuice

    0.63%

    Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, -0.34% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.Intercom

    0.35%

    Held 7th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.KnowledgeOwl

    0.22%

    Held 8th. 1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.ProProfs Knowledge Base

    0.03%

    Held 9th. 150 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Help Scout and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Help Scout

18 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Help Scout changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Help Scout worldwide fell from 41.4K to 19.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Help Scout’s share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide decreased from 6.8% to 4.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Help Scout’s share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide peaked at 6.8% in October 2025 and was lowest at 3.6% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for customer knowledge base platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Freshdesk gained share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 16.4% to 20%.

  2. In September 2026, Zendesk gained share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 65% to 65.6%.

  3. In September 2026, Help Scout lost share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 6.1% to 4.2%.

  4. In September 2026, GitBook lost share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 10% to 8.1%.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Intercom worldwide rose 122.2% over 12 measured months, from 720 to 1.6K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for ProProfs Knowledge Base worldwide fell 69.4% over 12 measured months, from 490 to 150 in September 2026.

How are Help Scout’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Help Scout’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • help scout beacon
  • helpscout

Do you work for Help Scout? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Help Scout compete?

Help Scout is ranked in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Help desk software6th of 72.8%Show ranking
Customer support platforms5th of 73.1%Show ranking
Customer knowledge base platforms4th of 94.2%Shown above
Shared inbox platforms1st of 671%Show ranking
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