Freshdesk → Help Scout
Import Freshdesk tickets and customer profiles into Help Scout with Import2 after users and inboxes exist. Open becomes Active, and Resolved or Closed becomes Closed. The knowledge base, rules, and canned replies stay behind.
Should you make this move?
Both platforms have a case. Compare what you gain with what you give up before scheduling the cutover.
Freshdesk
- Accessible omnichannel ticketing and automation provide strong value for growing support teams
- Tickets, customer context, knowledge, automation, and service reporting share one operating system
- Advanced reporting, customization, and ecosystem depth can lag enterprise-focused competitors
- Conversation visibility, routing logic, SLAs, and reporting history are hard to reproduce exactly
Help Scout
- Shared inboxes, Docs, and Beacon keep email support and self-service in one desk
- Tickets, customer context, knowledge, automation, and service reporting share one operating system
- Import2 skips users, workflows, and the knowledge base, and a full archive leaves through the API
- Conversation visibility, routing logic, SLAs, and reporting history are hard to reproduce exactly
Help Scout: Shared inboxes, Docs, and Beacon keep email support and self-service in one desk. This removes a major source-side concern: Advanced reporting, customization, and ecosystem depth can lag enterprise-focused competitors.
What you lose: Accessible omnichannel ticketing and automation provide strong value for growing support teams. What you inherit: Import2 skips users, workflows, and the knowledge base, and a full archive leaves through the API.
Jump to a section
Know the shape of the move.
This timeline assumes
- An Account Owner or Admin on Standard, Plus, or Pro starts the import inside Help Scout. Freshdesk is on Import2's provider list. Users and inboxes exist before the sample.
- You want tickets, the customer profiles on those tickets, and tags. Docs, canned replies, and rules are a separate rebuild.
- You can switch forwarding to the Help Scout inbox address before the full import, and the team can pause Freshdesk edits while it runs.
- The site already documents Zendesk → Help Scout, Intercom → Help Scout, and Freshdesk → Zendesk. This guide is the Freshdesk path into Help Scout.
What survives the move.
“Partial” and “manual” are not footnotes. They are work that must be scheduled and verified.
| Item | Outcome | Impact | What happens | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Users and inbox settings | manual | critical | Help Scout says users and inbox settings are not imported. Create them before the sample so records can map. The tool is limited to Account Owners and Administrators on Standard, Plus, and Pro. | Create each agent and inbox first. Match them to Freshdesk before you connect Import2. |
| Knowledge base | manual | critical | Import2 does not import help center articles from any listed provider. Help Scout's older article tool is described for Zendesk, not for Freshdesk. Docs otherwise go through the Docs API, which Help Scout calls a do-it-yourself project. | Copy the articles you still need, or budget an API transfer. Do not expect the ticket import to create Docs. |
| Canned replies and rules | manual | high | Saved replies, macros, and ticket rules are not imported. Help Scout's equivalents are Saved Replies and Workflows, and the switching guide says you recreate them. | Copy the reply text out of Freshdesk before you close it. |
| Custom fields, types, and custom statuses | lost | high | The import article, updated 18 October 2026, says custom fields, ticket types, and custom statuses are not included. Help Scout has custom fields, and the article says they work differently and do not receive this import. The switching guide says Help Scout has no types or custom statuses. Tags, folders, or custom fields you create later are the replacements it names. | List the fields agents actually filter on. Recreate the ones you still need after the sample, and do not promise they arrive filled in. |
| Status names | partial | medium | Help Scout's table maps Freshdesk Open to Active, Pending to Pending, and Resolved or Closed to Closed. Open on other desks is Active. Resolved elsewhere is Closed. | Check one ticket of each Freshdesk status in the sample before the full run. |
| Tags and an import marker | clean | low | Tags and labels import as Tags. Nothing marks a conversation as imported unless you tag the Freshdesk tickets first. Help Scout suggests a tag such as imported. | Add that tag before the sample if you need to find the import later. |
| Mail and other sources | manual | critical | Forwarding has to change from the Freshdesk address to the Help Scout inbox, shaped like [email protected]. Switch it, and forms or integrations, before the full import so new tickets are not stranded. Stop Freshdesk work when the full import starts. Ideally do not work in Help Scout until it finishes. Do not change source records during the run. | Write down every address, widget, and form. Switch them in one window. |
| Import price | partial | medium | Help Scout says imports of 500,000 records or fewer are free when started inside Help Scout. Above that, the account is billed $500 per 500,000 records, including the first 500,000. Their example is $1,000 for 1 million records. | Read the record count before the full migration if you might cross 500,000. |
| Customer Portal | manual | low | Customer Portal is Plus and Pro. Import2 does not turn it on. Owners and admins enable it in Settings. Beacon can show previous conversations to identified visitors. | Enable it only if customers should see history on the web. |
| Products and groups | manual | medium | The import article's included list is emails or tickets, customer profiles, and tags or labels. It does not say Freshdesk products or groups become Help Scout objects. Inboxes are created by you, before the sample. | Map each Freshdesk mailbox to an inbox you create. Leave product names as notes if you still need them. |
Where each thing goes.
| Source | Destination | Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket | Conversation | automatic | Import2 after users and inboxes exist. |
| Requester | Customer profile | automatic | Profiles attached to the tickets come with the import. |
| Open | Active | transform | Help Scout's status table. |
| Pending | Pending | transform | Same word on both sides of the table. |
| Resolved or Closed | Closed | transform | Both Freshdesk statuses map to Closed. |
| Tag | Tag | automatic | Tag Freshdesk first if you want an imported marker. |
| Canned response | Saved Reply | manual | Not imported. |
| Automation | Workflow | manual | Not imported. |
| Solution article | Docs article | manual | Not part of Import2. |
Make the move recoverable.
Create the source-of-truth backup
Keep Freshdesk readable, with reply text and a source list, until the sample is accepted.
- Copy canned responses and automations you will rebuild.
- List every address, widget, and form that creates a ticket.
- Tag tickets with imported if you need to find them later.
- Leave Freshdesk users able to read history until the full import is reviewed.
Proof to capture: The reply archive, the source list, and the sample email are stored.
Sample import
See Freshdesk statuses and tags in Help Scout before mail moves.
- Create users and inboxes.
- Open Settings, Import Data, and choose Freshdesk.
- Run the sample.
- Review objects, mappings, filters, and mailboxes. Check Open, Pending, and Resolved.
Proof to capture: Save the input, output, command or tool settings, warnings, and final item counts.
Forwarding cutover
Send new mail to Help Scout without leaving it in Freshdesk.
- Change the forward to the Help Scout inbox address.
- Switch widgets and forms in the same window.
- Start the full import.
- Stop Freshdesk edits until Import2 finishes.
Proof to capture: Save the input, output, command or tool settings, warnings, and final item counts.
The things most likely to hurt.
These are operating limits. Treat every “Stop if” condition as a blocked migration, not a suggestion.
Custom statuses are assumed to survive
The queue depends on a Freshdesk status that is not Open, Pending, Resolved, or Closed.
- Consequence
- Help Scout says custom statuses are not imported and it has no custom status field.
- Mitigation
- Map that work to tags or a field you will fill later. Confirm the sample.
Stop if: Agents cannot work without that status and you have no replacement.
Freshdesk stays open for replies
Agents reply in Freshdesk during the full import.
- Consequence
- Help Scout says not to change source records while the import runs.
- Mitigation
- Pause Freshdesk when the full import starts.
Stop if: You cannot pause the queue.
Forwarding moves late
The full import starts and mail still lands in Freshdesk.
- Consequence
- New tickets are stranded in the desk you are leaving.
- Mitigation
- Switch every source before Start Full migration.
Stop if: A widget or alias is still unlisted.
Do the work in this order.
- Days 1 to 3 · inventory
Agents, inboxes, and sources
4 to 8 hours active2 to 3 days elapsedInvites waiting- Create Help Scout users and inboxes.
- List mail sources.
- List custom statuses you will drop.
Depends on: Owner or Admin on a paid Help Scout plan
Stop / go checkpointRun a sample?
Go when: Users and inboxes exist and custom statuses have a replacement or are accepted as lost.
Stop when: A required status has no replacement.
- Days 3 to 4 · backup
Copy replies
2 to 4 hours active1 day elapsedExport or copy waiting- Copy canned responses.
- Tag Freshdesk if you want an imported marker.
Depends on: Inventory
Stop / go checkpointCan day-one replies be rebuilt?
Go when: The text is outside Freshdesk.
Stop when: A required reply exists only in Freshdesk.
- Days 4 to 8 · pilot
Sample import
3 to 6 hours active2 to 4 days elapsedImport2 email waiting- Connect Freshdesk.
- Review mappings.
- Open one Open, one Pending, and one Resolved ticket.
Depends on: Users and inboxes
Stop / go checkpointFull import?
Go when: Those three land as Active, Pending, and Closed.
Stop when: A custom field you required is missing and you cannot drop it.
- Days 8 to 10 · cutover
Forwarding and full import
2 to 4 hours active1 to 2 days elapsedFull migration waiting- Switch forwarding.
- Start the full import.
- Pause Freshdesk.
Depends on: Passed sample
Stop / go checkpointReply from Help Scout?
Go when: Import2 is complete and a new mail arrives in the inbox.
Stop when: Mail still arrives in Freshdesk.
- Days 10 to 17 · observe
A week of new mail
3 to 5 hours active5 to 7 days elapsedLive queue waiting- Watch for a missed source.
- Rebuild the first workflows.
- Keep Freshdesk readable.
Depends on: Full import
Stop / go checkpointStop Freshdesk replies?
Go when: New mail is only in Help Scout and the sample statuses still look right.
Stop when: A form still opens Freshdesk tickets.
Cut over with a way back.
Cutover
Put new conversations in Help Scout and finish the Freshdesk import without editing Freshdesk in the middle.
- Finish the sample review of Open, Pending, and Resolved.
- Switch forwarding and the other sources.
- Start the full Import2 migration.
- Stop Freshdesk replies until it finishes.
- Answer from Help Scout, then check one new message and one old ticket.
Proof to capture: A new email is in Help Scout, a resolved Freshdesk ticket is Closed, and Freshdesk was not edited during the run.
Rollback
Send mail back to Freshdesk if the mappings or forwarding are wrong.
- Point forwarding back at Freshdesk.
- Tell the team which desk may reply.
- Export Help Scout replies that have no Freshdesk copy.
- Review those replies before you paste them into Freshdesk.
- Leave the Import2 result until you decide on an undo with Import2.
Proof to capture: New mail arrives in Freshdesk, and Help Scout-only replies are listed.
- A custom status the team needs did not survive
- Open, Pending, or Resolved landed in the wrong Help Scout status
- Mail still arrives in Freshdesk after the switch
- Agents edited Freshdesk during the full import
- The record count crosses 500,000 and the price was not accepted
Prove the migration worked.
Every blocking check must pass. Capture the evidence before cleanup begins.
| Pass | ID | Check | Method | Expected result | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
V-01Blocking | Plan and role | Confirm Owner or Admin on Standard, Plus, or Pro. | Freshdesk is selectable under Import Data. | Import screen. | |
V-02Blocking | Users and inboxes | Compare Freshdesk agents and mailboxes with Help Scout. | Each one exists before the sample. | User list. | |
V-03Blocking | Three tickets | Open one Open, one Pending, and one Resolved ticket. | Active, Pending, and Closed. | Sample. | |
V-04Blocking | Dropped on purpose | List Freshdesk statuses that are not in the table. | Each one is accepted as lost or replaced with a tag or field you will fill later. | Status list. | |
V-05Blocking | Mapping screen | Read Import2 mappings against the fields you promised. | A missing custom field is either dropped or not promised. | Mapping screen. | |
V-06 | imported | Search the tag if you added one. | Imported conversations can be found. | Tag search. | |
V-07Blocking | New message | Send to the public address after the forward change. | It arrives in Help Scout, not Freshdesk. | Test email. | |
V-08Blocking | Record count | Read Import2's count if you may exceed 500,000. | You accept the free tier or the $500-per-500,000 billing Help Scout describes. | Import2 status. |
Remove the scaffolding safely.
Safe after: New mail arrives only in Help Scout, the three sample statuses match, and Freshdesk was not edited during the full import.
- Rebuild Saved Replies and Workflows from the copy you saved.
- Keep Freshdesk readable until rollback closes.
- Remove forwards that still point at Freshdesk.
- Store the Import2 email with the source list.
- Move Docs as a separate project.
- Turn on Customer Portal only if Plus or Pro customers should see history.
Verify against the primary material.
Platform behavior changes. Check these sources and the review dates above before executing a production migration.
- Help Scout: import emails or ticketsAccessed 2026-11-04
- Help Scout: switching help desksAccessed 2026-11-04