- What is SmartScout in a Nutshell?
- What is Helium 10 in a Nutshell?
- Main Differences Between Helium 10 vs SmartScout
- Core Selling Points of Helium 10 and SmartScout
- Helium 10 & SmartScout Pricing Comparison
- Our SmartScout Promo Code
- Pros and Cons
- SmartScout vs Helium 10 At a Glance Summary
- Final Cut: Helium 10 or SmartScout?
- Still Stuck? See How Helium 10 and SmartScout Compare to Others
Last Updated on February 26, 2024 by Ewen Finser
If you are trying to figure out if Helium 10 or SmartScout is the right Amazon tool for your business, you are in the right place.
This is exactly the conundrum I was facing recently as we’ve been looking to add Amazon products to our revenue playbook.
In this comparison I’ll break down my key findings, personal experience, and ultimately which tool is best for whom. SPOILER ALERT: These are both GOOD Amazon tools, but for specific types of Amazon sellers.
What is SmartScout in a Nutshell?
SmartScout is an advanced tool designed to provide a complete analysis of Amazon’s sellers, brands, and products.
It offers a comprehensive view of Amazon’s top 20 categories and thousands of subcategories, making it easier for sellers to improve their operations, whether running Amazon FBA, wholesale, private label or arbitrage models.
What is Helium 10 in a Nutshell?
On the other hand, Helium 10 is considered an all-in-one software for Amazon sellers. It helps sellers control their catalog through a suite of Amazon software tools, from keyword research to inventory protection. It promises to help sellers tackle crucial objectives related to their e-commerce business.
Main Differences Between Helium 10 vs SmartScout
These are the core differences I see between Helium 10 and SmartScout:
- Pricing: Helium 10 offers a Starter plan at $29 per month and a Platinum plan at $79 per month and a Diamond plan at $229 per month. On the other hand, SmartScout offers a Basic plan at $29 per month, a Essentials plan at $97 per month, a Business plan at $187 per month, and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing.
- Features: Both Helium 10 and SmartScout offer Amazon product research, keyword research, and inventory management in their Starter plans. However, Helium 10’s Platinum plan includes additional features such as Black Box, Trendster, and inventory protector. In contrast, SmartScout’s Pro plan includes additional features such as traffic graph, seller search, and Excel exports, and the Enterprise plan includes AdSpy and Scope.
- Background: SmartScout is built by people (see: Scott Needham) with over a decade of Amazon selling experience, implying a strong understanding of the needs and challenges of Amazon sellers.
- Scope: SmartScout seems to have a broader range of offerings with three different plans (Starter, Pro, and Enterprise), each with their unique set of features. Helium 10, however, only offers two plans (Starter and Platinum).
Core Selling Points of Helium 10 and SmartScout
SmartScout Key Features
SmartScout offers a broad array of features to help Amazon sellers improve their listings and increase sales. Some of its key services include:
- Worldwide Seller Map: This tool offers a global view of sellers, helping businesses find specific sellers that meet their requirements.
- Brand Search Tool: This feature provides comprehensive data on brands selling on Amazon, providing insights to help improve your SEO and generate more traffic.
- Full Product Database: This tool gives a bird’s eye view of thousands of products on a single screen, helping sellers make informed decisions.
- Private Label FBA Calculator: This feature helps sellers understand the Amazon FBA fees on any product, ensuring they aren’t paying unnecessary fees.
- Priority Onboarding: This service accelerates the onboarding process, giving sellers an edge over the competition.
- Traffic Graph: This feature allows sellers to understand where to place their ads and what to advertise.
- AdSpy: This unique feature enables sellers to track product (product tracker views) and brand ad interaction, keyword search traction, and spy on the competition.
The team at SmartScout has generously offered an exclusive promo code for TheDigitalMerchant readers. If you sign up using our link and enter code TDM25 at checkout, you'll get 25% off your first 3 months. This brings the initial cost down well below the competition, giving you more time to test it out for your business.
A Side Note on the Seller Map: This IS my favorite feature about SmartScout. The seller map isn’t something that you’ll find presented in this way in other Amazon research suites. In my view, it’s worth the price of admission, EVEN IF you already use a few other tools.
You can even identify tom brands by estimated revenue and MoM changes to see what’s selling hot for a particular Amazon seller.
And then drill down to specific products, sorted by estimated sales revenue:
This would previously have taken hours or DAYS to reverse engineer and was kind of hit or miss “needle in the haystack” with other apps.
Helium 10 Key Features
Like SmartScout, Helium 10 also offers a range of tools designed to give sellers a competitive edge in the Amazon marketplace:
- Product Research Tool: Helium 10 provides access to a vast database of product information, helping sellers evaluate the viability of products they aim to sell.
- Listing Optimization: This tool ensures that I can create perfect Amazon seller listings (listing builder) every time, helping to optimize titles, bullet points, and product descriptions.
- Keyword Research and Tracking: With tools like Magnet and Cerebro, Helium 10 helps sellers find keyword opportunities and track their performance over time.
- Inventory Management: This feature safeguards sellers’ inventory against bad actors who might try to use discount codes to clear out stock during promotional events.
- Competitor Research: With the Helium 10 Cerebro tool, sellers can see how their competitors are ranking for certain keywords (keyword research tool) and develop strategies to outperform them.
- Sales Analysis: This tool provides a comprehensive overview of a seller’s sales, profit margins, Amazon FBA fees, and PPC performance.
- Email Automation: This feature helps an Amazon seller automate their customer communication, enhancing customer service and boosting customer retention.
Helium 10 & SmartScout Pricing Comparison
Helium 10 offers a Starter plan at $29 per month and a Platinum plan at $79 per month and a Diamond plan at $229 per month.
Helium 10 offers a special discount for 10% off every month with code TDM10 at checkout.
On the other hand, SmartScout offers a Basic plan at $29 per month, a Essentials plan at $97 per month, a Business plan at $187 per month, and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing.
Our SmartScout Promo Code
As I’m a power user, the team at SmartScout wanted to offer our audience a unique promo code…
SmartScout already offers a 7-day free trial AND they’ve offered our audience 25% off the first 3 months with code TDM25 at checkout.
Pros and Cons
SmartScout Research Tool:
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Comprehensive set of features
- Well-reviewed by users
Cons:
- Overwhelming amount of information
- More expensive than other tools
- Limited accounting and bookkeeping features
Helium 10 Research Tool:
Pros:
- Comprehensive suite of tools
- Free tier available
- Highly accurate keyword and Amazon product search tools
Cons:
- Can be overwhelming for beginners
- Some features might be unnecessary for some sellers
- Can be pricey for some features
SmartScout vs Helium 10 At a Glance Summary
Here’s how I see the overall tradeoffs between Helium 10 and SmartScout in one look:
Features | ||
|---|---|---|
Number of Plans | Three (Starter, Basic, Pro) | Three (Starter, Platinum, Diamond) |
User Experience | Designed by people with over a decade of Amazon selling experience, therefore intuitive and user-friendly | Well-structured and user-friendly but might require some learning curve |
Amazon Product Research | Comprehensive product and niche research tools with detailed analytics | In-depth product research tools but might not offer as many niche-specific insights |
Keyword Research | Advanced keyword research with trending capabilities | Advanced keyword tracking and keyword research tools |
Inventory Management | Detailed inventory management system | Basic inventory management system |
Pricing | More flexible pricing with a free trial and 25% off first 3 months (code: TDM25) | More limited pricing options, more expensive at higher tiers, no free trial (10% off discount every month w/code TDM10) |
Training and Support | Provides extensive training resources and responsive support | Offers resources and support, but may not be as comprehensive as SmartScout |
Business Analytics | Provides detailed business analytics for better strategic planning | Offers business analytics but might not be as detailed as SmartScout |
Review Management | Has an efficient system for managing and analysing customer reviews | Has a review management system but might not be as efficient as SmartScout |
Final Cut: Helium 10 or SmartScout?
Personally, I’ve used both tools and see them as very solid platforms to run an Amazon business on. Here’s how I’d break down my decision tree:
- Looking to optimize Amazon advertising campaigns? Go with Helium 10 here as it has more robust tools for paid acquisition and optimization.
- Need accurate market research, competitor analysis, or wholsesale/reseller tools? I much prefer SmartScout here if I’m not primarily looking to optimize ads.
The team at SmartScout has generously offered an exclusive promo code for TheDigitalMerchant readers. If you sign up using our link and enter code TDM25 at checkout, you'll get 25% off your first 3 months. This brings the initial cost down well below the competition, giving you more time to test it out for your business.
Still Stuck? See How Helium 10 and SmartScout Compare to Others
Our editorial team has also compared these tools against a few peers, here’s what we found: