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Intercom alternatives

Intercom compared with 12 alternatives: Zendesk, Help Scout, Front, Freshdesk, Crisp and 7 more.

Intercom is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly). 4 of the 12 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 8 more offer a free trial.

12 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 17, 2026 · Where the facts come from

At a glance

ToolPriceFree planRuns on
IntercomThis toolFree trial · from $29/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
ZendeskFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
Help ScoutFree plan · from $25/moYesWeb, iOS, Android
FrontFree trial · from $25/moTrial onlyWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
FreshdeskFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
CrispFree plan · from $45/moYesWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
ChatbaseFree trial · from $32/moTrial onlyWeb
ChatwootFree plan · from $19/moYesWeb, iOS, Android
KommunicateFree trial · from $34/moTrial onlyWeb
RichpanelFree trialTrial onlyWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Text by LiveChatFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
TidioFree plan · from $24.17/moYesWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
TrengoFree trial · from €299/moTrial onlyWeb

Price against what you get

Intercom starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 9 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Zendesk and Tidio.

Crisp scores higher without starting lower. Freshdesk, Chatwoot and Text by LiveChat start lower without scoring higher.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50$100$200$500More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessIntercomZendeskFreshdeskCrispChatbaseChatwootKommunicateText by LiveChatTidioTrengo

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of help desk and live chat tools, and the best at every price

How each one differs from Intercom

  1. Zendesk

    Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams

    • Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox.

    Suits: Support teams handling email, chat and phone in one queue

    Zendesk vs IntercomZendesk pricing and details

  2. Help Scout

    Shared inbox and help desk with a knowledge base and AI answers

    • Help Scout starts at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Help Scout has a free plan. Intercom does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Help Scout also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
    • Intercom also covers help desk, live chat, help center and AI support agent.

    Suits: Support teams moving off a shared Gmail or Outlook mailbox

    Help Scout vs IntercomHelp Scout pricing and details

  3. Front

    Shared inbox and customer operations platform with AI and ticketing

    • Front starts at $25 per seat / month, billed annually. Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Only Front lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Front also covers workflow automation.
    • Intercom also covers reports, help desk, live chat, help center and AI support agent.

    Suits: Support and operations teams working shared addresses at volume

    Front vs IntercomFront pricing and details

  4. Freshdesk

    Email ticketing help desk with a knowledge base and AI agents

    • Freshdesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually. Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Intercom also covers live chat.

    Suits: Support teams that work mainly from email

    Freshdesk vs IntercomFreshdesk pricing and details

  5. Crisp

    Live chat and shared inbox priced per workspace, not per seat

    • Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats. Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Crisp has a free plan. Intercom does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Crisp lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Intercom also covers reports and help desk.

    Suits: Small teams that want chat and email support at a flat monthly price

    Crisp vs IntercomCrisp pricing and details

  6. Chatbase

    Build AI support agents trained on your content, priced by credits

    • Chatbase starts at $32 per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Only Intercom lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox, reports, live chat and help center.

    Suits: Businesses adding an AI agent to their website or messaging apps

    Chatbase vs IntercomChatbase pricing and details

  7. Chatwoot

    Open-source support inbox you can self-host or use in the cloud

    • Chatwoot starts at $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated. Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Chatwoot has a free plan. Intercom does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Chatwoot is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Intercom also covers reports and help desk.

    Suits: Teams that want to run their support inbox on their own servers

    Chatwoot vs IntercomChatwoot pricing and details

  8. Kommunicate

    AI agents for chat, email and voice with live chat hand-off

    • Kommunicate starts at $34 per month for 250 conversations, billed annually ($40 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Only Intercom lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox, reports and help center.

    Suits: Teams putting an AI agent in front of an existing help desk

    Kommunicate vs IntercomKommunicate pricing and details

  9. Richpanel

    AI agents, help desk and a self-service portal for online stores

    • Only Richpanel lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox and reports.

    Suits: Ecommerce brands handling about 1,000 or more conversations a month

    Richpanel vs IntercomRichpanel pricing and details

  10. Text by LiveChat

    Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team

    • Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Only Text by LiveChat lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox, reports and help center.

    Suits: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that sell through chat

    Text by LiveChat vs IntercomText by LiveChat pricing and details

  11. Tidio

    Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations

    • Tidio starts at $24.17 per month for 100 conversations, billed annually ($29 monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Tidio has a free plan. Intercom does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Tidio lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Intercom also covers shared inbox, reports and help center.

    Suits: Small online stores, especially on Shopify or WordPress

    Tidio vs IntercomTidio pricing and details

  12. Trengo

    Shared inbox for WhatsApp, email and chat with AI agents, in euros

    • Trengo starts at €299 per month for up to 10 users, billed annually (€349 billed monthly). Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
    • Only Intercom lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Intercom also covers reports and help desk.

    Suits: European businesses that handle much of their service over WhatsApp

    Trengo vs IntercomTrengo pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Intercom

  • Every Fin outcome costs $0.99 on top of seats, and WhatsApp, SMS, phone and bulk email are billed by usage.
  • Unlimited Copilot costs $29 per agent / month billed annually ($35 monthly); the Pro add-on with Operator starts at $100 a month per workspace.
  • Fin can run on another helpdesk such as Zendesk or Salesforce for $0.99 per outcome with a monthly minimum and no seat fees, sold through sales.
  • Outbound features such as product tours and surveys need Proactive Support Plus, from $99 a month for 500 messages.
Intercom pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Intercom?

The alternatives to Intercom in this directory are Zendesk, Help Scout, Front, Freshdesk, Crisp, Chatbase, Chatwoot, Kommunicate, Richpanel, Text by LiveChat, Tidio and Trengo. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Intercom.

Is there a free alternative to Intercom?

Yes. Help Scout, Crisp, Chatwoot and Tidio have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which Intercom alternatives work on Windows?

The Intercom listing does not include a Windows app. Front, Crisp, Richpanel, Text by LiveChat and Tidio list one.

Which Intercom alternatives work on macOS?

The Intercom listing does not include a macOS app. Front, Crisp, Richpanel, Text by LiveChat and Tidio list one.

Is there an open-source alternative to Intercom?

Chatwoot is described as open source on its own site.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 17, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.