Intercom
Helpdesk with live chat and the Fin AI agent priced per outcome
Intercom report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for in-app chat with an AI agent answering first
Intercom puts a chat Messenger in your website or app, a shared inbox and help center behind it, and its Fin AI agent in front, answering before a person has to. It suits software and app companies best. The bill is the thing to watch: seats from $29, then $0.99 for every conversation Fin resolves, then usage for WhatsApp, SMS and phone.
Who Intercom is for
- Great if you run a software or app company and support people inside the product
- Handy when you want an AI agent answering first and paying only when it resolves
- Good for early-stage startups, which get 93% off the first year
Who Intercom is not for
- Pricey if you get lots of questions, as every Fin resolution adds $0.99 to the bill
- Skip it if you need a fixed monthly cost, since WhatsApp, SMS and phone are billed by use
- Tight if you want automation workflows, as the builder starts on Advanced at $85 a seat
Why Intercom gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyEssential is $29 a seat a month billed yearly ($39 monthly), above this category's middle of $24 but short of the dearer quarter. Fin is $0.99 per resolved conversation on top, and workflows and team inboxes need Advanced at $85.
- CFree plan and trialA 14-day free trial with all features, Fin and the add-ons, and no card needed, so it is a proper look. There is no free plan to drop back to when it ends, though.
- BFeaturesThe Messenger for websites and apps, a shared inbox with tickets, a help center on every plan, the Fin AI agent, workflows and Copilot in the inbox. Product tours and surveys cost extra, but the support job itself is covered.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. The Messenger has to go into your site or app, Fin learns from your content, and the automations come with a builder to learn. Not a quick switch-on.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Stripe, Statuspage, Zendesk and WhatsApp. Fin can even run on top of Zendesk or Salesforce. No desktop app, though.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Intercom's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/intercom#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/intercom.svg" alt="Intercom: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Intercom stands among help desk and live chat tools
Intercom's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 9 of 19) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $29 a month for each person, against a middle price of $24.17 for the category: 11 of the 18 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 20 help desk and live chat tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Intercom’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 19, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 19, level with 16
- BFeaturesAbove 9 of 19, level with 10
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 19, level with 15
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 19, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 help desk and live chat tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
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
Keep Intercom, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Intercom you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools grade higher. It costs $348 a year.
What you could make
- Help desk, help center and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Salesforce, HubSpot and Shopify among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Intercom’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Intercom?
Intercom is a customer service helpdesk that combines a chat Messenger for websites and apps, a shared inbox with tickets, and a help center. Its Fin AI Agent answers customers first and is billed per resolved conversation on top of seat prices. The company behind it renamed itself from Intercom to Fin in 2026, while the helpdesk keeps the Intercom name.
Intercom is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Software and app companies that support customers through in-app chat
- Teams that want an AI agent answering first, paid only when it resolves
- Teams already on Zendesk or Salesforce that want to add Fin alone
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- Fin AI Agent
- Answers customers across channels and hands off to the team inbox. It costs $0.99 per outcome, charged at most once per conversation and not when a human takes over.
- Messenger live chat
- A chat widget for websites and mobile apps that feeds the same inbox as email and other channels.
- Shared inbox and tickets
- Conversations and tickets in one inbox with pre-built reports. Advanced adds multiple team inboxes and round-robin assignment.
- Help center
- A public help center on every plan; Advanced adds private and multilingual help centers and Expert adds one per brand.
- Workflows
- Basic automation on Essential and a visual workflow automation builder from Advanced up, with SLAs on Expert.
- Copilot
- An AI assistant in the inbox. Each agent gets 10 Copilot conversations a month free; unlimited use is a paid add-on per agent.
Intercom pricing
- Starts at
- $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial with all features, Fin and add-ons, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly) | Messenger live chat, a shared inbox and tickets, pre-built reports, a public help center and basic automation. Fin costs $0.99 per outcome on top. |
| Advanced | $85per seat / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | Adds a workflow automation builder, multiple team inboxes, round-robin assignment, a private and multilingual help center and 20 free Lite seats. |
| Expert | $132per seat / month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly) | Adds SSO and identity management, HIPAA support, SLAs, a multibrand Messenger and help center, and 50 free Lite seats. |
Read from intercom.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Intercom before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave up to 26% with annual billing
Intercom's pricing page says paying annually saves up to 26%: Essential is $29 per seat a month billed annually against $39 billed monthly.
Stated on intercom.com - StartupsEarly Stage: 93% off the first year
Startups with under $10M raised and fewer than 15 employees get 93% off in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three, plus a year of Fin with 300 outcomes.
Stated on intercom.com
Works with
Intercom alternatives
- Intercom vs Zendesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Intercom vs Help Scout
Free plan · from $25/mo
- Intercom vs Front
Free trial · from $25/mo
- Intercom vs Freshdesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Intercom vs Crisp
Free plan · from $45/mo
Common questions
Is Intercom free?
No, Intercom is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial with all features, Fin and add-ons, no credit card required.
How much does Intercom cost?
Intercom lists 3 plans. Essential: $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly). Advanced: $85 per seat / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). Expert: $132 per seat / month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly). Prices were read from intercom.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Intercom work on?
Intercom is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Intercom offer any discounts?
Intercom publicly lists the following: Save up to 26% with annual billing; Early Stage: 93% off the first year.
Does Intercom have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Intercom is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Intercom have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Intercom is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Intercom open source?
Intercom is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Intercom integrate with?
Intercom's listing names Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Stripe, Statuspage, Zendesk and WhatsApp. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Intercom?
Intercom is made by Intercom, Inc. It dates from 2011.
What are the alternatives to Intercom?
The closest alternatives to Intercom in our directory are Zendesk, Help Scout, Front, Freshdesk and Crisp. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Intercom.
How does Intercom compare with other help desk and live chat tools?
Intercom's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 5. It stands best on features (B, above 9 of 19) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Is Intercom good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Intercom C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $29 a month for each person, against a middle price of $24.17 for the category: 11 of the 18 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Intercom?
To replace Intercom you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools grade higher. It costs $348 a year. What you could not make: One mailbox that several people work at once. An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.