Best Intercom Alternatives
Intercom starts at $29 a month, has no free plan, and its Fin AI agent bills $0.99 on top for every conversation it resolves. That pricing is why most people end up on a page like this, and it is why the list below is organised by what you are trying to spend rather than by our score. Everything here is a tool we have reviewed, with pricing taken from the vendor's own page.
If you want something genuinely free
Free tiers vary enormously. These are the ones where the free plan is a product rather than a countdown, though only one of them is free at any real volume.
The only one on this page that is free at $0/mo rather than free up to a limit. Expect to trade features for that.
Zoho Desk is free for up to three agents and $7/mo after that, which is the cheapest genuine step up from free here.
Free tier plus $45/mo paid. Worth a look if live chat is the part of Intercom you actually use.
If you want cheaper, but paid
The gap between Intercom's $29 and the cheaper end of this category is smaller than it looks once you account for seats. Check whether the price is per agent before comparing it.
$10/mo and the cheapest paid option we review in this category.
$25/mo. The obvious like-for-like swap and the name most often weighed against Intercom.
$29/mo, the same entry price as Intercom, so this is a feature and support decision rather than a cost one.
The direct competitors
Intercom's own materials name Zendesk and Freshworks, both above, as who it is sold against. These two are the others worth weighing if you are replacing Intercom rather than escaping its price.
$35 per seat per month. A shared inbox first and a helpdesk second, which suits some teams far better.
Has a free plan and then $30 per user per month. Priced per seat, so it overtakes Intercom's entry price on a team of any size.
Every AI Customer Service Tool we've reviewed
Gorgias
Zendesk
Freshworks
Front
Zoho
Dixa
Kustomer
Botpress
Help Scout
Yuma AI
Ada
Bland
Forethought
Richpanel
tawk.to
Chatbase
My AskAI
Tidio
eDesk
Capacity
Hiver
Frequently asked
Is there a free alternative to Intercom?
Yes. tawk.to is free at $0/mo, and Zoho Desk is free for up to three agents. Help Scout, Crisp, Chatbase and Botpress all have free tiers, though most of those are limited enough that you will hit the ceiling on a working support desk. Intercom itself has no free plan, only a trial.
Who are Intercom's main competitors?
Intercom's own materials name Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot Service Hub, Salesforce Service Cloud and Drift. Of the ones we review, Zendesk at $25/mo and Freshworks at $29/mo are the closest like-for-like swaps.
What is the cheapest alternative to Intercom?
Ignoring free plans, Zoho Desk Express at $7/mo is the cheapest we review, followed by Gorgias at $10/mo. Both are a long way below Intercom's $29/mo, but check the per-agent terms before assuming the gap holds for your team size.
Why is Intercom so expensive?
Two things stack. The plan itself starts at $29/mo, and the Fin AI agent is billed separately at $0.99 for every conversation it resolves. On a busy support desk the usage charge can outgrow the subscription, which is what sends most people looking.
Is there an open source Intercom alternative?
There are open source helpdesks, but we do not currently review one, so we are not going to rank something we have not looked at. Everything on this page is a tool we have written up, with pricing taken from the vendor's own page.