Intercom Alternatives in 2026: 12 Options Compared

Updated November 4, 2026. We added what changed at Intercom this year: the company renamed itself Fin in May, and Salesforce completed its purchase on September 10, 2026. We also added HelpCrunch and Gorgias, a "who competes with Intercom" table, a section on replacing only the helpdesk or only the AI, and a bigger cost table. Every price was checked again.

All prices come from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on November 4, 2026. They are list prices in US dollars, billed yearly unless we say otherwise, before tax and add-ons. We do not give scores. Each tool gets what it costs, what it does well, what it lacks and who should pick it.

Intercom in November 2026: new name, new owner

On May 12, 2026, Intercom renamed the company Fin, after its AI agent. CX Today reported that the Intercom name stays on the customer service software, the helpdesk product.

On June 15, 2026, Salesforce agreed to buy Fin for about $3.6 billion. On September 10, 2026, it completed the acquisition of "Fin, formerly Intercom". Salesforce says Fin is now part of Salesforce AI Labs and "will continue to serve its customers".

What this means for you today: the Intercom helpdesk is still sold on intercom.com, with the same plans. Salesforce has not announced price or product changes. If you sign a long contract, ask what happens at renewal and get the answer in writing.

What Intercom costs today

There is a 14-day free trial with no card, but no free plan. Startups with under $10M raised and 15 or fewer employees can apply for 93% off. Live chat and email are included on every plan. SMS, WhatsApp and phone are pay-as-you-go.

Why teams look for an Intercom alternative

Intercom is a strong product. Teams usually leave for one of four reasons:

• The bill grows in two directions. You pay per seat and per AI outcome. Add Copilot and the Pro add-on, and a small team can spend more than it planned.
• It is built for support, not sales. Teams that want chat to qualify a lead, create a deal and book a call often add a CRM and a scheduler on top.
• There is no free plan. Only a 14-day trial, plus the startup discount if you qualify.
• The new owner. Some teams avoid tools owned by a large vendor they compete with, or want to wait until Salesforce's plans for the product are clear.

Replace the helpdesk, the AI agent, or both?

"Leaving Intercom" can mean three different projects. Decide which one is yours before you compare tools.

Who competes with Intercom, by category

Intercom sits across several markets, so its competitors depend on which part you use. This table covers the main groups. Tools in bold are reviewed in this guide.

One change for 2026: Salesforce now owns Fin, so Salesforce Service Cloud and Intercom have the same parent company. Drift, often listed as an Intercom competitor, is being retired on January 31, 2027. Our Drift alternatives guide covers that move.

Intercom alternatives compared

What 5 agents and 1,000 chats a month really cost

"From" prices hide the AI bill. Here is one month for a 5-person team: 1,000 conversations, with AI fully resolving 400 of them (40%). Billed yearly, list prices, before tax.

How we got these numbers: vendor list prices from Nov 4, 2026. Intercom Essential uses the $19 new-customer price; at the $29 list price the total is $541. Zendesk extra resolutions at the committed rate.

Crisp, HelpCrunch and Front are billed per AI conversation, so we counted all 1,000. Crisp uses its help center estimate of $0.05–$0.10 per conversation, and its prices are monthly (yearly billing is set in the app).

Gorgias bills per ticket, not per agent. CRMsoftware.pro assumes about 3 AI replies per conversation, the planning figure on our pricing page. Your volumes will differ. Plug your own numbers into our chatbot ROI calculator or cost per ticket calculator.

The 12 best Intercom alternatives

1. CRMsoftware.pro: best for small teams that want AI chat and a CRM together

CRMsoftware.pro is our own product, so weigh this section with that in mind. It puts an AI chat and voice agent on your website, trained on your content. Human handover, a unified inbox and a sales pipeline sit in the same workspace.

• What it costs: Free for 3 users and 100 AI messages a month. Launch is $19/mo for 8 users and 1,000 AI messages. Growth is $49 for 20 users and 3,000. Scale is $99 for 50 users and 10,000. Billed yearly; monthly is $24, $59 and $119.
• Does well: users are included, so a new teammate costs nothing. WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Messenger and Slack from Launch. Bookings, quotes and invoices are built in. Team inbox with saved replies and auto-translation from Growth.
• Lacks: not a full ticketing helpdesk with SLAs and a public help center like Zendesk or Intercom. No email channel is listed on the plans. The API and HubSpot/Salesforce sync start on Scale.
• Best for: small businesses where the same people handle support and sales. Our Intercom vs CRMsoftware.pro page compares the two side by side.

2. Help Scout: best for email-first support

Help Scout feels like a shared email inbox your customers never notice. It adds live chat, a help center and an AI bot that is billed only when it resolves a conversation.

• What it costs: Free for 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site. Standard is $25 per user a month billed yearly (up to 25 users), Plus $45, Pro $75 (10 users minimum). AI resolutions are $0.75 each, with a spending cap and 3 free months for new accounts.
• Does well: simple to learn. Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger from Standard. A useful free plan.
• Lacks: per-user pricing; advanced workflows and round-robin routing start on Plus; no sales pipeline.
• Best for: support teams whose work arrives mostly by email. See our Help Scout alternatives if you are unsure.

3. Zendesk: best for high-volume ticketing

Zendesk is the closest like-for-like Intercom replacement for large teams. Watch the plan names: the cheapest plan covers email tickets only.

• What it costs: Support Team $19 per agent a month billed yearly ($25 monthly), email only. Messaging, chat and voice need Suite Team at $55 ($69). Suite Professional is $115 ($149). AI agents include 5 resolutions per agent a month on Team plans and 10 on Professional; extras are $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go.
• Does well: deep routing, macros, SLAs and a large app marketplace.
• Lacks: expensive once you need chat; setup takes time; Copilot is another $50 per agent and needs Suite Professional or higher.
• Best for: teams with many agents and formal processes. See our Zendesk alternatives if Zendesk is also on your list.

4. Freshchat and Freshdesk Omni: best low-cost omnichannel

Freshworks sells two overlapping products. Freshchat is messaging only. Freshdesk Omni combines tickets and messaging.

• What it costs: Freshchat is free for up to 10 agents; Growth is $19 per agent a month billed yearly, Pro $49, Enterprise $79. Freshdesk Omni is $29, $79 and $119. The Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions; paid plans of both get 500 free sessions once per account. Freddy Copilot is $29 per agent.
• Does well: the most free seats in this list; WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and SMS channels on paid plans.
• Lacks: two products make the choice confusing. A "session" is not the same as a resolution, so compare carefully.
• Best for: growing teams that want messaging channels at a low per-agent price. More in our Freshdesk alternatives guide.

5. Front: best for teams that live in a shared inbox

Front turns email into a team workspace with assignments, comments and shared drafts. Chat and AI sit on top.

• What it costs: Starter $25 per seat a month billed yearly (up to 10 seats), Professional $65 (up to 50), Enterprise $105. The Autopilot AI agent starts at $0.05 per conversation. Copilot is $20 per seat below Enterprise.
• Does well: email collaboration; low per-conversation AI price.
• Lacks: no free plan (14-day trial). Native WhatsApp is a paid add-on from Professional, at Meta's fees plus 20%.
• Best for: account managers and ops teams who answer customer email together.

6. HubSpot Service Hub: best if you already use HubSpot CRM

HubSpot puts tickets, chats, deals and marketing on one contact record. That is its main reason to exist next to Intercom.

• What it costs: free tools for up to 2 users include live chat with HubSpot branding. Starter lists at $20 per seat a month; on November 4, 2026 HubSpot showed $7 for new customers. Professional is $90 per seat with a yearly commitment ($100 monthly) plus a required $1,500 onboarding fee. Enterprise is $150 plus $3,500 onboarding.
• Does well: one database for sales, marketing and service.
• Lacks: AI runs on HubSpot Credits (500 a month on Starter, 3,000 on Professional, extra at $0.01 each), which is hard to forecast. Most helpdesk features sit on Professional.
• Best for: HubSpot customers. Our HubSpot Service Hub alternatives covers the other direction.

7. Crisp: best flat-priced chat inbox

Crisp charges per workspace, not per seat, and the conversation count is unlimited.

• What it costs: Free for 2 seats. Mini is $45 a month for 4 seats, Essentials $95 for 10 seats, Plus $295 for 20 seats ($10 per extra seat). These are monthly prices; yearly billing is set in the app. AI credits included: $5, $25 and $75 a month.
• Does well: predictable bill; omnichannel inbox, workflows, AI chatbot and knowledge base on Essentials.
• Lacks: no AI on the free plan; white labelling only on Plus.
• Best for: startups that want Intercom-style chat without per-seat pricing.

8. Tidio: best for ecommerce and small sites

Tidio is quick to install and priced by conversations, not seats. Its Lyro AI agent is a separate add-on.

• What it costs: Starter is $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 conversations and 10 seats. Growth starts at $49.17 for 250 conversations; Plus from $300 plus usage. Lyro starts at $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations.
• Does well: fast setup; a free plan with 50 conversations and 50 one-off Lyro conversations.
• Lacks: the bill rises with volume; branding removal is a $16.67 add-on on Growth and not offered on Starter; no CRM pipeline.
• Best for: online stores that want chat and simple automation.

9. HelpCrunch: best budget all-in-one for chat, email and help center

HelpCrunch covers the same ground as Intercom Essential for a smaller team: live chat, a shared inbox, a knowledge base and email campaigns.

• What it costs: Basic $12 per team member a month billed yearly ($15 monthly), Pro $20 ($25). Unlimited is $495 a month billed yearly ($620) for any number of team members. Pro includes 50 AI conversations a month and Unlimited 100. More are an add-on: 100 for $23.20 a month or 1,000 for $160, billed yearly.
• Does well: low seat price; email marketing in the same tool; 14-day trial with no card.
• Lacks: no free plan; no AI on Basic, and only 50 AI conversations a month on Pro; email sending volume adds to the price.
• Best for: SaaS and small online businesses on a budget. Our HelpCrunch alternatives guide compares it with similar tools.

10. Gorgias: best for Shopify stores

Gorgias is a helpdesk built for ecommerce, with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce integrations. It charges by ticket volume, never per agent.

• What it costs: Starter is $10 a month for 50 tickets (monthly billing only). Basic is $50 a month billed yearly ($60 monthly) for 300 tickets, Pro $300 ($360) for 2,000, Advanced $750 ($900) for 5,000. Extra tickets cost $0.36–$0.40. The AI Agent adds a set number of automated interactions per plan, then $1.50 each.
• Does well: store data next to each ticket; no per-agent fees; the AI Agent can take actions such as cancelling an order or applying a discount (not on every plan).
• Lacks: not a fit outside ecommerce; per-ticket pricing makes busy months expensive.
• Best for: Shopify brands with order, shipping and return questions.

11. Chatwoot: best open-source Intercom alternative

Chatwoot is open source, so you can host it on your own server and keep all data. It also has a cloud version.

• What it costs: the free Hacker plan has 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only and 30-day data retention. Startups is $19 per agent a month with 300 Captain AI credits, Business $39 with 500, Enterprise $99 with 800. Extra credits are $20 per 1,000.
• Does well: full data control when self-hosted; a familiar inbox; all channels on paid cloud plans.
• Lacks: self-hosting needs a developer; the free cloud plan keeps data only 30 days.
• Best for: technical teams that want to own the stack.

12. Zoho Desk: best for very small budgets

Zoho Desk is a ticketing tool from the wider Zoho suite. Its low tiers are cheap but focus on email, not chat.

• What it costs: free for 3 users. Express is $7 per user a month billed yearly ($9 monthly), up to 5 users. Live chat and WhatsApp start on Standard; Zia AI on Professional.
• Does well: very low entry price; works with other Zoho apps.
• Lacks: chat channels and AI need higher editions; the interface takes time to learn.
• Best for: tiny teams that need tickets more than chat.

Free Intercom alternatives

Intercom has no free plan. These tools do. Free plans are fine for testing and low volume, but read the limits before you put a free widget on a busy page.

Which Intercom alternative fits your team

Before you sign, ask each vendor three questions: what counts as a billable AI conversation or resolution, what is the price at renewal, and can you set a monthly cap on AI spend.

How to switch from Intercom without losing context

1. Find your renewal date and start at least 30 days before it.
2. Export conversations, contacts, tags and help center articles. Check the format you get for each.
3. List what Fin does today: its answers, procedures and handover rules. Rebuild the important ones in the new tool.
4. Import your help articles or website into the new knowledge base and test 20 real customer questions.
5. Recreate saved replies. Our live chat canned responses template saves time.
6. Set up routing and the handover rule: when does the AI pass a chat to a person?
7. Redirect old help center links so customers and search engines find the new articles.
8. Run both widgets on different pages for a week, then remove the Intercom script from every page and your tag manager.

Sources

• Salesforce: Salesforce Completes Acquisition of Fin, September 10, 2026.
• Salesforce: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Fin, June 15, 2026.
• CX Today: Intercom rebrands to Fin, May 13, 2026.
• Intercom pricing and Fin pricing, checked Nov 4, 2026.
• Pricing pages checked Nov 4, 2026: Zendesk, Help Scout, Freshchat, Freshdesk Omni, Front, HubSpot Service Hub, Crisp, Tidio, HelpCrunch, Gorgias, Chatwoot, Zoho Desk, Zoho Desk Express, tawk.to, CRMsoftware.pro.
• Salesloft Help: Drift Sunset FAQ, checked Nov 4, 2026.
• Crisp help center: How Hugo AI pricing and billing works, updated Nov 1, 2026, checked Nov 4, 2026.