Are you on the hunt for the perfect alternative to Intercom? Maybe you’re looking for new features, better pricing, or simply a fresh start with a different platform.
Finding the right Intercom live chat alternative can be a game-changer for your business. In fact, it can significantly improve customer engagement and support, with statistics showing that an effective live chat tool can make visitors 2.8x more likely to make a purchase.
In this article, we’ve put together 12 live chat tools that we believe are much better alternatives to Intercom. These not only offer great features but also provide better value for your money.
We’ve done all the work so you don’t have to, comparing key features and pricing, to help you make an informed decision.
Intercom Live Chat: An Overview
Intercom is not just a live chat tool. It’s an all-in-one customer communications platform and helpdesk software with built-in live chat features.
The popular customer service software is known for helping businesses build strong customer relationships through messaging and various other customer service channels:
Key features
- Live chat for website visitors: Interact with website visitors in real-time.
- Self-service options: Provide customers with a help desk or a knowledge base to find answers independently.
- Dynamic ticketing system: Effectively manage and track customer inquiries and support tickets.
- Email campaign builder: Create and automate email campaigns for all stages of the buyer lifecycle, including onboarding.
- Automation features: Use support bots and other automation tools to streamline customer service.
Best for
Intercom is an all-in-one customer relationship platform, making it ideal for businesses with needs that go beyond just live chat. Its suite of tools for marketing, sales, and support is great for those looking to integrate various aspects of customer relationship management into one cohesive system. This way, most company needs can be efficiently met from a single platform.
Pricing
Intercom offers three pricing plans:
- Essential Plan ($39 per seat/month): This plan is ideal for individuals, startups, and small businesses. It includes features such as a shared inbox, basic chatbots and automation, and a ticketing system.
- Advanced Plan ($99 per seat/month): This plan is ideal for growing support teams that need more advanced automation tools. This plan includes all the features of the Essential plan, plus multiple team inboxes, advanced workflows, and a multilingual help center.
- Expert Plan ($139 per seat/month): This plan is best suited for businesses with a large support team. It includes all features from the Advanced plan along with priority support, a dedicated success manager, and custom contract terms.
You can get a 14-day free trial for the Essential and Advanced plan.
Reasons to Choose an Intercom Live Chat Alternative
Despite Intercom’s popularity, many businesses look for alternative live chat tools after encountering the following issues:
Costly pricing plans
Intercom’s monthly price is per seat, which can be very steep for small businesses and startups, especially when they need multiple seats. The costs can quickly add up, making it a significant expense for smaller operations who would be better off finding the same quality in a more cost-effective tool.
Beyond the subscription costs, Intercom also charges for add-ons and usage-based features, such as the Proactive Support Plus add-on and Fin AI Agent resolutions. These additional costs can cause a significant increase in the end price of a monthly subscription.
This lack of transparency in how costs are calculated has also been a point of frustration for many users who have decided to look for Intercom chat alternatives that better suit their budget.
Integration problems
Users often experience issues with Intercom’s integration with the tools their companies are currently using:
- Some users find the range of integrations limited compared to other cheaper platforms.
- Some have found the setup and configuration process for integrating Intercom with other tools lengthy and complicated.
Frequent glitches
Some users have experienced performance issues, such as the customer service software being unresponsive or frequent bugs leading to email delivery failures and other problems.
So, while the platform comes with many useful features for businesses of all sizes, its costly plans and frequently encountered errors mean that it may be wiser to explore cost-effective Intercom alternatives that offer similar or even better functionalities, providing greater value and reliability for your business needs.
What Is the Best Alternative to Intercom?
The ideal Intercom alternative should be a tool that is designed for your specific business needs.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Do I need a scalable solution?
- Do I need a tool that integrates well with various social media platforms?
- What level of customer support and onboarding assistance do I need?
- Do I need a solution that integrates seamlessly with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems?
- How advanced should the automation and AI capabilities be?
The answers to these questions should guide you in picking a live chat solution that optimizes your workflow and helps you meet your specific business goals.
Let’s take a look at 12 of the best Intercom alternatives on the market:
1. Social Intents
Social Intents is the best Intercom alternative live chat solution for seamless integrations with popular communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack. It allows businesses to provide real-time customer support without the need to learn or adapt to new tools, as teams can continue working with the same systems they are already familiar with.
Key Features
- Real-time live chat support
- Integration with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Webex, and Google Chat
- ChatGPT-powered chatbots trained on your website data
- Proactive messaging and canned responses
- Customizable chat widgets
- Visitor tracking and analytics
- Real-time auto-translation
- Cross-team chat transfers
Learn more about our features here.
Benefits
Social Intents is ideal for small to medium businesses looking to provide real-time customer support directly through existing communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, eliminating the need for additional training or software. It is also beneficial for universities and colleges that want to streamline communications between staff and students.
Integrations
Social Intents integrates seamlessly with MS Teams, Slack, Zoom, Webex, Google Chat, WordPress, MailChimp, and other platforms via Zapier and Rest API.
Pricing
- Starter Plan: $49 per month (or $39/month billed annually)
- 1 chat widget, 1 website domain, up to 3 agents, 200 chat conversations per month, ChatGPT integration (10 URLs)
- Basic Plan: $79 per month (or $69/month billed annually)
- 2 chat widgets, 2 website domains, unlimited agents, 1,000 chat conversations per month, ChatGPT integration (25 URLs)
- Pro Plan: $132 per month (or $99/month billed annually)
- 5 chat widgets, 5 website domains, unlimited agents, 5,000 chat conversations per month, ChatGPT integration (200 URLs), cross-team chat transfers, the option to remove co-branding
- Business Plan: $265 per month (or $199/month billed annually)
- 10 chat widgets, 10 website domains, unlimited agents, 10,000 chat conversations per month, ChatGPT integration (1,000 URLs), cross-team chat transfers, real-time auto-translation, the option to remove co-branding
Social Intents also comes with a 14-day free trial with full access to all features available in the paid plans.
Intercom chat vs Social Intents
- Integration with existing tools: Social Intents integrates directly with Microsoft Teams and Slack, meaning that customer service teams can avoid the hassle of learning new software. Intercom requires users to adopt its platform fully, which requires some time to adapt to its new functionalities.
- Cost-effectiveness: Social Intents has pricing plans starting at $49 per month for unlimited agents on higher-tier plans, which is significantly more cost-effective compared to Intercom’s pricing structure.
- AI-powered chatbots: Social Intents leverages ChatGPT to power its chatbots, providing advanced AI capabilities even in its basic plans. Intercom offers AI-powered features as well, but often at a higher cost and with more complex integration requirements.
2. Olark
Olark, launched in 2009, started as a simple chat widget and has since evolved into comprehensive customer service software. It suits businesses of all sizes and offers a range of functionalities to boost customer satisfaction.
Key Features
- Live chat automation
- Live chat analytics
- Live chat transcripts
- Custom chatbox forms
- Visitor co-browsing
- Live chat translation
- Accessibility features (keyboard-only navigation, screen reader support, large text options)
Benefits
Olark is best for businesses looking for an accessible, inclusive, and user-friendly interface that integrates seamlessly with existing tools.
Integrations
Olark integrates with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Webex, Google Chat, WordPress, MailChimp, and other platforms via Zapier and Rest API.
Pricing:
- Olark Standard: $29 per agent per month
- Includes basic features suitable for small businesses.
- Olark Pro: Covers advanced functionalities like customer ratings, desktop and mobile app integration, file sharing, and knowledge base.
Intercom chat vs Olark
- Accessibility features: Olark specializes in making live chat accessible to users with disabilities. It includes features like keyboard-only navigation for those with motor difficulties, screen reader support for visually impaired users, and large text options for individuals with low vision. Intercom lacks this level of accessibility features, making Olark a better option for companies that want inclusive customer support tools.
- Ease of use: Olark is designed for a quick and easy setup, with a user-friendly interface that requires minimal technical support. Intercom can be more complex to set up and may need more extensive training and technical resources to do so.
3. Tidio
Tidio is a sales-oriented Intercom alternative live chat software designed for small businesses. It combines live chat and chatbot technology to boost sales and ensure excellent customer service.
Key Features
- Real-time client monitoring and engagement
- Automated conversations with 20+ templates and customizable chatbot flows
- Multichannel communicator integration (email, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp)
- Availability across devices and channels
- Quick 5-minute setup
Benefits
Tidio is ideal for small businesses looking for an easy-to-use, sales-focused live chat solution that integrates multiple communication channels and supports both real-time and automated interactions.
Integrations
Tidio integrates with platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, BigCommerce, and other popular CRM and email marketing tools like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, and more.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Includes basic features like 50 conversations per month.
- Starter Plan: $29 per month, offering 100 conversations via live chat/tickets, basic analytics, and more.
- Growth Plan: $59 per month, including 250 conversations, advanced analytics, and additional features.
- Lyro AI Plan: $39 per month, offering advanced chatbot capabilities.
- Tidio+ Plan: Custom plan starting at $398 per month.
Intercom chat vs Tidio
- Sales features: Tidio is designed with boosting sales in mind, with features such as offering discounts to prevent shopping cart abandonment. Intercom offers broad customer support and engagement features but does not specifically focus on sales-oriented functionalities.
- Multichannel communication: Tidio integrates live chat with other communication channels like email, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, ensuring that businesses can engage with customers across multiple platforms. Intercom provides multichannel support as well, but Tidio’s integration capabilities are a lot easier to adapt to, especially for start-ups and smaller businesses.
4. Hubspot
HubSpot is slightly different from other popular tools, as its live chat solution is part of its comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. This makes it ideal for businesses looking to integrate live chat with other customer relationship management tools.
Key Features
- Canned messages
- Branded chatbox
- Centralized inbox for email, phone, and chat cases
- Slack integration
- Chatbot builder
- Email, live chat, and calling capabilities
Benefits
While HubSpot does not provide a live-chat-only option, it includes live chat free for a lifetime within its CRM, which can be highly advantageous for those new to live chat or on a budget.
Integrations
HubSpot integrates with over 100 third-party tools, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp Business, and various CRM, CMS, and email marketing platforms such as Salesforce, MailChimp, and WordPress.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Includes basic features like live chat, chatbot builder, and Slack integration.
- Service Hub Starter: $45/month (billed annually) includes additional features like ticketing.
- Service Hub Professional: $450/month (billed annually) with advanced automation and custom reporting.
- Service Hub Enterprise: $1,200/month (billed annually) for large-scale operations with advanced needs.
Intercom website chat vs HubSpot:
- Free lifetime plan: HubSpot provides live chat for free as part of its CRM platform, making it an attractive option for businesses that are just starting with web chat or those with limited budgets. Intercom requires paid plans to access its full range of live chat features, which can be more costly, especially for start-ups and small businesses.
- Comprehensive CRM integration: HubSpot integrates live chat with its CRM, allowing for a centralized view of customer interactions across email, phone, and chat. Intercom focuses more on customer engagement and messaging rather than full CRM integration.
5. Tawk.to
Tawk.to is a completely free customer communication platform, making it an attractive option for small businesses looking for effective Intercom alternatives on a budget.
Key Features
- Real-time website visitor monitoring
- Localization in over 45 languages
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
- Built-in knowledge base
Benefits
Tawk.to is best for businesses looking for a free, comprehensive live chat solution that supports real-time interaction and multilingual communication without any cost.
However, keep in mind that they don’t guarantee common live chat best practices like round-the-clock support, and their security may be a concern for those who handle sensitive customer information.
Integrations
Tawk.to integrates with popular platforms like WordPress, Magento, Shopify, and other CMS and e-commerce solutions.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Includes all basic features at no cost.
Intercom vs Tawk.to:
- Completely free: Tawk.to offers all its features at no extra cost, making it an ideal choice for startups and small businesses with limited budgets. Intercom requires paid plans to access its full range of live chat features, which can be more costly, especially for small businesses.
- Multilingual support: Tawk.to supports localization in over 45 languages, allowing businesses to communicate with a global customer base in their native languages. Intercom offers multilingual support, but it is typically included in higher-priced plans.
6. Drift
Drift is similar to Intercom and one of its closest competitors. It offers very similar features which also means that it is not a cheap choice, but may be better suited to businesses that require advanced sales and marketing tools.
With a strong focus on sales and marketing automation, Drift helps businesses improve their customer experience with quality customer service and advanced features.
Key Features
- Real-time visitor monitoring and engagement
- Multiple Drift inboxes for managing different types of conversations
- Canned replies and a knowledge base for FAQs
- Conversational ratings
- Advanced analytics and reporting
- Customizable chat widgets
- AI-driven chatbots
- Playbooks for targeted messaging and lead generation
Benefits
Drift is ideal for larger businesses that are looking for a comprehensive sales and marketing tool that goes beyond basic live chat functionalities.
Integrations
Drift integrates with CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, email marketing tools, collaboration tools, and various CMS and social media platforms. Also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Limited to live chat and one seat.
- Premium Plan: Starts at approximately $600 per month for 10 seats, with $80 for each additional seat.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large businesses.
- Startup Program: $500 for 10 seats, with tiers based on funding amount.
Intercom vs Drift
- Sales-oriented: Drift specializes in tools that optimize sales, such as playbooks for targeted messaging, AI-driven chatbots, and detailed analytics. These features help businesses shorten their sales cycle and improve conversion rates. Intercom focuses more broadly on customer support and engagement rather than exclusively on sales and marketing.
- Advanced reporting capabilities: Drift provides detailed reporting and analytics on chat performance, playbook effectiveness, and customer engagement, helping businesses fine-tune their strategies and measure ROI. Intercom offers analytics, but Drift’s reports are often more detailed and sales-oriented.
7. Chaport
Chaport is an affordable customer service software designed for businesses that need a simple and transparent pricing model.
Key Features
- Auto-invitations and proactive messaging
- Typing insights to see what customers are typing before they send their message
- Group chat functionality to transfer chats or join group discussions
- Pre-chat form to collect visitor information
- Multichannel support including Facebook, Viber, and Telegram
- Knowledge base and FAQ bot
- Saved replies and autoresponders
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Visitor tracking and analytics
Benefits
Chaport is best for businesses looking for an affordable, easy-to-use live chat solution that supports real-time engagement and integrates with various messaging platforms.
Integrations
Chaport integrates with popular platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, Viber, VK, WordPress, Ecwid by Lightspeed, Joomla!, Bubble, and Google Analytics. It also supports Zapier for connections with over 4,000 apps and offers Javascript and REST API support.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Includes unlimited chats on unlimited websites for one agent.
- Pro Plan: $15 per month, providing advanced features like typing insights, group chat, and more.
Intercom vs Chaport
- Affordable pricing: Chaport offers a free plan with unlimited chats and affordable paid plans starting at $15 per month, making it an attractive option for small businesses and start-ups. Intercom tends to be more expensive, with higher monthly costs and additional charges for advanced features.
- Ease of use: Chaport is known for its straightforward setup and user-friendly interface, allowing businesses to get started quickly without extensive technical support. Intercom can be more complex to set up and may require more training and resources.
8. Zendesk
Zendesk is a popular customer service platform best known for its advanced AI-powered chatbots. It offers a wide range of features designed to optimize customer support channels, making it a great alternative to Intercom.
Key Features
- Automated messages with AI-powered chatbots for contextual, human-like responses
- Multi-channel support including messaging, social media, email, and phone calls
- Proactive messaging and outbound notifications
- Omnichannel management for a unified customer experience
- Automated workflows and triggers
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics
- Integrated voice software for complex issue resolution
- Customer satisfaction surveys can be sent automatically after a ticket is resolved
Benefits
Zendesk is best suited for businesses that need an all-in-one customer service solution that uses advanced AI technology to provide immediate support across various customer communication channels.
Integrations
Zendesk integrates with over 1,200 third-party apps via the Zendesk Marketplace, including CRMs, marketing tools, project management platforms, and customer feedback systems. Notable integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
Pricing
- Support Only Plan: Starts at $19 per agent per month.
- Suite Plans: Start at $55 per agent per month, offering more comprehensive features and support.
Intercom vs Zendesk
- Advanced AI-powered chatbots: Zendesk uses AI to provide intelligent, contextual responses, reducing the frustration of generic bot replies. Intercom also offers AI capabilities but may not be as advanced in providing human-like responses in all contexts.
- Omnichannel support: Zendesk makes it easy to transition between communication channels such as email, live chat, phone, and social media. Intercom provides multi-channel support, but Zendesk’s integrated approach can offer a more cohesive customer service experience.
9. LiveChat
LiveChat is a customer service platform best suited to e-commerce businesses. It offers advanced tools to help businesses improve customer support and boost sales, making it a strong competitor to Intercom.
Key Features
- Customizable chat widgets
- Proactive chat invitations
- Canned responses and chat transcripts
- Multi-language support (over 45 languages)
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics
- Knowledge base integration
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Chat routing and e-commerce features
Benefits
LiveChat is best for e-commerce businesses that need a robust live chat solution with advanced customization, detailed analytics, and strong e-commerce integration to optimize customer interactions and boost sales.
Integrations
LiveChat integrates with over 200 platforms, including CRM systems, email marketing tools, and social media platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Facebook Messenger.
Pricing
- Starter Plan: $20 per agent per month
- Team Plan: $41 per agent per month
- Business Plan: $59 per agent per month
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for large teams with extensive needs.
Intercom vs LiveChat
- Multi-language support: LiveChat offers extensive customization options and supports over 45 languages, making it ideal for businesses with a global customer base. Intercom also supports multiple languages but may not offer the same level of widget customization.
- E-commerce integration: LiveChat comes with unique e-commerce features like product cards and sales tracking, which are beneficial for online stores looking to monitor sales performance. Intercom offers e-commerce integrations, but LiveChat’s specialized features are particularly useful for retail businesses.
10. Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a comprehensive help desk software by Freshworks that includes live chat capabilities through Freshchat. It uses advanced automation, multi-channel communication, and AI to help businesses provide exceptional customer support.
Key Features
- AI-powered chatbots for contextual responses
- Multi-channel support (email, live chat, social media)
- Proactive messaging and campaigns
- Integrated knowledge base
- Automated workflows and ticket management
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics
- Customizable chat widgets and branding
Benefits
Freshdesk is best suited for businesses looking for a scalable, all-in-one customer support platform with advanced automation and multi-channel capabilities.
Integrations
Freshdesk integrates with over 1,000 applications including CRM systems, marketing tools, collaboration platforms, and e-commerce solutions. Notable integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Basic features for up to 10 agents.
- Growth Plan: $15 per agent per month, including automation and more advanced features.
- Pro Plan: $49 per agent per month, offering advanced AI capabilities and enhanced support options.
- Enterprise Plan: $79 per agent per month, with custom features for large teams.
Intercom vs FreshDesk
- Advanced AI-powered chatbots: Freshdesk provides intelligent AI chatbots that offer human-like, contextual responses, which help support agents during peak times and out-of-business hours. Intercom also offers AI capabilities but does not provide the same level of contextual interaction.
- Multi-channel support: Freshdesk supports a wide range of customer service platforms, ensuring seamless interaction across email, live chat, social media, and more, all managed from a single platform. Intercom provides multi-channel support, but Freshdesk’s integrated approach makes it a more cohesive experience from a single tool.
11. Twilio
Twilio is a cloud communication platform that offers a wide range of services, including SMS, voice, email, and live chat through its Conversations API. It is specifically designed for developers and businesses that need to embed real-time communication features into their applications.
Key Features
- Real-time chat capabilities across multiple channels (SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more)
- Conversations API for cross-channel communication
- Programmable voice and SMS
- AI-driven chatbots
- Customizable chat widgets and SDKs for web and mobile apps
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting
- Seamless integration with various platforms
Benefits
Twilio is best for businesses and developers looking for a highly customizable, scalable communication platform that can integrate various channels into their existing systems.
Integrations
Twilio integrates with popular platforms such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, as well as various CRM and marketing tools via APIs and SDKs.
Pricing
- Pay-as-you-go: Pricing is usage-based, starting at $0.0079 per SMS and $0.0085 per voice minute.
- Volume Discounts: Available as usage scales up.
- Twilio Flex: $1 per active user hour or $150 per named user per month for the customizable contact center solution.
Intercom vs Twilio
- Highly customizable and developer-friendly: Twilio offers extensive APIs and SDKs that allow developers to build custom communication solutions tailored to specific business needs. This flexibility is ideal for businesses that require specialized functionality. Intercom provides advanced communication tools but does not offer the same level of customization and developer control.
- Scalability: Twilio’s pay-as-you-go pricing model and volume discounts make it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes, allowing for scalable communication solutions without significant upfront costs. Intercom’s pricing can be more expensive, especially for small businesses and start-ups.
12. Front
Front is a comprehensive customer communication platform that unifies multiple channels, including email, SMS, social media, and live chat into a single interface.
Key Features
- AI-powered chatbots for real-time support
- Multi-channel inbox for managing email, SMS, social media, and live chat
- Automated message routing and tagging
- Customizable chat widgets
- Integration with knowledge bases and customer support tools
- Detailed analytics and reporting
- Collaboration tools such as shared drafts and internal comments
Benefits
Front is best for businesses looking for a unified platform that helps with team collaboration and streamlines customer communication across various channels.
Integrations
Front integrates with over 110 applications including Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Asana, and more. It also offers extensive APIs for custom integrations.
Pricing
- Starter Plan: $19 per user per month, including basic features.
- Growth Plan: $59 per user per month, adds advanced features and integrations.
- Scale Plan: Custom pricing, designed for large teams with extensive needs.
Intercom vs Front
- Unified communication platform: Front consolidates all customer communications into a single inbox, allowing teams to manage emails, SMS, social media, and live chat in one place. This reduces the need for multiple tools. Intercom requires separate systems to handle different channels.
- Advanced collaboration tools: Front provides features like shared drafts, internal comments, and automated message routing, which facilitate better team collaboration and ensure that no customer requests are overlooked. Intercom supports team collaboration but might not offer the same depth of integrated tools for managing conversations collaboratively.
Finding the Right Alternative to Intercom
Finding the right live chat software can make a huge difference in your customer support and engagement.
In this article, we went over the 12 best live chat tools, each with its own strengths and benefits. From the advanced AI of Zendesk to the developer-friendly customization of Twilio, and the cost-effective solutions like Tawk.to and Chaport, there’s something for every business.
Still not sure which one to choose?
Social Intents is the best alternative to Intercom for those looking for a cost-effective tool that requires minimal setup time and is easy to use. It integrates smoothly with tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack, offers budget-friendly pricing plans, and offers advanced AI-powered chatbots. This makes it the perfect choice for businesses looking to upgrade their live chat capabilities without breaking the bank, and without spending hours on training their staff.
Get started with our 14-day free trial today and discover why Social Intents is the ultimate alternative to Intercom.