18 Best Intercom Alternatives Reviewed In 2024
Best Intercom Alternatives Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 18 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
Intercom is a widely used customer service software known for its real-time live chat and messaging features that help businesses engage with customers effectively. However, some users may look for alternatives due to its higher cost or limited customization.
Using my experience with customer experience software, I tested and reviewed several top Intercom alternatives. I then compiled detailed reviews to help identify the best options suited to your specific needs.
What Is Intercom?
Intercom is a customer service software that facilitates real-time customer engagement through live chat and messaging. Support teams, marketers, and sales professionals use it to improve customer interactions and deliver prompt assistance.
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Key features such as live chat, targeted messaging, and customer data tracking enable personalized communication and efficient support. Overall, Intercom helps teams manage customer interactions effectively, enhancing the entire customer experience.
Why Look for an Intercom Alternative?
While Intercom is a valuable software, there are a number of reasons why some users seek out alternative solutions. You might be looking for an Intercom alternative because…
- You need lower pricing options
- You require more customization
- You want better integration options
- You're seeking improved scalability
- You need enhanced data privacy features
If any of these sound like you, you’ve come to the right place. My list contains several customer service software options that are better suited for teams looking for Intercom alternative solutions.
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Best Intercom Alternatives Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top Intercom alternative selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| UserGuiding | From $89/month (billed annually) | Website |
| HelpCrunch | From $12/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Missive | From $14/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| GoSquared | From $9/month | Website |
| Help Scout | From $22/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Kustomer | From $89/user/month | Website |
| Crisp | From $6.25/user/month | Website |
| DevRev | From $19.99/user/month | Website |
| BoldDesk | From $49/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Zendesk | From $50/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareBest Intercom Alternatives Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best Intercom alternatives that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you.
UserGuiding is a no-code platform that helps you create interactive onboarding experiences for your users. With features like product tours, checklists, and in-app messages, it guides users through your product, enhancing their understanding and engagement.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: UserGuiding offers a unique alternative with its AI Assistant. This feature offers personalized, multilingual support directly within your app, providing users with immediate answers based on your knowledge base, URLs, or PDF files. This reduces the need for live support and ensures users receive accurate information promptly. Additionally, you can customize the AI Assistant's persona to align with your brand's voice, maintaining consistency in user interactions. For queries beyond its scope, the AI Assistant can guide users to relevant pages or connect them to live chat, ensuring no conversation is left unresolved.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include onboarding checklists, resource centers, segmentation, analytics, customization, tooltips, hotspots, announcement modals, NPS surveys, and product updates.
Integrations include Mixpanel, Segment, Intercom, Slack, Google Analytics, Woopra, and HubSpot.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Customizable guides
- No-code setup
- Effective in guiding users through complex workflows
Cons:
- No ticket management
- No in-app chat with live agents
HelpCrunch is a customer communication tool designed for support, marketing automation, and sales teams. It offers live chat, email automation, and a knowledge base.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: HelpCrunch lets you manage unlimited contacts on all plans, which works well for growing businesses. Plus, you can customize the chat widget to match your brand’s look and feel. It also includes automated messaging and email follow-ups to boost customer engagement. With its flexible and customizable features, HelpCrunch gives your team what you need for effective communication.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include live chat, chatbot, knowledge base, email marketing, pop-ups, shared inbox, mobile apps and SDK, customizable chat widget, auto messages, help desk, reports and analytics, integrations, and multilingual support.
Integrations include Slack, Zapier, WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Pipedrive, HubSpot, Squarespace, Magento, and Mailchimp.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Customizable chat widget
- Supports multilingual communication
- Unlimited contacts on all plans
Cons:
- Limited advanced features
- Limited reporting capabilities
Missive is a collaborative email platform designed for teams that require efficient communication and task management. It caters to businesses that need to manage shared inboxes and coordinate team efforts effectively.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: Missive lets your team collaborate directly within email threads, making communication easier. Key features such as shared labels, in-email chat, and task assignments can help your team manage several customer interactions together. The software also focuses on teamwork and communication, making it a solid choice for businesses that value collaboration.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include shared inboxes, internal commenting, task assignment, real-time collaboration on drafts, integration with multiple communication channels, customizable labels, automation rules, unified inbox, and multi-account support.
Integrations include Slack, Trello, Asana, Pipedrive, Zapier, Dropbox, Google Drive, Twilio, Stripe, and Todoist.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Supports team collaboration
- Enhances shared inbox management
- Streamlines communication
Cons:
- Limited advanced features
- Initial setup can be complex
GoSquared is a customer engagement platform providing real-time analytics and communication tools. It's ideal for businesses that want to better understand and engage their website visitors.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: GoSquared gives you real-time website analytics, keeping your team informed about visitor behavior as it happens. With features like live chat and visitor timelines, your team can engage with customers at the right moment. Additionally, its easy-to-read dashboards offer quick insights into how visitors interact with your site, helping you make decisions almost instantly.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include real-time web analytics, live chat, customer data hub, marketing automation, intuitive dashboards, campaign tracking, event tracking, device usage insights, engagement metrics, daily email reports, integrations with third-party tools, GDPR compliance, API access, customizable alerts, and team collaboration features.
Integrations include Slack, Zapier, WordPress, Google Analytics, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Drift, Clearbit, and Stripe.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Real-time data insights
- Easy-to-use dashboards
- Enhances visitor engagement
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- May need additional setup time
Help Scout is a customer service platform designed for teams that value personalized customer interactions. It supports businesses by providing tools for email management, live chat, and customer self-service.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: Help Scout focuses on a customer-first experience with features like shared inboxes and customer profiles to boost team collaboration. Its simple interface makes it easy for your team to manage conversations without feeling overwhelmed. Using the software’s customer-centric approach, your team can provide empathetic and effective support, making it a solid alternative to Intercom.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a shared inbox for team collaboration, knowledge base integration, customer satisfaction ratings, automated workflows, email integration, live chat support, beacon functionality for proactive support, and reporting and analytics.
Integrations include Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Trello, Mailchimp, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and Google Workspace.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Customer-first approach
- Supports team collaboration
- Effective email management
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Basic reporting features
Kustomer is a customer service platform designed for businesses seeking AI-driven CRM capabilities. It caters mainly to support teams by offering a unified view of customer interactions and automating tasks.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: Kustomer’s AI-driven features help automate repetitive tasks, letting your team focus on more complex customer issues. The platform gives you a full view of customer data so you can have more personalized interactions. Its automation and CRM tools also help your teams manage customer relationships across different channels. Additionally, Kustomer’s focus on AI and automation allow you to handle large volumes of customer inquiries with ease.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include advanced automation workflows, a customizable customer timeline, and sentiment analysis.
Integrations include Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Zapier, Magento, Mailchimp, Zendesk, HubSpot, Twilio, and Stripe.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- AI-driven automation tools
- Unified customer interaction view
- Customizable workflows
Cons:
- Can be complex to configure
- Limited custom reporting options
Crisp is a customer messaging platform aimed at businesses looking to manage customer interactions in one place. It serves customer support and sales teams by providing a unified inbox for chat, email, and social media messages.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: Crisp brings all your communication channels into one place, so your team won’t miss any customer inquiries. With features like real-time chat, shared inboxes, and automated responses, it helps your team collaborate more efficiently. Additionally, the platform’s simple design makes it easy for your team to manage conversations, ultimately streamlining processes and improving customer inquiries.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include co-browsing, video calls, and chatbots.
Integrations include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Twilio, Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Centralizes communication channels
- Supports real-time chat
- Enhances team collaboration
Cons:
- Can be complex for small teams
- Requires initial setup time
DevRev is a platform designed to bridge the gap between support and development teams. It serves businesses looking for a unified approach to customer service and product development.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: DevRev connects support functions with product development, so your team can handle customer issues and development tasks in one place. It offers tools for tracking customer feedback and folding it into the development process. The software also focuses on collaboration allowing you to align support and development goals to work more efficiently.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include ticket management, real-time collaboration, and issue prioritization.
Integrations include Slack, Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Asana, Trello, Zendesk, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simplifies workflow management
- Tracks customer feedback
- Prioritizes development tasks
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Requires technical expertise
BoldDesk is a help desk software designed to enhance customer support operations. It targets small to medium-sized businesses seeking efficient ticket management and customer communication tools.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: BoldDesk has budget-friendly plans, making it accessible for teams with limited resources. It offers features like automated workflows and customizable ticketing systems to boost team efficiency. Additionally, the software’s clean interface helps your team manage support tickets without feeling overwhelmed. As a result, BoldDesk’s affordability and essential features make it a good choice for businesses looking for cost-effective solutions.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include ticket management, a knowledge base, self-service portal, agent collision detection, customizable workflows, automation rules, SLA management, analytics and reporting, multichannel support, integrations, mobile support, and customer satisfaction surveys.
Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, Azure Active Directory, Zapier, Microsoft Outlook, Google Workspace, Twilio, FreshBooks, QuickBooks, and PayPal.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Cost-effective for small businesses and startups
- Supports automated workflows
- Offers customizable ticketing
Cons:
- Limited advanced functionalities
- Basic reporting capabilities
Zendesk is a customer service software designed for support teams, marketers, and sales professionals. It facilitates communication, ticket management, and customer engagement.
Why it's a good Intercom alternative: Zendesk's customer service tools include an easy-to-use ticketing system, data tracking, and reporting features for managing customer interactions. You can customize workflows to fit your business needs, making it work for different industries. Plus, its simple interface and detailed analytics can easily help your team deliver efficient customer service.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a centralized help desk, automated responses, and a knowledge base for self-service.
Integrations include Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Trello, Jira, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Strong ticket management system
- Extensive reporting capabilities
- Highly customizable workflows
Cons:
- Can be complex to set up
- Some features may be overwhelming
Other Intercom Alternatives
Here are some additional Intercom alternatives that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- Userpilot
Best for user engagement tools
- JustReply
Best for Slack-centric teams
- Zoho Desk
Best for data privacy focus
- Customer.io
Best for targeted messaging campaigns
- Tidio
Best for chatbots and automation
- Freshdesk
Best for multichannel support
- Gleap
Best for in-app bug reporting
- Customerly
Best for email marketing integration
Intercom Alternatives Selection Criteria
When selecting the best Intercom alternatives to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points related to customer service software products, like scalability issues and integration challenges. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Manage customer inquiries
- Track customer interactions
- Provide real-time chat support
- Automate common responses
- Offer a ticketing system
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- AI-driven insights and metrics
- Customizable automation workflows
- Multichannel integration
- Advanced reporting capabilities
- In-app chat features
- Mobile app accessibility
- Additional add-ons
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- User-friendly interface design
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Accessibility features
- Efficiency in performing tasks
- Easy live chat software
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Interactive product tours
- Access to templates
- Supportive chatbots
- Live webinars for training
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Availability of 24/7 support
- Response time to inquiries
- Knowledgeable support staff
- Availability of multiple support channels
- Quality of self-help resources
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Pricing plan transparency
- Range of available plan tiers
- Features included in base plans
- Discounts for annual billing
- Flexibility in plan customization
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Overall satisfaction ratings
- Feedback on feature effectiveness
- Comments on reliability
- Insights on ease of use
- Reports on customer service experiences
Key Features for Intercom Alternatives
Here are some of the key features of Intercom, to help you contrast and compare what alternative solutions offer:
- AI Chatbots and Agents: Provides instant support agents for your customers, letting your team members focus on more complex tasks.
- Omnichannel and Multilingual Support: Brings conversations from various channels into one inbox, helping your team manage them efficiently.
- Help Center: Offers a platform for support content, making it easy for your customers to find help across channels.
- AI Copilot: Assists your agents by generating expert answers, improving response times and customer experiences.
- AI-Enhanced Inbox: Designed for productivity and collaboration, this shared inbox boosts your team's efficiency.
- Ticketing System: Streamlines issue resolution and keeps context, ensuring your team doesn't lose track of customer issues.
- Phone Support: Provides calls, video, and screen sharing to help your team troubleshoot effectively.
- Reporting Tools: Gives real-time insights and customizable reports to help your team track support operations.
- Workflows: Automates repetitive tasks with a no-code visual builder, freeing up your team's time.
- Knowledge Hub: Centralizes content management to support AI and self-service options for your customers.
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