Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Crisp vs Intercom
Crisp
Live Chat & Chatbots
Customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Crisp free tier includes only 2 agents and no AI credits; AI capability requires paid tier; Intercom pricing is high and unpredictable with confusing per-seat, per-feature, and usage-based structure that makes cost estimation difficult
- They diverge on capability: Crisp covers Shared inbox, Intercom covers AI-powered inbox.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Crisp and Intercom actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Crisp
- Shared inbox
- Knowledge base
- Video calls
- CRM
- WordPress
- Zapier
- SSL
- Web support
Only in Intercom
- AI-powered inbox
- Help center
- Product tours
- Customer data platform
- Automation
- Mobile SDKs
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
Both cover
- Live chat
- Chatbots
- Slack
- Shopify
- Segment
- GDPR
- 2FA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Crisp
- Growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with AI automationnot Intercom
- Teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagramnot Intercom
Intercom
- Customer supportnot Crisp
- Lead generationnot Crisp
- User onboardingnot Crisp
- Product adoptionnot Crisp
- Customer engagementnot Crisp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Crisp
- Free tier includes only 2 agents and no AI credits; AI capability requires paid tier
- Free tier customer profile limit of 100; higher limits require upgrade
- Omnichannel support and workflow automation excluded from Free and Mini tiers
- White labelling only available in Plus tier ($295+/month)
Intercom
- Pricing is high and unpredictable with confusing per-seat, per-feature, and usage-based structure that makes cost estimation difficult
- API rate limited to 1,000 calls per minute, which may constrain integrations for high-volume data users
- Does not support multiple language versions of knowledge base articles, requiring creation of duplicate articles for each language
Pricing, plan by plan
Crisp
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Crisp review.
Intercom
Free- Essential$29/month
- Fin AI Agent
- Messenger
- Shared inbox
- Advanced$85/month
- Multiple team inboxes
- Workflow automation
- Round robin assignment
- Expert$132/month
- SSO
- HIPAA support
- SLAs
Which should you pick?
Choose Crisp if
- You need shared inbox.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
- You also want knowledge base.
Choose Intercom if
- You need ai-powered inbox.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want help center.
Questions people ask
- Is Crisp or Intercom better?
- Neither clearly leads. Crisp starts at Free and Intercom at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Crisp or Intercom?
- Crisp starts at Free and Intercom at Free.
- Does Crisp or Intercom run on more platforms?
- Crisp runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Intercom runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Crisp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Crisp best used for?
- Crisp is most often used for growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with ai automation, teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, whatsapp, messenger, instagram. Of those, growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with ai automation and teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, whatsapp, messenger, instagram are not what Intercom is typically brought in for.
- What can Crisp do that Intercom cannot?
- Crisp covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Video calls, CRM. Intercom covers AI-powered inbox, Help center, Product tours, Customer data platform. Both handle Live chat, Chatbots, Slack, Shopify.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Intercom: Is there a free tier and what are the limitations?
Intercom offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required and access to all features and add-ons. After trial, Essential plan starts at $29/seat/month. Free Lite seats are available on paid plans: 20 with Advanced, 50 with Expert.
SourceIntercom: Does Intercom support single sign-on (SSO)?
Yes, Intercom supports SAML SSO with identity provider integration, but it is only available on the Expert plan ($132+/seat/month). SSO also works with Intercom's mobile apps on iOS and Android.
SourceIntercom: Can I export my data from Intercom?
Yes. You can export conversations in CSV format via the Data Export feature in Reports, apply filters to refine exports, and use the REST API to programmatically access conversation and customer data.
SourceIntercom: What would a team of 10 cost on Intercom?
Minimum cost would be $290/month for 10 Essential seats at $29/seat/month. Advanced plan costs $850/month for 10 seats. Prices increase with additional add-ons like Fin AI ($0.99 per resolution), SMS, WhatsApp, or email campaigns.
Source