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Freshchat vs Intercom

Freshchat logo

Freshchat

Live Chat

Modern messaging for customer engagement

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Intercom logo

Intercom

Technology

The only AI customer service solution you need

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting; 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: Freshchat covers Campaigns, Intercom covers AI-powered inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshchat and Intercom actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshchat and Intercom differ
AttributeFreshchatIntercom
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
CategoryLive ChatTechnology
Founded20102011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Freshchat

  • Campaigns
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Apple Business Chat
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales
  • Zendesk
  • ISO27001

Only in Intercom

  • AI-powered inbox
  • Help center
  • Product tours
  • Customer data platform
  • Automation
  • Mobile SDKs
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Chatbots
  • Shopify
  • Slack
  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Freshchat

  • Live chat on a website or in an appnot Intercom
  • Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Intercom
  • Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Intercom
  • Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Intercom

Intercom

  • Customer supportnot Freshchat
  • Lead generationnot Freshchat
  • User onboardingnot Freshchat
  • Product adoptionnot Freshchat
  • Customer engagementnot Freshchat

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Freshchat

  • The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
  • Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
  • Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
  • Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
  • Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot

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

Freshchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 agents
    • Chat widget for web and mobile
    • Shared inbox
  • Growth$19/month
    • Per agent, billed annually
    • Social media messengers, SMS/text messaging
    • Reporting and analytics
  • Pro$49/month
    • Per agent, billed annually (marked Most Popular)
    • Multilingual conversations
    • Custom dashboards, intelligent routing
  • Enterprise$79/month
    • Per agent, billed annually
    • Skill-based routing, audit logs
    • JWT authentication, IP whitelisting

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 Freshchat if

  • You need campaigns.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want whatsapp.
Freshchat review

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.
Intercom review

Questions people ask

Is Freshchat or Intercom better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshchat 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, Freshchat or Intercom?
Freshchat starts at Free and Intercom at Free.
Does Freshchat or Intercom run on more platforms?
Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Intercom runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Freshchat for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Freshchat best used for?
Freshchat is most often used for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Of those, live chat on a website or in an app and shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers are not what Intercom is typically brought in for.
What can Freshchat do that Intercom cannot?
Freshchat covers Campaigns, WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat. Intercom covers AI-powered inbox, Help center, Product tours, Customer data platform. Both handle Live chat, Chatbots, Shopify, Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Freshchat: What is the cost of Freshchat's Growth plan?

Growth plan costs $19 per agent per month when billed annually. It includes social media messengers, SMS/text messaging, and reporting. AI agent features are available as an add-on at $49 per 100 sessions.

Source
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.

Source
Freshchat: Does Freshchat offer a free trial?

Yes. Freshchat provides a 14-day free trial with full Enterprise plan access. After trial expiration, the Free plan supports up to 10 agents at $0/month, with no cancellation fees.

Source
Intercom: 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.

Source
Freshchat: How much does Freshchat's Pro plan cost?

The Pro plan (marked Most Popular) costs $49 per agent per month when billed annually. It includes multilingual conversations, custom dashboards, intelligent routing, and multiple SLA policies. AI Copilot is available as an add-on at $29/agent/month.

Source
Intercom: 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.

Source
Intercom: 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
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