Software · head to head
Groove vs Intercom
The short version
- Only Intercom has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Groove billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch; 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: Groove covers Shared inbox, Intercom covers AI-powered inbox.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Groove and Intercom actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).
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 Groove
- Shared inbox
- Knowledge base
- Automation rules
- Reporting
- Collision detection
- Zapier
- Trello
- SSL
Only in Intercom
- AI-powered inbox
- Chatbots
- Help center
- Product tours
- Customer data platform
- Automation
- Mobile SDKs
- HubSpot
Both cover
- Live chat
- Slack
- Salesforce
- Jira
- GDPR
- 2FA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Groove
- Shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teamsnot Intercom
- Handling email, chat and messaging support in one queuenot Intercom
Intercom
- Customer supportnot Groove
- Lead generationnot Groove
- User onboardingnot Groove
- Product adoptionnot Groove
- Customer engagementnot Groove
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Groove
- Billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
- A minimum of 250 tickets a month applies, which is a $3,000 annual commitment before any usage
- A quiet month still pays the 250 ticket floor
- No mailbox limit is published
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
Groove
$12/month- Standard$12/month
- 1 mailbox
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Plus$20/month
- 5 mailboxes
- Full reporting
- Rules
- Pro$35/month
- 25 mailboxes
- Salesforce
- Enterprise SSO
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 Groove if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- 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 chatbots.
Questions people ask
- Is Groove or Intercom better?
- Neither clearly leads. Groove starts at $12/month and Intercom at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Groove or Intercom?
- Intercom has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12/month for Groove and Free for Intercom.
- Does Groove or Intercom run on more platforms?
- Groove runs on Web, Ios, Android. Intercom runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Intercom for free?
- Yes. Intercom has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Groove starts at $12/month.
- What is Groove best used for?
- Groove is most often used for shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams, handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue. Of those, shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams and handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue are not what Intercom is typically brought in for.
- What can Groove do that Intercom cannot?
- Groove covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Automation rules, Reporting. Intercom covers AI-powered inbox, Chatbots, Help center, Product tours. Both handle Live chat, Slack, Salesforce, Jira.
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.
SourceRelated pages
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