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Customer Support · head to head

Intercom vs Lusha

Intercom logo

Intercom

Customer Support

The only AI customer service solution you need

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit IntercomFull review
Lusha logo

Lusha

CRM

B2B contact and company intelligence

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit LushaFull review

The short version

  • Lusha is a B2B intelligence platform.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $29/mo and $49.9/mo.
  • Only Intercom lists AI-powered inbox; only Lusha lists contact database.
  • Where Intercom falls short: pricing is high and unpredictable with confusing per-seat, per-feature, and usage-based structure that makes cost estimation difficult.
  • Where Lusha falls short: teams over 5 users must contact sales for configuration; no published per-user limits for standard plans.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Intercom and Lusha actually diverge.

Attributes where Intercom and Lusha differ
AttributeIntercomLusha
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded20112016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Intercom.

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 Intercom

  • AI-powered inbox
  • Live chat
  • Chatbots
  • Help center
  • Product tours
  • Customer data platform
  • Automation
  • Mobile SDKs

Only in Lusha

  • Contact database
  • Email search
  • Company intelligence
  • Email verification
  • Chrome extension
  • Integrations
  • LinkedIn
  • Gmail

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Intercom

  • Customer supportnot Lusha
  • Lead generation
  • User onboardingnot Lusha
  • Product adoptionnot Lusha
  • Customer engagementnot Lusha

Lusha

  • Lead generation
  • Contact researchnot Intercom
  • Email verificationnot Intercom

Both are used for lead generation, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Lusha

  • Teams over 5 users must contact sales for configuration; no published per-user limits for standard plans
  • Unused credits on monthly plans roll over but cap at twice the monthly limit, creating potential waste
  • Annual plans do not roll over unused credits; they reset at cycle end

Pricing, plan by plan

Intercom

Free
  • Essential$29/mo
    • Fin AI Agent
    • Messenger
    • Shared inbox
  • Advanced$85/mo
    • Multiple team inboxes
    • Workflow automation
    • Round robin assignment
  • Expert$132/mo
    • SSO
    • HIPAA support
    • SLAs

Lusha

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 40 credits per month
    • Basic prospecting features
    • Browser extension
  • Starter$49.9/mo
    • 400 credits per month
    • All Free plan features
  • Professional$69.9/mo
    • 600 credits per month
    • All Starter features
  • Premium$399.9/mo
    • 3,400 credits per month
    • All Professional features

Which should you pick?

Choose Intercom if

  • You need ai-powered inbox.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want live chat.
Intercom review

Choose Lusha if

  • You need contact database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email search.
Lusha review

Questions people ask

Is Intercom or Lusha better?
Neither clearly leads. Intercom starts at Free and Lusha at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Intercom or Lusha?
Intercom starts at Free and Lusha at Free.
Does Intercom or Lusha run on more platforms?
Intercom runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lusha runs on Web.
Can I use Intercom for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Intercom best used for?
Intercom is most often used for customer support, lead generation, user onboarding, product adoption. Of those, customer support and user onboarding are not what Lusha is typically brought in for.
What can Intercom do that Lusha cannot?
Intercom covers AI-powered inbox, Live chat, Chatbots, Help center. Lusha covers Contact database, Email search, Company intelligence, Email verification. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, GDPR.

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.

Source
Lusha: What does Lusha's Free plan include?

Lusha's Free plan provides 40 credits per month at no cost. It includes basic prospecting features, browser extension access, and CRM integrations. Credits are used for email reveals (1 credit per contact) and phone numbers (10 credits per contact).

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
Lusha: How do Lusha credits work and what is the credit rollover policy?

Lusha uses a credit system where email reveals cost 1 credit and phone reveals cost 10 credits per contact. On monthly plans, unused credits roll over and accumulate up to twice your monthly credit limit. Annual plans reset unused credits at the cycle's end without rollover.

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
Lusha: What is the annual pricing for Lusha plans?

Lusha offers annual pricing at a discount: Starter is $449.10/year (4,800 credits annually), Professional is $587.16/year (7,200 credits), and Premium is $3,119.21/year (40,800 credits). Annual plans are cheaper per credit than monthly but do not roll over unused credits.

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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