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Customer Support · head to head

Intercom vs Ontraport

Intercom logo

Intercom

Customer Support

The only AI customer service solution you need

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit IntercomFull review
Ontraport logo

Ontraport

CRM

All-in-one CRM and marketing automation

From
$24/month
Free plan
No
Visit OntraportFull review

The short version

  • Ontraport is an all-in-one CRM and marketing automation platform.
  • Intercom has a free plan, then $29/mo; Ontraport starts at $24/mo.
  • Only Intercom lists AI-powered inbox; only Ontraport lists contact management.
  • 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 Ontraport falls short: no plan name, monthly price, contact band, user count or email send limit is published on the pricing page.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Intercom and Ontraport actually diverge.

Attributes where Intercom and Ontraport differ
AttributeIntercomOntraport
Starting priceFree$24/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded20112009

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
  • Mobile SDKs
  • Salesforce

Only in Ontraport

  • Contact management
  • Sales pipeline
  • Email marketing
  • Marketing automation
  • Reporting
  • Landing pages
  • Zapier
  • Cloud deployment

Both cover

  • Automation
  • Slack
  • Stripe
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Intercom

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

Ontraport

  • CRM with marketing automation and campaign buildingnot Intercom
  • Managing contacts, pages and email sequences in one platformnot Intercom

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

Ontraport

  • No plan name, monthly price, contact band, user count or email send limit is published on the pricing page
  • Reaching a figure requires a trial signup or a sales conversation
  • The two months free saving requires annual billing

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

Ontraport

$24/month
  • Plus$24/mo
    • Contact management
    • Email marketing
  • Pro$79/mo
    • Everything in Plus
    • Automation
    • CRM
  • Pro+$149/mo
    • Everything in Pro
    • Advanced features
    • API access

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 Ontraport if

  • You need contact management.
  • You also want sales pipeline.
Ontraport review

Questions people ask

Is Intercom or Ontraport better?
Neither clearly leads. Intercom starts at Free and Ontraport at $24/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Intercom or Ontraport?
Intercom has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Intercom and $24/month for Ontraport.
Does Intercom or Ontraport run on more platforms?
Intercom runs on Web, iOS, Android. Ontraport runs on Web.
Can I use Intercom for free?
Yes. Intercom has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ontraport starts at $24/month.
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 lead generation are not what Ontraport is typically brought in for.
What can Intercom do that Ontraport cannot?
Intercom covers AI-powered inbox, Live chat, Chatbots, Help center. Ontraport covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Email marketing, Marketing automation. Both handle Automation, Slack, Stripe, 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
Ontraport: How much does Ontraport cost?

Ontraport does not publish specific pricing online. The company offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and users must contact sales or start a trial to learn pricing details.

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
Ontraport: What payment options does Ontraport offer?

Ontraport offers flexible subscription options with monthly or annual billing available. Annual subscriptions include two months free compared to monthly rates.

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
Ontraport: Are there long-term contracts required?

Ontraport emphasizes month-to-month commitment availability with no long-term contracts required. Users can upgrade or downgrade plans as needed.

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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