Intercom Alternatives: 12 Tools to Help You Grow Your Business

Intercom is a popular customer communication platform, but if we talk about intercom price, it can be expensive for small businesses. If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, there are a number of options available.

If you're looking to grow your business, it's important to have a customer communication platform in place. Intercom is a great option, but it's not the only one. There are a number of affordable alternatives to Intercom available that can help you achieve your business goals.

In this blog post, we'll help you choose the best Intercom alternative for your business. We'll compare features, pros & cons, and other factors to make sure you find the right tool for your needs.

Top 12 Best Intercom Alternatives

Here are the 12 best Intercom chat alternatives for your online business:

Zendesk

Zendesk is a popular customer service platform that offers a wide range of features, including live chat, email support, a knowledge base, and reporting and analytics. It is a good alternative to Intercom for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially well-suited for larger businesses with complex customer support needs.

Features:

Live chat
Email support
Knowledge base
Reporting and analytics
Help desk software
Ticketing system
Self-service portal
Omnichannel support
CRM integration
AI-powered insights
Mobile app

Pros:

Comprehensive set of features
Flexible and customizable
Easy to use
Scalable for businesses of all sizes
Strong customer support

Cons:

Can be expensive for small businesses
Some features can be complex to learn
Limited reporting and analytics features for free and paid plans

Rating:

Features: 4.5
Ease of Use: 3.5
Customer Support: 4.5
Value for Money: 4.0

Zendesk and Intercom are both popular customer communication platforms, but they have some key differences. Zendesk is more focused on customer support, while Intercom is more focused on customer engagement. Zendesk also offers a wider range of features, including a help desk software and ticketing system.

BIK

BIK is a customer communication platform that offers a variety of features, including live chat, email marketing, knowledge base, and reporting and analytics. It is a good alternative to Intercom for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially well-suited for small businesses and startups.

Features:

Live chat: BIK offers live chat support with features such as proactive chat, chat routing, and canned responses.
Email marketing: BIK offers email marketing integration with features such as email segmentation, email personalization, and email automation.
Knowledge base: BIK offers a knowledge base with features such as self-service articles, FAQ pages, and search functionality.
Reporting and analytics: BIK offers reporting and analytics features with insights such as chat volume, chat duration, and customer satisfaction.

Pros:

Affordable pricing: BIK is more affordable than Intercom, making it a good option for businesses on a budget.
Easy to use: BIK is easy to use and set up, making it a good option for businesses of all sizes.
Comprehensive features: BIK offers a comprehensive range of features, including live chat, email marketing, knowledge base, and reporting and analytics.

Cons:

Limited support: BIK offers limited support, so it may not be the best option for businesses that need a lot of help with their customer communication.
Not as well-known as Intercom: BIK is not as well-known as Intercom, so it may not be the best option for businesses that need a brand-name solution.

Ratings:

G2 Crowd: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Overall, BIK is the best alternative to Intercom for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially well-suited for small businesses and startups. It offers a comprehensive range of features at an affordable price, but it does have limited support and is not as well-known as Intercom.

💡

Freshdesk

Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support platform that offers a variety of features, including live chat, email support, a knowledge base, and self-service tools. It is a popular alternative to Intercom, and it is known for its affordability and ease of use.

Features:

Live chat
Email support
Knowledge base
Self-service tools
Ticket management
Reporting and analytics
Team collaboration tools
Mobile app

Pros:

Affordable
Easy to use
Comprehensive set of features
Good customer support

Cons:

Some features are not available on the lower-priced plans
Can be slow at times
Not as customizable as Intercom

Ratings:

G2: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.5 out of 5 stars
TrustRadius: 8.8 out of 10

Overall, Freshdesk is a great Intercom alternative for businesses of all sizes. It is affordable, easy to use, and offers a comprehensive set of features. However, some features are not available on the lower-priced plans, and it can be slow at times.

LiveChat

LiveChat is a customer service platform that helps businesses of all sizes provide live chat support to their customers. It offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat: LiveChat allows businesses to chat with their customers in real time.
Chatbots: LiveChat offers chatbots that can automate customer service tasks, such as answering common questions and providing support outside of business hours.
Proactive chat: LiveChat allows businesses to proactively chat with visitors on their website.
Ticketing system: LiveChat offers a ticketing system that allows businesses to track and manage customer support tickets.
Reporting and analytics: LiveChat offers reporting and analytics features that help businesses track their customer support performance.

Pros of LiveChat:

Wide range of features, including live chat, chatbots, proactive chat, a ticketing system, and reporting and analytics
Easy to use
Affordable pricing
Excellent customer support

Cons of LiveChat:

Some features are only available on higher-priced plans
There is a learning curve to using all of the features

Rating: LiveChat has a rating of 4.8 stars on G2 Crowd, with over 10,000 reviews.

Overall, LiveChat is a great Intercom free alternative for businesses of all sizes. It offers a wide range of features at an affordable price.

Drift

Drift is a customer communication platform that helps businesses convert leads into customers and customers into advocates. It offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat: Drift allows businesses to chat with visitors to their website in real time.
Email marketing: Drift can be integrated with email marketing software to send automated emails to leads and customers.
Knowledge base: Drift can be used to create a knowledge base where customers can find answers to their questions.
Reporting and analytics: Drift provides reporting and analytics features to help businesses track their customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.

Pros:

Drift is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.
Drift offers a variety of features that can help businesses improve their customer communication.
Drift is integrated with a number of other popular business tools, such as Salesforce and HubSpot.

Cons:

Drift can be expensive, especially for small businesses.
Drift's targeting options can be limited.
Drift's reporting features can be basic.

Ratings:

G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Trustpilot: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Overall, Drift is similar to Intercom for businesses that are looking for a powerful customer communication platform. It is easy to use and offers a variety of features, but it can be expensive for small businesses.

Tidio

Tidio is a customer communication platform that offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat: Tidio offers live chat support so that you can communicate with your customers in real time.
Chatbots: Tidio offers chatbots that can answer common questions and provide support to your customers even when you're not online.
Knowledge base: Tidio offers a knowledge base where you can store and share helpful information with your customers.
Email marketing: Tidio offers email marketing integration so that you can stay in touch with your customers and promote your products or services.
Reporting and analytics: Tidio offers reporting and analytics features so that you can track your customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.

Pros of Tidio:

Affordable pricing
Easy to use
Wide range of features
Good customer support

Cons of Tidio:

Some features are only available on paid plans
Chatbots can be limited in their functionality
Reporting and analytics features could be more robust

Ratings:

G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Overall, Tidio is a good Intercom competitor for small businesses. It offers a wide range of features at an affordable price.

HelpScout

HelpScout is a customer communication platform that helps businesses of all sizes provide better customer support. It offers a variety of features, including live chat, email support, knowledge base, and self-service options.

Features:

Live chat: HelpScout's live chat feature allows you to chat with customers in real time. You can also use live chat to answer customer questions, troubleshoot problems, and provide support.
Email support: HelpScout's email support feature allows you to manage all of your customer emails in one place. You can also use email support to create templates, collaborate with team members, and track your progress.
Knowledge base: HelpScout's knowledge base feature allows you to create and manage a self-service knowledge base for your customers. This can be a great way to answer common questions and help customers find the information they need quickly and easily.
Self-service options: HelpScout also offers a variety of self-service options, such as a customer portal and a help center. These options can help customers find the information they need without having to contact support.

Pros:

Easy to use: HelpScout is easy to use for both customers and support teams.
Comprehensive features: HelpScout offers a wide range of features that can help businesses provide better customer support.
Affordable pricing: HelpScout offers affordable pricing plans for businesses of all sizes.

Cons:

Limited customization options: HelpScout offers limited customization options for its knowledge base and help center.
No built-in reporting: HelpScout does not offer built-in reporting features.

Ratings:

G2 Crowd: 4.6 out of 5 stars
TrustRadius: 9.1 out of 10 stars
Capterra: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Overall, HelpScout is a free Intercom alternative for businesses of all sizes. It offers a variety of features, affordable pricing, and easy-to-use interface. However, it is important to note that HelpScout offers limited customization options and does not have built-in reporting features.

Olark

Olark is a popular Intercom alternative that offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat
Chatbots
Email marketing integration
Knowledge base
Reporting and analytics

Olark is also relatively affordable, making it a good option for small businesses.

Here are some of the pros and cons of Olark:

Pros:

Affordable
Easy to use
Comprehensive feature set
Good customer support

Cons:

Some users have reported that Olark can be slow or buggy
Olark does not offer as many advanced features as some other Intercom alternatives

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

Here are some additional details about Olark's features:

Live chat: Olark's live chat feature allows you to chat with visitors to your website in real time. You can also use Olark to send proactive chat messages to visitors.
Chatbots: Olark's chatbots can help you automate customer service tasks, such as answering common questions and qualifying leads.
Email marketing integration: Olark integrates with popular email marketing platforms, such as MailChimp and Constant Contact. This allows you to send targeted email campaigns to your customers.
Knowledge base: Olark's knowledge base allows you to create and publish self-service documentation for your customers. This can help you reduce the number of support tickets you receive.
Reporting and analytics: Olark provides a variety of reporting and analytics features that can help you track your customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.

Olark is a good option for businesses of all sizes who are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use customer communication platform. However, if you need more advanced features, such as custom branding or integrations with other CRM systems, you may want to consider another Intercom alternative.

Crisp

Crisp is a popular Intercom alternative that offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat
Email marketing
Knowledge base
Reporting and analytics

Crisp is also very affordable, with plans starting at just $25 per month.

Features:

Live chat: Crisp offers live chat support with a variety of features, such as file sharing, offline messaging, and canned responses.
Email marketing: Crisp offers email marketing integration with a variety of popular email marketing platforms, such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
Knowledge base: Crisp offers a knowledge base feature that allows you to create and manage a searchable knowledge base for your customers.
Reporting and analytics: Crisp offers reporting and analytics features that allow you to track your customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.

Pros:

Affordable
Easy to use
Comprehensive set of features
Excellent customer support

Cons:

Knowledge base feature is not as comprehensive as some other Intercom alternatives
Reporting and analytics features could be more in-depth

Ratings:

G2: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Overall, Crisp is a great Intercom alternative for businesses of all sizes. It is affordable, easy to use, and offers a comprehensive set of features.

ClickDesk

ClickDesk is a customer communication platform that offers a variety of features, including:

Live chat: ClickDesk offers live chat support that allows you to communicate with your customers in real time. You can also use ClickDesk's live chat feature to track your customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.
Email marketing: ClickDesk integrates with popular email marketing platforms, such as MailChimp and Constant Contact. This allows you to send targeted email campaigns to your customers and promote your products or services.
Knowledge base: ClickDesk offers a knowledge base that allows you to self-serve your customers and answer their common questions. You can also use ClickDesk's knowledge base to create and manage product documentation.
Reporting and analytics: ClickDesk offers reporting and analytics features that allow you to track your customer interactions and identify areas for improvement. You can also use ClickDesk's reporting and analytics features to generate reports for your managers or investors.

Pros:

Affordable pricing: ClickDesk is one of the most affordable Intercom alternatives available.
Easy to use: ClickDesk is easy to use and set up. Even users with no coding experience can get started with ClickDesk quickly and easily.
Comprehensive feature set: ClickDesk offers a comprehensive feature set that includes live chat, email marketing, knowledge base, and reporting and analytics.
Good customer support: ClickDesk offers good customer support. You can contact ClickDesk's customer support team by email, phone, or live chat.

Cons:

Not as well-known as Intercom: ClickDesk is not as well-known as Intercom, so there may be fewer resources available online.
Fewer integrations: ClickDesk offers fewer integrations than Intercom. This may be a disadvantage for businesses that rely on a lot of third-party integrations.

Ratings:

G2: 4.3 stars out of 5
Capterra: 4.5 stars out of 5

Overall, ClickDesk is a good Intercom alternative for businesses that are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use solution. ClickDesk offers a comprehensive feature set and good customer support. However, ClickDesk is not as well-known as Intercom, and it offers fewer integrations.

Front

Front is a customer communication platform that helps teams collaborate and manage all of their customer interactions in one place. It offers a variety of features, including:

Shared inbox: Front provides a shared inbox where teams can collaborate on customer emails, social media messages, and other customer interactions.
Task management: Front allows teams to create and assign tasks to each other, so that they can stay organized and on top of their work.
Reporting and analytics: Front provides reporting and analytics features that help teams track their customer interactions and identify areas for improvement.

Pros of Front:

Easy to use: Front is a user-friendly platform that is easy to learn and use.
Powerful features: Front offers a variety of powerful features that can help teams improve their customer communication and collaboration.
Affordable pricing: Front offers affordable pricing for small businesses and startups.

Cons of Front:

Limited customization options: Front's customization options are limited, so it may not be the best choice for businesses with complex needs.
Lack of some features: Front lacks some features that are available in other customer communication platforms, such as live chat and knowledge base management.

Ratings:

G2: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Capterra: 4.8 out of 5 stars
TrustRadius: 8.6 out of 10 stars

Overall, Front is a good customer communication platform for small businesses and startups. It is easy to use, offers powerful features, and is affordably priced. However, it lacks some customization options and features that are available in other customer communication platforms.

GPT powered AI tool-Manifest AI: Intercom live chat alternative

Manifest AI is an AI powered live chat alternative for Intercom that can help businesses improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, reduce costs, and improve employee productivity.

It uses AI to provide 24/7 support, resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently, generate leads, and qualify them for sales follow-up.

Features:

AI-powered chatbots: Manifest AI chatbots can answer customer questions, resolve issues, and even generate leads without human intervention.
Proactive chat: Manifest AI chatbots can proactively reach out to customers based on their behavior and interests.
Personalized messages: Manifest AI chatbots can personalize messages based on customer data, such as purchase history and browsing behavior.
Reporting and analytics: Manifest AI provides detailed reporting and analytics on chatbot performance, customer behavior, and more.

Benefits:

Improved customer satisfaction: Manifest AI chatbots can provide 24/7 support and resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.
Increased sales: Manifest AI chatbots can generate leads and qualify them for sales follow-up.
Reduced costs: Manifest AI chatbots can automate customer support tasks, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues.
Improved employee productivity: Manifest AI chatbots can provide customer support while human agents are focused on other tasks.

The best thing about Manifest AI is, it can be live on your store in less than 30 seconds.

Install Manifest AI for Free on your Shopify Store

Overall, Manifest AI is a powerful AI powered live chat alternative for Intercom that can help businesses improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, reduce costs, and improve employee productivity.

Conclusion

Intercom is a popular customer communication platform, but it can be expensive for small businesses. If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, there are a number of options available.

In this blog post, we've taken a look at 12 of the best Intercom alternatives. We've compared features, pricing, and other factors to help you choose the right tool for your business.

Ultimately, the best Intercom alternative for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you're looking for a comprehensive solution with a wide range of features, Intercom is a good option. However, if you're looking for a more affordable alternative with a focus on live chat, there are a number of other options available.