In short
The best cheaper alternatives to Intercom in 2026 are Crisp (from $45/month), Tidio (from $24.17/month), tawk.to (free), Chatwoot (free) and Zoho SalesIQ (from $7/month). Intercom itself starts at $29 a month, so most teams can cut the cost substantially without losing the features they actually use.
Intercom popularised the in-app messenger and is now built around Fin, its AI support agent. Its pricing has two meters. First, seats: Essential about $29 per seat per month on annual billing ($39 monthly), Advanced about $85–99 and Expert about $132–139 (sources differ). Second, AI: Fin costs $0.99 per successful resolution, with a 50-resolution monthly minimum. Add-ons such as proactive messaging, product tours and phone cost extra, and SMS and WhatsApp messages are billed individually.
Real-world bills are often several times the pricing-page number — one analysis puts a 10-seat team on the middle plan with moderate AI use at around $3,100 a month. Reports in 2026 also suggest Intercom is being acquired by Salesforce, which could change pricing again. The five alternatives below provide live chat, shared inboxes and AI for far less.
Intercomvs
Crisp
Tidio
tawk.to
Chatwoot
Zoho SalesIQWhat Intercom actually costs in 2026
| Item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essential seat | ~$29/mo annual ($39 monthly) | Messenger, shared inbox, basic automation |
| Advanced seat | ~$85–99/mo annual | Workflows, multiple inboxes, AI copilot features |
| Expert seat | ~$132–139/mo annual | SSO, HIPAA, workload management |
| Fin AI agent | $0.99 per resolution | 50-resolution monthly minimum |
| Add-ons | Varies | Proactive support, phone, product tours |
The current tiers are listed on Intercom's official pricing page.
The 5 cheaper alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom | $29/mo | subscription | The benchmark |
| Crisp | $45/mo | subscription | Small teams: 10 agents for less than 4 Intercom seats |
| Tidio | $24.17/mo | subscription | E-commerce stores |
| tawk.to | Free tier | free | Anyone who needs chat at zero cost |
| Chatwoot | Free tier | open source | Teams wanting an open-source Intercom |
| Zoho SalesIQ | $7/mo | subscription | Sales-led chat on a budget |
How we picked these alternatives
We required a website chat widget, shared inbox, mobile apps, chatbots or AI answers, and a knowledge base or FAQ. We compared costs for teams of 2–10 agents with moderate chat volume. Prices checked 27 October 2026.
1. Crisp
Price: Free (2 agents, 100 contact profiles). Mini $45/month per workspace (4 agents); Essentials $95 (10 agents); Plus $295 (20+ agents). Extra agents about $10/month. 50% discount for non-profits and students. See Crisp's official pricing page for current plans.
Crisp, a French company founded in 2015, offers an Intercom-style messenger, shared inbox, knowledge base and AI chatbot — but it charges per workspace, not per seat. That single difference makes it dramatically cheaper for small and mid-size teams.
Crisp pricing in detail
| Plan | Price per workspace/month | Agents | Contact profiles | AI credits (approx. conversations) | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2 | 100 | — | Chat widget, shared inbox, mobile apps, contact form |
| Mini | $45 | 4 | 5,000 | $5 (~90) | Email inbox, shortcuts, triggers, unlimited history |
| Essentials | $95 | 10 | 50,000 | $25 (~450) | Omnichannel inbox, AI chatbot, knowledge base, routing, analytics |
| Plus | $295 | 20+ | 200,000 | $75 (~1,350) | Ticketing, unlimited automations, white-labelling, 100+ integrations |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | SLA, onboarding, custom features |
What you get
- Website chat widget with customisable design, triggers and proactive messages.
- Shared inbox for chat, email and — on Essentials — WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and SMS.
- AI chatbot trained on your knowledge base and website, answering common questions automatically.
- Knowledge base with SEO-friendly help articles in multiple languages.
- Routing, assignments and analytics to manage a growing team.
- Mobile and desktop apps for answering on the go.
- White-labelling on Plus to remove Crisp branding.
Where it falls short
- AI credits are limited per plan; heavy AI use means buying more.
- Large enterprises may prefer seat-based tools with deeper admin controls.
- Product tours and in-app onboarding are not as advanced as Intercom's.
Good to know
Ten agents on Crisp Essentials cost $95 a month in total — less than four Intercom Essential seats, and Intercom still charges $0.99 per AI resolution on top.
Who it's best for
Start-ups, SaaS companies and online businesses with 2–20 agents. Skip it if you rely heavily on Intercom's product tours.
2. Tidio
Price: Free plan. Starter about $29/month ($24.17 annual) for 100 billable conversations; Growth about $59 ($49.17 annual) for 250–2,000 conversations. Lyro AI agent from about $39/month ($32.50 annual) for 50 AI conversations; Flows (automation) about $24/month. See Tidio's official pricing page for current plans.
Tidio, founded in Poland, is built especially for online stores. It combines live chat, chatbots and an AI agent called Lyro with tight integrations into Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress and other e-commerce platforms.
Tidio pricing in detail
| Plan / add-on | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Live chat, limited conversations, basic Lyro trial |
| Starter | ~$29 | ~$24.17 | 100 billable conversations, basic analytics |
| Growth | ~$59 | ~$49.17 | 250–2,000 conversations, advanced analytics |
| Plus | ~$300+ plus usage | Custom | Larger teams, dedicated support |
| Lyro AI agent | from ~$39 | from ~$32.50 | 50+ AI conversations |
| Flows | ~$24 | — | Visual automation (abandoned carts, discounts) |
What you get
- Live chat and chatbots with visual flow builder.
- Lyro AI agent that answers from your FAQs and help content.
- E-commerce integrations — view a customer's cart and orders inside the chat.
- Abandoned-cart and discount flows to recover sales.
- Visitor tracking to see who is on your site in real time.
- Multichannel inbox including Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Where it falls short
- Several meters (conversations, AI, flows) can make the bill unpredictable.
- Plus pricing is unclear across sources.
Good to know
For a small store, Starter plus Lyro costs around $57–68 a month — still far below a few Intercom seats with Fin usage.
Who it's best for
Shopify, WooCommerce and other online stores. Skip it if you run B2B SaaS support with complex workflows.
3. tawk.to
Price: Free with unlimited agents and chats. Removing tawk.to branding costs about $19–29/month. AI Assist has a free tier (100 AI messages/month) and paid plans from $29/month. See tawk.to's official pricing page for current plans.
tawk.to is a free live chat platform used on millions of websites. Instead of charging for seats, it makes money from optional add-ons — branding removal, AI and hired chat agents — so the core product stays free with no limits on agents or conversations.
tawk.to pricing in detail
| Item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat, ticketing, knowledge base | Free | Unlimited agents, chats and websites |
| Remove branding | ~$19–29/mo | Per property |
| Video + voice + screen sharing | Add-on | Per property |
| AI Assist | Free (100 messages/mo) / from $29/mo | AI answers trained on your content |
| Hired chat agents | Hourly | Outsourced agents provided by tawk.to |
What you get
- Completely free live chat for unlimited agents and sites.
- Ticketing and knowledge base included.
- Mobile and desktop apps for every platform.
- Visitor monitoring and triggers.
- Option to hire chat agents for out-of-hours coverage.
Where it falls short
- Branding stays unless you pay to remove it.
- AI and automation are basic compared with Intercom Fin.
- Fewer advanced integrations.
Good to know
For a small business that just wants live chat on its website, tawk.to replaces Intercom entirely at zero cost.
Who it's best for
Small businesses, non-profits and anyone on a zero budget. Skip it if you need advanced AI or product messaging.
4. Chatwoot
Price: Cloud Hacker plan free (2 agents, 500 conversations/month); Startups $19/agent/month; Business $39; Enterprise $99. Open source and free to self-host. Extra Captain AI credits $20 per 1,000. See Chatwoot's official pricing page for current plans.
Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform that describes itself as an alternative to Intercom and Zendesk. It brings website chat, email, WhatsApp, social channels and an AI agent into one inbox — and you can run the whole thing on your own server.
Chatwoot pricing in detail
| Plan | Price per agent/month | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Hacker | $0 | 2 agents, 500 conversations/month, live chat, 30-day retention |
| Startups | $19 | All channels, unlimited conversations, 300 Captain AI credits, help centre |
| Business | $39 | Voice, teams, automation rules, 500 AI credits, 2-year retention |
| Enterprise | $99 | SSO, audit logs, 800 AI credits, 3-year retention |
| Self-hosted Community | Free | Run on your own infrastructure |
What you get
- Omnichannel inbox for website chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Line and SMS.
- Captain AI agent that answers questions from your documentation.
- Help centre for self-service articles.
- Automation rules, teams and canned responses.
- Self-hosting for full data control.
- Free Startups plan for open-source projects.
Where it falls short
- Self-hosting needs maintenance.
- Voice only on higher plans.
Good to know
Five agents on Chatwoot Startups cost $95 a month with unlimited conversations.
Who it's best for
Teams wanting an open-source omnichannel inbox. Skip it if you cannot manage hosting and prefer a fully managed enterprise tool.
5. Zoho SalesIQ
Price: Free (100 chat sessions/month). Basic about $7–10 per operator; Professional about $12.50–17; Enterprise about $20–25 (annual vs monthly and region affect the figures). See Zoho SalesIQ's official pricing page for current plans.
Zoho SalesIQ is Zoho's live chat and visitor-engagement tool. It is more sales-oriented than most chat apps: it shows who is on your website, scores leads based on behaviour, and lets you start conversations with high-value visitors.
Zoho SalesIQ pricing in detail
| Plan | Price per operator/month (approx.) | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 chat sessions/month, basic chat |
| Basic | ~$7–10 | Unlimited chats, visitor tracking, triggers |
| Professional | ~$12.50–17 | Lead scoring, Zobot chatbots, integrations |
| Enterprise | ~$20–25 | Advanced bots, reports, custom roles |
What you get
- Live chat with real-time visitor tracking, including pages viewed and referral source.
- Zobot chatbot builder — no-code or scripted.
- Lead scoring to prioritise hot prospects.
- Zoho CRM sync so chats become leads automatically.
- Mobile SDK for in-app chat.
- Answer bot trained on your knowledge base.
Where it falls short
- Best inside the Zoho ecosystem.
- Pricing varies by source and region.
Good to know
Sales teams using Zoho CRM get chat, lead scoring and CRM in one stack for well under the cost of a single Intercom Advanced seat.
Who it's best for
Sales-led businesses that want chat to generate leads. Skip it if your main need is customer support at scale.
What a 5-agent team pays per year (before AI usage)
| Option | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| Intercom Advanced (5 seats) | ~$5,100–5,940 |
| Intercom Essential (5 seats) | $1,740 |
| Chatwoot Startups (5 agents) | $1,140 |
| Crisp Essentials (up to 10 agents) | $1,140 |
| Zoho SalesIQ Professional | ~$750–1,020 |
| Tidio Starter (annual) | ~$290 |
| tawk.to | $0 |
How to switch without losing your work
- Export conversations and contacts from Intercom.
- Move help center articles and set up redirects.
- Install the new chat widget and remove Intercom's script.
- Train the new AI agent on your help center content and test it on common questions.
- Recreate routing rules and canned responses.
Which one should you choose?
- You are a small team that wants an Intercom-style messenger and AI for a flat price: Crisp.
- You run an online store: Tidio.
- You just need free live chat on your website: tawk.to.
- You want an open-source, omnichannel inbox you can self-host: Chatwoot.
- Your chat is mainly about generating and qualifying leads: Zoho SalesIQ.
Hidden costs and gotchas
- AI meters. Fin, Lyro, Captain and Crisp AI all charge by resolution, conversation or credit. Model your expected monthly AI volume.
- Conversation limits. Tidio and Chatwoot's free tier cap conversations; going over can force an upgrade.
- Messaging channel fees. WhatsApp and SMS carry per-message fees from Meta or carriers, regardless of the help desk.
- Product tours and in-app messaging. If you use Intercom for onboarding tours, you may need a separate tool (such as a product-adoption platform).
- Branding. Free plans show the vendor's branding on your chat widget.
Our verdict
Crisp offers the best value for small teams thanks to per-workspace pricing. Choose Tidio for online stores, tawk.to for free chat, Chatwoot for an open-source omnichannel inbox, and Zoho SalesIQ for sales-focused chat.
More cheaper alternatives: see our breakdowns of the cheaper options to Zendesk, Calendly and HubSpot.
Related reading: Should Your Website Have a Chatbot?, How to Write Microcopy That Reduces Support Tickets and Why Is My Contact Form Getting Spam?.
Planning a switch, or not sure which tool fits the way your team works? Book a free call and we will look at your stack with you.
Prices are US list prices in USD unless marked, checked on 27 October 2026. "Annual" means the per-month price when billed yearly. Vendors change pricing often, so confirm on the vendor's site before buying. Product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification only.
Common questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Intercom?
tawk.to is free with unlimited agents. Crisp's free plan supports two agents.
How much does Intercom's Fin AI cost?
$0.99 per successful resolution, with a 50-resolution monthly minimum.
Which alternative has the best AI agent?
Crisp, Chatwoot (Captain) and Tidio (Lyro) all offer AI agents trained on your content.
Is there an open-source Intercom alternative?
Yes. Chatwoot is open source and can be self-hosted.
Do these tools support WhatsApp and Instagram?
Crisp (Essentials), Chatwoot and Tidio support WhatsApp and Instagram messages.
