Alternatives — Customer Support
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Alternatives to Intercom
Common alternatives buyers consider, plus the simplest rule for when switching is worth it.
Sources linked — see verification below.
Freshness & verification
Alternatives to Intercom
Zendesk
Decision brief →
step-up
When ticket-queue workflows, SLA policies, and enterprise governance matter more than chat.
Freshdesk
Decision brief →
step-down
Ticketing-first at lower cost; Growth $15/agent vs Intercom Essential $39.
Help Scout
Decision brief →
step-down
Email-centric teams; Standard $25/user; simpler, no Fin resolution variable cost.
Gorgias
Decision brief →
step-sideways
E-commerce; ticket-based pricing and native Shopify order actions.
Front
Decision brief →
step-sideways
Collaborative inbox and multi-touch B2B conversations over chat-first model.
Head-to-head comparisons
Intercom vs Zendesk →
Fundamentally different support philosophies: chat-first AI-deflection vs ticket-first workflow-heavy. Buyers choose based on whether…
Intercom vs Front →
Both are conversation-centric but serve different models: Intercom is chat-first with AI; Front is collaborative inbox for multi-touch…
Intercom vs Help Scout →
Opposite ends of the support philosophy spectrum: Intercom's proactive, chat-first, AI-heavy approach versus Help Scout's reactive,…
Next steps
Sources & verification
Pricing and behavioral information comes from public documentation and structured research. When information is incomplete or volatile, we prefer to say so rather than guess.