Crisp vs Intercom
Crisp and Intercom, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Crisp
The AI customer support platform for every business. Omnichannel shared inbox plus AI agent.
Best for SMBs and growing teams wanting affordable all-in-one AI support; bootstrapped companies.
2015 · Nantes, France.
Intercom
AI-first helpdesk built around an autonomous AI agent (Fin).
Best for Mid-market and enterprise SaaS/tech teams wanting a unified AI agent plus human helpdesk.
2011 · San Francisco, CA.
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- CrispFlat rate per workspace/mo, not per-seat (extra seats $10/mo each).
- IntercomPer-seat (Full seats) plus per-outcome Fin AI. Lite seats free on Advanced/Expert.
- Free plan
- CrispYes. Forever free; 2 seats, 100 profiles, no AI credits.
- IntercomNo
- Free trial / guarantee
- Crisp14-day; all features; no card.
- Intercom14 days, no credit card.
- Price
- Crisp$45/mo (Mini, 4 seats, 5,000 profiles, ~$5 AI credits). · $95/mo (Essentials, 10 seats, 50,000 profiles, ~$25 AI credits). · $295/mo (Plus, 20+ seats, ~$75 AI credits); Enterprise custom.
- IntercomEssential: $29/seat/mo (annual); $39 monthly. · Advanced: $85/seat/mo (annual); incl. 20 free Lite seats. · Expert: $132/seat/mo (annual); incl. 50 free Lite seats.
- Seat minimum
- Crisp2 (Free); 4 (Mini); 10 (Essentials); 20+ (Plus); extra seats $10/mo.
- Intercom1 Full seat.
- Unlimited agents
- CrispNo. Extra agents $10/mo.
- IntercomNo. Per-seat (Lite seats limited-function, free on higher tiers).
- Implementation fee
- CrispNone.
- IntercomNot disclosed. Premier Onboarding is a paid add-on (contact sales).
- Transparency
- CrispHigh. All tier prices public.
- IntercomSeat and Fin per-outcome prices public; Premier/services require sales.
- Pricing last verified
- Crisp2026-06-02
- Intercom2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- CrispNative
- IntercomNative
- Live chat
- CrispNative
- IntercomNative
- In-app messenger
- CrispNative (SDK iOS/Android/React Native/JS)
- IntercomNative (web, Android, iOS Messenger).
- Voice
- CrispVia integration (Aircall, Ringover, KrispCall; no native phone)
- IntercomNative (Intercom Phone; also AWS Connect, Talkdesk, Twilio Flex, Zoom Phone via SIP).
- SMS
- CrispVia integration (Twilio)
- IntercomNative (2-way; per-message charges).
- CrispNative (WhatsApp Business)
- IntercomNative
- Social
- CrispNative. Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- IntercomNative Instagram and Facebook DMs; X no longer supported.
- Unified inbox
- CrispNative
- IntercomNative
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- CrispVia integration. Aircall/Ringover/KrispCall; no native PSTN.
- IntercomBoth. Native Intercom Phone plus 3rd-party (AWS Connect, Talkdesk, Twilio Flex, Zoom Phone).
- Voice AI / transcription
- CrispYes. Voice-to-text for audio messages and recorded calls.
- IntercomYes. Full transcription, AI call summaries, recordings.
- Telephony billed separately
- CrispYes. Via third-party provider.
- IntercomYes. Voice priced in Order Form, not in seat price.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- CrispYes. Hugo AI agent resolves tickets 24/7.
- IntercomYes. Fin AI Agent resolves conversations end to end.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- CrispYes. Reply suggestions, grammar, rephrasing, summarization, transcription, translation.
- IntercomYes. Copilot add-on, $29/agent/mo.
- Claimed automation rate
- CrispResolves up to 60% of repetitive questions automatically.(claimed)source
- IntercomUp to 65% end to end. Fin 2 averaged 66% across 6,000+ customers.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- CrispWeb chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email, SMS, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- IntercomChat, email, voice/phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Slack, Discord.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- CrispActions via API. HTTP calls in workflows (Shopify refunds, order lookup, password resets).
- IntercomBoth. Fin Tasks, Procedures (NL plus data connectors and conditional logic), and 3rd-party actions (refunds, cancellations).
- Knowledge sources
- CrispAnswer snippets, KB articles (auto-reindexed), website crawl, conversation history, file importer (PDF/CSV).
- IntercomHelp Center, internal content, PDFs, external URLs, past conversations, Zendesk imports, Google Docs/Notion SOPs.
- Underlying model
- CrispNot fully disclosed. Can connect Claude, Llama, or ChatGPT; in-house private LLM mentioned.
- IntercomFin Apex 1.0. Proprietary post-trained model (replaced GPT/Claude Sonnet 4.0 as of Mar 2026).
- Trains on past tickets
- CrispYes. Conversation history is a knowledge source.
- IntercomPast conversations are a knowledge source. Fin Guidance uses human instructions; no disclosed active retraining.
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- CrispWorkflow testing available; no dedicated simulation sandbox.
- IntercomYes. Fin Flywheel Test phase: fully simulated conversations plus batch test before go-live.
- Multilingual
- CrispYes. Multilingual snippets, language detection, translation.
- IntercomYes. 43+ languages (AI Answers); Fin Voice 28 languages; real-time translation.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- CrispNative only.
- IntercomBoth. Native on Intercom or standalone on Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshdesk, Dixa, Front, Zoho Desk, Sprinklr.
- AI pricing model
- CrispAI credits bundled per plan tier.
- IntercomPer-outcome (resolution). $0.99 per resolved conversation; 50 outcome/mo minimum when standalone.
- AI unit price
- Crisp~$0.055/automated conversation implied (Mini $5 credit ~90; Essentials $25 ~450; Plus $75 ~1,350).
- Intercom$0.99 per outcome (all plans).
- Copilot / Assist price
- CrispNot disclosed (bundled).
- Intercom$29/agent/mo (unlimited usage).
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Crisp or Intercomas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- CrispNot certified. No SOC2 audit; self-assessed only.
- IntercomSOC 2 Type II (via Trust Center on request).
- GDPR
- CrispYes. Fully GDPR-compliant; DPA; EU-only storage; DPO.
- IntercomYes. DPA available.
- HIPAA / PCI
- CrispNot disclosed.
- IntercomYes. Annual attestation; BAA available.
- SSO / SAML
- CrispOIDC SSO (Enterprise); SAML not confirmed.
- IntercomYes. SAML SSO (Expert plan); new SP cert required by Dec 2026.
- Data residency
- CrispEU only. Messaging in Netherlands, plugin data in Germany; relay (no storage) US/UK/SG.
- IntercomUS, EU, or Australia. Advanced/Expert annual only; new workspace required.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Crisp~73 integrations across 7 categories.
- Intercom~250–450 apps (one aggregator lists 565).(3rd-party)source
- Shopify depth
- CrispOrder history in inbox; refunds actionable; live chat widget; built-in ecommerce features.
- IntercomDeep native. Bidirectional order/customer sync, order events, and agent actions (refund, edit shipping, draft orders). Shopify Plus partner.
- Open / public API
- CrispYes. REST API; Developer Hub.
- IntercomYes. REST API with OpenAPI spec on GitHub; webhooks.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- CrispYes. Chat SDK (JS, iOS, Android, React Native); open-source on GitHub.
- IntercomYes. Developer Platform; Messenger and Inbox app framework.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- CrispYes. No-code visual builder; conditional logic, HTTP calls.
- IntercomYes. Visual no-code Workflows builder.
- Triggers / automations
- CrispYes. Auto-trigger on conversation start/events/Hugo scenarios.
- IntercomYes. Event/condition triggers across chat, email, WhatsApp, IG, FB, SMS, Slack.
- Routing
- CrispYes. Round Robin, origin-based, intent-based, custom rules.
- IntercomYes. Assignment rules, team prioritization, workload mgmt, auto-unassign.
- Macros / canned responses
- CrispYes. Shortcuts (templated, dynamic data).
- IntercomYes. Macros supported.
- SLA management
- CrispPersonalized SLA at Enterprise only; SLA tracking in analytics.
- IntercomYes. SLA rules via workflows/settings.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- CrispYes. Agent-only private notes.
- IntercomYes. Editable, timestamped.
- Collision detection
- CrispYes. Real-time alerts when another agent is replying.
- IntercomYes. Teammates presence prevents simultaneous editing.(3rd-party)source
- Side conversations
- CrispNot disclosed (@mentions exist).
- IntercomYes. Email or Slack side conversations on parent threads.
- Shared inbox
- CrispYes. Omnichannel shared inbox.
- IntercomYes. Central shared workspace plus team inboxes.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- CrispYes. Customizable, brandable, multilingual.
- IntercomYes. Knowledge Hub: articles, snippets, folders, bulk mgmt, audience targeting.
- Help center
- CrispYes. Public-facing, widget plus standalone URL.
- IntercomYes. Native, multiple Help Centers, customizable branding.
- Community forum
- CrispNot offered.
- IntercomIntercom runs its own user forum; not a deployable end-user forum feature.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- CrispYes. Hugo uses KB articles as primary source.
- IntercomYes. Fin and Copilot resolve from Knowledge Hub content.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- CrispYes. Line/bar/treemap/heatmap, operator performance, geo, ratings.
- IntercomYes. 12 pre-built reports; real-time dashboards.
- Custom reports
- CrispYes. Custom analytics playground; filtering; formulas; export.
- IntercomYes. Drag-and-drop (9 chart types); Advanced and Expert only.
- Included in lowest tier
- CrispAnalytics across plans; advanced gating not disclosed.
- IntercomEssential: pre-built only; custom plus advanced CSAT on Advanced/Expert.
- CSAT surveys
- CrispYes. Automated post-interaction CSAT via email and chat.
- IntercomYes. On close (all plans); Fin CSAT; advanced attrs Advanced/Expert only.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- CrispSelf-service all tiers; dedicated onboarding plus training at Enterprise; Plus gets onboarding assistance.
- IntercomSelf-serve (14-day trial); Premier Onboarding (paid add-on, contact sales).
- Support channels
- CrispKB; chat; email. Per-tier channels not disclosed.
- IntercomMessenger/email; Premier Support (<1hr urgent); Rapid Response (~10 min, dedicated POC).
- Dedicated CSM
- CrispEnterprise only. Dedicated onboarding/personalized service.
- IntercomPremier Rapid Response includes a dedicated point of contact; a named ongoing CSM is not documented.
- Implementation partners
- CrispNot disclosed. No partner program found.
- IntercomYes. Solution Partner Program (certified implementation partners).