Freshdesk vs Intercom
Freshdesk and Intercom are both customer support tools. Freshdesk is aimed at small businesses, while Intercom is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Freshdesk costs less, from $23/mo versus $39/mo for Intercom.
| Pricing | Paid · $23 | Paid · $39 |
| Starting price | $23/mo | $39/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses | Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | IN · 2010 | US · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Freshdesk if
SMBs and mid-size companies that want Zendesk-like capabilities at lower cost.
- Strong value versus Zendesk
- Lower per-agent price than Zendesk
- Mature automations and SLAs
Look elsewhere if: Teams wanting the simplest inbox (Help Scout) or AI-first in-app support (Intercom).
Choose Intercom if
B2B and B2C SaaS companies with meaningful support volume and a good knowledge base.
- Fin is among the best AI support agents on the market
- Excellent in-app messenger and SaaS integrations
- Mature workflows and reporting
Look elsewhere if: Very small teams or budget-sensitive startups; Crisp, Chatwoot or Plain cover the basics for far less.
Freshdesk vs Intercom pricing
Freshdesk
- Growth$23/agent/mo$19 billed annually; 500 AI Agent sessions
- Pro$66/agent/mo$55 billed annually; 6,000 MCP actions/yr
- Enterprise$107/agent/mo$89 billed annually; 12,000 MCP actions/yr
Intercom
- Essential$39/seat/mo$29 billed annually; Fin AI $0.99/outcome
- Advanced$99/seat/mo$85 billed annually; workflows, 20 Lite seats
- Expert$139/seat/mo$132 billed annually; SSO, HIPAA, 50 Lite seats
Freshdesk · Key features
- Email, web form and portal ticketing
- Knowledge base and community forums
- Automations, SLAs, canned responses and collision detection
- Freddy AI agent, copilot and insights
- Omnichannel add-on: chat, WhatsApp, voice
- Reporting, CSAT and marketplace apps
Cons
- Omnichannel costs extra
- AI features gated to higher tiers
- Marketplace apps vary in quality
Intercom · Key features
- Fin AI agent trained on your help center, docs and past conversations
- Omnichannel inbox: chat, email, WhatsApp, SMS, social
- Help center with AI-assisted article suggestions
- Workflows: visual automation for routing, SLAs and bots
- Proactive support: product tours, banners, outbound messages
- Reporting on resolution rate, CSAT and team performance
Cons
- Pricing is complex: seats plus per-outcome AI fees
- Expensive for small teams compared with Crisp or Chatwoot
- Frequent packaging changes over the years
Freshdesk vs Intercom: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Intercom?
Freshdesk starts at $23/mo and Intercom at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Freshdesk and Intercom have a free plan?
Freshdesk has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Intercom has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.