Intercom vs reception
Intercom and reception are both customer support tools. Intercom is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while reception is aimed at developers and freelancers. reception costs less, from $25/mo versus $39/mo for Intercom.
AI-first customer service platform
Native in-app support chat for iOS apps, with offers and reviews
| Pricing | Paid · $39 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $39/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise | Developers, Freelancers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | ios, web |
| Country | US · 2011 | — |
| Rating | — | — |
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.
Choose reception if
Indie iOS developers and small studios with subscription apps who want support chat linked to revenue and reviews.
- Flat monthly price instead of per-seat or per-resolution fees
- Looks native inside the app rather than a web widget
- Ties support conversations to subscription status and revenue
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need Android, web chat, email and a help center in one tool (Intercom, Crisp, Chatwoot).
Intercom vs reception pricing
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
reception
- Standard$25/moFlat price, all features; early-adopter rate, next price $50
- EnterpriseCustomFor apps above $30k MRR or 10k+ active users
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
reception · Key features
- Native chat UI for Swift, React Native and Expo apps on iOS 17+
- AI answers drawn from your docs with handoff to a human
- In-chat discounts, plan offers and paywalls to recover revenue
- One-tap App Store review requests with your own wording
- RevenueCat, Superwall and Adapty context next to each conversation
- Shared inbox for multiple apps plus replies from Telegram
Cons
- iOS only; no Android SDK listed
- Requires iOS 17 or later and Expo development builds
- Messages are not auto-translated between you and users
Intercom vs reception: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Intercom or reception?
reception starts at $25/mo and Intercom at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Intercom and reception have a free plan?
Intercom has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. reception has no free plan.