Intercom vs Zendesk
Intercom and Zendesk are both customer support tools. Intercom is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Zendesk is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Zendesk costs less, from $25/mo versus $39/mo for Intercom.
| Pricing | Paid · $39 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $39/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2011 | US · 2007 |
| 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 Zendesk if
Mid-market and enterprise support teams with multiple channels and compliance needs.
- Mature, reliable at enterprise scale
- Broadest channel and app coverage
- Strong reporting and routing
Look elsewhere if: Startups and small teams; Help Scout, Freshdesk, Crisp or Plain are leaner.
Intercom vs Zendesk 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
Zendesk
- Support Team$25/agent/mo$19 billed annually; core ticketing
- Suite Team$69/agent/mo$55 billed annually; AI agents, messaging, voice
- Suite Professional$149/agent/mo$115 billed annually; skills routing, IVR
- Suite EnterpriseCustomSandbox, custom roles, approval workflows
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
Zendesk · Key features
- Omnichannel ticketing: email, chat, voice, social, WhatsApp
- Help center and community with multiple brands
- AI agents, agent copilot and intelligent triage
- Skills-based routing, SLAs, macros and triggers
- Explore analytics and dashboards
- Workforce management, QA and marketplace apps
Cons
- Expensive per agent plus AI add-ons
- Complex packaging and frequent changes
- Overkill for small teams
Intercom vs Zendesk: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Intercom or Zendesk?
Zendesk starts at $25/mo and Intercom at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Intercom and Zendesk have a free plan?
Intercom has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Zendesk has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.