Drift is a conversational marketing and sales platform focused on real-time engagement and lead qualification, while Intercom is a comprehensive customer communication platform emphasizing customer support, onboarding, and product tours. Drift excels for B2B sales teams seeking instant chat-based lead capture, whereas Intercom serves broader customer lifecycle management across support, marketing, and product.
Drift vs Intercom — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Conversational marketing and sales platform for real-time lead engagement and qualification.
Customer communication platform for support, marketing, sales, and product onboarding.
Primary Use Case. Starting Price (Monthly). Live Chat Response Time. Chatbot Capabilities. Knowledge Base Tools. Product Tours/Onboarding. Video Chat Support
Choose Drift if you're a B2B SaaS company prioritizing sales acceleration and real-time lead qualification through conversational marketing—its AI-powered routing and intent-based engagement excel at moving prospects through the sales funnel quickly. Choose Intercom if you need an all-in-one customer communications hub spanning support, onboarding, product education, and marketing—it's more affordable at entry-level and provides deeper lifecycle management tools for larger customer bases.
Drift: 2 (Chat, Web) | Intercom: 5 (Chat, Email, SMS, Messenger, Instagram)
Drift: No (via partners) | Intercom: Yes
Drift: Sales conversations | Intercom: General customer interactions
Drift: 2-3 weeks | Intercom: Less than 1 week (3-5 days)
Drift: 3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics) | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Yes, full capabilities | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 10,000 (paid plans) | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Limited, requires integration | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 9/10 (Advanced NLP) | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 50+ webinars/guides | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 94% on conversational sales queries | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 4 (Web, WhatsApp, SMS, Slack) | Intercom: 5 (Email, Chat, SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp)
Drift: 18 standard + custom reports | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 8-12 hours with developer | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Native bi-directional sync with full data mapping | Intercom: N/A
Drift: 3 channels (live chat, chatbot, email) | Intercom: 5+ channels (live chat, in-app, email, SMS, WhatsApp)
Drift: 10M+ companies | Intercom: No published database (relies on integrations)
Drift: Limited ticketing, sales-focused | Intercom: Full-featured help desk with SLA management
Drift: 250+ integrations | Intercom: 400+ integrations
Drift: Enterprise and mid-market (100+ employees) | Intercom: Startup to enterprise (all sizes)
Drift: 5M+ (via partners) | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Advanced (routing, qualification, video) | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zapier | Intercom: N/A
Drift: Behavioral scoring based on website activity | Intercom: N/A
Drift: ~40% (estimated) | Intercom: 50%+ (Fin AI)
Drift: 15-20 minutes | Intercom: 5-10 minutes
Drift: 1 (requires upgrade) | Intercom: Unlimited
Drift: N/A | Intercom: $39 (Inbox Starter)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA
Drift: N/A | Intercom: $39 for team inbox
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Advanced routing, queues, canned responses, routing rules
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Fin AI bot with autonomous ticket resolution, predictive analytics
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Comprehensive mobile app with full feature parity
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 500+ integrations
Drift: N/A | Intercom: iOS & Android available
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Standard KB functionality
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Native Fin bot; resolves 50%+ support tickets autonomously
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Fin AI assistant, predictive analytics, auto-responses
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 60% reduction with AI automation
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Up to 30% with knowledge base
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Chat, email, SMS, social, messaging apps, phone
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Limited; requires third-party integration
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Shared inboxes, assignment rules, customer context
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 8 seconds average
Drift: N/A | Intercom: No, requires integration
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Yes, unlimited agents
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Basic tracking only
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 1,000+ requests/sec
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Basic: churn alerts, customer health scores
Drift: N/A | Intercom: $150-$250 (mid-tier)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 40% average deflection rate
Knowledge Base AI Search Reduction in Tickets
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Advanced AI search (30% reduction)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Full suite (tours, checklists, surveys, broadcasts)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Full-featured iOS/Android with AI assistant
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Native AI (included)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Advanced automation, AI bot, proactive messaging
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 30-50% (AI Resolution Bot)
Drift: N/A | Intercom: 1-100 agents optimal
Drift: N/A | Intercom: Yes, included in all plans
How to choose between Drift and Intercom
Drift vs Intercom — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Drift vs Intercom. Contains 112 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Drift vs Intercom — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Drift vs Intercom.
Which platform is better for B2B SaaS sales teams?
Drift is better optimized for B2B SaaS sales teams because it specializes in real-time lead qualification, AI-powered conversation routing, and intent-based engagement. Its playbooks automate sales workflows, and behavioral targeting helps salespeople prioritize high-value prospects. Intercom serves this use case secondarily as part of its broader customer communication suite.
Can I use both Drift and Intercom together?
Yes, both platforms integrate with each other. Many B2B companies use Drift for sales conversations and lead capture, then hand off qualified leads to Intercom for customer success, onboarding, and ongoing support. This combination creates a cohesive buyer-to-customer journey.
Which platform is more affordable for startups?
Intercom is significantly more affordable for startups, starting at $39/month with unlimited team members, compared to Drift's $2,000/month entry price. For bootstrapped companies or early-stage startups, Intercom's lower cost and broader feature set (support, onboarding, marketing) provides better value.
Does Drift have a knowledge base like Intercom?
Drift has basic knowledge base integration but lacks the robust, built-in knowledge management features that Intercom provides. Drift focuses primarily on live conversation, while Intercom's comprehensive knowledge base builder helps reduce support tickets by enabling customers to self-serve answers.
Which platform has better AI/automation capabilities?
Both platforms excel in different areas. Intercom's Fin AI resolves 50%+ of support inquiries automatically. Drift's AI focuses on conversation routing and lead scoring for sales acceleration. For support automation, Intercom wins; for sales acceleration, Drift wins.
How to Choose Between Drift and Intercom
Primary Use Case: Drift has Sales & lead qualification, while Intercom has Customer support & lifecycle management.
Starting Price (Monthly): Drift has $2,000 (starter plan), while Intercom has $39 (Essential plan).
Live Chat Response Time: Drift has Real-time, AI-powered routing, while Intercom has Real-time with queue management.
Chatbot Capabilities: Drift has Conversation AI with lead scoring, while Intercom has AI-powered bot builder (Fin AI).
Knowledge Base Tools: Drift has Limited, basic integration, while Intercom has Robust, built-in knowledge management.
Product Tours/Onboarding: Drift has Not included, while Intercom has Native product tours feature.
Video Chat Support: Drift has Not available, while Intercom has Available (Intercom Spaces).