Intercom is an enterprise-focused customer communication platform with advanced automation and $25M+ in funding, while Crisp is a lightweight, affordable alternative built for small teams and startups with transparent pricing and no per-user fees.
Intercom vs Crisp — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise customer communication platform with AI automation, CRM, and advanced analytics.
Lightweight customer messaging and help desk platform designed for rapid deployment and affordability.
Pricing Model. Typical Monthly Cost (10 agents). AI-Powered Features. CRM Integration Depth. Onboarding & Setup Time. Team Size (Ideal). Mobile App Quality
Choose Intercom if you're an enterprise or mid-market company needing advanced AI automation, extensive integrations, and sophisticated customer data analysis—the higher cost is justified by deeper capabilities. Choose Crisp if you're a startup or small business seeking an affordable, quick-to-deploy chat and help desk solution that handles basic customer support without breaking budget.
Intercom: $39 (Inbox Starter) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: $39 for team inbox | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Advanced routing, queues, canned responses, routing rules | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Fin AI bot with autonomous ticket resolution, predictive analytics | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Comprehensive mobile app with full feature parity | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 5 (Chat, Email, SMS, Messenger, Instagram) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 500+ integrations | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: iOS & Android available | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Standard KB functionality | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: General customer interactions | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Native Fin bot; resolves 50%+ support tickets autonomously | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Fin AI assistant, predictive analytics, auto-responses | Crisp: Basic chatbot automation only
Intercom: 60% reduction with AI automation | Crisp: 20-30% reduction with basic automation
Intercom: Up to 30% with knowledge base | Crisp: Up to 15% with basic chatbot
Intercom: Chat, email, SMS, social, messaging apps, phone | Crisp: Chat, email, SMS, social, messaging apps
Intercom: Limited; requires third-party integration | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Shared inboxes, assignment rules, customer context | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 8 seconds average | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: No, requires integration | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Yes, unlimited agents | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Basic tracking only | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 1,000+ requests/sec | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Basic: churn alerts, customer health scores | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: $150-$250 (mid-tier) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 40% average deflection rate | Crisp: N/A
Knowledge Base AI Search Reduction in Tickets
Intercom: Advanced AI search (30% reduction) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Full suite (tours, checklists, surveys, broadcasts) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Full-featured iOS/Android with AI assistant | Crisp: iOS and Android native apps
Intercom: Native AI (included) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 400+ integrations | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Advanced automation, AI bot, proactive messaging | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 30-50% (AI Resolution Bot) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 1-100 agents optimal | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 5 (Email, Chat, SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Yes, included in all plans | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: 5+ channels (live chat, in-app, email, SMS, WhatsApp) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Less than 1 week (3-5 days) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: No published database (relies on integrations) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Full-featured help desk with SLA management | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Startup to enterprise (all sizes) | Crisp: N/A
Intercom: Advanced (custom agents, NLP-powered) | Crisp: Basic (rule-based chatbot)
Intercom: Full native apps (iOS/Android) with offline mode | Crisp: Web-based mobile access only
Intercom: Full REST/GraphQL API with webhooks | Crisp: Limited REST API
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: 8+ (chat, email, SMS, WhatsApp, social media)
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: Basic conversation automation and triggers
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: 2-3 (basic webhooks and limited API)
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: Included on most plans starting at $25
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: Web app responsive; limited mobile app features
Intercom: N/A | Crisp: Month-to-month, no minimum
How to choose between Intercom and Crisp
Intercom vs Crisp — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Intercom vs Crisp. Contains 100 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Intercom vs Crisp — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Intercom vs Crisp.
Which integrates better with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Stripe?
Intercom has deeper enterprise integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and most major CRMs, allowing two-way data sync. Crisp integrates with HubSpot and Stripe but lacks native Salesforce connectors. If you're Salesforce-dependent, Intercom is required.
Which platform is cheaper for a small startup with 3 agents?
Crisp wins decisively at $290/month flat vs. Intercom's $117–$297/month for 3 agents. For small teams, Crisp is 4–10x cheaper and offers unlimited users, making it the obvious choice for bootstrapped startups.
Can I use Intercom or Crisp to automatically respond to customer messages?
Both support automated replies, but differently. Intercom offers AI-powered responses trained on your conversation history and can hand off to humans intelligently. Crisp has basic rule-based triggers (e.g., 'If message contains keyword X, send response Y'). Intercom's AI is far more sophisticated but requires more setup.
How long does it take to get live with each platform?
Crisp launches in 1–2 days with a simple setup wizard and no technical expertise required. Intercom typically takes 7–14 days and often requires hiring a consultant or dedicating internal resources. For speed to market, Crisp is the clear winner.
What happens as my company grows from 5 to 50 agents?
With Intercom, your monthly cost scales from ~$200 to $4,950 (assuming $99/user). Crisp's flat-rate plan costs $290–$590/month regardless of agent count. Crisp remains dramatically cheaper at scale. However, Intercom's AI automation becomes more valuable as message volume grows (100+ conversations/day), where you'd benefit from intelligent routing and predictive replies.
How to Choose Between Intercom and Crisp
Pricing Model: Intercom has Per-seat pricing ($39-$99/user/month), while Crisp has Flat-rate pricing ($25-$290/month all users).
Consider: Typical Monthly Cost (10 agents)
Typical Monthly Cost (10 agents): Intercom has $3,900-$9,900, while Crisp has $290.
AI-Powered Features: Intercom has Custom AI agents, predictive routing, AI replies, while Crisp has Basic AI chatbot, limited automation.
CRM Integration Depth: Intercom has 150+ native integrations, full API, while Crisp has 40+ integrations, limited API.
Onboarding & Setup Time: Intercom has 7-14 days with dedicated support, while Crisp has 1-2 days self-service.
Team Size (Ideal): Intercom has Mid-market to enterprise (50+ employees), while Crisp has Startups to SMBs (1-50 employees).
Mobile App Quality: Intercom has Full-featured iOS/Android apps, while Crisp has Basic mobile web interface.