Intercom specializes in customer communication and support with real-time messaging, while HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM platform with marketing automation, sales tools, and service hub integration. HubSpot offers broader business functions, whereas Intercom excels in conversational customer engagement.
Intercom vs HubSpot — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Customer communication and support platform with live chat, ticketing, and AI automation.
All-in-one CRM platform combining marketing, sales, and customer service tools
Primary Use Case. Starting Price (Monthly). Live Chat Features. Email Marketing Automation. CRM Capabilities. AI Features. Learning Curve
Choose Intercom if your primary focus is customer support, live chat, and real-time customer communication with AI-powered routing and ticket management. Choose HubSpot if you need an integrated CRM with marketing automation, sales pipeline management, and broad business operations—HubSpot is better suited for teams wanting a unified platform across multiple functions.
Intercom: 1,000 | HubSpot: 1,000,000 contacts
Intercom: 50+ | HubSpot: 3 (email, chat, phone only)
Intercom: $39 (Inbox Starter) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: $39 for team inbox | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Advanced routing, queues, canned responses, routing rules | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Fin AI bot with autonomous ticket resolution, predictive analytics | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Comprehensive mobile app with full feature parity | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 5 (Chat, Email, SMS, Messenger, Instagram) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 500+ integrations | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: iOS & Android available | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Standard KB functionality | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: General customer interactions | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Native Fin bot; resolves 50%+ support tickets autonomously | HubSpot: Chatspot add-on; requires manual training and configuration
Intercom: Fin AI assistant, predictive analytics, auto-responses | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 60% reduction with AI automation | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Up to 30% with knowledge base | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Chat, email, SMS, social, messaging apps, phone | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Limited; requires third-party integration | HubSpot: Native with A/B testing, sequences, and workflows
Intercom: Shared inboxes, assignment rules, customer context | HubSpot: Deal pipelines, team pipeline visibility, activity feeds
Intercom: 8 seconds average | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: No, requires integration | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Yes, unlimited agents | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Basic tracking only | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 1,000+ requests/sec | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Basic: churn alerts, customer health scores | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 1-2 weeks | HubSpot: 2-4 weeks
Intercom: $150-$250 (mid-tier) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 40% average deflection rate | HubSpot: N/A
Knowledge Base AI Search Reduction in Tickets
Intercom: Advanced AI search (30% reduction) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Full suite (tours, checklists, surveys, broadcasts) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Full-featured iOS/Android with AI assistant | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Native AI (included) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 400+ integrations | HubSpot: 1000+
Intercom: $39 (all users) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Advanced automation, AI bot, proactive messaging | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 30-50% (AI Resolution Bot) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 1-100 agents optimal | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 14 days | HubSpot: 14 days (with free tier option)
Intercom: 5 (Email, Chat, SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Yes (advanced builder) | HubSpot: Yes (basic conversational)
Intercom: 5+ channels (live chat, in-app, email, SMS, WhatsApp) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Less than 1 week (3-5 days) | HubSpot: 20-40 hours
Intercom: No published database (relies on integrations) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Full-featured help desk with SLA management | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Startup to enterprise (all sizes) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 7–14 days | HubSpot: 30-45 minutes
Intercom: 150+ | HubSpot: 400+ integrations
Intercom: Advanced (custom agents, NLP-powered) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Full native apps (iOS/Android) with offline mode | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 50–5,000+ | HubSpot: 10-1000+ (growing to enterprise)
Intercom: Full REST/GraphQL API with webhooks | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: $375 ($15 per agent) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Advanced (Intercom Fin with custom training) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: Yes (product tours, checklists, flows) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 2 minutes (with AI) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: 5 (email, chat, messaging, phone, social) | HubSpot: N/A
Intercom: No | HubSpot: Yes (up to 3 users)
Intercom: Unlimited on all plans | HubSpot: Limited on Starter tier
Intercom: Basic (limited segments) | HubSpot: Advanced (unlimited workflows)
Intercom: Unlimited | HubSpot: Unlimited
Intercom: No | HubSpot: Yes (with AI predictive scoring)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: All tiers (Breeze)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite (email, automation, journeys)
Monthly Cost (50-person team, full suite)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 15 million (unlimited practical)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Comprehensive (email, lead scoring, workflows, forms, landing pages)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (Service Hub)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Functional (secondary focus)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Activity logging available
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: UI Extensions, expanded API capabilities, object settings navigation
Starting Price (per user/month, billed annually)
Professional Tier Price (per user/month)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: High - requires training
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 6+ (CRM, Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Operations)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Good secondary feature
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 14-day free trial
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4 (Sales, Marketing, Service, CMS)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Nearly identical ratings
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited contacts
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes, full CRM suite included
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (drag-and-drop, mobile-responsive, A/B testing)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (available but less prominent)
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited growth with pro-rated pricing
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 2,000 emails/month
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Native unified CRM
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced behavioral & predictive scoring
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Email, SMS, social, landing pages, ads
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Complex multi-step workflows with conditions
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Steep (comprehensive platform)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 13 new features + 86 enhancements (Spring 2026)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (1 user, 5 contacts)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Separate add-on ($45/month)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Native HubSpot Chatbot
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 300+ requests/sec (Enterprise)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited (Professional+)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Comprehensive iOS/Android apps
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Included standard
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Basic predictive content
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot Starter at $20
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot Professional at $50
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Dedicated ecosystem integration
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot AI - advanced automation and predictive
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party integrations required
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4.7/5 - intuitive interface
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Good option - established in India
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (via add-on)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party Integration
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1 to 1000+ people
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Native full CRM platform
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited with visual builder
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Mid-market to enterprise
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $120/month base (not per-agent)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 3 channels (email, chat, ticketing)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full (360° CRM with pipelines, deals, forecasting)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (email sequences, workflows, forms, landing pages)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: ChatSpot AI (content generation, workflow automation, analysis)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1000+ integrations
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000,000+ (Enterprise)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full-featured automation
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 5/10 (Basic rules-based)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 3,000+ certification courses
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full pipeline with forecasting
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Basic (secondary feature)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 10+ years in service
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 120 requests/min
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4.7/5 (42K reviews)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: ChatSpot (25% deflection)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $50 (Marketing Hub Starter)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Limited (50 rules in Standard tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party connector (2-4 hr delays)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 74% (Predictive Lead Scoring)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Month-to-month available
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: No (enterprise add-on only)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes, paid add-on ($600/month minimum)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced with forecasting and stages
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Predictive AI-powered scoring
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited users (freemium model)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: No (requires CallRail $50-300/month)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1.4 million (free tier only)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4.4/5 (3,800 reviews)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 3 (free tier) / Unlimited (paid)
CRM Contact Storage Limit (Free/Entry Tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 5 (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok)
AI Sentiment Analysis / Social Listening
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Basic keyword monitoring only
Team Members Supported (Free/Standard Tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited on free tier
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $800 (Marketing Hub Pro)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000 contact limit (capped)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000+ integrations
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Moderate (workflows, limited coding)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: No, third-party integration required
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite with workflows, landing pages, forms
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes, unlimited users
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 3+ (Phone, Chat, Email, Academy)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full CRM with pipeline, deals, tasks, and analytics
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: iOS and Android
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Requires add-on
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Copilot AI, content generation, predictive scoring
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full marketing automation with workflows
Monthly Cost Per Agent/User (Entry Level)
Monthly Cost Per Agent/User (Professional Tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1,200+ native & app partners
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Higher tiers only
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Contact management, deal pipelines, activity tracking, custom fields, lead scoring
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Phone calling, meeting scheduling, document tracking, forecasting, sequences
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Limited automations; multi-step workflows in paid tiers
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $50-$120 (varies by tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 2 users (Starter tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Limited per tier (1,000-10,000)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: No, requires Sales Hub Professional ($100+/user)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Included in Marketing Hub tiers
Starting Monthly Price (Single User/Starter Tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Available, requires separate setup
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite with A/B testing and workflows
Price for 10-Person Support Team (Annual)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $540/year (Starter) or $9,600+ (Professional)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $45/month (Starter plan, up to 2 users)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Free tier included (unlimited contacts)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Gmail, Outlook, web interface, Apple Mail
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Predictive lead scoring, AI chatbots, email insights
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4.4 stars (7,200 reviews)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Intermediate (predictive in Enterprise tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1-500 employees
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 120-180 seconds
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000+ templates
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Via third-party integration only
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 200,000+ customers
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 500 calls/15 sec (43,200/day)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 4.6/5 (45,000 reviews)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Yes - email campaigns, workflows, landing pages, ads
Customer Support Response Time (Paid Plans)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 1-24 hours depending on plan
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 8 (deals, pipelines, scoring, etc)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 168 (24/7 phone, chat, email)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $45 (paid Professional plan; $0 free tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Limited (Professional+ only)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Full-featured CRM included
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Basic monitoring only
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Limited platform support
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: AI content assistant in higher tiers
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: $120+ (Professional tier)
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced with forecasting
Intercom: N/A | HubSpot: 7+ channels (email, SMS, ads, chat, tickets, calls, social)
How to choose between Intercom and HubSpot
Intercom vs HubSpot — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Intercom vs HubSpot. Contains 343 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Intercom vs HubSpot — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Intercom vs HubSpot.
Which platform is better for customer support teams?
Intercom is purpose-built for customer support with superior live chat, AI-powered ticket routing, and specialized support workflows. HubSpot's Service Hub is solid but less advanced. For teams prioritizing support excellence, Intercom is the better choice.
Can I use HubSpot for live chat instead of Intercom?
Yes, HubSpot includes live chat functionality starting at the Starter tier ($45/month), but it lacks Intercom's AI routing, advanced automation, and ticketing sophistication. HubSpot's live chat is best for simple use cases; Intercom is superior for high-volume support operations.
Which is cheaper overall for a small business?
HubSpot's free tier is unbeatable for startups (up to 3 users), making it $0 to start. Intercom requires paid plans starting at $39/month. However, HubSpot's costs increase faster with users and features, while Intercom's pricing is based on monthly active contacts, which can be more scalable for messaging-heavy use cases.
Intercom has basic contact management but lacks CRM-specific features like pipeline management, deal tracking, and sales forecasting. HubSpot's CRM is far more robust. If you need both support and sales tools, HubSpot is the better all-in-one solution.
Which platform has better AI capabilities?
HubSpot offers more AI features across its suite (sales assistant, content assistant, predictive scoring), while Intercom focuses on customer communication AI (chatbot builder, ticket summarization). For AI breadth, HubSpot wins; for AI in support, Intercom wins.
How to Choose Between Intercom and HubSpot
Primary Use Case: Intercom has Customer messaging & support, while HubSpot has All-in-one CRM & marketing automation.
Starting Price (Monthly): Intercom has $39/month, while HubSpot has $45/month.
Live Chat Features: Intercom has Advanced with AI routing & ticketing, while HubSpot has Basic live chat included.
Email Marketing Automation: Intercom has Limited (basic segments), while HubSpot has Advanced with workflows & A/B testing.
CRM Capabilities: Intercom has Contact management only, while HubSpot has Full pipeline management & forecasting.
AI Features: Intercom has AI bot builder & ticket summarization, while HubSpot has Sales assistant, content assistant, predictive scoring.
Learning Curve: Intercom has Steeper - specialized platform, while HubSpot has Moderate - better onboarding resources.