Crisp
Intercom
| Feature | Crisp | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | From $39/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, small-businesses, saas-companies, e-commerce | saas-companies, startups, product-teams, customer-success |
| Founded | 2015 | 2011 |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Chatbot | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✗ |
| Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Status Page | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Messenger | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Bot | ✗ | ✓ |
| Help Center | ✗ | ✓ |
| Inbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Product Tours | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outbound Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Crisp Pros
- Very generous free tier (2 seats included)
- Per-workspace pricing instead of per-seat
- Built-in chatbot builder with no-code
- Clean and modern interface
✗ Crisp Cons
- Limited advanced automation compared to Intercom
- Chatbot AI less sophisticated than competitors
- Fewer integrations than larger platforms
✓ Intercom Pros
- AI-first approach
- Great messenger widget
- Product tours
- Unified inbox
✗ Intercom Cons
- Expensive
- Complex pricing
- Feature bloat
The Verdict
Crisp is built for startups and small businesses, with a focus on live-chat and chatbot. Intercom targets saas companies and startups and leads with messenger and ai-bot.
On pricing, Crisp is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $25/mo compared to $39/mo for Intercom. That $14/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Crisp has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Intercom requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Crisp offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Intercom takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for startups, saas companies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.