Head to head
Intercom vs Zendesk
Both products are complete customer service platforms rather than simple chat widgets. They answer on your website and other channels, route conversations to agents, and add an AI agent that can resolve questions without a person. The main differences are in how the AI is billed and how each suite is packaged.
Intercom renamed its company to Fin in May 2026 and was acquired by Salesforce in September 2026; the Intercom name stays on the help desk, and we found no pricing change after the deal.
Facts read from each vendor’s own site: Intercom on 16 October 2026, Zendesk on 16 October 2026.
Should I choose Intercom or Zendesk?
Intercom and Zendesk are both full help desks with AI agents. Intercom charges $0.99 per Fin outcome plus seats from $29 a month billed yearly, which favours teams that want the AI to resolve a large share of conversations. Zendesk charges $1.50 to $2.00 per automated resolution plus per-agent plans, and suits teams that want ticketing, voice and AI in one suite.
At a glance
Intercom
Customer service helpdesk with a shared inbox, messenger, help center and the Fin AI agent, which answers customers across chat, email and other channels. Fin can also be bought alone for use with another helpdesk.
- Free plan
- Not verified
- Starts at
- From $29/month per seat, billed yearly
- Billing
- per seat + subscription + per resolution + usage credits
Zendesk
Customer service suite with ticketing, messaging and live chat, help center, voice and AI agents. AI agent work is billed per automated resolution on top of per-agent plans.
- Free plan
- Not verified
- Starts at
- From $19/month per agent, billed yearly
- Billing
- per seat + per resolution
Features
Confirmed on the vendor’s site Vendor says it is not offered Not verified (not the same as no)
| Feature | Intercom | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Website chat widget | Yes | Yes |
| Learns from your content | Yes | Yes |
| Hand-off to a person | Yes | Yes |
| CRM connection | Yes | Not verified |
| Multiple languages | Yes | Yes |
| Remove branding | Not verified | Yes |
Plans and prices
Intercom
Essential
Fin billed separately per outcome
$29/month per seat, billed yearly
Essential (monthly)
$39/month per seat
Advanced
20 Lite seats included · Workflows · Multilingual Help Center
$85/month per seat, billed yearly
Advanced (monthly)
20 Lite seats included
$99/month per seat
Expert
50 Lite seats included · SSO & identity management · HIPAA support
$132/month per seat, billed yearly
Expert (monthly)
50 Lite seats included
$139/month per seat
Copilot add-on
$35/month per user
Pro add-on (includes Operator)
Price shown as 'From'
$100/month per workspace
Usage charges
- Fin outcome (resolution, procedure handoff, routing): $0.99 per outcome
- Fin qualification outcome: $9.99 per outcome
- Fin with another helpdesk: $0.99 per outcome
- Additional Operator credits: $0.01 per credit
Zendesk
Support Team
5 automated resolutions per agent/month
$19/month per agent, billed yearly
Support Team (monthly)
$25/month per agent
Suite Team
5 automated resolutions per agent/month
$55/month per agent, billed yearly
Suite Team (monthly)
$69/month per agent
Suite Professional
10 automated resolutions per agent/month
$115/month per agent, billed yearly
Suite Professional (monthly)
$149/month per agent
Suite Enterprise + Copilot
15 automated resolutions per agent/month (help center)
Contact sales
Copilot add-on
Professional and higher plans
$50/month per agent, billed yearly
Usage charges
- Automated resolution, committed: $1.50 per resolution
- Automated resolution, pay-as-you-go: $2 per resolution
Which to choose
Editorial opinion, based on the facts above.
- Choose Intercom if
- Your priority is the AI agent itself, you expect it to resolve many conversations, and a per-outcome fee under a dollar works for your volume.
- Choose Zendesk if
- You want an established ticketing suite with voice included and per-agent plans, and you are comfortable with a per-resolution fee of $1.50 to $2.00.
Questions
Which is cheaper, Intercom or Zendesk?
It depends on team size and AI volume. Intercom's seats start at $29 a month billed yearly and Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. Zendesk's plans start at $19 per agent billed yearly for Support Team and $55 for Suite Team, with automated resolutions at $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay as you go.
Do Intercom and Zendesk have free plans?
Neither lists a free plan on its pricing page. Both offer a 14-day trial.
Sources and method
Both products were read on their vendors’ own websites. Features are marked confirmed only with a quote from an official page; anything we could not find is shown as not verified.
- Intercom, checked 16 October 2026: pricing page, docs, pricing page, product page
- Zendesk, checked 16 October 2026: pricing page, docs
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