Intercom vs Zendesk
Both sit in customer support. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: both start at the same $19 a month — Intercom on Essential, Zendesk on Support Team. Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
Intercom
intercom.com
Live chat, help centre, product tours and Fin — an AI agent that resolves a large share of conversations before a human sees them. Priced per seat plus per resolution.
Zendesk
zendesk.com
Omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, voice and social with heavy reporting, routing and SLA tooling. The default for larger support organisations.
| Intercom | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19/mo | $19/mo |
| Entry plan | Essential | Support Team |
| Paid annually | $19/mo | $19/mo |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free trial |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Category | Customer Support | Customer Support |
| Around since | 2011 | 2007 |
Every price here was read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
Intercom vs Zendesk, answered
- Is Intercom cheaper than Zendesk?
- Neither. Both start at $19 a month at the entry tier.
- Do Intercom or Zendesk have a free plan?
- Neither publishes an ongoing free plan. Check each vendor for a trial.
- What is the difference between Intercom and Zendesk?
- Intercom: Live chat, help centre, product tours and Fin — an AI agent that resolves a large share of conversations before a human sees them. Priced per seat plus per resolution. Zendesk: Omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, voice and social with heavy reporting, routing and SLA tooling. The default for larger support organisations.
