# Intercom vs Zendesk

> Intercom and Zendesk side by side: free-plan limits, published prices at 2, 5 and 10 seats, AI billing, channels, languages and data hosting, with a pick for each kind of team.

Published: September 18, 2026 · Updated: September 18, 2026 · Prices and limits verified: September 18, 2026 · By the live-chat.reviews team

This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not installed or tested these products ourselves. Method: [How we review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

Intercom and Zendesk both charge per seat and add a per-resolution fee for AI, and neither has a free plan. Intercom's Essential plan is $39 per seat a month billed monthly ($29 billed annually). Zendesk's live chat starts at Suite Team, $69 per agent a month billed monthly ($55 annually), because the cheaper Support Team plan does not include messaging.

The AI units differ. Intercom bills Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per outcome, with no included allowance. Zendesk bills AI agents at $1.50 per automated resolution on a commitment or $2 pay-as-you-go, and includes 5 free resolutions per agent a month on Suite Team. Both are aimed at support teams that expect to grow; see the [Intercom review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/intercom), the [Zendesk review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/zendesk) and [how vendors bill for AI](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/how-live-chat-vendors-bill-for-ai).

**Bottom line**

- Intercom is the better pick for most teams, because it is cheaper per seat and per AI resolution at every published rate. Choose Zendesk if you need EU hosting without negotiating a contract, or your AI volume fits inside the resolutions Zendesk includes per agent.

## Side by side

|  | [Intercom](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/intercom) | [Zendesk](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/zendesk) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Score | **5.4** | **5.3** |
| Pricing model | Seats plus AI usage | Seats plus AI usage |
| Paid plans from | $29 per seat per month, billed annually | $55 per seat per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | No free plan · 14-day trial | No free plan · 14-day trial |
| Free plan: Free seats | — | — |
| Free plan: Conversations | — | — |
| Free plan: Chat history | — | — |
| Free plan: Remove branding | — | — |
| Free plan: AI on the free plan | — | — |
| Free plan: Beyond website chat | — | — |
| AI chatbot | Fin AI Agent — billed per resolution | Zendesk AI agents — billed per resolution |
| Channels | Website chat, Email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Voice | Website chat, Email, Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram |
| Languages | Widget in 45+ languages | Not documented |
| EU data hosting | On some paid plans | On some paid plans |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 27018, ISO 42001, AIUC-1 (Fin), HIPAA (Expert), GDPR, CCPA | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, FedRAMP LI-SaaS, HIPAA (Suite Professional+, BAA), GDPR |
| Best for | Support teams building around an AI agent | Multichannel support teams wanting one helpdesk |

## What it costs at 2, 5 and 10 seats

| Product | 2 seats · 100 conversations a month | 5 seats · 500 conversations a month | 10 seats · 2,000 conversations a month |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Intercom | $78 a month (Essential) | $195 a month (Essential) | $390 a month (Essential) |
| Zendesk | $138 a month (Suite Team) | $345 a month (Suite Team) | $690 a month (Suite Team) |

_List prices in the vendor's own currency, billed monthly where the vendor offers it, otherwise the annual-billing rate. AI usage, taxes and discounts are not included._

## Choose Intercom if

- seat cost matters most: Intercom Essential costs less per seat than Zendesk Suite Team on both monthly and annual billing, so Intercom is cheaper in all three worked examples.
- you expect heavy AI volume: Fin costs $0.99 per outcome, below Zendesk's $1.50 committed rate, so at published prices Intercom stays cheaper for a five-person team whatever the AI volume.
- you want to remove the vendor logo on a self-serve plan: Intercom allows it on Advanced and Expert, while Zendesk reserves it for Suite Enterprise, which is quote-only.
- you are an eligible startup: Intercom's Early Stage program lists $33 a month in year one for companies with 15 employees or fewer.

## Choose Zendesk if

- you need EU data hosting without a sales contract: Zendesk offers an EU region at no charge on Suite Professional and above, switched on through support, while Intercom limits regional hosting to Advanced and Expert workspaces on a contract account.
- your AI volume is low: Zendesk includes 5 automated resolutions per agent a month on Suite Team and 10 on Suite Professional, while Intercom includes none.
- you need AI answers in many languages: Zendesk lists 80 languages for its AI agents, Intercom lists 45 for Fin.
- you qualify for Zendesk for Startups, which lists 6 months free for teams of up to 50 agents.

## Score breakdown

| Criterion | Weight | Intercom | Zendesk |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free-plan usability | 25% | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Cost as you add agents | 25% | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| AI billing clarity | 20% | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Channels and integrations | 15% | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Data location and compliance | 15% | 3/5 | 3/5 |

> **Scored on a public rubric, from pages you can open.** Every score on this site comes from five published criteria: free-plan usability, cost as you add agents, AI billing clarity, channels and integrations, and data location and compliance. Each price and limit is stored once, links to its source, and shows the same value on every page. Rubric v1.0 · We have not installed or speed-tested these widgets yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Intercom cheaper than Zendesk?

At list prices, yes. Intercom Essential is $39 per seat a month billed monthly and Zendesk Suite Team is $69, and Fin's $0.99 per outcome is below Zendesk's $1.50 per automated resolution. Zendesk's included resolutions narrow the gap only at low AI volume. See [Intercom pricing](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/pricing/intercom) and [Zendesk pricing](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/pricing/zendesk).

### Do Intercom or Zendesk have a free plan?

No. Intercom offers a 14-day trial and Zendesk a 14-day trial. Zendesk's free Chat Lite plan is legacy and standalone Chat is not sold to new customers. For free options, see [free live chat software](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/best/free-live-chat-software).

### Which one hosts data in the EU?

Both can, on higher plans. Zendesk offers an EU region on Suite Professional and above at no extra charge. Intercom offers regional hosting on Advanced and Expert, for new workspaces on a contract account. More in [EU-hosted live chat](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/best/eu-hosted-live-chat).

### Who owns Intercom now?

The company behind Intercom renamed itself Fin in May 2026, and Salesforce completed its acquisition on September 10, 2026, according to the two companies' announcements. The helpdesk and Messenger keep the Intercom name.

## Related pages

- [Intercom review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/intercom)
- [Intercom pricing explained](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/pricing/intercom)
- [Zendesk review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/reviews/zendesk)
- [Zendesk pricing explained](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/pricing/zendesk)
- [Free-plan audit: does your team fit a free live chat plan?](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/tools/free-plan-audit)

## Sources

- [Shopify integration](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/16188-install-the-shopify-app) — Fin (Intercom) · September 18, 2026
- [WordPress plugin](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/173-install-intercom-on-your-wordpress-site) — Fin (Intercom) · September 18, 2026
- [Intercom pricing](https://www.intercom.com/pricing) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Fin pricing](https://fin.ai/pricing) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Fin AI Agent outcomes](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/8205718-fin-ai-agent-outcomes) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Your workspace settings](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/15432088-your-workspace-settings) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Early Stage program](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/9361928-early-stage-program) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Usage-based channels](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/9061703-usage-based-channels) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Regional data hosting](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/6124430-regional-data-hosting) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [How data is hosted and processed in Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/8106177-how-data-is-hosted-and-processed-in-intercom) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Intercom security](https://www.intercom.com/security) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Localize the Messenger to work with multiple languages](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/180-localize-the-messenger-to-work-with-multiple-languages) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Use Intercom in your preferred language](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/7035581-use-intercom-in-your-preferred-language) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Omnichannel helpdesk](https://www.intercom.com/suite/helpdesk/omnichannel) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Intercom live chat](https://www.intercom.com/live-chat) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Installing Intercom](https://developers.intercom.com/installing-intercom) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [About Fin](https://fin.ai/about) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Today, Intercom becomes Fin](https://www.intercom.com/blog/today-intercom-becomes-fin/) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Fin](https://www.salesforce.com/news/press-releases/2026/06/15/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-fin/) — Salesforce · September 18, 2026
- [Salesforce completes acquisition of Fin](https://www.salesforce.com/news/press-releases/2026/09/10/salesforce-completes-acquisition-of-fin/) — Salesforce · September 18, 2026
- [Lightspeed customer story](https://fin.ai/customers/lightspeed) — Fin · September 18, 2026
- [Intercom on the Vendr marketplace](https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/intercom) — Vendr · September 18, 2026
- [Shopify integration](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408820093850-Setting-up-the-Shopify-integration-for-Support-and-Chat) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [WordPress plugin](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408886694810-Setting-up-and-using-the-Zendesk-Support-for-WordPress-plugin) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk pricing](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk free trial](https://www.zendesk.com/free-trial/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [About automated resolutions for AI agents](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5352026794010-About-automated-resolutions-for-AI-agents) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [About automated resolution tiers](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9570369117338-About-automated-resolution-tiers) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Announcing expanded access to AI agent capabilities for all Zendesk customers](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10487730059034-Announcing-expanded-access-to-AI-agent-capabilities-for-all-Zendesk-customers) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [About the Data Center Location add-on](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838409754-About-the-Data-Center-Location-add-on) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Regional Data Hosting Policy](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408883599130-Regional-Data-Hosting-Policy) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Messaging vs live chat: which is right for you?](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408834108186-Messaging-vs-live-chat-Which-is-right-for-you-) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [About Zendesk Chat plan types (legacy)](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408839327642-About-Zendesk-Chat-plan-types) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk Trust Center](https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk live chat](https://www.zendesk.com/service/messaging/live-chat/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk AI agents](https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk Copilot](https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/copilot/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk for Startups](https://www.zendesk.com/startups/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Hello Sugar customer story](https://www.zendesk.com/customer/hello-sugar/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk completes acquisition of Forethought](https://www.zendesk.com/newsroom/press-releases/zendesk-completes-acquisition-of-forethought/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Consortium led by Hellman & Friedman and Permira completes acquisition of Zendesk](https://www.permira.com/news-and-insights/announcements/consortium-led-by-hellman-friedman-and-permira-completes-acquisition-of-zendesk) — Permira · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk press](https://www.zendesk.com/company/press/) — Zendesk · September 18, 2026
- [Zendesk on the Vendr marketplace](https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/zendesk) — Vendr · September 18, 2026

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Canonical: https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/compare/intercom-vs-zendesk