Intercom vs Crisp: An Honest Comparison for 2026

Let's talk about your options

If you're reading this, you're probably knee-deep in researching customer support platforms. Maybe you're frustrated with your current setup. Maybe your team is scaling and your tools aren't keeping up. Or maybe you're just starting out and want to make the right choice from day one.

Either way, you've likely come across both Intercom and Crisp. They're frequently mentioned in the same breath, which makes comparing them important if you want to make an informed decision.

Intercom (2011) positions itself as “Enterprise Messenger” — Full-featured customer communication platform.

Crisp (2015) takes a different approach: “Startup-Friendly Chat” — Affordable customer messaging for growing teams.

We've spent significant time with both platforms. Here's what we honestly think.

Who should actually consider each option?

Before we dive into features and pricing, let's be real about who each platform is actually built for. Not every tool is right for every team, and that's okay.

What each platform does well

Let's start with the positives. Both platforms have been around for years and have real strengths.

What we like about Intercom

Intercom has built a solid reputation over the years, and for good reason:

• More sophisticated platform overall
• Fin AI is genuinely capable
• Product tours and onboarding
• Better analytics and reporting
• Stronger enterprise features
• Larger integration ecosystem

What we like about Crisp

Crisp brings its own set of strengths to the table:

• Dramatically cheaper
• Free tier available
• Unlimited agents on paid plans
• Co-browsing and video chat included
• Simple, clean interface
• Good for startups and SMBs
• EU-based (GDPR native)

Where each platform falls short

No software is perfect. Here's where each platform will likely frustrate you.

Our frustrations with Intercom

After spending time with Intercom, these issues stood out:

• Expensive, especially for startups
• Per-seat pricing adds up
• Fin AI costs extra
• Can be overwhelming
• No co-browsing or video chat

Our frustrations with Crisp

Crisp isn't without its problems either:

• Less sophisticated than Intercom
• No product tours
• Basic AI compared to Fin
• Smaller integration marketplace
• Less enterprise depth

Feature-by-feature breakdown

If you're the type who wants to see exactly what you get with each platform, here's the detailed breakdown. We've highlighted the features that we think matter most.

Let's talk money

Pricing is often the deciding factor, so let's break down what you'll actually pay. Keep in mind that both platforms love to hide costs in add-ons, so the sticker price rarely tells the whole story.

What Intercom will cost you

What Crisp will cost you

So, which one should you choose?

After all this analysis, here's our honest take: Crisp wins for startups and SMBs who need solid chat without enterprise pricing. Intercom wins if you need advanced features and can afford them.

If you're a startup watching every dollar, Crisp is incredible value—unlimited agents for $25/month is hard to beat. Only choose Intercom if you specifically need product tours, advanced AI, or enterprise features.

Common questions

Here are the questions we hear most often from people comparing these platforms.