Comparison
Intercom vs Zendesk: which is right for a small business?
Intercom suits teams that want an AI agent to answer most questions in a website messenger: seats from $19 a month billed yearly for new customers, plus $0.99 for each Fin outcome. Zendesk suits teams that run classic ticketing across email, chat and voice: from $19 an agent billed yearly, with AI resolutions from $1.50 each after the included ones.
Updated . Every fact is linked to Intercom's or Zendesk's own site, with the date we checked it
How do Intercom and Zendesk compare, side by side?
Intercom: Customer support helpdesk (shared inbox, ticketing, live chat Messenger) with the Fin AI Agent that answers customers; the company is now called Fin and its AI agent site is fin.ai. Zendesk: Customer service software: a ticketing system with email, messaging, live chat and phone support, plus AI agents that answer customers.
| What matters | Intercom | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $29 per seat per month, billed annually, published list price; new-customer promotion is separate; $39 billed monthly1 | $19 per agent per month, billed annually; $25 billed monthly2 |
| Mid plan | $85 per seat per month, billed annually (page toggle 'Pay annually'); $99 billed monthly3 | $55 per agent per month, billed annually; $69 billed monthly4 |
| AI agent pricing | $0.99 per outcome on all plans; no charge if Fin cannot answer or the customer asks for a human; at most one charge per conversation. Fin used with another helpdesk: $0.99 per outcome, no seat cost, minimum monthly commitment applies (e.g. 50 outcomes)5 | $1.50 each if committed in advance, $2.00 each pay-as-you-go6 |
| AI copilot for agents | $29 per agent per month billed annually, or $35 billed monthly; each agent gets 10 Copilot and 10 AI Auto-translation conversations free per month7 | $50 per agent per month, paid yearly (can be added to Professional and higher plans)8 |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card required (Essential trial)9 | 14 days, on the Suite Professional plan by default (a specific plan can be trialled by contacting Zendesk)10 |
| What it is | Customer support helpdesk (shared inbox, ticketing, live chat Messenger) with the Fin AI Agent that answers customers; the company is now called Fin and its AI agent site is fin.ai.11 | Customer service software: a ticketing system with email, messaging, live chat and phone support, plus AI agents that answer customers.12 |
Prices are in US dollars a month, before tax, as each company lists them.
Which should you choose, Intercom or Zendesk?
Choose Intercom if
- You want an AI agent to answer most questions in a chat messenger on your site.
- You'd rather pay per AI outcome than buy blocks of resolutions.
- Your support runs mostly through chat rather than email or phone.
Choose Zendesk if
- You run ticketing across email, chat and voice with routing and SLAs.
- You want the lowest per-agent entry price with email support included.
- You have a larger team that needs workforce tools and many brands.
How do Intercom and Zendesk differ in approach?
Intercom started as a chat messenger and now puts its AI agent, Fin, at the centre: most conversations start with Fin, and people take what it can't answer. Zendesk started as ticketing and remains strongest at routing, SLAs and multi-channel support across email, chat and voice, with AI added to that flow.
How does the AI pricing compare?
Both charge for AI by use. Intercom charges $0.99 for each Fin outcome on top of seats. Zendesk includes five automated resolutions per agent a month on its Team plans and charges $1.50 per resolution committed or $2.00 pay as you go after that. For a team answering hundreds of AI conversations a month, model the volume on both before choosing.
Where does Mojobase fit?
Mojobase isn't a like-for-like help desk. It's built for 1 to 25 people, and it works well for teams up to 100, for teams where support is one job among several: the support inbox sits next to email, calendar, tasks and the CRM, and the AI drafts answers from all of it, priced per person with AI included. See the best Zendesk alternatives for how it compares with both.
Questions people ask
Is Intercom more expensive than Zendesk?
Per seat, Intercom's Essential is $19 billed yearly for new customers ($29 list), the same as Zendesk's Support Team, and Advanced at $85 costs more than Suite Team at $55. AI changes the sum: Fin costs $0.99 per outcome, Zendesk's resolutions $1.50 to $2.00 after the included ones.
Which has the better AI agent?
Intercom's Fin is central to its product and priced per outcome on every plan. Zendesk includes 5 automated resolutions per agent a month on its Team plans and sells Copilot at $50 an agent to Professional plans and above. Test both on your real questions.
Is there a simpler option for a very small team?
Yes. Help Scout has a free plan for five users, and Mojobase puts the support inbox next to email, the CRM and tasks with AI included in a per-person price.
Sources
- Intercom: Essential. intercom.com/pricing, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: Support Team. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Intercom: Advanced. intercom.com/pricing, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: Suite Team. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Intercom: Fin AI Agent. intercom.com/pricing, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: Extra AI-agent automated resolutions. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Intercom: Copilot add-on. intercom.com/pricing, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: Copilot add-on. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Intercom: Free trial. intercom.com/pricing, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: Free trial. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Intercom: What it is. intercom.com/ai-instructions, checked 7 Nov 2026.
- Zendesk: What it is. zendesk.com/pricing/, checked 7 Nov 2026.