Intercom vs Freshchat

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Intercom vs Freshchat based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Live Chat Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Intercom is a conversational platform that personalizes messaging throughout the customer journey using customer, company and behavioral data. It offers chatbots, marketing campaigns, self-service functions, proactive tours and more. Collaborative inboxes, reporting and automated workflows help users interact with customers across all channels.

It integrates with out-of-the-box modules to automate actions and sync data and allows users to build their setups based on business needs. Businesses can see who uses their products and communicate with customers via targeted, behavior-driven emails and in-app messages.
read more...

Freshchat is a customer messaging software that helps businesses engage with customers across various channels like live chat, website, mobile app, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. It's ideal for businesses of all sizes that want to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Key benefits include increased customer satisfaction, improved agent productivity, and reduced resolution times. Popular features include a unified inbox for all customer conversations, bots to automate tasks, and powerful analytics to track performance.

Compared to similar products, Freshchat is known for its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive feature set. Pricing is based on the number of agents and the features required, with plans starting at $15 per agent per month billed annually.

read more...
$39/Seat, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$19/Agent, Monthly, Freemium
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Customize Bots: Build code-free bots that automatically triage conversations, initiate contact using advanced targeting and engage high-intent leads. 
  • Reply Faster: Apply macros or pre-written responses to maintain a consistent support experience even when live agents are unavailable. Automate repetitive actions, like tagging, assigning and updating tickets, across multiple conversations at once. 
  • Market Effectively: Engage potential leads with personalized messages to support the sales process and improve branding in real time. 
  • Enhance Support: Use the Conversational Support Starter Kit to learn how to combine proactive self-serve, AI-powered and human support to resolve customer issues at scale. 
  • Integrate Easily: Connect with tools like Marketo, Shopify and Stripe to enhance data interoperability and automate workflows. 
read more...
  • Improve Efficiency: Gathers data from third-party apps and websites in one place. Resolve queries and provide instant solutions using gathered information. Customize predefined responses to answer commonly asked questions. Quickly access canned messages by setting up shortcodes. Record customer details and share information in real time. 
  • Boost Productivity: Routes support tickets to the right team. Scan incoming tickets and categorize them according to factors including customer type, language, location and ticket subject. Automate ticket assignments based on the agent’s expertise level. Create rules to send event alerts to the right agent. Encourage agent performance with gamification. 
  • Improve Customer Support: Resolves repetitive questions using intelligent automation. Delivers personalized solutions to customers by learning from past experiences. It provides product information and instant assistance to customers when needed. No need to wait for human assistance. 
  • Free Trial: Get first-hand experience with a 21-day free trial. No need to add credit card details. 
read more...
  • Mobile Carousels: Manage communication with a customizable, code-free interface on a single or multiple screens. Request device permissions, add deep links, send dynamic carousel messages, open URLs, start conversations in the messenger and give users the option to chat with support. 
  • Team Messaging: Organize and respond to conversations on web, mobile and email and social channels from a central location. Create separate inboxes for support and sales, set permissions and use notes to collaborate on difficult questions.  
  • Product Tours: Create customizable interactive guides to orient new customers and explain products.  
  • Series Visual Campaign Builder: Use a drag-and-drop visual campaign builder to create behavior-based customer messaging campaigns. Send in-app and in-product messages and make feature announcements. Adjust paths for wait time, message type and unique tags. 
  • Conversational Support: Manage, route and prioritize conversations. Automate answers to common questions with the Resolution Bot. Customize user experience with intelligent chatbots based on customer behavior. 
  • Customer Data: Track unique business and customer data, like business type, location, pricing plan, product type and spend. Integrate data from a tech stack to personalize interactions and keep information up to date.
read more...
  • Messaging Channels: Receive, manage and respond to conversations from multiple channels from a unified inbox. Stay connected with ERP and CRM to automate queries in advance. Launch bots to automate tasks based on hours. 
  • Campaigns: Design flows and set timings to trigger targeted audience emails. Send emails based on user intent and website behavior. Set up different timings to re-engage or send invites and reminder emails. Analyze data gathered from previous campaigns and optimize performance accordingly. 
  • Chatbots: Create bots with the easy-to-use, low code bot builder. Build multiple bots to handle tasks like answering customer questions, updating data or building a single bot to handle multiple tasks. Set up bots for different cases with a predefined, ready-to-use template. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#7

among all
Live Chat Software

#32

among all
Live Chat Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

82
86
83
89
50
89
100
96
Show More Show More
Online Visitor Management
Integration and Extensibility
Online Visitor Management
Platform Capabilities
Conversation Management
Customer Collaboration

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Intercom
Freshchat
+ Add Product + Add Product
Conversation Management Customer Collaboration Online Visitor Management Platform Capabilities Ticket Management 83 50 100 83 65 89 89 96 96 62 0 25 50 75 100
74%
0%
26%
87%
0%
13%
29%
0%
71%
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%
89%
11%
0%
76%
0%
24%
86%
14%
0%
40%
0%
60%
20%
70%
10%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

89%
0%
11%
78%
0%
22%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 3224 reviews
Great User Sentiment 720 reviews
89%
of users recommend this product

Intercom has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 3224 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

87%
of users recommend this product

Freshchat has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 720 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (19)
n/a
4.4 (1333)
4.4 (489)
4.52 (859)
n/a
4.5 (754)
4.1 (112)
4.4 (147)
4.2 (28)
4.2 (112)
4.4 (91)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Intercom and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Online Visitor Management.

Online Visitor Management Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Freshchat and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Platform Capabilities.

Platform Capabilities Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Usability: The platform is easy to use, straightforward and intuitive, according to 94% of users who commented on this aspect.
Customer Support: According to 74% of users who mentioned this, support reps are knowledgeable and helpful.
Training: Of the total users who commented on this feature, 90% liked the onboarding resources, training guides and simplicity of navigation.
Communication: 90% of users who commented on this appreciated being able to answer a high volume of questions, customize bots, automate responses and organize conversations.
Show more
Unified Platform: Freshchat offers a comprehensive customer engagement platform, bringing together live chat, bots, and social media messaging into one interface. This streamlines workflows and provides agents with a holistic view of customer interactions.
Customization Options: Users appreciate the ability to tailor the chat widget's appearance and behavior to match their brand and website. This includes customizing the widget's color, position, and welcome message, creating a seamless brand experience for visitors.
Automation Capabilities: Freshchat's automation features, such as chatbots and canned responses, help to improve agent productivity and response times. Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, while canned responses provide quick answers to frequently asked questions, freeing up agents to focus on more complex issues.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform offers robust reporting and analytics tools, providing insights into chat volume, agent performance, and customer satisfaction. This data empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their customer support operations.
Show more
Value for Money: The pricing is hard to understand and skews expensive, according to 100% of users who mentioned this.
Reporting: According to 67% of users who reviewed this feature, internal reports are limited and inaccurate.
Show more
Limited Customization: Freshchat offers limited options for customizing the chat widget's appearance and behavior, making it challenging for brands to achieve a seamless integration with their website's design and user experience.
Mobile App Shortcomings: The mobile app for agents has received criticism for its occasional glitches and lack of features compared to the desktop version, hindering efficient communication and issue resolution on the go.
Reporting Limitations: Some users find the reporting and analytics capabilities of Freshchat to be somewhat basic, lacking the depth and granularity needed for comprehensive performance evaluation and data-driven decision-making.
Pricing Structure: The pricing structure, particularly for larger teams or those requiring advanced features, can be a deterrent for some businesses, especially when compared to alternative solutions in the market.
Show more

Intercom offers a comprehensive platform to manage communications and increase engagement, via chatbots, product tours, email campaigns, automated answers and more. Based on user reviews, the product offers an intuitive interface, excellent customer support and useful onboarding resources. Users appreciated that they can customize automated tasks and in-app messages. Many reviewers also liked that they can assign conversations, use add-ons, send emails, send attachments and handle all customer outreach from a single platform. However, some users mentioned that the product is expensive and has limited reporting capabilities. All things considered, Intercom is a great solution for businesses in need of a complete communications platform.

Show more

Freshchat has carved out a niche for itself in the customer communication platform market, offering a compelling blend of features and affordability that resonates with many users. Reviewers frequently highlight the platform's intuitive interface and ease of use, making it a popular choice for businesses transitioning from simpler live chat solutions or those new to the world of customer messaging platforms. The seamless integration with other Freshworks products, such as Freshdesk and Freshsales, is another major draw, providing a unified view of customer interactions and streamlining workflows. This integration is particularly beneficial for businesses already invested in the Freshworks ecosystem, allowing them to leverage existing data and processes without the need for complex integrations. However, some users note that Freshchat's reporting and analytics capabilities could be more robust, especially when compared to competitors like Intercom or Zendesk Chat. While the platform offers basic reporting features, it may not provide the depth of insights needed by larger businesses or those with complex reporting requirements. Additionally, some users mention occasional limitations in customization options, particularly regarding chat widget appearance and branding. Despite these drawbacks, Freshchat's strengths in user-friendliness, affordability, and integration make it a compelling option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a reliable and easy-to-implement customer messaging solution. Its focus on core live chat functionality and seamless integration with other Freshworks products makes it particularly well-suited for businesses already using or considering other tools within the Freshworks ecosystem.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in Live Chat Software


Chaport

Chatra

Crisp

Drift

Freshchat

JivoChat

LiveAgent

LiveChat

Olark

Pure Chat

Smartsupp

tawk.to

Tidio

Userlike

Zoho SalesIQ

Head-to-Head Comparison

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings