2 Best Intercom Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 7 min read
Intercom is a popular tool for saas companies wanting full customer messaging. With pricing starting at $39/user/mo, it can be expensive for many teams. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 2 best Intercom alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 2
- Free alternatives: 2 (Tawk.to, Chatwoot)
- Open-source options: Chatwoot
- Best overall: Tawk.to
- Best free: Tawk.to
Why Look for Intercom Alternatives?
People commonly look for Intercom alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: At $39/user/mo, Intercom isn't cheap, especially for small teams and startups.
- Feature gaps: Very expensive and complex pricing are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Intercom overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom | ✗ No | $39/user/mo | ⭐ 4.2 | No | SaaS companies wanting full customer messaging |
| Tawk.to | ✓ Completely free | Free | ⭐ 4 | No | Businesses wanting free live chat |
| Chatwoot | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $19/agent/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | ✓ Yes | Companies wanting open-source customer support |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Tawk.to
Free live chat app for websites.
Tawk.to is a completely free live chat application that allows you to monitor and chat with visitors on your website. It's one of the most widely used live chat solutions due to its zero-cost model (they monetize through hired agents and removing branding).
Pros
- ✓ Completely free
- ✓ Feature-rich
- ✓ Easy setup
- ✓ Mobile app
Cons
- ✗ Tawk.to branding
- ✗ Basic design
- ✗ Can be slow
- ✗ Limited customization
Chatwoot
Open-source customer engagement platform.
Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform that serves as an alternative to Intercom. It offers live chat, email, social media, and messaging app support from a single dashboard. Being open source, it can be self-hosted for complete data control.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hostable
- ✓ Multi-channel
- ✓ Free option
Cons
- ✗ Fewer features than Intercom
- ✗ Self-hosting complexity
- ✗ Smaller ecosystem
- ✗ Less polished
🏆 Our Recommendations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Intercom?
The best free alternative to Intercom is Tawk.to, which offers Completely free.
Is there an open-source alternative to Intercom?
Yes! Chatwoot is open-source alternative to Intercom that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Intercom?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Tawk.to, Chatwoot. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $19/mo.
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