# Crisp vs Intercom (2026) - Verdict

**Verdict:** both live and price-verified as of Jul 21, 2026. Choose Crisp if you want a permanent free tier, not just a trial. Choose Intercom if it starts cheaper, at $29/mo against $45/mo.

Category: AI Customer Support · Verified: Jul 21, 2026

## Choose Crisp if

- you want a permanent free tier, not just a trial.
- you lean toward the more recent build, from 2015.
- it is built for solo & SMB teams.

Link: https://verdict.tools/go/crisp (rel="sponsored nofollow")

## Choose Intercom if

- it starts cheaper, at $29/mo against $45/mo.
- a longer track record matters to you; it has run since 2011.
- it is built for SMB & enterprise teams.

Link: https://verdict.tools/go/intercom (rel="sponsored nofollow")

## What each one is

**Crisp.** Crisp bundles a shared team inbox with live chat, email, and social channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, alongside a knowledge base and a lightweight support CRM. Its Hugo AI agent trains on a company's own content and can handle a conversation from first reply through resolution, but it is metered separately from the subscription: each plan carries a flat per-workspace price plus a monthly allotment of usage credits, and once those credits are spent Hugo escalates to a human operator by default. Paid tiers start at $45 per month for four seats and run to $295, with extra seats at $10 each. The flat, per-workspace pricing suits solo operators and small support teams weighing AI automation against per-agent cost.
Sources: Crisp - homepage (product overview) (https://crisp.chat) · Crisp - Pricing (https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/) · Crisp Knowledge Base - How Hugo AI pricing and billing works (https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-does-hugo-ai-pricing-and-billing-works-h78hkv/)

**Intercom.** Intercom is a customer support platform combining a helpdesk, shared inbox, and multichannel messaging with an AI agent called Fin that answers customer questions and can execute configured workflows. Its pricing separates the two: human seats are billed across Essential, Advanced, and Expert tiers starting at $29 per seat each month on annual billing, while Fin is charged at $0.99 per resolution and only when it resolves an issue or completes a defined action. That outcome-based model for the AI agent, rather than per-conversation or flat automation pricing, is what most distinguishes it. It suits SMB and larger support teams that want AI deflection layered onto a conventional ticketing and live-chat workflow.
Sources: Intercom - Pricing (https://www.intercom.com/pricing) · Intercom - Homepage (https://www.intercom.com) · Fin AI Agent - Pricing (https://fin.ai/pricing) · Featurebase - Intercom Pricing 2026 (https://www.featurebase.app/blog/intercom-pricing)

## Side by side

| Metric | Crisp | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| From $/mo | $45 | $29 |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2015 | 2011 |
| Best for | solo & SMB | SMB & enterprise |
| Status | Live | Live |

All figures = lowest paid monthly plan · verified Jul 21, 2026.

## Where they differ

**Price.** Intercom is the cheaper entry at $29/mo, versus $45/mo for Crisp.

**Free access.** Crisp offers a permanent free tier; Intercom is trial-only.

**Track record.** Intercom has been operating since 2011; Crisp since 2015. A longer survival record matters.

## FAQ

### Crisp or Intercom - which is better in 2026?
Both are live and price-verified as of Jul 21, 2026. Choose Crisp if you want a permanent free tier, not just a trial. Choose Intercom if it starts cheaper, at $29/mo against $45/mo.

### Is Crisp cheaper than Intercom?
Intercom has the lower entry price - from $29/mo vs $45/mo (verified Jul 21, 2026).

### Does Crisp or Intercom have a free tier?
Crisp offers a permanent free tier; Intercom is trial-only.

### Are Crisp and Intercom still maintained?
Yes - both are live as of Jul 21, 2026, with no official sunset announced for either.

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