Crisp vs Intercom Essential: Pricing Comparison (2026)
Crisp starts at $48.6/mo. Intercom Essential starts at $39/mo. Intercom Essential is $9.600000000000001/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Crisp.
See price history: Crisp · Intercom Essential
French all-in-one customer messaging platform (live chat + shared inbox + knowledge base). Positioned as the alternative to Intercom at roughly 1/10th the price. Distinctive for its "lifetime deal" mentality — flat pricing per workspace, not per contact or per seat, which lets fast-growing SMBs avoid the Intercom scaling trap. Priced $0-$95/mo per workspace. Popular with SMBs and European e-commerce.
AI-first customer messaging platform pioneering outcome-based pricing with its Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per resolution. Positioned against Zendesk's per-seat model as the AI-native alternative. Distinctive for how aggressively founder Eoghan McCabe returned in 2023 to bet the company on AI — the resolution-based pricing move led the industry. Priced per seat for human agents ($29-$139/user/mo) plus outcome pricing for AI. Popular with SaaS and e-commerce companies.
All plans compared
| # | Plan | Crisp monthly | Crisp annual | Intercom Essential monthly | Intercom Essential annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free / Essential | 0 | 0 | 39 | 29 |
| 2 | Mini / Advanced | 48.60 | 48.60 | 99 | 85 |
| 3 | Essentials / Expert | 102.60 | 102.60 | 139 | 132 |
| 4 | Plus / Fin AI Agent | 318.60 | 318.60 | 0.99 per resolution | 0.99 per resolution |
What each is best for
French all-in-one customer messaging platform (live chat + shared inbox + knowledge base). Positioned as the alternative to Intercom at roughly 1/10th the price. Distinctive for its "lifetime deal" mentality — flat pricing per workspace, not per contact or per seat, which lets fast-growing SMBs avoid the Intercom scaling trap. Priced $0-$95/mo per workspace. Popular with SMBs and European e-commerce.
AI-first customer messaging platform pioneering outcome-based pricing with its Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per resolution. Positioned against Zendesk's per-seat model as the AI-native alternative. Distinctive for how aggressively founder Eoghan McCabe returned in 2023 to bet the company on AI — the resolution-based pricing move led the industry. Priced per seat for human agents ($29-$139/user/mo) plus outcome pricing for AI. Popular with SaaS and e-commerce companies.
At a glance
| Crisp | Intercom Essential | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Entry price | $48.6/mo | $39/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Flat Rate | Per Seat |
| Last verified | July 28, 2026 | July 25, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified July 28, 2026. Tracked daily.