Automate Basics

Freshdesk vs Intercom

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 16 October 2026.

Compared on
Freshdesk

Free trial · from $19/agent/mo

Intercom

Free trial · from $19/seat/mo

What it isFreshworks help desk with ticketing, a knowledge base and Freddy AICustomer service helpdesk with a built-in AI agent, Fin
Free planNoNo
Cheapest paid plan$19/agent/mo billed annually (Growth)Freshdesk pricing$19/seat/mo billed annually (Essential)Intercom pricing
What it coversCheapest plan; includes the Freddy AI Agent with 500 free sessions once per account.Fin AI Agent is charged separately at $0.99 per outcome; minimum of 1 full seat.
Free trial14-day free trial with access to the Enterprise plan, no credit card required14-day free trial, no credit card required; includes all features, Fin and add-ons
PlatformsWebWeb
Integrations (vendor's figure)Not statedNot stated
Open sourceNoNo
Good for
  • Managing customer emails as tickets in a shared inbox
  • Publishing a self-service knowledge base and customer portal
  • Trying an AI agent on common questions using the included sessions
  • Answering routine customer questions automatically before they reach support staff
  • Running a shared support inbox and help centre for a small support team
  • Adding an AI agent to an existing helpdesk such as Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk
Watch out for
  • No free plan on the pricing page; after the 14-day trial you buy a plan or, on Freshdesk only, move to a 6-month Free Program for up to two agents
  • Freddy AI Copilot is not offered on Growth and costs $29 per agent a month billed annually ($35 monthly)
  • The 500 free AI Agent sessions come once per account; more cost $49 per 100
  • No free plan; a 14-day free trial is offered
  • Fin is billed per outcome on top of seat fees, and using Fin with another helpdesk carries a minimum monthly commitment (the page's example is 50 outcomes)
  • Multiple team inboxes and workflow automation start on Advanced; SSO and HIPAA support need Expert
Made byFreshworks Inc.Fin (the company formerly named Intercom)

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI customer support tools is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.