Pick Zendesk if you run a large omnichannel team that needs social channels, UK hosting and EU hosting you can switch on yourself; pick Intercom if you want an AI agent at the centre of support with every price published, and you can accept per-outcome billing and a pending change of owner.
Both are full help desks with native phone and messaging, and both sell an AI agent billed per result on top of seats. Intercom publishes its per-outcome price and lets you buy Copilot for individual agents. Zendesk requires Copilot for every seat and, under the billing model its help centre says is now in force, does not publish what a resolution costs.
Bottom line
- Intercom is cheaper and more transparent for an AI-first team, while Zendesk suits teams that need social channels, UK hosting or self-serve EU hosting.
Side by side
| Zendesk | Intercom | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 5.2 | 6.9 |
| Pricing model | Per seat, plus AI usage | Per seat, plus AI usage |
| Price from | US$19 per agent per month | US$29 per agent per month |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | US$1,150 | US$850 |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | US$2,250 | US$1,635 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Mandatory extra fees | No | No |
| Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Social messaging | Email, Live chat, Phone, SMS, WhatsApp |
| Agent interface languages | Not documented · German: Yes · Spanish: Yes | 7 languages · German: Yes · Spanish: Yes |
| EU data hosting | Yes | Yes |
| UK data hosting | Yes | No |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | Yes | Yes |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, FedRAMP LI-SaaS, PCI DSS, GDPR data processing agreement, HIPAA BAA (Suite Professional and up) | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 27018, ISO 42001, GDPR data processing agreement, HIPAA BAA (Expert plan only) |
| Best for | Mid-size and enterprise teams that need phone, messaging and email in one tool | Software and online businesses that want a customer-facing AI agent at the centre of support |
Choose Zendesk if
- You need social channels and UK data hosting, which Zendesk documents and Intercom does not.
- You need EU hosting on an existing account: Zendesk's Data Center Location add-on is free from Suite Professional, while Intercom offers EU hosting only for new workspaces on a sales contract.
- You want a broad compliance list including FedRAMP LI-SaaS and PCI DSS, with a HIPAA agreement from Suite Professional.
- You want AI charged only on verified resolutions, not on configured handoffs.
Choose Intercom if
- You want every price public: Intercom lists all three plans, Copilot at US$29 and Fin at US$0.99 per outcome.
- You want Copilot for some agents only, which Intercom allows and Zendesk does not.
- You want a lower starting price: Essential costs US$29 per seat per month on annual billing, against US$55 for Zendesk Suite Team.
- You want to try the AI agent first: Intercom's 14-day trial includes Fin and needs no credit card.
True cost at 3, 10 and 50 agents
| Product | 3 agents · Entry tier · seats only | 3 agents · Entry tier · with AI on | 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | 50 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 50 agents · Mid tier · with AI on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | US$165 | US$368 | US$1,150 | US$2,250 | US$5,750 | US$11,250 |
| Intercom | US$87 | US$323 | US$850 | US$1,635 | US$4,250 | US$8,175 |
Zendesk: entry tier is Suite Team, because Support Team is email-only ticketing; mid tier is Suite Professional; there is no top tier because Suite Enterprise + Copilot has no public price. Copilot is not available on Suite Team and costs US$50 for every seat on Suite Professional. AI resolutions use the pricing page's committed rate of US$1.50 after 5 (Suite Team) or 10 (Suite Professional) included resolutions per agent a month; the help centre's newer dollar allowance is not modelled because its per-resolution prices are not public. Intercom: entry tier is Essential, mid tier is Advanced and top tier is Expert. Copilot is added at US$29 per agent on every tier, and every Fin outcome is billed at US$0.99, with no included allowance on any plan. Help desk true-cost calculator
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Zendesk | Intercom |
|---|---|---|---|
| True cost with AI on | 30% | 1/5 | 2/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 20% | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| AI, as documented | 15% | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Access and switching | 10% | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Channels and languages | 10% | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Data protection and compliance | 15% | 3/5 | 3/5 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Intercom cheaper than Zendesk?
On list prices, yes. Intercom costs US$29, US$85 and US$132 per seat per month on annual billing, against US$55 and US$115 for Zendesk's omnichannel plans, and Zendesk's Copilot at US$50 must cover every seat. Intercom's Fin has no included allowance, so heavy AI use narrows the gap; run your volumes through the true cost calculator.
Which has better AI pricing, Zendesk or Intercom?
Intercom's is clearer. Fin costs US$0.99 per outcome on every plan, and Copilot US$29 per agent for any subset of agents. Zendesk Copilot costs US$50 and must be bought for every seat, and Zendesk's help centre says a dollar resolution allowance of US$2 to US$10 per seat has replaced its published per-resolution rates, with tier prices available only from sales. Intercom's outcome includes configured handoffs; Zendesk charges only verified resolutions.
Can I use Intercom's Fin AI agent on top of Zendesk?
Yes. Fin can be bought on its own to run on Zendesk, sold through sales with a minimum of 50 outcomes a month. Zendesk, for its part, now sells the AI agents of Forethought, which it acquired, through sales to teams on other help desks.
Is Intercom being acquired?
Salesforce signed an agreement to acquire Fin, the company behind Intercom, on 15 June 2026 for about US$3,600,000,000; it had not closed when we last checked. If you sign a multi-year contract, ask for price protection and exit terms on a change of control. See Intercom alternatives.
Related pages
- Zendesk reviewreview
- Zendesk pricing explainedpricing
- The best Zendesk alternativesalternatives
- Intercom reviewreview
- Intercom pricing explainedpricing
- The best Intercom alternativesalternatives
Sources
- Zendesk pricing — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- What counts as an agent license in Zendesk — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Managing light agent seats in your Zendesk account — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Can I buy a Zendesk Copilot license for some agents only? — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolutions for AI agents — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolution tiers — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Managing resolution allowances — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Upgrading from automated resolutions to resolution allowances — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Main Services Agreement — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Agreements and terms: data processing agreement, sub-processor policy, business associate agreement — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- About the Data Center Location add-on — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Regional Data Hosting Policy — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk Trust Center — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk AI data use information — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk language support by product — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- What is being removed (updated August 2026) — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk completes acquisition of Forethought — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- About Zendesk — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk QA — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Fortnum & Mason customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Best Egg customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk pricing and buyer data — Vendr · 18 September 2026
- Intercom pricing — Intercom · 18 September 2026
- Intercom plans explained — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Pricing FAQs — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Fin AI Agent outcomes — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- From resolutions to outcomes: evolving how Fin delivers value — Intercom · 18 September 2026
- Fin pricing — Fin · 18 September 2026
- Pro add-on — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Proactive Support Plus add-on — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Early Stage program — Intercom · 18 September 2026
- Use Intercom in your preferred language — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Regional data hosting — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Security at Intercom — Intercom · 18 September 2026
- Historical data migration to Intercom — Intercom Help · 18 September 2026
- Fin AI Agent — Fin · 18 September 2026
- About Fin — Fin · 18 September 2026
- Today, Intercom becomes Fin — Intercom · 18 September 2026
- Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Fin — Salesforce · 18 September 2026
- Intercom pricing: buyer data — Vendr · 18 September 2026
This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: How we review