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Intercom alternatives for small businesses in 2026

Intercom alternatives for small businesses: Ansa, Tidio, Crisp, Chatbase, Gorgias and Shopify Inbox compared on price, AI answers and who each suits.

The Ansa teamPublished 6 min read

Short answer: Intercom is built for support teams, and it's priced that way: per seat, plus a fee for every conversation its AI agent, Fin, resolves. If you're a small business without a support team, a cheaper tool usually fits better. Ansa suits owners who want AI answers at a fixed monthly price with no inbox to staff. Tidio and Crisp suit businesses that want live chat with AI added. Chatbase suits people who want to build a configurable AI agent. Gorgias and Shopify Inbox suit online shops.

Yes, we make Ansa, so we've tried to be fair and say where each tool is stronger. Prices were checked on each company's official pages on 3 November 2026. They change often, so check the sources before you decide.

Why small businesses look for Intercom alternatives

  • Per-seat pricing. At the time of writing, Intercom's pricing page lists Essential at $29 per seat a month (with a 35% saving shown for new customers), Advanced at $85 and Expert at $132.
  • AI is charged per outcome. Fin costs $0.99 per outcome on every plan, so a busy month costs more.
  • No free plan. Intercom offers a 14-day free trial.
  • More than you need. Ticketing, workflows and a full helpdesk are valuable for a support team, and a lot to set up for a shop or a salon.

For a fair picture of what Intercom does well, see Ansa vs Intercom Fin.

Quick comparison

ToolStarting paid priceFree optionAI billed byLive chat inboxBest for
Ansa$25 a monthFree plan, 20 answers a monthAnswers, hard monthly limitNo; hand-off by email (Starter, Pro and Business)Small businesses wanting a fixed price and no inbox to staff
TidioStarter from $24.17 a month; Lyro from $32.50 a monthFree plan; first 50 Lyro conversations freeLyro conversationsYesLive chat plus AI across social channels
CrispMini $45 a month per workspaceFree plan, without AI creditsAI credits included per planYesA flat-priced team inbox
Chatbase$40 a month ($32 billed yearly)Not listedMessage creditsNot compared hereBuilding a configurable AI agent
GorgiasStarter $10 a month (monthly billing, 50 tickets)7-day trialPer automated interactionYesOnline shops with a support team
Shopify InboxFreeFreeNot chargedYesShopify stores

1. Ansa: AI answers at a fixed price

Ansa is an AI assistant that answers customers from your website, documents, text snippets and Q&A pairs. It doesn't search the internet; when it doesn't know, it says so and shows customers how to reach you. There are no seats to pay for: team seats are included in every plan.

  • Free ($0): 20 answers a month, 1 MB of knowledge, up to 20 website pages per read, 5 documents, just you, 1 assistant.

  • Starter ($25 a month): 500 answers a month, 5 MB of knowledge, up to 100 website pages per read, 20 documents, 3 team seats, 1 assistant.

  • Pro ($89 a month): 2,000 answers a month, 20 MB of knowledge, up to 500 website pages per read, 50 documents, 10 team seats, 3 assistants, and you can remove “Powered by Ansa”.

  • Business ($199 a month): 5,000 answers a month, 50 MB of knowledge, up to 1,000 website pages per read, 200 documents, 25 team seats, 10 assistants, and you can remove “Powered by Ansa”.

  • Channels: a chat bubble on your website, a shareable chat link, your own WhatsApp number on Starter, Pro and Business, and Slack alerts and answers for your team on Pro and Business.

  • Actions: a booking link on every plan; Google Calendar or Calendly booking on Pro and Business; Shopify or Stripe order status on Pro and Business; hand-off by email on Starter, Pro and Business.

  • Billing: each reply is one answer, with a hard monthly limit. You're never charged extra.

Where Intercom is stronger: Ansa has no live chat inbox, ticketing or helpdesk integrations. If people on your team need to reply to customers inside the tool, Ansa isn't the right swap.

Best for: shops, salons, restaurants, tour operators and local services without a support team.

2. Tidio: live chat with an AI agent

Tidio is a live chat and helpdesk tool. Its pricing page lists a Free plan, Starter from $24.17 a month and Growth from $49.17 a month. Its AI agent, Lyro, is priced separately from $32.50 a month for 50 Lyro conversations, and your first 50 Lyro conversations are free. Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email are included on every plan.

Best for: small teams that want people and AI in one inbox across social channels. See Ansa vs Tidio.

3. Crisp: a flat price per workspace

Crisp charges per workspace, not per seat. Its pricing page lists Free ($0, 2 agents, no AI credits), Mini ($45 a month, 4 agents, $5 of AI credits, around 90 automated conversations), Essentials ($95 a month, 10 agents, $25 of AI credits, around 450 automated conversations, plus WhatsApp, Instagram and other channels) and Plus ($295 a month).

Best for: teams that want a shared inbox at a predictable price, with some AI on top.

4. Chatbase: a configurable AI agent

Chatbase is a builder for AI agents with many integrations. Its pricing page lists Hobby at $40 a month ($32 billed yearly) with 700 message credits, Basic at $150 and Business at $500. Removing "Powered by Chatbase" is a $99-a-month add-on. See Ansa vs Chatbase and Chatbase alternatives.

Best for: people who want to tune an AI agent in detail and connect it to their other tools.

5. Gorgias: a helpdesk for online shops

Gorgias is a helpdesk for ecommerce, working with Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento and WooCommerce. Its pricing page lists Starter at $10 a month (monthly billing only) for 50 tickets and Basic at $60 a month ($50 billed annually) for 300 tickets. Its AI Agent costs $0.90 per automated interaction on annual contracts and $1.00 on monthly.

Best for: online shops with a support team answering tickets every day.

6. Shopify Inbox: free, for Shopify stores

Shopify's own chat app is free. Its listing describes an AI sales associate that connects to your catalog, inventory and policies, and you can chat with shoppers from Shopify admin. See Ansa vs Shopify Inbox.

Best for: stores that sell only on Shopify.

How to choose

  • No support team, and you want a fixed bill? Ansa.
  • Staff who'll chat with customers live? Tidio or Crisp.
  • A configurable AI agent? Chatbase.
  • An online shop with lots of tickets? Gorgias.
  • A Shopify store on a tight budget? Shopify Inbox.

FAQ

What is the cheapest Intercom alternative?

Shopify Inbox is free for Shopify stores. Ansa, Tidio and Crisp all have free plans; Ansa's includes 20 AI answers a month, and Crisp's Free plan has no AI credits.

Is there an Intercom alternative without per-seat pricing?

Yes. Ansa includes team seats in every plan (1 seat on Free up to 25 seats on Business). Crisp charges per workspace.

Is there an Intercom alternative without per-resolution fees?

Yes. Ansa charges a fixed monthly price with a hard limit, and Crisp includes AI credits in each plan. Gorgias charges per automated interaction, and Tidio's Lyro is billed by conversations.

Which Intercom alternative works on WhatsApp?

Ansa answers on your own WhatsApp number on Starter, Pro and Business. Tidio lists WhatsApp on every plan, and Crisp from Essentials.

Want to try it? Start free, no card needed.

Sources

Competitor details were checked on 3 November 2026 and may have changed since.