Verdict
Buy Intercom if you want the most capable AI agent in this guide on chat, email and phone, with a full help desk built around it. The catch is a bill with three moving parts, seats, Copilot and $0.99 per Fin outcome, that grows with every conversation Fin handles.
Good fit
- Teams that want an AI agent to handle a large share of chat and email
- SaaS and ecommerce companies that need in-app messaging and a help center in one tool
- Support teams that need native phone, WhatsApp and skill-based routing
Look elsewhere
- Small teams on a tight, fixed budget
- Buyers who want one predictable monthly price
- Teams that only need a simple shared email inbox
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Fin answers on chat, email, phone, WhatsApp, SMS and social, and takes actions in tools such as Shopify, Stripe and Salesforce 7.
- Simulations test Fin on full mock conversations before it talks to customers 7.
- Phone, WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram, Facebook, Slack and Discord are built in 8.
- Seat, Fin and Copilot prices are public, with monthly billing and a one-seat minimum 1,5.
- Users rate it 4.5 out of 5 on G2 across almost 4,000 reviews 19.
Weaknesses
- Fin bills $0.99 per outcome, and outcomes include successful Procedure handoffs to a human, not only resolutions 3.
- SLAs, balanced assignment and skill-based routing need the $132 Expert plan 1,9,10.
- Copilot costs another $29 per agent a month on annual billing once the 10 free conversations run out 5.
- Fin Voice is sold on custom pricing through sales 2.
Key facts
| Made by | Fin (formerly Intercom) |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | per agent |
| Paid plans from | $29 per seat a month, billed annually 1 |
| 10 agents, AI on | $108 per agent a month (Essential) |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social messaging, SMS |
| Integrations | 450+ apps in the Intercom App Store 11 |
| Security reports | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001 |
What Intercom is
Intercom is a customer service platform built around Fin, its AI agent, with a shared inbox, ticketing, a help center and omnichannel messaging 1. The company renamed itself Fin, and Salesforce completed its purchase of the business on September 10, 2026; Fin keeps serving its customers as part of Salesforce's AI Labs 17,18.
The help desk comes in three seat plans: Essential, Advanced and Expert 1. Every plan includes Fin, live chat and email, but SLAs, balanced assignment and skill-based routing sit on Expert 1,9. Phone, WhatsApp, SMS and social channels are native and billed by usage 1,8.
The AI agent and assist
Fin answers customers on chat, email, phone, WhatsApp, SMS, Slack, Discord and social channels in 45+ languages 7. It learns from help center articles, internal content, PDFs and URLs, takes actions in systems such as Shopify, Stripe and Salesforce through Data Connectors, and handles multi-step work through Procedures 7. Simulations run full mock conversations before launch, and Topics Explorer, CX Score and the Optimize dashboard report on what Fin handled 7.
Fin costs $0.99 per outcome, charged at most once per conversation 3. Since March 12, 2026 an outcome covers a confirmed or assumed resolution and a successful Procedure handoff, not only a resolution; escalations and failed Procedures are free 3,4. Copilot, the agent assist, drafts replies and summaries from your help center, docs and past conversations 6. Each agent gets 10 free Copilot conversations a month, and unlimited use costs $29 per agent a month billed annually or $35 billed monthly 5.
Help desk basics
- Channels. Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social messaging, SMS, plus a help center.
- Routing. Round robin on Advanced; balanced assignment and skill-based routing that matches conversations to teammates' skills on Expert 1,9,10.
- Automations. The Workflows automation builder comes with Advanced and Expert 1. SLA policies are included.
- Languages. Fin replies in 45+ languages 7; agent interface languages are not published.
Pricing
A 10-agent team on Essential, with Copilot for everyone and 500 Fin outcomes a month, pays about $1,075 a month, or $107.50 per agent 1,5. Seats cost $29, $85 or $132 a month billed annually, or $39, $99 or $139 month to month 1. The bill moves with Fin: every assumed resolution and every successful Procedure handoff costs $0.99 3. WhatsApp, SMS, phone and email campaigns are billed by usage on top, Fin Voice is custom-priced, and the Pro add-on with Operator starts at $100 a month 1,2. Teams that need SLAs or skill-based routing must pay for Expert seats 1,9.
Full Intercom pricing and bills at 3, 10 and 25 agents
3 agents
$323 /mo
$108 per agent · 750 conversations, 150 by AI
- Plan and seats
- $87
- Agent assist
- $87
- AI agent
- $149
10 agents
$1,075 /mo
$108 per agent · 2,500 conversations, 500 by AI
- Plan and seats
- $290
- Agent assist
- $290
- AI agent
- $495
25 agents
$2,688 /mo
$108 per agent · 6,250 conversations, 1,250 by AI
- Plan and seats
- $725
- Agent assist
- $725
- AI agent
- $1,238
Security and data
Intercom holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, 27018, 27701 and 42001 certifications, and hosts data in the US, EU or Australia 12. It publishes a Data Processing Addendum, and a HIPAA BAA is available on Expert, covering Fin, Copilot and Fin Voice 14,15. The sub-processor list names OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, ElevenLabs and Cartesia for AI processing 13. Third-party AI providers may not train on your data and keep none of it, but Fin can use anonymized customer data for fine-tuning unless you opt out 12,16.
- Data processing agreement. Published Data Processing Addendum, effective April 9, 2025 14
- Data hosting. US, EU and Australia hosting 12
- HIPAA. BAA on the Expert plan, covering Fin, Copilot and Fin Voice 15
- AI training. Third-party AI providers are contractually barred from training on your data, but Fin can use anonymized customer data for fine-tuning unless you opt out 12.
- AI providers. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, ElevenLabs and Cartesia, per the sub-processor list 13
What users say
Intercom averages 4.5 out of 5 on G2 from 3,918 reviews 19. Public customer stories include Anthropic, Synthesia, solidcore, Lightspeed, Vanta and Atlassian 20.
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| G219 | 4.5 / 5 | 3,918 | 8 October 2026 |
What Fin (formerly Intercom) claims (not independently checked):
- Fin resolves 67% of conversations on average 7.
- Salesforce puts Fin's average resolution rate at 76% 17.
- Synthesia says resolution time fell from over five days to under five hours after launching Fin 1.
- More than 30,000 businesses use the platform 12.
Concerns raised by others:
- G2 reviewers often describe Fin's usage pricing as expensive at scale 19.
How we graded it
| Criterion | Why | Level |
|---|---|---|
| True cost with AI on 30% of the grade | $1,075 a month for 10 agents on Essential with AI on, or $108 per agent 5,1,3. | 3/5 |
| Price transparency 15% of the grade | Plans, Fin and Copilot prices are public with monthly billing, but Fin is priced from $0.99 with minimum commitments given only as an example, and Fin Voice is custom-priced 1,2. | 4/5 |
| AI agent and assist 20% of the grade | Fin works on chat, email and voice, takes actions through Data Connectors and Procedures, is tested with Simulations before launch and reports on what it handled 7. | 5/5 |
| Help desk essentials 15% of the grade | Email, live chat, help center, SLAs and Workflows, plus native phone and WhatsApp, skill-based routing and 450+ apps 1,8,9,11. | 5/5 |
| Security and data 10% of the grade | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 with EU hosting and a BAA on Expert, but Fin can fine-tune on anonymized customer data unless you opt out 12,15. | 4/5 |
| What users say 10% of the grade | An average of 4.5 from 3,918 G2 reviews, with named customers such as Anthropic and Synthesia 19,20. | 5/5 |
| Total | Weighted sum of the six levels, out of 100. | 83 · B+ |
Sources
- Intercom pricing
- Fin pricing
- Fin AI Agent outcomes
- Fin's pricing metric is evolving
- Copilot included and unlimited usage
- Copilot
- Fin capabilities
- Omnichannel
- Skill-based routing
- Balanced assignment deep dive
- Intercom apps and integrations
- Security and trust
- Subprocessors list
- Data Processing Addendum
- Contacts FAQs (HIPAA and BAA)
- How Intercom ensures data privacy and safety in the age of AI
- Salesforce completes acquisition of Fin
- Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Fin
- Intercom reviews
- Intercom customers