Intercom vs Sendbird
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Intercom | Sendbird |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $85/seat/mo | From $399/mo |
| Best For | Well-funded SaaS companies wanting AI-first customer service | Developers building custom in-app messaging experiences |
| Standout Feature | Fin AI Agent that autonomously resolves customer queries | Comprehensive SDK with voice, video, and messaging |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.3 |
Intercom and Sendbird serve different segments of the customer communication market. Intercom is a comprehensive customer support platform with advanced automation, while Sendbird specializes in chat APIs and messaging infrastructure for developers.
Intercom targets businesses seeking an all-in-one support solution, whereas Sendbird focuses on companies building custom chat experiences into their applications.
Feature Comparison
Intercom offers a full customer support suite including live chat, help desk ticketing, knowledge base, and proactive messaging campaigns. Its Resolution Bot can handle common queries automatically, and the platform includes advanced segmentation for targeted outreach.
Sendbird provides chat SDKs and APIs for building messaging into applications. It excels at real-time messaging, voice/video calling, and chat moderation tools. The platform is designed for developers who want to embed chat functionality rather than use a pre-built interface.
The fundamental difference is that Intercom is a ready-to-use support platform, while Sendbird is infrastructure for building custom messaging experiences.
Pricing Comparison
Intercom's pricing ranges from $29 to $132 per seat per month across its Starter, Pro, and Premium plans. Additional costs include extra seats, advanced features, and higher message volumes.
Sendbird offers a freemium model starting at $0 for up to 1,000 monthly active users, scaling to $999+ per month for enterprise features. Pricing is based on monthly active users rather than agent seats, making it more predictable for high-volume applications.
For small support teams, Intercom may be more cost-effective, while Sendbird becomes economical for applications with many users but fewer support agents.
Intercom
Pros
- ✓ Fin AI Agent resolves queries autonomously
- ✓ Beautiful, modern interface design
- ✓ Strong product tour and onboarding features
Cons
- ✗ Premium pricing, especially with AI usage
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Per-resolution AI fees add up
Sendbird
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive SDK suite
- ✓ Excellent developer documentation
- ✓ Scalable infrastructure
Cons
- ✗ Expensive for small businesses
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Limited social media integrations
Verdict
Choose Intercom if you need a complete customer support platform with built-in automation and marketing tools. Choose Sendbird if you're building custom chat functionality and need flexible messaging APIs.
Choose Intercom if: You want a complete support platform with automation, marketing tools, and don't need custom development.
Choose Sendbird if: You're building custom chat features and need developer-friendly APIs with real-time messaging capabilities.
Consider Converge as an alternative at $49/month flat rate - it provides essential customer support features without per-seat pricing or complex tiers.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Intercom comparisons and all Sendbird comparisons.