Intercom vs Tawk.to

Intercom and Tawk.to represent opposite ends of the customer support spectrum. Intercom offers a comprehensive messaging platform combining support, marketing, and sales, while Tawk.to provides free live chat with optional paid agent services.

Both platforms maintain 4.5/5 G2 ratings, with Intercom praised for its feature depth and automation, while Tawk.to earns recognition for its free tier and simplicity.

Intercom provides extensive automation with Resolution Bot for common queries, Custom Actions for workflow integration, and Advanced Lead Qualification for sales. Its messaging capabilities span live chat, email, in-app messaging, and marketing automation with features like Product Tours and targeted campaigns.

Tawk.to focuses on live chat simplicity with a completely free tier including up to 15 agents, chat history, and basic customization. Its paid services include hired chat agents ($1/hour) who can handle conversations when your team is unavailable, plus advanced features like visitor monitoring and detailed analytics.

For advanced features, Intercom offers sophisticated routing, team collaboration tools, and extensive integrations, while Tawk.to provides essential chat functionality with optional human agent services for coverage gaps.

Intercom uses per-seat pricing from $29 to $132 monthly for support features, with marketing ($74+/month) and sales tools requiring separate subscriptions. Advanced features like Product Tours ($499/month) and lead qualification ($999/month) can make it expensive for full utilization.

Tawk.to offers completely free live chat with up to 15 agents and conversations. Paid options include hired agents at $1/hour for extended coverage and premium features, making it extremely cost-effective for businesses wanting professional chat support without software licensing fees.

Choose Intercom if you need comprehensive messaging automation and can justify the investment. Choose Tawk.to if you want free live chat or need affordable agent services.

Choose Intercom if: You need comprehensive messaging automation, want to combine support with marketing and sales, or require advanced workflow integration and bot capabilities.

Choose Tawk.to if: You want free live chat software, need affordable agent services for coverage, or prefer simple chat functionality without complex features.

For teams seeking middle-ground functionality, Converge offers up to 15 agents at $49/month flat - providing more features than Tawk.to's free tier while remaining far more affordable than Intercom's full platform.