Crisp vs Intercom : Which is Better To Empower Your Business in 2023?

Crisp vs Intercom : Which is Better To Empower Your Business in 2023?

Updated : Apr 24, 2024
8 Mins Read
Intercom and Crisp are two customer communication platforms that offer a range of features to businesses. Both platforms provide efficient tools to engage with customers, handle inquiries, and provide support. Intercom focuses on
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Customer communication management software enables e-commerce businesses and companies to establish seamless communication with their customers, fostering trustworthy relationships. In the competitive marketplace, customers serve as the backbone for both B2B and B2C businesses. 

In this article, we’ll offer an in-depth comparison of Crisp vs Intercom, including how they stack up against each other in terms of features, pricing, pros and cons, and more.

Key Takeaway :

In 2023, both Crisp and Intercom are popular customer communication platforms, each with its own strengths. Crisp is a cost-effective option with innovative features like shared browsing and call support, while Intercom is widely recognized for its live chat, chatbot, and help desk features, and is used by big names like Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon. The choice between the two would depend on the specific needs and scale of your business.

Why You Should Use Customer Management Software?

  • Improved customer relationships
  • Streamlined communication
  • Enhanced customer service and support
  • Personalized customer interactions
  • Efficient data management
  • Increased productivity and efficiency
  • Comprehensive customer insights
  • Effective task and follow-up management
  • Automated workflow and processes
  • Scalability and growth potential

Let’s get into the detailed comparison between Crisp vs Intercom for more clarity and much more information about both software. 

Crisp vs Intercom: A Quick Overview

Are you in the market for a new customer communication platform? Two popular options are Crisp vs Intercom. Both platforms offer a variety of features to help you communicate with your customers and grow your business.

Let’s take a closer look at how they compare.

Take a lookCrisp ChatIntercom
Ratings in G24.6/5 and 111 reviews4.5/5 and 2k+ reviews
Market SegmentSmall-BusinessEnterprise Business
Entry Level PriceFrom $25 / MonthFrom $74 / Month
Free Trial14 Days14 Days

Crisp Chat VS Intercom: Detailed Overview

Crisp is a cost-effective and user-friendly customer service platform that seamlessly integrates with various tools. It offers innovative features such as shared browsing, a ticketing system, CRM, and call support. 

Intercom (check detailed review), on the other hand, is a widely recognized conversational customer communication software. It is known for its live chat, chatbot, and help desk features. With a significant market share of 9% and a client roster that includes Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon, Intercom is currently the most popular communication platform. 

Feature Comparision between Crisp Chat and Intercom

Let’s have a quick look at the important features of Crisp vs Intercom platforms to provide us with the better choice of platform for your business:

Crisp Chat FeaturesIntercom Features
✅ Alerts / Escalation✅ Alerts / Escalation
✅ Canned Responses✅ Canned Responses
✅ Customizable Branding✅ Customizable Branding
✅ Geotargeting✅ Geotargeting
❌ Natural Language Processing✅ Natural Language Processing
✅ Offline Form❌ Offline Form
✅ Proactive Chat✅ Proactive Chat
✅ Screen Sharing✅ Screen Sharing
✅ Third Party Integrations✅ Third Party Integrations
✅ Transfers/Routing✅ Transfers/Routing
✅ Website Visitor Tracking✅ Website Visitor Tracking

Detailed Features: Crisp vs Intercom

Features of Crisp Chat

This shows the detailed features and explanation of Crisp Chat that can be clearly explained the availability of features in particular respective platforms

FeaturesExplanation
Real-time Dashboard Crisp provides a customizable dashboard that enables users to conveniently oversee and control all their activities from one central location. The dashboard is designed to be incredibly user-friendly, allowing for effortless management, as well as providing the capability to track activities in real-time.
Live ChatWhile Crisp may not be as robust as Intercom in terms of its live chat feature and chatbot capabilities, it still performs admirably in keeping customers well-informed. The chat widget allows for the effortless delivery of information and sharing of pertinent documents and files with customers. Additionally, even in offline mode, customers can utilize the chatbot to submit their queries. Unlike Intercom, Crisp’s live chat feature offers customers the added benefit of accessing enjoyable games to keep them entertained and engaged.
Shared InboxCrisp provides a feature that enables users to synchronize and centralize messages from both internal and external channels. The shared inbox can be accessed by all team members, facilitating real-time communication. Messages within the inbox can be prioritized based on urgency or other relevant criteria.
Co-browsing With Crisp, the co-browsing feature allows website visitors to browse and share notes and comments among themselves, eliminating the need for an additional plugin like Intercom.
Drip Social Media CampaignCrisp offers a range of tools such as personalized messages, automated email marketing, trigger emails, and more, enabling the creation of drip campaigns.
Reporting and Analytics Crisp provides various reporting and analytics features that allow for a thorough understanding of the performance aspects of your business. While general reports can be generated, it is worth noting that specific reports, similar to other customer management tools, are not available.

Features of Intercom

Features        Explanation
ChatbotIntercom’s chatbot feature is highly advanced, offering customers answers to nearly 80% of their common questions. Moreover, the chatbot is user-friendly and effortless to set up. Users have the flexibility to customize the chatbot to align with their business and customer requirements.
Analytical ReportsIntercom not only functions as customer management software but also incorporates marketing capabilities through its analytical and reporting features. The automated reports generated by Intercom are highly detailed, empowering businesses to significantly enhance their customer satisfaction rates.
IntegrationsSimilar to Crisp, Intercom offers a wide range of integration options, including Google Meet, Aircall, Facebook, Instagram, Zendesk, Zapier, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and more, catering to basic integration needs.

Pros And Cons Of Crisp & Intercom

Crisp Chat Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Easy to Use: Crisp’s UI is intuitive and easy to navigate for new users.
  • Comprehensive Solution: Crisp offers an all-in-one platform that includes live chat, email marketing, automation, CRM, and more.
  • Advanced Automation: Crisp offers more advanced automation tools than Intercom, allowing businesses to build more targeted campaigns.
Cons
  • Reporting: While Crisp offers basic analytics and reporting features, they are not as advanced as Intercom’s reporting features.
  • Third-party Integrations: Crisp currently offers fewer third-party integrations than Intercom.
  • Website Visitor Limits: Crisp’s basic plan limits the number of website visitors you can have on your account.

Intercom Pros and Cons

Pros
  • In-app Messaging: Intercom’s in-app messaging feature allows businesses to engage with users while they are using the app, offering helpful advice, and directing them to relevant content.
  • Product Tours: Intercom offers a step-by-step guide to your product, helping new users to get started faster.
  • Advanced Reporting: Intercom offers advanced analytics and reporting features that help businesses monitor customer engagement and improve ROI.
Cons
  • Expensive: Intercom is more expensive than Crisp for businesses with a limited budget.
  • Learning Curve: Intercom’s UI is more complex than Crisp’s, making it difficult for new users to navigate.
  • Limited Customizability: Intercom’s chatbots and email templates have some limitations and customizability options are limited.

Best Alternatives to Crisp and Intercom

If you’re still not sold on either Crisp vs Intercom, here are some of the best alternatives:

Alternatives Overview 
Desku.ioFirst AI-Powered customer support and automation platform built for SMBs. Having amazing features such as live chat, easy-to-build drag-and-drop ai chatbot builder, knowledge management, email support, shared email inbox, social inbox, marketing automation, and much more at affordable prices.The recently launched AI Assistant by Desku (Check direct comparison) is a game changer in the Ai customer service segment.Key features of Desku include a unified customer view, eCommerce integration, Live Chat support, a knowledge base, Multi-channel support, ticket management, and macros for frequent responses.
Zoho DeskZohoDesk is a cloud-based help desk platform that prioritizes dependable customer support for your business. Its key features are highly customizable, allowing for adaptation to your business needs. For small businesses or startups seeking free customer service software, Zoho Desk is a viable option.However, if you require 24/7 support, Zoho Desk may not be the most suitable choice as it is only available with the advanced paid plans. Additionally, collaboration tools are exclusively offered in the paid plans.The top features of Zoho Desk include Ticket Management, Reporting and Analytics, Third-party Integrations, and Automation.
DriftDrift is a comprehensive live chat and chatbot solution that enables both B2B and B2C businesses to effectively manage customer relationships. Its chatbot functionality is highly robust, offering a wide range of capabilities such as email address capture, automated ticket creation, meeting scheduling, live chat routing, and more.However, a major limitation of Drift is the absence of an omnichannel chat experience. The chatbot functionality is limited to website integration and does not extend to other social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, and others.Key features of Drift include a user dashboard, reporting, and analytics, duplicate chatbot flows, A/B testing, documentation, and tutorials.
LiveChatLiveChat is an application that combines live chat, help desk, web analytics, and reporting functionalities to facilitate quick and efficient customer interactions for online businesses. It has gained the trust of over 350,000 businesses, including renowned brands like Ikea, PayPal, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, and many others.However, LiveChat does not provide a free plan. The starter plan begins at $16 per month, while the business plan can reach up to $50 per month. Each plan includes 24/7 customer support and robust security features.Prominent features of LiveChat include Chat Buttons, File Sharing, Chat Transfer, Chat History, Routing, Rules Reporting & Analytics, Access Restriction, and Customer Reports.
OlarkOlark is a contemporary live chat solution designed to enable online businesses to promptly address their customers’ needs. It has gained significant popularity among small business owners due to its affordable pricing and user-friendly interface. Creating and deploying the chat widget on a website takes only a few minutes.One notable feature is that visitors on the online website are displayed as buddies on the Buddy list, and their messages appear as instant messages (IMs). This fosters a personal connection with each customer.Key features of Olark include searchable transcripts, custom forms, team management, accessible live chat, power-up automation, customization options, and real-time engagement.
JiraJira serves as both a customer management software and an affordable, dependable project management tool. It has gained significant popularity by simplifying the complexities of software development into manageable units of work. However, it is primarily suitable for those involved in information technology, as it requires technical knowledge and can be challenging for beginners.Jira utilizes technical jargon and terminology that may pose difficulties in understanding for some users. On the other hand, its pricing is highly affordable, starting as low as $7 per user per month. Additionally, there are further pricing discounts available for organizations with 100+ users.Key features of Jira include Scrum Boards, Roadmaps, Reports and Insights, Project Flexibility, Customizable Workflows, Shared Inbox, and App Integrations.
Desk.comFor B2B businesses seeking a centralized customer communication platform, Desk.com is the ideal solution. It effectively consolidates communications from various channels such as Facebook, phone, email, chats, and discussion boards. Desk.com offers reliable third-party integration options, including notable integrations with MailChimp, CampFire, TalkDesk, Salesforce, and more.Key features of Desk.com include Community, Discussions, Live Chat Window, Bulk Updating, Reward System, Preconfigured Reports, and Case Tracking.
Thrive DeskThriveDesk is a widely recognized and dependable chat software designed for WordPress, offering reliable and user-friendly features. It serves as a comprehensive solution for various needs, including digital marketing, team collaboration, community building, and customer management. For those seeking affordability and speed, ThriveDesk is an excellent choice.ThriveDesk is also renowned for its highly efficient and responsive customer support. In the event of any issues, ThriveDesk strives to promptly resolve them. However, some users have mentioned challenges in proper documentation while using ThriveDesk.Key features of ThriveDesk include Auto Reply, Auto BCC Collision Detection, Email Forwarding, Email Signatures, Inbox Permissions, Knowledge Base, Multiple Inboxes, Outgoing SMTP, Revision History, Spam Filtering, Webhooks, and WooCommerce Integration.

Conclusion

We have provided a list of the top features of Crisp vs Intercom, along with a comprehensive pros and cons comparison. Both Crisp and Intercom are highly regarded communication solutions, offering advanced features tailored to their respective customers. However, We also recommend taking a look at Desku as it has a powerful feature of both worlds.

Boost Your Sales with #1 AI-Customer Support Software
  • Ai Assist
  • Ai Inbox + Helpdesk
  • Live Chat
  • Ai Chatbot
  • Automations
  • Knowledge Base
  • Shared Inbox
Picture of Gaurav Nagani
Gaurav Nagani
Gaurav Nagani is the Founder and CEO of Desku, an AI-powered customer service software platform.
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