Intercom
Intercom Inc.
6.4
Overall Score / 10
Drift
Salesloft (acquired Drift in 2024)
4.2
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose Intercom if:
- —You want accessible pricing for AI-powered customer support
- —You need support + messaging + help center in one platform
- —You want a standalone product not tied to a sales engagement suite
Choose Drift if:
- —You're an enterprise with a large marketing budget ($2,500+/mo)
- —You need ABM-focused conversational marketing features
- —You're already a Salesloft customer wanting integrated chat
The biggest difference: Intercom is an accessible AI support platform for companies of all sizes; Drift is an enterprise-only conversational marketing tool now embedded in Salesloft's sales engagement platform
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Intercom | Drift |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $39/mo (Essential)Source: Intercom Inc. pricing page → | $2500/mo (Premium)Source: Salesloft (acquired Drift in 2024) pricing page → |
| Free Tier | No 14-day free trial available | No |
| Value for Money | 6 | 3 |
| Ease of Use | 7 | 5 |
| Feature Power | 9 | 8 |
| Setup Ease | 6 | 4 |
| Migration Ease | 4 | 3 |
| Transparency | 5 | 2 |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mac, iOS, Android | Web |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA (Expert plan) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
21 features compared · 20 differences
| Feature | Intercom | Drift |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| ABM targeting | None | Full |
| Conversational landing pages | None | Full |
| Flex routing | None | Full |
| Help center | Full | None |
| Live chat | None | Full |
| Meeting scheduling | None | Full |
| Messenger widget | Full | None |
| Outbound messaging | Full | None |
| Product tours | Full | None |
| Real-time visitor notifications | None | Full |
| Revenue acceleration | None | Full |
| Shared inbox | Full | None |
| Ticketing | Full | None |
| Advanced | ||
| A/B testing (Advanced) | None | Full |
| AI chatbots | None | Full |
| Custom bots | Full | None |
| Fin AI Agent | Full | None |
| Reporting | Full | None |
| Workflows | Full | None |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | Full | Full |
| Salesforce integration | None | Full |
Pricing Comparison
Intercom Pricing
Fin AI Agent ($0.99/resolution), Messenger, shared inbox, ticketing, help center
Multiple inboxes, workflow automation, round-robin, private help center, 20 Lite seats
SSO, HIPAA, SLAs, multibrand Messenger, 50 Lite seats
Drift Pricing
Custom chatbots, live chat, conversational landing pages, meetings, real-time notifications
Fastlane, A/B testing, flex routing, AI-powered chatbots
Full lifecycle personalization, custom integrations, dedicated support
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose Intercom
Best for
- SaaS companies wanting AI-first customer support
- Teams that value proactive, conversational messaging
- Companies wanting a modern alternative to Zendesk
Avoid if
- You are a small team on a tight budget
- You need phone/voice support as a primary channel
- You want predictable pricing (AI resolution costs add up)
Who should choose Drift
Best for
- Enterprise B2B companies with large marketing budgets
- ABM-focused organizations wanting real-time buyer engagement
- Salesloft customers wanting conversational marketing integration
Avoid if
- You are a small or mid-size business (starts at $2,500/mo)
- You want transparent, self-serve pricing
- You want a standalone chat tool (now tied to Salesloft ecosystem)
Switching Guidance
Switching from Intercom
Common triggers to leave:
- •Per-resolution AI costs unpredictable
- •Pricing at scale
- •Need voice/phone support channel
Potential blockers:
- •Fin AI Agent trained on your data
- •Messenger widget embedded across products
- •Conversation history and workflows
Switching from Drift
Common triggers to leave:
- •Extremely high price point
- •Salesloft acquisition uncertainty
- •Opaque pricing
Potential blockers:
- •Chatbot conversation flows
- •ABM targeting rules
- •Salesforce integration depth
Try Intercom
Plans from $39/mo
Try Drift
Plans from $2500/mo