How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Tawk.to is the only truly free unlimited option here, with live chat, ticketing, and a knowledge base at no cost.
- HubSpot is the best free pick for growing teams, since its free CRM, live chat, and shared inbox scale into paid hubs.
- Tidio is the best free pick for ecommerce, with a free plan forever and an AI agent that resolves about 75 percent of chats.
- Chatwoot is the best free pick for self-hosting, as open-source software you run on your own server.
Quick comparison
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The best free alternatives to Intercom
#1Tawk.to
Best for: Truly free unlimited4.5/5 on
G2 (202 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit tawk.to
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Tawk.to is the only truly free unlimited option here. Its homepage presents free live chat software, with setup in minutes, unlimited agents and conversations, plus ticketing and a knowledge base, all at no cost. That makes it the closest free replacement for Intercom's core live chat, without seat limits or conversation caps on the free tier.
The trade-off is AI: Tawk.to's free tier covers human chat, not an AI agent like Intercom Fin, and the free widget carries Tawk.to branding. For small businesses that want live chat free forever, Tawk.to is the best pick here.
What we like- Free live chat with unlimited agents and chats
- Ticketing and knowledge base included
- Setup in minutes
- Mobile apps
Watch out for- No AI agent on the free tier
- Branding on the free widget
- Advanced features are paid add-ons
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
HubSpot is the best free pick for growing teams. Its homepage presents an AI customer platform with Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Data, Revenue, Smart CRM, and Agent Hub, with a free CRM that includes live chat and a shared inbox. Teams can start free and add paid hubs as they grow, rather than switching platforms later.
The trade-off is the upgrade cliff: published comparisons list Starter around $9 to $20 a seat a month and Professional around $90 to $100, so costs jump fast. For teams that want a free start with a clear growth path, HubSpot is the best pick here.
What we like- Free CRM with live chat and shared inbox
- Scales into Marketing, Sales, Service, and Content hubs
- AI agents resolve 65 percent-plus of inquiries per vendor claims
- 306,000-plus customers
Watch out for- Free tier limited
- Paid Starter around $9 to $20 a seat a month and Professional around $90 to $100, with a steep upgrade cliff
#3Tidio
Best for: Ecommerce4.6/5 on
G2 (1,967 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit tidio.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Tidio is the best free pick for ecommerce. Its homepage states plainly that it offers a free plan forever, with paid plans from $29 a month and no surprise upgrades, trusted by 300,000-plus businesses including Under Armour, The Body Shop, and Stanley. Its Lyro AI agent answers from verified data sources, says it does not know instead of guessing, hands complex cases to humans with full context, and averages a 75 percent resolution rate across customers, with sales, leads, and bookings attributed per conversation.
The trade-off is free-tier limits: the free plan covers basic chat, while AI usage and advanced features sit on paid plans. For online stores that want free chat with an AI upgrade path, Tidio is the best pick here.
What we like- Free plan forever
- Paid plans from $29 a month
- Lyro AI agent with 75 percent average resolution rate
- 300,000-plus businesses
- Shopify, WordPress, and Wix support
Watch out for- Free plan limits conversations and features
- AI agent usage bills on paid plans
- Ecommerce focus less fit for B2B SaaS
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Chatwoot is the best free pick for self-hosting. Its homepage presents an AI-powered, open-source customer support platform, with an AI agent, channels, and help center in one place, plus website, email, social, and messaging threaded into one queue, voice calls in the same inbox, and a knowledge base for self-service. Its AI agent, Captain, resolves routine questions end to end and hands the rest to the team.
The trade-off is operations: free means self-hosted, so you run, update, and secure the server yourself. For teams that want full data control at zero license cost, Chatwoot is the best pick here.
What we like- Open-source with 37,000-plus GitHub stars
- Website, email, social, and messaging in one inbox
- AI agent called Captain
- Help center
- Voice calls via Twilio and WhatsApp
Watch out for- Self-hosting needs server skills
- Cloud pricing applies if you do not self-host
- Smaller ecosystem than HubSpot or Intercom
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Zoho SalesIQ is the best free pick for Zoho users. SalesIQ is Zoho's live chat and visitor tracking product, sitting inside a suite of 50-plus apps used by 150 million-plus users, with CRM, billing, and support tools that share customer data. Published comparisons list a free SalesIQ plan, with paid tiers for advanced chatbots and automation.
The trade-off is ecosystem: SalesIQ shines inside Zoho and is thinner as a standalone tool than Tawk.to or Tidio. For businesses already running Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk, SalesIQ is the best pick here.
What we like- Free plan available
- Live chat with visitor tracking
- Integrates with Zoho CRM and the wider Zoho suite
- 150 million-plus Zoho users
Watch out for- Best inside the Zoho suite
- Free plan limited
- AI features sit on paid tiers
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Freshchat is the best free pick for Freshworks users. Freshchat is Freshworks' messaging product, with Freddy AI agents, a shared inbox, and integrations across the Freshworks suite, which serves 74,000-plus businesses. Published comparisons list a free Freshchat tier, with paid plans adding AI agents, advanced routing, and reporting.
The trade-off is the same as Zoho's: Freshchat is strongest inside its own suite. For teams already on Freshdesk or Freshsales, Freshchat is the best pick here.
What we like- Free tier available
- Freddy AI agents that act on customer requests
- Shared inbox across chat, email, and social
- Part of the Freshworks suite used by 74,000-plus businesses
Watch out for- Free tier limited
- AI features and advanced automation sit on paid tiers
- Best inside Freshworks
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Smartsupp is the best free pick for small shops. Its homepage presents live chat, chatbot, and AI tools, with the Mira AI shopping assistant that learns the business, recommends products, answers up to 80 percent of common and technical questions, and hands over to a human operator when needed. Smartsupp reports 100,000-plus customers and 60-plus platform integrations covering ecommerce builders and website platforms.
Published comparisons list a Smartsupp free plan, though homepage pricing was not shown in this check, so confirm current free limits before committing. The trade-off is ecommerce focus: Smartsupp fits online stores better than B2B SaaS support teams. For small shops that want chat plus an AI shopping assistant, Smartsupp is the best pick here.
What we like- Live chat with chatbot and AI tools
- Mira AI shopping assistant answering up to 80 percent of common questions
- 100,000-plus customers
- 60-plus platform integrations
Watch out for- Free plan details not shown on homepage in this check
- AI assistant features skew toward ecommerce
- Smaller brand than HubSpot or Intercom
#8Crisp
Best for: Trial then paid4.5/5 on
G2 (205 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit crisp.chat
Starting price$25/month
Free planNo
Crisp is the honest outlier in this list. Its homepage presents an AI customer support platform with an omnichannel inbox, chat widget, shared inbox, knowledge base, support CRM, analytics, and AI agents, trusted by 10,000 companies, with a 14-day free trial covering all features and no card required. Published comparisons list Crisp paid from around $25 a month with flat per-agent pricing.
The trade-off is clear: Crisp has no free plan shown on its homepage, so it belongs here only as a free-to-try option, not a free-forever one. For teams willing to pay a small amount for a polished Intercom-like inbox, Crisp is the best pick here, but Tawk.to, HubSpot, or Tidio fit the word free better.
What we like- All-in-one omnichannel inbox with chat, email, WhatsApp, and Messenger
- Knowledge base and support CRM
- AI agents and automations
- Flat per-agent pricing
- 10,000 companies
Watch out for- No free plan shown on homepage, only a 14-day trial
- Paid from around $25 a month
- Weakest free fit in this list
How we chose
We compared these tools on free-tier limits, live chat quality, AI agent availability, shared inbox depth, and paid upgrade costs. We opened each vendor's homepage to confirm the product exists today and matches its description, except for tools already verified earlier in this batch, and we used published comparison guides where homepage pricing was not shown. We did not claim hands-on testing. Intercom itself starts at $19 a seat a month plus $0.99 per Fin resolution, so every tool here costs less at entry, and most cost nothing to start.
What to verify in a trial
Start by testing the free tier with your real chat volume, since conversation caps and agent limits are where free plans differ most. Next, check mobile app quality for your agents, because support teams live on phones after hours. Finally, confirm what happens when you outgrow free, since HubSpot's upgrade cliff and Tidio's AI usage pricing change the real cost fast. Also test the chat widget on your own site before launch, since widget size, load speed, and mobile behavior vary more than feature lists suggest, and a slow widget can hurt conversions more than a missing feature. Run the trial with at least two agents so you can judge assignment, internal notes, and handoff quality, not just the visitor-facing chat window.
Also confirm conversation history limits on free tiers, since short history windows frustrate returning customers.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a truly free Intercom alternative?
Yes: Tawk.to, with free live chat, unlimited agents, ticketing, and a knowledge base. Chatwoot is also free if you self-host it. Most other tools here offer free tiers with limits.
Which free Intercom alternative has the best AI agent?
Tidio, with Lyro averaging a 75 percent resolution rate and a free plan to start, though AI usage sits on paid plans. Chatwoot's Captain is the best free self-hosted AI option.
Which is best for a small business just starting out?
Tawk.to for free live chat, or HubSpot if you also want a free CRM that grows with you. Tidio is the best choice for online stores.
Do free plans include a shared inbox?
Tawk.to, HubSpot, Tidio, Chatwoot, and Freshchat all offer shared inbox features on free or trial tiers, though limits vary. Check agent seats and conversation caps before committing.
What does Intercom cost for comparison?
Published comparisons list Intercom from $19 a seat a month plus $0.99 per Fin AI resolution, with a 14-day trial. That per-resolution pricing is why free alternatives appeal to small teams.
Can I migrate my Intercom chats to a free tool?
Most tools here offer import or manual migration, but chat history migration varies. Export your Intercom conversations before canceling, and confirm import support with the new vendor during trial.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.tawk.to
- https://www.hubspot.com
- https://www.tidio.com
- https://www.chatwoot.com
- https://www.zoho.com
- https://www.freshworks.com
- https://www.smartsupp.com
- https://crisp.chat
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
HubSpot
Chatwoot
Zoho SalesIQ
Freshchat
Smartsupp