Close vs Intercom
Side-by-side plans, pricing, and feature gates for Close and Intercom, verified . Close is primarily crm; Intercom is primarily live chat.
Plans side by side
Every published plan from each vendor, with the headline monthly anchor price. Some prices scale with subscriber count or seats; full detail lives on each tool's page.
Close
- Solo
Single user, 10,000 lead cap
$9/mo - Essentials
Core CRM with unlimited contacts and leads
$35/mo - Growth
Adds Chloe AI agent, workflows, and Power Dialer
$99/mo - Scale
Adds Predictive Dialer, role-based access, unlimited call recording
$139/mo - Enterprise
Custom pricing for 10+ users or complex needs
Custom
Intercom
- Essential
Messenger, shared inbox, ticketing, help center
$29/mo - Advanced
Workflow automation plus 20 free Lite seats
$85/mo - Expert
SSO, HIPAA, SLAs, multibrand, 50 free Lite seats
$132/mo - Fin AI Agent
Standalone AI agent (no seat fee)
Custom
Limits at the entry paid tier
Compares Solo (Close) against Essential (Intercom). Both are the lowest-priced non-free, non-custom plan on each side.
| Limit | Close | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Team seats | 1 user (Solo plan limit) | 1 seat (per-seat pricing) |
When Close wins
- Outbound-heavy SDR teams that live in the dialer all day
- B2B sales teams of 1 to 20 reps that want one tool for calls, email, and CRM
- Founders running their own outbound and wanting calling, email, and CRM in one place
Where Close is the wrong fit
- Marketing-heavy teams that need a broader hub (use HubSpot CRM)
- Service-business CRMs needing ticketing (use Pipedrive or Zoho)
- Enterprise sales orgs with complex territory structures (use Salesforce)
When Intercom wins
- SaaS support teams that need both human chat and high-quality AI deflection
- Enterprises wanting messenger, ticketing, and help center in one tool
- Companies deflecting tier-1 with Fin AI
Where Intercom is the wrong fit
- Small teams who can run on Crisp or Help Scout for far less
- Teams averse to per-AI-outcome pricing
- Cost-conscious buyers who don't need the messenger pedigree
Common questions
- Is Close cheaper than Intercom?
- At the entry tier, Close starts at $9/mo versus Intercom at $29/mo. Close is cheaper at the entry. Pricing scales differently above that, so check the full plan grid.
- Does Close or Intercom have a free plan?
- Neither has a permanent free plan. Both offer free trials.
- Are Close and Intercom in the same category?
- No. Close is primarily a crm tool; Intercom is primarily a live chat tool. They overlap on use case but sit in different primary categories, so the comparison is between adjacent tools rather than direct competitors.
- Which has more plans, Close or Intercom?
- Close ships 5 plans; Intercom ships 4. Close's longer ladder gives more granular upgrade steps, which can mean smoother price escalation as your team scales.
- Where can I see alternatives to Close or Intercom?
- Each tool has a dedicated alternatives page on TierGauge with ranked options and verified pricing: /alternatives/close for Close and /alternatives/intercom for Intercom. Alternatives are derived from each tool's editor-flagged competitors plus same-category tools we track.
Close: https://www.close.com/pricing · Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/pricing
Last verified . Pricing changes between refreshes; confirm at the vendor before purchasing.