HubSpot vs Intercom: Which customer support tool is right for you?

If you’re on the hunt for tools to level up your company’s customer service, your timing is good. Customer expectations are higher than ever — and if you can meet them, you’re likely to net repeat sales from as many as 88 percent of your current customers.

The need to excel in this area is clear, but which customer service tool to invest in may be less obvious, especially since there are numerous products available. In this article, we’re going to look at two popular options: HubSpot and Intercom.

While these tools have many overlapping features, each has its strengths and weaknesses as well as its own areas of focus. In this article, you’ll get the details about HubSpot vs Intercom so you can make the best decision for your business.

Introduction to HubSpot

Screenshot of HubSpot's Service Hub landing page with an image of a Support Inbox

HubSpot was founded in 2006. It’s a leader in the customer relationship management (CRM) space. Today, it’s designed to be a single, central platform for comprehensive customer management. HubSpot offers a variety of products geared toward nurturing customers and growing your business.

One of these products is Service Hub, customer service software that helps organizations deepen their customer relationships and provide better customer experiences with personalized support, a multichannel help desk, AI-driven self-service options, support team management, and more.

HubSpot can help organizations gather data on customer behaviors and preferences, track customer service trends and solutions, and offer 24/7 support.

Introduction to Intercom

Screenshot of Intercom's homepage with a headline about AI-first customer service

Intercom began in 2011 with a vision for making online customer relationships more personal. Today, it’s an AI-driven customer service platform that offers AI support agents, multichannel customer support, a support inbox, automated workflows, and more.

Intercom allows organizations to optimize their customer service resources with AI-powered customer service bots capable of both carrying out common customer interactions on their own and assisting human agents in handling complex issues effectively.

It also has an AI-backed analytics element that provides customer insights you can use to continuously improve your level of service.

HubSpot vs Intercom: Features

HubSpot’s customer service software has a wealth of features, including

  • Intelligent help desk and ticketing for proper routing and faster replies
  • Omnichannel messaging that allows you to resolve issues in customer-preferred channels, including email, chat, Messenger, and more
  • AI-powered chat for 24/7 support
  • Conversation intelligence that helps identify customer trends and analyze support team performance
  • Customer feedback surveys
  • A fully integrated smart CRM to share valuable contextual data with sales and marketing teams
  • Automated customer service to relieve your agents of some manual processes
  • Comprehensive reporting and analysis
User Interface of HubSpot Customer Service Software

Intercom’s AI-driven platform also offers a multitude of features for enhancing customer support:

  • Fin AI bot that can resolve customer issues and work as a “copilot” for your agents to help them resolve issues more quickly
  • AI-enhanced inbox that summarizes conversations and combines communication channels
  • Phone calls, video calls, and screen sharing for fast, personalized support
  • AI-based reporting on team performance, customer feedback, and more
  • Streamlined ticketing system to promote collaboration
  • Custom help centers to house all your help content
User Interface of Intercom

HubSpot vs Intercom: Other important considerations

There are a few other important aspects of these platforms you should consider.

  • Security is a central concern in today’s hyper-online world, where potential vulnerabilities abound.
  • New tools can be confusing to use, so you want to make sure these platforms offer robust support options.
  • Most businesses today rely on multiple software tools and products, so their ability to integrate with each other is essential for maintaining uncomplicated and simple workflows.

Security

HubSpot has privacy and security standards in place to ensure your data is safe. It offers standard SSL on all HubSpot-hosted content, single sign-on, two-factor authentication, password-protected pages, and access restrictions. It also offers features that can support regulatory compliance.

Intercom has similar privacy and security features. Data both at rest and in transit is encrypted. It offers single sign-on, two-factor authentication, and permissions and access controls. It also offers features that can support regulatory compliance.

Customer support

HubSpot Professional and Enterprise plan holders have access to chat, email, and phone support. Starter plan users have chat and email support only. HubSpot also has a community forum, a knowledge base with guides and articles, and video trainings.

Intercom users can access support through chat and email. There’s also a community forum, a help center with guides and articles, and free how-to courses.

Integrations

HubSpot offers over 1,000 integrations on its App Marketplace, including connections with tools like Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, Mailchimp, and more.

Intercom integrates with more than 450 apps, including Jira, Salesforce, Google Analytics, Instagram, and more.

HubSpot and Intercom pricing and plans

HubSpot pricing

HubSpot offers a variety of products with different pricing options. There’s also a free version that lets you use limited versions of all of its products. Here’s an overview of the Service Hub product’s pricing.

Free planService Hub StarterStarter Customer Platform
Plan$15 per user, per month when billed annually$15 per user, per month when billed annually
FeaturesUp to five users

Free tool offerings
– Free tools with increased limits
– Live chat
– Route conversations – Payment support
– Automated simple tickets
– Service Hub Starter
– Sales Hub Starter
– Marketing Hub Starter
– Content Hub Starter
– Operations Hub Starter
Service Hub ProfessionalService Hub Enterprise
Plan$90 per user, per month when billed annually and one-time $1,500 onboarding fee$150 per user, per month when billed annually and one-time $3,500 onboarding fee
Features– Starter features
– Service analytics
– Customer portal
– Feedback surveys
– Customer service resource library
– Up to 300 workflows
– Professional features
– Custom data records
– Single sign-on support
– Manage notifications
– AI-powered conversation insights
– Permissions management
– Up to 1,000 workflows

Intercom pricing

Intercom has three pricing tiers, with the final price you pay depending on the number of users.

EssentialAdvancedExpert
Plan$29 per user, per month when billed annually$85 per user, per month when billed annually$132 per user, per month when billed annually
Features– Shared inbox
– Fin AI Agent and Copilot
– Ticketing system
– Basic automations
– Team inboxes
– Public and private help centers
– AI summaries
– Advanced automations
– Single sign-on
– Workload management
– Multibrand messenger
– Dashboard

There’s something else to consider: In addition to these package prices, Intercom tacks on additional charges depending on your usage. For example, you’ll pay $0.99 for every query Fin AI resolves. This pricing tactic might make your monthly bill somewhat unpredictable.

HubSpot and Intercom pros and cons

HubSpot pros

  • It’s easy to set up and use.
  • It’s an all-in-one platform that helps to integrate your sales, marketing, and customer service functions.
  • Its automated ticketing functionality is helpful and improves efficiency.
  • It has a comprehensive set of features for improving customer service.
  • It integrates with a wide variety of other business tools.

HubSpot cons

  • It’s fairly expensive compared to other solutions.
  • It has limited customization options.
  • The range of features can be overwhelming.

Intercom pros

  • AI tools are included throughout its feature offerings.
  • The macros, notes, and other features make agents’ work easier.
  • The Inbox distinguishes between “conversations” for simple resolutions and “tickets” for more complex issues.
  • Intercom supports up to 45 languages.

Intercom cons

  • Intercom is primarily focused on customer service, so it has fewer feature offerings than HubSpot for sales and other functions.
  • AI resolutions cost extra.
  • Users have noted that it can be quite expensive.

HubSpot vs Intercom: A side-by-side comparison

HubSpotIntercom
PriceFree plan
Service Hub Starter $15 per user, per month when billed annually
Starter Customer Platform $15 per user, per month when billed annually
Service Hub Professional $90 per user, per month when billed annually and one-time $1,500 onboarding fee
Service Hub Enterprise $150 per user, per month when billed annually and one-time $3,500 onboarding fee
Essential $29 per user, per month when billed annually
Advanced $85 per user, per month when billed annually
Expert $132 per user, per month when billed annually
Additional charges depending on usage (for example, AI agent resolutions)
FeaturesIntelligent help desk routing, omnichannel messaging, AI-powered chat, conversation intelligence, customer feedback surveys, smart CRM, automated customer service, comprehensive reporting and analysisFin AI bot; AI-enhanced inbox; support for phone calls, video calls, and screen-sharing; AI-based reporting and analytics; streamlined ticketing system; knowledge hub
Customer supportAccess to chat, email, and phone support for Professional and Enterprise plan holders; chat and email support only for Starter plan users; community forum; video trainingsChat and email support, community forum, online courses
IntegrationsOver 1,000 integrationsOver 450 integrations
SecurityStandard SSL, single sign-on, two-factor authentication, custom domain security settings, encryption, password-protected pagesSingle sign-on, two-factor authentication, encryption, permissions and access controls
Pros and consPros: Easy to use, all-in-one platform; comprehensive feature set; lots of integrations
Cons: Fairly expensive, limited customization options, overwhelming range of features
Pros: Self-service support, many features that automate tasks and make agents’ work easier, focus on elevating customer service
Cons: pricing that can make costs add up quickly, more focused tool than HubSpot means lack of features for sales and other functions
User ratings4.4/5.0 on G2 for Service Hub product
4.4/5.0 on Capterra for Service Hub product
4.5/5.0 on Capterra
4.5/5.0 on G2

Jotform: A powerful alternative

There’s another tool you might want to consider as an alternative to HubSpot and Intercom: Jotform can also help you meet your customer support needs.

Jotform offers a variety of tools businesses of all sizes can use to improve customer service and engage directly with customers and prospects.

Here are just a handful of the things you can do with Jotform:

Jotform is free to use and also offers multiple plans that can meet different business needs and sizes.

Tips for choosing the right tool to engage your customers

Today’s customers expect to have real-time interactions with businesses and receive personalized messages. Software can help you accomplish this while managing your team’s workload and time effectively.

But every business has unique needs and considerations, which means the same software product isn’t right for everyone. Consider the overall value of each tool, its focus, and its ability to help you achieve your goals.

Take advantage of free trials and plans whenever they’re available so you can better understand how a tool will mesh with your daily workflow. And read up on user reviews, too, to learn more about others’ experiences.

The right tool will not only create a more effective and productive support team, but happier customers as well.

Photo by Khwanchai Phanthong

AUTHOR
Jotform's Editorial Team is a group of dedicated professionals committed to providing valuable insights and practical tips to Jotform blog readers. Our team's expertise spans a wide range of topics, from industry-specific subjects like managing summer camps and educational institutions to essential skills in surveys, data collection methods, and document management. We also provide curated recommendations on the best software tools and resources to help streamline your workflow.

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