Relay vs Intercom
Relay vs Intercom: Full Help Desk at a Third of the Seat Price
Get more support features without the premium price
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Relay | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $9/user/month | $29/seat/month (Essential, annual), up to $132 on Expert |
| Pricing Model | Simple per-user, AI included | Per seat + $0.99 per Fin resolution |
| Ticketing | Full-featured inbox | Conversation-based (limited) |
| Email Support | Native IMAP/SMTP | Chat-first, email secondary |
| Knowledge Base | AI-powered with embeddings | Articles (good) |
Why Teams Switch from Intercom to Relay
Here's what customers tell us when they migrate from Intercom
$9/user/month against Intercom Essential at $29/seat/month
No per-resolution meter: 1,000 AI-handled conversations cost $0 extra, versus $990 at Fin’s $0.99
Full ticketing system, not just chat
Email-first with omnichannel support
Forecast next quarter from headcount alone
Full Feature Breakdown
Relay
AI-Native Help Desk
- AI ticket summaries
- Smart reply suggestions
- Sentiment analysis
- Priority prediction
- Knowledge base with AI search
- Native Shopify integration
- Multi-channel support
- Workflow automation
Intercom
Expensive live chat with help desk features
Pros:
- Excellent live chat experience
- Strong product tours feature
- Fin is one of the most capable AI agents in the category
- Modern interface
Cons:
- Seat price climbs steeply: $29 Essential to $85 Advanced to $132 Expert
- Fin bills $0.99 per resolved outcome from the first one, with a monthly outcome minimum on third-party help desks
- Overkill for email-focused support
- The bill is hard to forecast because it moves with AI performance
Ready to Make the Switch?
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Still building a shortlist? See the best Intercom alternatives compared by price and AI, or read why AI pricing models matter.