#1 Intercom Alternative for Small Teams

The Best Intercom LogoIntercom Alternative

Intercom is powerful but expensive and complex. Heyo is the simple alternative built for founders and small teams who want to talk with users and build better products.

Simple pricing: $9.97/month for everything - Intercom starts at $29/seat and goes up to $132/seat
Ready in minutes, not days - No complex setup or enterprise onboarding
Focus on product, not support tickets - Bookmark feedback and build what users actually need
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Compare

Heyo vs Intercom

Intercom combines chat, email campaigns, product tours, and marketing automation. It's powerful but expensive ($29-132/seat + add-ons). Heyo is simple chat focused on helping you build better products. Key differences: flat pricing ($9.97 vs per-seat), modern chat features (reactions, video profiles), and conversation-first approach instead of automation-first.
Features
Heyo
Intercom LogoIntercom
Starting Price
$9.97/month (flat)
$29/seat/month
Pricing Model
Flat (unlimited team)
Per-seat pricing
Setup Time
Minutes
Hours to days
Product Tours
Email Campaigns
Automated Message Series
User Segmentation
Workflow Automation Builder
AI Auto-Resolution
$0.99/resolution
Emoji Reactions
Video Profile
Visitor Alerts
Bookmark Messages
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The Problem with Intercom

While Intercom is powerful, it's built for larger teams with complex needs. For solo founders and small teams, it can be overwhelming.
Expensive Per-Seat Pricing
Intercom starts at $29/seat/month and scales to $132/seat. Add the Proactive Support Plus ($99/mo) or Copilot ($29/agent), and a 3-person team pays $200-500/month. That's $2,400-6,000/year vs Heyo's $120/year.
Marketing Tool, Not Just Chat
Intercom combines chat, email campaigns, product tours, and marketing automation. If you just want simple chat to talk with users, you're paying for tons of features you'll never use.
Steep Learning Curve
Product tours, workflows, series, segments, campaigns - Intercom has so many features it takes days to learn and weeks to master. Heyo is simple and you're chatting in minutes.
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Understanding Intercom

What It Is & What It's Missing

What Intercom Does Well

Product Tours & In-App Messaging

Create product tours, checklists, banners, and tooltips inside your app. Great for onboarding and feature announcements.

Marketing Automation (Proactive Support Plus)

Email campaigns, automated message series, user segmentation, and targeted messaging. Perfect for marketing-driven companies.

Advanced Workflows & Automation

Workflow builder, round robin assignment, multiple team inboxes. Built for structured support at scale with complex routing.

Fin AI Agent

AI chatbot that handles customer queries at $0.99 per resolution. Good for automating repetitive support questions.

Extensive Integrations

Over 450 integrations including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Stripe. Built for complex tech stacks and enterprise CRM needs.

Where Intercom Falls Short

Pricing Scales Out of Control

$29/seat base, plus $99/mo for Proactive Support, plus $29/agent for Copilot, plus $0.99 per AI resolution. A 3-person team with features costs $300+/month vs Heyo's $9.97.

Too Many Features You Won't Use

Email campaigns, product tours, series, workflows, banners - built for marketing teams, not founders. If you just want to chat with users to build better products, it's massive overkill.

Focused on Automation Over Conversation

Intercom pushes AI agents and automation to reduce conversations. But the best products are built by talking WITH users. Heyo encourages those valuable conversations.

Complex Setup for Simple Needs

Setting up workflows, segments, series, and automations takes hours to days. If you just want to start chatting with users today, Heyo is ready in minutes.

No Emoji Reactions or Video Profiles

Intercom's chat lacks modern features like emoji reactions and agent video profiles. Heyo gives you a messaging experience users actually enjoy.

TL:DR: Intercom is a marketing and support platform for enterprises. It has product tours, email campaigns, and complex automation. Heyo is simple chat for founders who want to talk with users to build better products. If you need marketing automation, get Intercom. If you just want to chat with users, Heyo is simpler and 95% cheaper.

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Intercom vs Heyo: Which Should You Choose?

An honest comparison to help you make the right decision

Choose Intercom If:

  • You're a mid-to-large company with enterprise budget
  • You need complex automation and workflows
  • You want a full customer engagement suite with CRM
  • You have $100-500+/month to spend on chat
  • You have time for extensive setup and training
RECOMMENDED

Choose Heyo If:

  • You're a solo founder or small team
  • You want simple, affordable pricing ($9.97/mo)
  • You want to build better products through user feedback
  • You need to get started quickly (minutes, not days)
  • You prefer conversations over automation

💸 Budget Consideration

Intercom starts at $29/seat/month ($348/year minimum) and scales to $132/seat ($1,584/year). A team of 3 pays $1,044-$4,752/year. Heyo is $9.97/month or $64/year for unlimited team members. That's $64/year vs $1,000+/year. Perfect for bootstrapped founders who want great features without breaking the bank.

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Heyo is perfect for...

Simple, human-first chat for teams building better products

Product Managers

Build better products through direct user feedback

Talk directly with users to gather feedback, understand pain points, and validate features. No bot getting in the way of real insights that help you improve your product.

Bootstrapped Founders

Show there's a real person behind the product

Build trust and loyalty through personal conversations. No enterprise complexity, no expensive per-project pricing. Just simple chat that helps you understand your users and build what they need.

Growth & Sales Teams

Reach out when visitors hit important pages with automated alerts

Set up visitor alerts to get notified when users reach checkout, pricing, or key pages. Start conversations at the perfect moment to understand needs and close deals, no complex workflows needed.

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Heyo's Features

Talking with your users made easy

Everything you need to have real conversations with your users. Nothing you don't.
Feature image
Reactions & Replies
Have real conversations with threaded replies and emoji reactions ❤️👌 Just like messaging apps your users already love
Feature image
Proactive Messaging
Message any visitor on your website. Set up alerts to reach out during critical moments like onboarding or checkout
Feature image
Video Profile
Introduce yourself with a personal video and bio. Show your customers there's a real person behind the chat
Feature image
Bookmark messages
Afraid of losing a precious feedback or testimonial? Bookmark it, tag it, and keep it organized for when you need it
Feature image
Custom style & behavior
Change style, colors and more! Don't want to show the widget everywhere? Use the SDK to fully customize your widget's behavior
Feature image
Slack & Telegram Integration
Never miss a message. Get notifications and respond to customers directly from Slack or Telegram
Feature image
Multi-language support
Serving international customers? Chat widgets are available in multiple languages to fit your audience
Feature image
Quick Replies with shortcuts
Got lots of recuring support questions? Save time by creating pre-made replies and use commands to send them instantly.
Feature image
Team Collaboration
Add team members, set your status, and collaborate seamlessly. Perfect for small teams that want to provide great support together
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Integrations

Works with your favorite tools

Works for both code and no-code workflows with 2 click-installs
Tag Manager
Webflow
WordPress
React
Bubble
Next.js
Nuxt
HTML
Framer
JavaScript
Wix
Shopify
Squarespace
Vue.js
Angular
Svelte
Gatsby
Tag Manager
Webflow
WordPress
React
Bubble
Next.js
Nuxt
HTML
Framer
JavaScript
Wix
Shopify
Squarespace
Vue.js
Angular
Svelte
Gatsby
Tag Manager
Webflow
WordPress
React
Bubble
Next.js
Nuxt
HTML
Framer
JavaScript
Wix
Shopify
Squarespace
Vue.js
Angular
Svelte
Gatsby

What people say

Founders & Product Managers sharing their experience with Heyo
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F.A.Q.

Got questions? We've got answers

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Ready to build better products?

Join hundreds of founders using Heyo to understand their users through real conversations
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