Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Live Chat Software

Intercom vs tawk.to

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Intercom #1 in Live Chat Software 9.4/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Intercom
tawk.to #5 in Live Chat Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit tawk.to

Intercom leads on 0 checks, tawk.to on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreIntercom · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly tawk.to
  • Free trialonly Intercom

Intercom scores higher on our rubric for live chat software: 9.4 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

tawk.to offers free plan; Intercom doesn't. On chat channels, Intercom gives you Omnichannel where tawk.to offers Website+messaging.

Intercom is the better fit for mature teams needing advanced customer messaging. tawk.to is the better fit for businesses prioritizing free team chat.

  • Intercom fits best

    Mature teams needing advanced customer messaging

  • tawk.to fits best

    Businesses prioritizing free team chat

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Intercom 9.4/10 Visit ↗ tawk.to 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.8
Ranking #1 in Live Chat Software #5 in Live Chat Software
Best for Mature teams needing advanced customer messaging Businesses prioritizing free team chat
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $29/seat/mo $290/yr
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support Email, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Live chat, Docs · 24/7
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, 2FA GDPR
Integrations 450+ integrations 13 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Intercom 3/3 · tawk.to 3/3
Website chatbot ✓ ✓
Live agent chat ✓ ✓
Visitor tracking ✓ ✓
Specs
Chat channels Omnichannel Website+messaging
Included agent seats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Listed integrations 450 apps Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Combines AI chat, human handoff, inboxes, tickets, and help content
  • Tracks visitors and leads with page views, identification, and reporting
  • Connects with 450+ apps, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Shopify
  • Free core platform with unlimited team members
  • Visitor monitoring, routing, and shared omnichannel inbox
  • Web, desktop, mobile, API, and broad integration support
Cons
  • No free plan for teams comparing low-cost entry options
  • Essential starts at $29 per seat per month with annual billing
  • Advanced and Expert pricing rises to $85 and $132 per seat monthly
  • AI agents and message credits require paid plans
  • Advanced tiers increase from $29 to $399 per month
  • Core pricing is structured per property rather than per team
Our verdict

Intercom brings website and mobile-app messaging, AI-assisted conversations, human-agent chat, ticketing, and customer support tools into one platform. It is designed for support, sales, and ecommerce teams that need more than a basic chat…

Read the review →

tawk.to is a hosted customer communication platform for businesses that want to chat with website visitors and manage conversations across multiple channels. Its core platform combines real-time website chat, unlimited team members,…

Read the review →
  1. IntercomLive Chat Software 9.414-day trial
  2. tawk.toLive Chat Software 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Intercom — where it wins

    • Combines AI chat, human handoff, inboxes, tickets, and help content
    • Tracks visitors and leads with page views, identification, and reporting
    • Connects with 450+ apps, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Shopify

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan for teams comparing low-cost entry options
    • Essential starts at $29 per seat per month with annual billing
    • Advanced and Expert pricing rises to $85 and $132 per seat monthly

  • tawk.to — where it wins

    • Free core platform with unlimited team members
    • Visitor monitoring, routing, and shared omnichannel inbox
    • Web, desktop, mobile, API, and broad integration support

    Where it doesn't

    • AI agents and message credits require paid plans
    • Advanced tiers increase from $29 to $399 per month
    • Core pricing is structured per property rather than per team

More comparisons

All live chat software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update