Drift vs Intercom
Drift is the conversational-marketing pioneer, now operated by Salesloft on a quoted price, with its own AI chat being superseded inside that platform. Intercom is a messaging platform with published per-seat tiers and the Fin AI agent. Sales-led teams routing target accounts look at Drift; product companies supporting users in-app choose Intercom.
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Choose Drift ifyour priority is account-based routing of website visitors to salespeople, you are content to buy through Salesloft on a quote, and you have confirmed which chat agent the contract delivers.
Choose Intercom ifyou support users inside a software product, want published per-seat pricing with a 14-day trial, and are comfortable paying $0.99 for each conversation that Fin resolves.
Drift and Intercom side by side
| Drift | Intercom | |
|---|---|---|
| Our chatbot software rank | #9 of 11 | #10 of 11 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Not published; quoted per organisation | Essential $29/seat/month; Advanced $85/seat/month; Expert $132/seat/month; Fin AI Agent billed separately at $0.99 per resolution across all tiers; 14-day free trial |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
Both are reviewed in full in our chatbot software ranking: Drift and Intercom.
Where they differ
Drift 0 · Intercom 2 · open 2- 01
Price you can see before a sales call
Intercom publishes three tiers at $29, $85 and $132 per seat per month, plus Fin at $0.99 per resolution, and offers a 14-day free trial. Drift publishes nothing: it is quoted per organisation through Salesloft. Anyone who wants to compare numbers before talking to a salesperson can only do so with Intercom.
Edge: Intercom
- 02
Knowing which AI agent you get
Intercom's Fin is a defined product with a stated price per resolution on every tier. Drift's position is less settled: drift.com redirects to Salesloft, and Salesloft says it has moved from Drift to 1mind for its AI chat agent technology. A new buyer should ask which agent a Drift contract actually delivers.
Edge: Intercom
- 03
Sales conversations or product support
Drift created the conversational-marketing category and is tagged for ABM-style routing, which points it at sales teams engaging target accounts. Intercom is at its best supporting users inside a product, with its messenger and product tours. These are different owners and different goals, so the better fit follows from whether marketing or support runs the widget.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Predicting what you will pay
Intercom's bill combines seats, reachable contacts and AI resolutions, and is hard to forecast before a quarter of real use, even though each rate is public. Drift's cost is a single quoted figure per organisation, unknown until negotiated. One is transparent but variable, the other opaque; our data cannot say which ends lower.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
A small team wanting a lead-qualification bot at a cost it can work out alone is poorly served by both. Landbot was designed for qualification and conversion and meters chats, while Crisp charges per workspace, so colleagues who answer occasionally cost nothing.
Drift or Intercom: questions
3 answersIs Drift still a standalone product next to Intercom?
The Drift name is still used, but the offering now lives on Salesloft's platform and drift.com redirects there. Salesloft states it has transitioned from Drift to 1mind for AI chat agent technology. Intercom remains a messaging platform sold under its own published tiers.
How does Drift pricing compare with Intercom pricing?
A direct comparison is not possible from public figures. Drift is quoted per organisation with nothing published. Intercom lists $29, $85 and $132 per seat per month and bills its Fin AI agent at $0.99 per resolution, so at least its components can be estimated.
Which is better for qualifying leads, Drift or Intercom?
Drift was built for conversational marketing and account-based routing, whereas Intercom is strongest at supporting users inside a product, so a marketing team buying Intercom partly pays for support tooling. Given Drift's AI chat is being superseded within Salesloft, confirm what is delivered before signing.