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GhostChat vs Intercom

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Entry price
GhostChat from $5/mo, Intercom from $29/seat/mo — different billing units, so no direct winner
Free plan
Only GhostChat (Intercom has paid plans only)
Public API
Both have one
Higher Trust score
Intercom — 96 vs 75 for GhostChat
Best fit
GhostChat: Agencies running the same chat widget across many client sites · Intercom: Mid-market and enterprise teams automating a large share of tier-1 support

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

GhostChatA lightweight live-chat widget you answer from Gmail or your phone, with an optional pay-per-conversation AI assistant.IntercomCustomer service helpdesk built around Fin, an AI agent billed per resolved conversation

Side by side

FactGhostChatIntercom
CategoryAI Support ChatbotsHelpdesk & Ticketing
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at$5/mo$29/seat/mo
Public APIYesYes
Trust score75 / 10096 / 100
PlatformsWeb, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android, API
CompanyThe Chat Widget LLCIntercom, Inc.
Launched—2011
Last verifiedOct 15, 2026Oct 15, 2026

What our research says

GhostChat

GhostChat is a live-chat widget light enough not to hurt page speed, answered from Gmail or a phone rather than another dashboard. Pricing is flat rather than per seat: $5 for three sites, $25 for ten people on every site, which is unusually cheap for agencies. The AI assistant is metered at ten cents a conversation, so it suits sites with modest traffic better than high-volume support.

Pros

  • Lightweight widget (about 19KB) built to avoid slowing page loads
  • Flat $25/month Team plan covers 10 seats and unlimited sites, not per seat
  • Starter at $5/month already includes webhooks and a Bot Agent API for your own LLM
  • Official WordPress plugin and a one-script install for other sites

Cons

  • The AI assistant is offered only on Starter and Team, billed $0.10 per AI conversation
  • Free and Starter keep GhostChat branding in the widget
  • A one-person company, so support capacity depends on the founder

Intercom

The most complete bet on AI-first support: Fin's per-outcome billing aligns cost with actual resolutions, and the surrounding helpdesk is mature. The catch is the compound bill — seats plus $0.99 per Fin outcome — which at high ticket volume can exceed what flat-rate rivals charge.

Pros

  • Fin charges only when a conversation actually resolves
  • Full omnichannel inbox including phone and WhatsApp
  • 350+ integrations and a documented developer platform
  • Copilot and QA tooling for the human side of the team

Cons

  • Per-outcome fees stack on top of per-seat pricing
  • Advanced workflow features require the mid tier and up
  • Historically criticized for pricing complexity and creep

Which one fits

Choose GhostChat if you need

  • Agencies running the same chat widget across many client sites
  • Small sites that want chat answered from Gmail without a separate help desk
  • Privacy-conscious organisations that want chat with no cookies or tracking

Choose Intercom if you need

  • Mid-market and enterprise teams automating a large share of tier-1 support
  • Companies that want AI agent, copilot and helpdesk from one vendor
  • Teams on Zendesk or Salesforce that only want Fin bolted on

GhostChat vs Intercom: the questions people ask

Is GhostChat cheaper than Intercom?

They charge in different units, so there is no like-for-like answer: GhostChat starts at $5/mo, Intercom at $29/seat/mo. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it.

Does GhostChat or Intercom have a free tier?

GhostChat has a free tier; Intercom has paid plans only.

Which has a public API, GhostChat or Intercom?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

More comparisons

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