Comparison Guide
Relay vs Intercom
Relay vs Intercom: Full Help Desk at a Quarter of the Price
Get more support features without the premium price
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Relay | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $19/user/month | $74/seat/month + usage |
| Pricing Model | Simple per-user | Per seat + message volume |
| 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
75% cost savings for similar functionality
No usage-based surprise bills
Full ticketing system, not just chat
Email-first with omnichannel support
Simpler, predictable pricing
Full Feature Breakdown
R
Relay
AI-Native Help Desk
$19/user/month
15-minute setup
8 AI features included
- AI ticket summaries
- Smart reply suggestions
- Sentiment analysis
- Priority prediction
- Knowledge base with AI search
- Native Shopify integration
- Multi-channel support
- Workflow automation
I
Intercom
Expensive live chat with help desk features
$74/seat/month
Complex setup
AI features extra cost
Pros:
- Excellent live chat experience
- Strong product tours feature
- Good bot capabilities
- Modern interface
Cons:
- Very expensive
- Usage-based pricing adds up
- Overkill for email-focused support
- Complex pricing model
Ready to Make the Switch?
Join teams who've switched from Intercom to Relay and are handling support 3x faster with AI.
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