Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support
Intercom vs Pipedrive vs Retell AI
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Online businesses and software companies with a support team that wants an AI agent to take the first pass at every question.
Pick it if: Small businesses, agencies and sales teams of one to twenty people who want a clear view of every deal without a complicated CRM.
Pick it if: Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.
Overview
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Customer support inbox, help centre and chat, with the Fin AI agent answering first. | Simple sales CRM that shows every deal as a card on a board, with an AI sales assistant. | AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $0.99 per outcome | $14/seat/mo | About $0.07–$0.31/min |
| Free plan | No | No | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2Winner | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | – |
| Desktop app | – | – | – |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | – |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | – | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | – | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | – |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Fin on its own $0.99 per outcome, monthly minimum Teams happy with their current helpdesk who want the AI agent only. | Lite $14/seat/mo billed yearly, or $24 monthly One person who just needs a pipeline and reminders. | Pay as you goOur pick About $0.07–$0.31/min Most small businesses and agencies. |
Essential $29/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Small teams starting out with live chat and an AI agent. | GrowthOur pick $39/seat/mo billed yearly, or $49 monthly Small teams who live in their inbox. | Enterprise Custom High call volumes and compliance needs. | |
AdvancedOur pick $85/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Growing support teams that need automation and several inboxes. | Premium $59/seat/mo billed yearly, or $79 monthly Teams that want to capture and score leads too. | ||
Expert $132/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Larger teams with security and multi-brand needs. | Ultimate $79/seat/mo billed yearly, or $99 monthly Bigger teams that need the highest limits and tighter security. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Start the 14-day trial and see how many conversations Fin handles, because that number drives the bill more than seats do. Most teams with more than a couple of agents end up on Advanced for the workflows. If you already run Zendesk or Salesforce and like it, try Fin on its own first. | Growth is the plan most small teams should start on, because Lite has no proper email sync or automations. Move to Premium if you want web forms and lead scoring without paying for add-ons. Prices exclude tax and vary by country. | Start on pay as you go with the free credits, build one agent for your most common call and test it on your own phone. Talk to sales only once you run thousands of minutes a month. |
Key features
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Intercom | Pipedrive | Retell AI |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Intercom, Pipedrive or Retell AI?
Intercom scores highest overall in our ratings (Intercom 4.2/5, Pipedrive 4.1/5 and Retell AI 4.1/5). Intercom is best for answering common customer questions automatically and website and in-app live chat. Pipedrive is best for tracking deals from first contact to signed and reminders so no lead is forgotten. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone.
Which is cheaper, Intercom, Pipedrive or Retell AI?
Intercom: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $0.99 per outcome. Pipedrive: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $14/seat/mo. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min.
Which is easier to use, Intercom, Pipedrive or Retell AI?
Pipedrive rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses, agencies and sales teams of one to twenty people who want a clear view of every deal without a complicated CRM.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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