Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support
Intercom vs Retell AI vs ZoomInfo
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: Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.
Pick it if: Mid-size and large B2B sales and marketing teams with a budget for premium contact data.
Intercom scores highest overall, but Retell AI gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Intercom | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Customer support inbox, help centre and chat, with the Fin AI agent answering first. | AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls. | Huge B2B contact database with an AI Copilot that tells your sales reps who to call next. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $0.99 per outcome | About $0.07–$0.31/min | See website |
| 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 | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2Winner | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| 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 | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | – |
| 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 | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Fin on its own $0.99 per outcome, monthly minimum Teams happy with their current helpdesk who want the AI agent only. | Pay as you goOur pick About $0.07–$0.31/min Most small businesses and agencies. | Professional Custom quote, yearly contract Sales teams that mainly need contact data. |
Essential $29/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Small teams starting out with live chat and an AI agent. | Enterprise Custom High call volumes and compliance needs. | Copilot AdvancedOur pick Custom quote, yearly contract Teams that want AI to tell them who to call. | |
AdvancedOur pick $85/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Growing support teams that need automation and several inboxes. | Copilot Enterprise Custom quote, yearly contract Large sales organisations. | ||
Expert $132/seat/mo, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome Larger teams with security and multi-brand needs. | |||
| 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. | 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. | Ask for a trial first and check the data covers your market, especially outside the US. Copilot Advanced is where the AI and buying signals come in, which is most of the reason to pay ZoomInfo prices. Negotiate the renewal terms before you sign, and if your budget is under five figures, look at Apollo instead. |
Key features
| Attribute | Intercom | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Intercom | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Intercom | Retell AI | ZoomInfo |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Intercom, Retell AI or ZoomInfo?
Intercom scores highest overall in our ratings (Intercom 4.2/5, Retell AI 4.1/5 and ZoomInfo 3.6/5). Intercom is best for answering common customer questions automatically and website and in-app live chat. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone. ZoomInfo is best for Large B2B sales teams prospecting every day and finding direct dials and mobile numbers for decision makers.
Which is cheaper, Intercom, Retell AI or ZoomInfo?
Intercom: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $0.99 per outcome. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min. ZoomInfo: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.
Which is easier to use, Intercom, Retell AI or ZoomInfo?
Intercom rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Online businesses and software companies with a support team that wants an AI agent to take the first pass at every question.
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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