Indie Alternatives

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Indie alternatives to Intercom

13 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Intercom does, 8 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.

At a glance

ProductPriceOpen sourceSelf-hostPlatforms
ChaportFree plan––Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
ChatraFree plan––Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
ChatwootFree planYesYesWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
CrispFree plan––Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
JivoChatFree plan––Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
SmartsuppFree plan––Web, iOS, Android
tawk.toFree plan––Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
TidioFree plan––Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Help ScoutPaid––Web, iOS, Android, API
HelpCrunchPaid––Web, iOS, Android
LiveChatPaid––Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
OlarkPaid––Web
PlainPaid––Web, API

The alternatives

1. Chaport

Live chat and chatbots for websites

A live chat app with chatbots, auto-invitations and multichannel messaging for small businesses.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

2. Chatra

Live chat and messaging for small online businesses

Chatra is a live chat app for websites and online stores, with chatbots, saved replies and a shared inbox for messages from multiple channels.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗

3. Chatwoot

Open-source customer engagement and live chat

An open-source omnichannel support platform with website live chat, email, social and messaging channels, cloud-hosted or self-hosted.

Free plan · Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android · Website ↗

4. Crisp

Live chat, shared inbox and help center for small businesses

Crisp is a customer messaging platform with website live chat, a shared team inbox, chatbots and a knowledge base for small and medium businesses.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗

5. JivoChat

Omnichannel business messenger and live chat

A business messenger that combines website live chat with messages from social media, messaging apps, email and calls.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

6. Smartsupp

Live chat, chatbots and shopping assistant for online stores

A live chat and chatbot tool for e-commerce websites, with AI assistance and conversation analytics.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

7. tawk.to

Free live chat for websites

A free live chat app for monitoring and chatting with website visitors, with ticketing and a knowledge base; paid add-ons are optional.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

8. Tidio

Live chat and AI chatbot for websites

A customer service tool combining live chat, AI chatbots and help desk features for small and mid-size online businesses.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

9. Help Scout

Shared inbox, help center and live chat for support teams

Help Scout offers a shared email inbox, knowledge base and chat widget for customer support teams.

Paid · Web, iOS, Android, API · Website ↗

10. HelpCrunch

Live chat, help desk and email marketing in one

A customer communication platform with live chat, chatbots, knowledge base, shared inbox and email campaigns.

Paid · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

11. LiveChat

Live chat software for websites

A live chat tool for customer service and sales teams to chat with website visitors, with ticketing and integrations.

Paid · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

12. Olark

Live chat software for sales and support teams

Olark provides a website live chat widget with chat transcripts, CRM integrations and reporting for small sales and support teams.

Paid · Web · Website ↗

13. Plain

API-first customer support platform for B2B teams

Plain is a support platform for B2B companies that unifies Slack, email and chat support with an API-first design.

Paid · Web, API · Website ↗

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Intercom?

Yes. 8 of the 13 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Chaport, Chatra, Chatwoot, Crisp and 4 more.

Is there an open-source alternative to Intercom?

Chatwoot is open source.

Can I self-host an alternative to Intercom?

Yes: Chatwoot can run on your own server.

Which Intercom alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?

On Mac: Chaport, Chatra, Crisp and 4 more. On Windows: Chaport, Chatra, Crisp and 4 more. On iPhone and iPad: Chaport, Chatra, Chatwoot and 8 more. On Android: Chaport, Chatra, Chatwoot and 8 more.

What makes these alternatives to Intercom “indie”?

They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Intercom.

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