Intercom vs. Mailchimp

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Intercom
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Intercom creates modern Customer Service software that aims to redefine how businesses support their customers. The platform connects businesses directly to customers using powerful messaging and automation. According to the vendor, Intercom enables teams to scale support without investing more resources - leading to happier customers and more efficient support teams.
$39
per month per seat
Mailchimp
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Mailchimp is the email marketing and marketing automation platform. Most email marketing platforms tell you how your campaigns perform, but Mailchimp goes a step beyond and tells you why by analyzing the data from half a billion emails sent through the platform every day to offer personalized recommendations for improving content, targeting, automations, and driving revenue using emails
$0
per month
Pricing
IntercomMailchimp
Editions & Modules
Essential
$39
per month per seat
Advanced
$99
per month per seat
Expert
$139
per month per seat
The Early Stage program
From $65 for 5 support seats
per month
Proactive Support Plus add-on
from $99
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IntercomMailchimp
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAI customer service features included in every plan. Intercom integrates Help desk, AI Chat bot, and Proactive support.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
IntercomMailchimp
Considered Both Products
Intercom
Chose Intercom
Mailchimp is better for layout and beginning user due to its accessibility. It's easier to build mass audiences, and formatting templates.
Chose Intercom
We used to use HubSpot to communicate with leads via their live chat tool and also message our client points of contact. We then used Mailchimp to communicate with our entire user-base. With Intercom we no longer need either of those tools.
Chose Intercom
Zendesk was very slow and clunky to operate.
The system often bugged out and the assigning of emails was poor at best, once assigned it would be very hard to find that ticket again unless it was assigned to you directly.
The search function and live chat function of Zendesk were …
Chose Intercom
Intercom, although significantly more expensive than Zendesk, is just simpler and easier to use. The startup easing in for me was an absolute necessity also. In a technical sense, I feel that api access via intercom is such a necessity also, and will be more so as we evolve, …
Chose Intercom
It was a difficult comparision but we sticked to Intercom because of the overall chat interface that it provides. On top of that, Intercom has a great appstore to integrate the products that we were using earlier.
Chose Intercom
We selected Intercom because at the time, it was the only tool available that offered inbox functionality, help docs, and campaign features all in one product. We stayed with them for so long, despite the convoluted and expensive pricing, because it would have been equally …
Chose Intercom
Both Intercom and Drift are comparable in terms of their abilities. Although Intercom came into the market first, Drift has done well to keep up with Intercom's updates and offer similar services of its own. Intercom edges out Drift in terms of its abilities and wealth of …
Chose Intercom
More powerful and more costly than Drift thanks to its incredible UI and mobile application.
Less feature-rich, but more cost-effective for small startups than Zendesk.
Chose Intercom
We still use some of the above for specific tasks, but overall it comes down to being able to do much of the above in a single portal, as a team. Time and quality is of the essence, and Intercom is built for scale which as a tech business is hugely appealing.
Mailchimp

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
IntercomMailchimp
Incident and problem management
Comparison of Incident and problem management features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
8.1
111 Ratings
3% above category average
Mailchimp
-
Ratings
Organize and prioritize service tickets8.4101 Ratings00 Ratings
Expert directory8.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Subscription-based notifications7.767 Ratings00 Ratings
ITSM collaboration and documentation8.275 Ratings00 Ratings
Ticket creation and submission8.3104 Ratings00 Ratings
Ticket response7.8109 Ratings00 Ratings
Self Help Community
Comparison of Self Help Community features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
7.3
115 Ratings
6% below category average
Mailchimp
-
Ratings
External knowledge base7.4114 Ratings00 Ratings
Internal knowledge base7.299 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-Channel Help
Comparison of Multi-Channel Help features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
8.2
111 Ratings
7% above category average
Mailchimp
-
Ratings
Customer portal8.589 Ratings00 Ratings
IVR7.736 Ratings00 Ratings
Social integration7.569 Ratings00 Ratings
Email support8.8105 Ratings00 Ratings
Help Desk CRM integration8.580 Ratings00 Ratings
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
8.0
475 Ratings
3% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings8.1440 Ratings
Dynamic content00 Ratings7.8423 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings7.9404 Ratings
Landing pages00 Ratings7.5327 Ratings
A/B testing00 Ratings8.0358 Ratings
Mobile optimization00 Ratings8.1434 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings8.5462 Ratings
List management00 Ratings8.1462 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings7.7319 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
9.1
2 Ratings
16% above category average
Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings6.22 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Data quality management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
8.1
50 Ratings
6% above category average
Calendaring00 Ratings8.445 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
8.2
44 Ratings
9% above category average
Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
Social profile integration00 Ratings8.135 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
7.6
460 Ratings
1% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings7.7123 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.0458 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings7.250 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Intercom
-
Ratings
Mailchimp
7.4
44 Ratings
2% below category average
API00 Ratings7.833 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings6.57 Ratings
Customizability00 Ratings5.62 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings8.421 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM00 Ratings7.618 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
Third-party software integrations00 Ratings7.639 Ratings
Best Alternatives
IntercomMailchimp
Small Businesses
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Score 9.0 out of 10
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Score 9.0 out of 10
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Service Cloud
Score 8.7 out of 10
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
IntercomMailchimp
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(260 ratings)
8.0
(499 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(19 ratings)
8.5
(51 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(168 ratings)
8.4
(373 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(1 ratings)
9.5
(6 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(1 ratings)
9.0
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(10 ratings)
7.9
(15 ratings)
Online Training
8.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.5
(5 ratings)
7.5
(22 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(1 ratings)
9.5
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
IntercomMailchimp
Likelihood to Recommend
Intercom
Well suited for real time customer support needs - that's where it really shines. Well suited for proactive outreach and the ability to gather feedback from customers + surveys. Less appropriate for a non techie company to set it up, basically any sort of changes in integration have to be done by an engineer.
Read full review
Mailchimp
With Mailchimp we are able to revive and enhance our personal connect with the customers. The easy-to-use tools allows us to personalize the email content, segregate and target important leads & send relevant messages. Also, it offers interactive analysis on the performance of a particular campaign. We can judge the effectiveness of our mailers in real time.
Read full review
Pros
Intercom
  • Intercom's ability to centralize customer communication is a game-changer.
  • Intercom's automation features have saved us time and streamlined workflows.
  • Help desk for users.
  • Intercom seamlessly integrates with a variety of other tools and platforms, enhancing its functionality and making it a central part of our tech stack.
Read full review
Mailchimp
  • Mailchimp allows you to manage your mailing list really well. You can subscribe people, unsubscribe people manage the mailing list directly into segments, and what not.
  • Mailchimp has features where you can create campaigns based on your mailing lists and send out newsletters to your subscribers based on a multitude of parameters that you can setup. Such as send email daily, weekly, monthly and they also have event based mails that you can send out.
  • Mailchimp also has a feature where you can design your emails. The look and aesthetics are very important when sending emails to your subscribers and all those needs are addressed here.
Read full review
Cons
Intercom
  • The AI tools should have a make shorter option
  • The research is difficult compared to other platforms such as Zendesk where it is easier to find stuff (accounts, emails, messages...)
  • I know that you could integrate better AI tools! The chatbot is amazing, so I'm just missing more AI tools to increase productivity
Read full review
Mailchimp
  • The interface remains a cluttered, non-intuitive mess. That's true from the haphazard way features are organized to the actual email layout.
  • Analytics have never been a priority, and I don't see that changing with Intuit's new ownership. I'm very frustrated over the limited choices for reporting, even when using third-party solutions. If I needed that function, I would not use MailChimp.
  • I would love to develop a workflow screen that lets me focus on the things that I use all the time. Customizing the interface where the content actually goes into the software would help.
  • I never understood why we couldn't import a document into a MC template. At best, we're spending time copying-and-pasting from one app into MC.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Intercom
We have been and will be continuing our journey with Intercom and nothing too concerning has happened that I have experienced or heard of that has us on the edge yet. If it ever happens it will be something along the lines of "Outgrowing" the use of need of the platform.
Read full review
Mailchimp
We've had Mailchimp for about ten years, I want to say. I started with the company about four years ago, and I don't see us ever diverting to another source. It's easy for us to use, and we have all our clients already built into the database. I imagine we'll use them for as long as we have the company.
Read full review
Usability
Intercom
Everything is very straightforward and easy to see, explore, and use. Intercom provides walkthroughs and helps guides in case something is not apparent to the user and has their agents available to help. I always feel confident when exploring new features or making changes that I can have it accomplished due to the service they provide.
Read full review
Mailchimp
Our team use Mailchimp almost every week. Overall UI is simple for anyone to get started with it. The resource library around using particular features is also there, so we don't have to train our team on this product. We also used a lot of other features as well.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Intercom
always there
Read full review
Mailchimp
I have, in the 4+ years that I've used Mailchimp, never seen an issue that restricted the use of their software/tools. I don't know of a single time when they're system crashed or went down. I could be wrong, but I honestly haven't experienced any issues with outages, errors or unplanned downtime
Read full review
Performance
Intercom
works perfect
Read full review
Mailchimp
I haven't noticed any slow speeds from Mailchimp or their tools. I think the landing pages load quickly and look nice. The email reports and editing operates smoothly and doesn't take time to load. Additionally, when I use Mailchimp in conjunction with Zapier + Hubspot I don't notice any drag between any of these tools
Read full review
Support Rating
Intercom
Intercom is the premier customer support/engagement model and it definitely has one of the top tier customer support teams as well. I don't think I have ever waited more than 5 minutes to get the information I need or get help with an issue. They are incredible and I aim to model our customer service department after them.
Read full review
Mailchimp
Website tools were easy to use and understand so a novice can easily meet or exceed their client's expectations! Loved that we were able to totally customize so that the e-mail we created conveyed our client's overall messaging consistent with their branding! Client love that we can provide turnkey services to support their sales and marketing teams!
Read full review
Online Training
Intercom
Easy to know the learning path
Read full review
Mailchimp
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Intercom
The implementation was surprisingly easy but we are having to adapt from our old process to work well with Intercom.
Read full review
Mailchimp
It's pretty easy to get up and running! There's a slight learning curve on a few things, but once you find where everything is located, you can import your list and send your first email. It really makes our clients feel great to see how quickly they can get that first email out.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Intercom
We've used both Drift and Salesforce chat at Owl Labs in the past, and I didn't find them to meet our needs or customer needs the way Intercom has been able to. Intercom ranks higher for us regarding Integrations offered, customization, AI functionality, and user-friendliness. In the past, if chat visitors would click around our website, they'd have to start their chat over again from the start and lose their communication history with us. We also found that Salesforce chat did not have enough customization that we needed. One small example is that in Intercom, you can see when another teammate is looking at a chat and tag them in notes to collaborate. We didn't have access to anything like that when using Salesforce chat. Intercom has made it easy to work alongside one another to be more efficient.
Read full review
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a means to an end and a way to stay within GDPR laws. We may not use it if this wasn't a requirement. Other platforms are better for design or management of contacts, but Mailchimp offers that secure storage of data that is required. I have not tried other bulk mail applications, so am unable to compare these.
Read full review
Scalability
Intercom
No answers on this topic
Mailchimp
Mailchimp over the years I've used it has grown in leaps and bounds. They have added so many additional features than were previously available. They are truly an all-in-one marketing platform now. If you're a small operation and just want to add email to your marketing efforts, they're there for you. If you're a larger operation and want to start sending postcard advertisements, they can do that. If you'd good with that and want to kick up your marketing by going social, you can do that on their platform. They are truly able to be as small as you need, but also get quite large in whatever it is you'd like to do through their system.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Intercom
  • I like how easy it is to spot the user data needed to assist our members.
  • Love how easy it is to link articles on the chat that will help both us and the customers.
  • I like that the sales force or the tickets is already connected on the chat
Read full review
Mailchimp
  • Mailchimp has allowed us to communicate effectively with thousands of customers with ease.
  • Mailchimp's use during our second year of business helped us expand our list of brands considerably (almost 30% YTD) because of regular interactions that we've launched.
  • Mailchimp ramp-up time is minimal for new users so I can turn things over to junior staff - saving me time and money.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Intercom Screenshots

Screenshot of AI Agent - The agent resolves 50% of support volume.Screenshot of AI Copilot - A personal AI assistant for every support agent.Screenshot of Omnichannel inbox - AI-enhanced to increase productivity.Screenshot of Tickets - Intercom tickets are designed for collaboration so complex issues are resolved faster.Screenshot of Help Center -  The help center powers AI and self-serve support.Screenshot of Workflows - Automations are built using the Intercom no code visual builder.

Mailchimp Screenshots

Screenshot of Mailchimp's advanced analytics and reporting tools. These are used to monitor trends, track performance, and get actionable insights that help users to create better campaigns and drive customer engagement.Screenshot of Mailchimp's precise audience segmentation. Its AI simplifies the workflow by generating complex customer segments for highly personalized campaigns.Screenshot of omnichannel marketing. Campaigns can be built across multiple channels, and then managed from one convenient place.Screenshot of marketing automations with the Customer Journey Builder. This is used to reach the right people with the right message at exactly the right time, which helps to drive more repeat business, increase customer retention, and see more orders.Screenshot of Mailchimp's SMS marketing. SMS can be integrated into email, automations, and social campaigns.Screenshot of Mailchimp's AI, used to deliver relevant content faster. It can generate professionally written, on-brand marketing emails with the press of a button. The user only needs to review, edit, and send.