Customer.iovsIntercom

Customer.io vs Intercom

Behavioral email vs conversational support

TL;DR

Customer.io is for automated behavioral messaging at scale. Intercom is for conversational customer support and engagement. They solve different problems - Customer.io for lifecycle marketing, Intercom for customer service and chat.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Primary Channel

Customer.io is email-first with multi-channel capabilities. Intercom is chat-first with email as secondary. Different starting points for different needs.

Automation vs Conversation

Customer.io excels at automated, scaled messaging. Intercom excels at real-time, conversational engagement. Both can do the other's strength, but not as well.

Pricing Predictability
Customer.io wins

Customer.io has straightforward profile-based pricing. Intercom's pricing is complex with per-seat costs, AI resolution fees, and add-ons.

Support Features
Intercom wins

Intercom is a complete support platform with ticketing, AI, and help center. Customer.io is messaging-only with no support features.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 contacts/users

Customer.io
$150/month

Essentials plan. Based on profiles.

Visit Customer.io
Intercom
$600+/month

Essential plan ~$29/seat + AI resolutions ($0.99 each). Costs vary significantly.

Visit Intercom
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Customer.io
Intercom
Sequenzy
Primary Focus
Core Channel
Email
Chat/Messenger
Email
Primary Use Case
Lifecycle marketing
Customer support
SaaS email
Real-time Chat
Core feature
Email Automation
Advanced
Basic
Good
Messaging Capabilities
Behavioral Triggers
Advanced
Good
Good
In-App Messages
Advanced (Product Tours)
Push Notifications
Transactional Email
Limited
Support Features
Live Chat
AI Chatbot
Fin AI ($0.99/resolution)
Help Center
Ticketing

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Customer.io if you...
  • Lifecycle email marketing at scale
  • Behavioral, product-triggered messaging
  • Teams needing predictable pricing
  • Email-first engagement strategies
Choose Intercom if you...
  • Customer support and live chat
  • In-app messaging and product tours
  • AI-powered support automation
  • Conversational engagement
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS with Stripe integration needs
  • Simpler lifecycle email without support features
  • Payment-triggered automations

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Native Stripe Integration

Sequenzy connects to Stripe for payment-triggered emails. Neither Customer.io nor Intercom offers native Stripe billing integration.

Much Lower Cost

At 10,000 contacts, Sequenzy is $49/month. Customer.io is $150+, and Intercom often exceeds $600/month.

Right-Sized for Email

If you just need behavioral email without Customer.io's complexity or Intercom's support features, Sequenzy is simpler.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Customer.io and Intercom are both customer messaging platforms, but they approach the problem from opposite directions. Customer.io is email-first, built for automated lifecycle marketing based on user behavior. Intercom is chat-first, built for real-time customer support and conversational engagement.

Different Problems, Different Tools

The question isn't which is better - it's what problem you're solving. Need to send automated email sequences triggered by user behavior? Customer.io. Need live chat, AI support, and help center? Intercom. Many companies use both, each for its strength. For a simpler alternative, check our Customer.io or pricing comparison.

Email vs Chat

Customer.io's email automation is sophisticated - behavioral triggers, complex workflows, multi-channel orchestration. Intercom can send email, but it's not the focus.

Intercom's chat and support features are comprehensive - live chat, AI bot (Fin), ticketing, help center, product tours. Customer.io doesn't do real-time chat or support, making it ideal for marketing automation only.

Pricing Complexity

Customer.io pricing is straightforward: pay based on profiles. At 10,000 profiles, expect around $150/month for Essentials. This makes it competitive with simpler tools like Sequenzy.

Intercom pricing is complex. Base seats start at $29-$139 each, but add AI resolution fees ($0.99 per resolution), proactive messaging add-ons ($99/month), and channel costs. Most businesses pay $600-2,000+ monthly. For more transparent pricing, alternatives may be worth considering.

In-App Messaging

Both support in-app messages, but differently. Intercom's product tours and targeted messages are more sophisticated for in-app engagement. Customer.io's in-app messaging is simpler, focused on notifications rather than interactive tours. If you need advanced segmentation for email, Customer.io wins.

Making the Choice

If your primary need is automated lifecycle email at scale, Customer.io is the clear choice. If you need customer support, live chat, and AI automation, Intercom is purpose-built for that. Many companies use Customer.io for marketing and Intercom for support - they complement rather than compete. Or choose Sequenzy if you want Stripe-integrated email with transparent pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Technically yes, but Intercom's email automation is less sophisticated. For complex behavioral email, Customer.io is stronger.

No, Customer.io doesn't have live chat, ticketing, or AI support features. They solve different problems.

Yes, commonly. Customer.io for lifecycle marketing, Intercom for customer support. They integrate together.

Intercom, typically by a significant margin. Customer.io is ~$150/month at 10k. Intercom often exceeds $600/month with all costs.

Intercom, especially for product tours and interactive in-app experiences. Customer.io's in-app is simpler.

Fin AI at $0.99/resolution can add up quickly. Worth it if AI resolves many tickets, expensive if resolution volume is high.

Export your people and attributes from Customer.io. Import into Intercom as users. Rebuild your email automations in Intercom's series feature - note that Intercom's email automation is less sophisticated. Set up Intercom's tracking snippet. You'll gain live chat and support features but may lose some email automation complexity.

Export your users and conversation data from Intercom. Import users into Customer.io and map attributes. Rebuild email sequences in Customer.io's workflow builder - Customer.io is stronger for behavioral email. Note that you'll need a separate solution for live chat and support features that Customer.io doesn't provide.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com