Intercom can talk to your readers. It cannot build your website.
Intercom is a helpdesk. You still need somewhere to publish. Airlancer is the site plus the inbox in one place.
A helpdesk is not a website.
Intercom is strong at chat, tickets, and AI answers. You still buy a site builder, glue the messenger on, and pay per seat. Airlancer is the site those conversations happen on.
A real website. Intercom has none.
Intercom does not let you publish a blog, a help center on your domain, or a member site. You still pay Webflow, Framer, WordPress, or someone else to exist on the internet.
Help lives on your site.
Write help articles once. Readers search them on your domain. The Messenger can hand off to you when it is unsure. No second vendor for the public help center.
Chat and tickets in one inbox.
Web chat and Messenger land in the same inbox. Assign a conversation, use a saved reply, and keep the history together. Inbox and tickets start on Publisher.
One bill. Not seats plus Fin plus a site.
Intercom starts at $29 per teammate, then $0.99 per Fin resolution, then whatever you pay for a website. Airlancer starts at $49 for the website. Help and inbox start on Publisher.
Side by side comparison
A publishing site with support built in vs a helpdesk you still have to bolt onto a site.
Support on Intercom
- No website. Buy Webflow, Framer, or WordPress too
- Fin AI is $0.99 per resolution on top of seats
- WhatsApp, SMS, and phone are usage-priced
- You glue the messenger onto a site you already pay for
Support on Airlancer
- Website and custom domain included
- Help center on your domain from Publisher
- Messenger chatbot from Publisher, labeled beta
- Shared inbox and tickets start on Publisher at $99
Intercom has no website.
You cannot build your public site in Intercom. The messenger sits on top of a site you already bought. Airlancer is that site, with help and chat on the same bill.
- No public website or blog
- No theme or custom domain for your brand
- No newsletter tools in the base product
- Messenger is a widget on someone else's site
- You still pay a site builder every month
- Public site with themes and custom domain
- Blog pages plus collections
- Help center on your domain
- Messenger on your pages
- Newsletters in the same workspace
Seats, Fin, and a second vendor.
Intercom bills teammates, then resolutions, then channels. You still pay for a website. Airlancer is a site plan. Help and inbox start on Publisher.
per teammate / month, billed yearly
each time Fin closes a question
Website plus help and inbox.
tl;dr: Who should pick what
Airlancer is best if...
- You need a public website and a place for readers to get help
- You want newsletters and chat in one workspace
- You do not want to pay per support seat on top of a site builder
- A Publisher chatbot and inbox are enough for your readers
Intercom might be better when...
- Support is the product, and you need WhatsApp, SMS, or phone
- You want Fin at volume and will pay per resolution
- You need SLAs, 350 integrations, or a multi-brand helpdesk
- You already have a website and only want a dedicated helpdesk
Intercom is a serious helpdesk. Airlancer is the website that helpdesk never included.
Sound familiar?
Why people look past Intercom
The messenger is great. We still had to buy a site, a newsletter tool, and then watch Fin invoices show up next to the seat bill.
Want the site and the inbox together?
Publish on your domain. Help readers from the same workspace. No second vendor for the website.