Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Intercom VS Converse.JS

Compare Intercom VS Converse.JS and see what are their differences

Intercom logo Intercom

Intercom is a customer relationship management and messaging tool for web businesses. Build relationships with users to create loyal customers.

Converse.JS logo Converse.JS

A free and open-source chat client for your website
  • Intercom Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-05
  • Converse.JS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28

Intercom

$ Details
-
Release Date
2011 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Ciaran Lee
Employees
500 - 999

Intercom features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Intercom offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.
  • Comprehensive Customer Communication Tools
    It provides a suite of tools for live chat, email marketing, in-app messaging, and customer support, all of which can be accessed in one place.
  • Customization and Integration
    Intercom allows for extensive customization and integrates with various third-party applications, enabling businesses to tailor the platform to meet their specific needs.
  • Automation Capabilities
    The platform supports automated workflows, which can save time and ensure consistent customer interactions.
  • Customer Data Management
    Intercom collects and analyzes customer data, providing valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences that can inform business strategies.

Possible disadvantages of Intercom

  • Cost
    Intercom can be expensive, particularly for small businesses or startups. The pricing model is based on the number of users and features, which can add up quickly.
  • Complexity for Advanced Features
    While basic features are user-friendly, some of the more advanced functionalities can be complex and may require a steeper learning curve.
  • Limited Reporting
    The reporting and analytics features, while useful, are sometimes considered less comprehensive compared to specialized analytics platforms.
  • Customer Support
    Some users have reported that Intercom's own customer support can be slow to respond, which can be frustrating when dealing with urgent issues.
  • Notification Overload
    The platform can generate a high volume of notifications, which can be overwhelming and may require careful management to avoid interrupting workflow.

Converse.JS features and specs

  • Open Source
    Converse.JS is open-source, which means that it is free to use and can be modified to fit specific needs. This allows for broad community support and contributions.
  • XMPP Protocol
    It operates on the XMPP protocol which is a mature and open standard for messaging, providing robust real-time messaging capabilities.
  • Easy Integration
    Converse.JS can be easily integrated into existing systems or web applications due to its flexibility and the fact that it is a JavaScript library.
  • Customizable
    The library offers a high level of customization, enabling developers to tailor the UI and features to closely match their application's needs.
  • Rich Features
    It supports features such as group chats, chat rooms, message archiving, and more, making it a comprehensive solution for chat functionalities.
  • Mobile Friendly
    Designed to be responsive, Converse.JS works well on mobile devices, providing a good user experience across different screen sizes.

Possible disadvantages of Converse.JS

  • Learning Curve
    While powerful, Converse.JS can have a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with XMPP or the intricacies of setting up chat services.
  • Requires Server Setup
    To function properly, Converse.JS requires a compatible XMPP server, which may add to the setup and maintenance overhead.
  • Browser Compatibility
    Some users might experience issues on older or less common browsers, as modern JavaScript libraries often rely on up-to-date browser capabilities.
  • Scalability Concerns
    For very large-scale applications, using XMPP and Converse.JS might require additional configuration and optimization efforts to ensure scalability.

Intercom videos

Intercom Review & Tutorial - How to Use Intercom for Websites

More videos:

  • Review - Intercom Software Review, Engage, Respond, Educate
  • Review - BTI V6 1200m Bluetooth & Intercom Review

Converse.JS videos

Real-Time Chat on the Web How to use XMPP and Converse.js to integrate webchat into any website

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Intercom and Converse.JS)
Customer Support
99 99%
1% 1
Communication
0 0%
100% 100
CRM
100 100%
0% 0
Group Chat & Notifications

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Intercom and Converse.JS

Intercom Reviews

  1. Eleanor Bennett
    · Digital Marketing Specialist at Logit.io ·
    An essential communication tool

    Intercom provides a lot of value to us. From live chat to email marketing and even helping us to create support documentation, Intercom handles a lot of key moving parts that are essential to keeping customers happy.


9 Best Tidio Alternatives Compared
Intercom is a customer engagement platform that serves mostly large and enterprise businesses. The software is known for its versatility, offering live chat, messaging, and in-app support, combined with advanced automation, AI bots, and customer data tracking.
Source: www.tidio.com
10 Best Freshdesk Alternatives for Businesses in 2024
Intercom is an alternative that excels in self-service support. It enables businesses to communicate and engage with their customers in real-time.
Top 11 Freshdesk Alternatives for 2024 (Ranked & Rated)
Intercom provides a useful suite of tools designed to improve your customer engagement. As a Freshdesk alternative, Intercom ticks several boxes when it comes to features:
9 Best ManyChat Alternatives & Competitors in 2024
Intercom’s main features are its helpdesk interfaces and chatbots. But it also includes lead qualification and nurturing functionalities. It offers product tours and resolution bots that can solve many customer concerns at once, freeing your reps’ time for the most complex queries. You can also make use of its Messenger integration and a provided chatbot to improve your...
Source: www.tidio.com
Top 13 Freshdesk alternatives and competitors for 2024
Intercom offers customer service software while also extending its platform to marketing and sales. Intercom is a newer platform to the CX market and has adopted AI and automation capabilities to keep up with business trends. Intercom features Intercom Messenger, a communication tool that provides customers with self-service or live support options.
Source: www.zendesk.com

Converse.JS Reviews

We have no reviews of Converse.JS yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Converse.JS might be a bit more popular than Intercom. We know about 10 links to it since March 2021 and only 7 links to Intercom. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Intercom mentions (7)

  • Enhancing Customer Support with a Live Chat Widget on Your Website
    Intercom: Famous for its conversational marketing focus, Intercom’s live chat widget offers features like proactive messaging and lead qualification. It also supports deep personalization for enhanced customer engagement. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • I started affiliate marketing, but with a twist
    Use chatbots to automate customer service: Chatbots use natural language processing to communicate with customers and answer their questions. By integrating chatbots into your affiliate marketing strategy, you can automate customer service and increase engagement with potential customers. This can lead to more sales and higher commissions. (Crisp, Intercom). Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to embed a web application into another website via API?
    I am trying to create an application that will work on a customer's website. Much like tawk.to or intercom.com. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Here's how I'd figure out the go-to-market for a Customer Support SaaS
    My way of doing marketing starts with figuring out what my overall project will (or will not) be. In this case, I looked at the vendors like Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, or Help Scout. They all have whizbang features such as live-chat, collaboration stuffs, automations and workflows. They bill per contact and addons. I’d emphasize a straightforward, fuss-free angle instead. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Chat widget with react.js
    I wanted to know the best practices of developing a widget. So I went through the popular implementations of it. I liked Intercom's widget very much. It is written in React. I analyzed how it works. The minimal javascript is loaded async on the webpage. It is injecting an iframe with id intercom-frame. That iframe has a script in it's head with a source URl. Obviously it is React bundle. Source: about 3 years ago
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Converse.JS mentions (10)

  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (February 2025)
    Taking a sabbatical and spending more time on an open source XMPP web client that I started 10 years ago already. https://conversejs.org The website is a bit old, but lots of exciting changes are happening under the hood and I finally have the time to make big architectural and performance improvements. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • An actually private messaging self hosted server
    I agree. IMHO the best variant is then to use something that is truely free. Like XMPP. There are a lot of servers and many clients to chose from and I can strongly recommend converse.js as a web client. It supports different ways of end to end encryption but I would recommend OMEMO which is basically the same encryption idea that you find in Signal. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Xmpp Bot with its own address.
    Hello, I recently started exploring xmpp, with snikket app and conversejs.org. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Matrix was worth the effort to self host.
    It is Converse.js (https://conversejs.org/) packaged into a one-click install for openfire (from the web admin). So, one-click install for an xmpp web client. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What is your recommended stack for real time chat?
    My choice, because it's the stack I know very well, would be Prosody ( https://prosody.im/ - I'm one of the devs) and a web client such as Converse.js ( https://conversejs.org/ ). XMPP is highly extensible, Prosody is highly modular, which make them a good foundation for building on top of. That said, the right stack is generally the one that matches your requirements, and (if this isn't primarily a learning... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Intercom and Converse.JS, you can also consider the following products

Zendesk - Zendesk is a beautiful, lightweight help-desk solution.

tawk.to - tawk.to is a free live chat app that lets you monitor and chat with visitors on your website or from a free customizable page

Freshdesk - Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software that lets you support customers through traditional channels like phone and email, social channels like Facebook and Twitter, and your own branded community

Rocket.Chat - Rocket.Chat is a Web Chat Server, developed in JavaScript, using the Meteor fullstack framework.

Drift - A messaging app that helps you grow your business.

Openfire - Openfire (formerly Wildfire) is a cross-platform instant messaging (IM) and groupchat server.