Matrix
Intercom and Cove, side by side — what actually ships
Public list prices checked 29 Aug 2026 where we cite a number. Feature rows for Cove are what ships today.
| Intercom | Cove | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | App id plus a settings object. Messenger defaults are a color and a greeting. | One script tag. Look is edited in Widget after — not in the tag. |
| Customization | Public defaults are limited. An AI agent ships on every plan. | Theme, glass, radius 0–32px, launcher, copy on every plan. White-label on Plus. |
| Inbox | Omnichannel helpdesk with Copilot. Ticketing and collaboration at suite depth. | Website chat queue: assign, notes, macros, snooze, SLA clocks, resolve, CSAT. Channels you connect land here. |
| Help center | Help Center as a full docs product, plus an agent trained on it. | Public FAQ on {slug}.coveinbox.co (optional verified custom host), same articles in the messenger. |
| Translation | Copilot can translate in the inbox (billed as an add-on on public pricing). | A line under the original in the shared inbox. The visitor never sees a swapped bubble. |
| Price shape | Essential $29/seat/mo + Fin $0.99/outcome (29 Aug 2026). | Workspace. Mini $39/mo. Conversations unlimited. |
| SLA | SLA targets on Expert. Essential is too thin for a standup clock. | First-reply and resolve clocks in Settings → Hours. Inbox shows on time, at risk, or late. Analytics reports the hit rate. |
| Saved views | Team inboxes and saved views at suite depth. | Mine and Unassigned ship. Twenty-four custom views: state, assignee, tag, search. Not team inboxes. |
| Reporting | Pre-built reports. Custom reports on Advanced and up. | Desk Analytics: volume, SLA hit, CSAT, channel mix, teammate load, CSV export. No custom report builder. No article-gap report. |
| Outbound | Series, Product Tours, and surveys on Proactive Plus (about $99/mo, 29 Aug 2026). | Email a People segment from Campaigns. Sequential send, cap 200. Clicks from Resend. RFC 8058 one-click unsub. URL teasers in Widget. Not Series. Not tours. |
| Sign-in | SAML SSO locked to Expert. | Operators use Google, Microsoft, a magic link, and 2FA. Not SAML. |
| Customer portal | Tickets portal on the suite. | Customers request a 30-minute email link at /portal/{workspace}. Transcript and reply. No customer attachments. |
Where Cove wins
Where Cove is the better fit
Setup
Paste one script. The panel loads in an iframe. Origins lock the key. First chat the same afternoon.
Customization
Glass, unified radius, launcher marks, and two copy fields — theme, glass, radius, launcher, and copy you control, on Free through Plus.
Inbox
Chat, help, and team workflows on one desk at a workspace price.
Help center
Write once. Visitors search in the messenger or on the public help URL. Leftover questions start a chat with context.
Translation
The original stays. The team reads the line under it. Locale sits on the contact.
How Cove covers the usual objections
What you get when you switch
Cove drafts
Plus drafts from your articles. A person still sends. Live workflows greet.
Phone and WhatsApp
Twilio voice, widget callbacks, and WhatsApp Cloud API land in the same inbox when you connect them.
Campaigns
Email a People segment. Sequential cap 200. Clicks from Resend. RFC 8058 unsub. URL teasers in Widget. Not Series and not a Proactive pack.
Portal and SLA
A 30-minute magic-link portal and Hours clocks ship with the desk. No customer attachments. Analytics is the standup view.
Suite depth
Cove is one complete desk: chat, help, CRM, and workflows — a full Intercom competitor, faster to go live than assembling a suite.
How to migrate to Cove
Start a Cove workspace, paste the snippet, and set the look in Widget. Import people as CSV, help as markdown, and optional thread transcripts from Settings → Replace widget. Ticket fields stay behind on purpose.
Switch guide — snippet swap, what maps, CSV and markdown import
Other comparisons
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why switch: branded messenger, workspace price, no outcome meter.
Plus includes Cove Agent: help-grounded drafts from published articles and macros. A person still sends. Visitors can always talk to a person. See Cove Agent.
Theme, glass, radius, launcher, and copy live in Widget studio. That is more control than a default color and greeting.
Often, if you needed a branded messenger and a queue. Compare pricing to their public list, dated on this page.
No. Operators sign in with Google, Microsoft, a magic link, and 2FA. See security.
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