The Best Intercom Alternative for UK Businesses (2025)
Tired of Intercom's unpredictable per-conversation pricing? Hand On Web delivers AI-powered customer messaging at a flat monthly rate. RAG chatbots, Voice AI, WhatsApp — all included. Chester-based support with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Why Your Intercom Bill Keeps Growing
Intercom's pricing model punishes success. The more customers you help, the more you pay.
3-Person Team (1,000 conversations/month)
5-Person Team (2,500 conversations/month)
10-Person Team (5,000 conversations/month)
Intercom vs Hand On Web: Complete Feature Comparison
A transparent look at how we compare as an Intercom competitor.
| Feature | Intercom | Hand On Web |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From £65/seat/month + conversations | From £149/month (unlimited conversations) |
| Per-Conversation Pricing | Yes - costs scale unpredictably | No - flat monthly rate |
| AI Chatbot (Fin AI equivalent) | £0.99 per AI resolution | Included in all plans |
| Voice AI / Phone Automation | Not available | Full AI receptionist included |
| RAG-Powered Knowledge Base | Limited AI training | Full RAG with your business data |
| Setup Time | 1-3 weeks typical | 3-5 days |
| Dedicated Support | Self-serve (lower tiers) | Personal account manager |
| WhatsApp Integration | Add-on pricing | Included in all plans |
| Contract Length | Annual commitment required | Monthly rolling |
| GDPR Compliance | Yes | Yes (UK-based) |
| Product Tours | Included (higher tiers) | Not currently offered |
| UK-Based Support | No (US-based) | Yes (Chester) |
Why Businesses Are Replacing Intercom in 2025
Intercom pioneered customer messaging. But their pricing model hasn't evolved — your costs shouldn't scale with your success.
Escape Conversation-Based Pricing
Intercom's per-conversation model means costs spiral as you grow. We charge a flat monthly rate — your success doesn't cost you more.
Save 50-70% on Monthly Costs
A typical Intercom bill for a 3-person team with AI can exceed £500/month. We offer similar capabilities from £149/month flat.
True AI, Not Bolt-On AI
Intercom's Fin AI costs £0.99 per resolution. Our RAG-powered AI chatbot is included — no per-query charges, ever.
Voice AI That Intercom Lacks
Intercom doesn't offer phone AI. Our AI receptionist handles calls 24/7, books appointments, and captures leads while you sleep.
Actual Human Support in Chester
Talk to real people who understand UK business, UK regulations, and UK time zones. Not chatbots about chatbots.
No Lock-In, No Risk
30-day money-back guarantee. Monthly contracts. If we don't deliver value, walk away. Intercom locks you into annual deals.
Switching from Intercom? We Make It Painless.
We offer free migration assistance for businesses leaving Intercom. We'll transfer your knowledge base, set up your AI chatbot, configure WhatsApp, and get you live in under a week.
- Help center content migration
- AI chatbot training on your data
- WhatsApp & website widget setup
- Team onboarding & training
- Parallel running during transition
- Dedicated Chester-based support
What You Get vs What You Pay
Everything you need for modern customer support — without Intercom's surprise bills.
RAG AI Chatbot
Unlike Intercom's Fin (£0.99/resolution), our RAG chatbot is trained specifically on your business data with retrieval-augmented generation. Unlimited queries, zero extra cost.
Learn about RAG ChatbotsVoice AI (Intercom Doesn't Have This)
24/7 AI phone answering that Intercom simply doesn't offer. Handle inbound calls, qualify leads, book appointments, and capture details — even at 3am.
Explore Voice AIMulti-Channel Support
Website chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger — all included. Intercom charges extra for WhatsApp. We believe omnichannel should be standard.
See All Chatbot OptionsChester-Based Human Support
Intercom is US-based with chatbot-first support. We're in Chester with real humans who pick up the phone. Your dedicated account manager knows your business.
See Zendesk Comparison TooBuilt for UK Businesses, Priced for Real Companies
We're not trying to be Intercom for enterprises. We're building the best customer service automation for UK small and medium businesses who want AI-first features without enterprise pricing.
Intercom Alternative FAQs
Common questions about switching from Intercom to Hand On Web.
Is Hand On Web really a viable Intercom alternative?
Yes. We provide the core customer messaging features most businesses need: AI chatbots, live chat handoff, WhatsApp integration, and automated responses. Plus we include Voice AI that Intercom doesn't offer. Where Intercom excels in product tours and complex workflows, we excel in AI-first automation at predictable pricing.
How does pricing compare to Intercom?
Intercom uses per-seat PLUS per-conversation pricing, and their AI (Fin) costs extra per resolution. For a typical business with 3 people handling 1,000 conversations monthly, Intercom can cost £500+/month. Our flat pricing starts at £149/month with AI included. No per-conversation fees, ever.
Can you match Intercom's Fin AI?
Our RAG-powered chatbot often outperforms Fin because it's trained specifically on YOUR business data with retrieval-augmented generation. Fin is a general AI with your help docs bolted on. We build AI that truly understands your business — and we don't charge per resolution.
What about Intercom's product tours and onboarding features?
We don't currently offer product tours — if in-app onboarding is your primary need, Intercom may be better. However, most businesses switching to us were only using Intercom for chat and support, paying for features they never touched. We focus on doing customer support automation exceptionally well.
Can I migrate from Intercom to Hand On Web?
Absolutely. We offer free migration assistance. We'll export your help content, train our AI on your knowledge base, set up your WhatsApp and website chat, and get you live within a week. We can even run both systems in parallel during transition.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes. 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If you're not seeing value in the first month, we'll refund you fully. Intercom requires annual commitments with no such guarantee.
Why is UK-based support important?
UK data protection (UK GDPR), UK business practices, UK time zones. When you need help at 10am on a Tuesday, you'll reach someone in Chester who understands your context — not an overnight support team reading from scripts.
What makes your AI chatbot different from Intercom's?
Three things: 1) RAG technology that truly learns your business, not just reads your help docs. 2) We train it FOR you rather than leaving you with DIY setup. 3) No per-resolution charges — your AI can handle 10,000 queries a month without your bill changing.
Ready to Replace Intercom?
Book a free consultation to compare your current Intercom costs with our flat pricing. 30-day money-back guarantee — zero risk to try.