Go from Intercom to Chatwoot
The job: Small-team support inbox (Email support, Live chat, Assignment, Macros, Public help content). Pick where you are today and where you want to land; the move below follows your pick.
Every way to do this job · pick one
Switch app
Open source
Build it with an agent
Agent skill
The money
$425/mo today , then $95/mo
Intercom Advanced, 5 seats
Modeled from public list prices, with your time at $50 an hour. Show the math
Does it do the job? 5 of 5 covered
- Covered: Email support
- Covered: Live chat
- Covered: Assignment
- Covered: Macros
- Covered: Public help content
The work
- Setup
- About 10 h + $100
- Upkeep
- 0.5 h a month
- Watch out
- No Fin, teams/advanced automation, SSO or audit log parity; human handling time assumed unchanged.
Make the move in four steps
Export from Intercom
Conversations: single conversations or bulk selections as text or PDF; reporting data (no message content) through Reports, Dataset export; message details and attachments to Amazon S3…
Export stepsSet up Chatwoot
5 agents; email, website chat, public help center
DetailsSwitch links and integrations
Point links, embeds and integrations at Chatwoot, then send a test through every one.
Cancel Intercom
Turn off renewal before your renewal date, once the new setup works. Access runs until: The end of the current billing period (annual plans: the end of the 12-month period).
How to cancel Intercom
The whole recipe: 15 ways out, best first
What you use
- Email support
- Live chat
- Assignment
- Macros
- Public help content
Not covered
- Fin parity
- Voice
- Complex routing
- Enterprise SLAs
- SSO and audit parity in free editions
Check before switching
- Exact paid-feature needs checked
- Reply/thread routing tested
- Mailbox history migration verified
- Human support labor impact included
Agents: get_recipe("support-inbox") on the Stackcut MCP server.
15 ways out, best first
How we got this
| You pay now: Intercom Advanced | $85/user/mo × 5 users | $425/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Chatwoot cloud | $19/user/mo × 5 users | $95/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 0.5 h/mo × $50/h | $25/mo |
| Difference each month | $425 − $95 − $25 | +$305/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$305 × 12 | +$3,660 |
| Setup, once | 10 h × $50/h + $100 one-time | −$600 |
| Year one | +$3,660 − $600 | +$3,060 |
- Not counting your time (16 h in year one): saves $3,860 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Intercom Advanced | $85/user/mo × 5 users | $425/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Chatwoot community | $50/mo | |
| Your upkeep time | 2 h/mo × $50/h | $100/mo |
| Difference each month | $425 − $50 − $100 | +$275/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$275 × 12 | +$3,300 |
| Setup, once | 18 h × $50/h + $100 one-time | −$1,000 |
| Year one | +$3,300 − $1,000 | +$2,300 |
- Not counting your time (42 h in year one): saves $4,400 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Zendesk Suite Team | $69/user/mo × 1 user | $69/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Help Scout (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $69 − $0 | +$69/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$69 × 12 | +$828 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$828 − $50 | +$778 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $828 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Zendesk Suite Team | $69/user/mo × 1 user | $69/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Customer Support plugin (Anthropic knowledge-work-plugins) | runs in the agent you already pay for | $0/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 0.5 h/mo × $50/h | $25/mo |
| Difference each month | $69 − $0 − $25 | +$44/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$44 × 12 | +$528 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$528 − $50 | +$478 |
- Not counting your time (7 h in year one): saves $828 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Zendesk Suite Team | $69/user/mo × 1 user | $69/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Help Scout | $30/user/mo × 1 user | $30/mo |
| Difference each month | $69 − $30 | +$39/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$39 × 12 | +$468 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$468 − $50 | +$418 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $468 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Intercom Essential | $39/user/mo × 1 user | $39/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: tawk.to (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $39 − $0 | +$39/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$39 × 12 | +$468 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$468 − $50 | +$418 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $468 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Front Starter | $35/user/mo × 1 user | $35/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Help Scout (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $35 − $0 | +$35/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$35 × 12 | +$420 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$420 − $50 | +$370 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $420 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Help Scout Standard | $30/user/mo × 1 user | $30/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: tawk.to (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $30 − $0 | +$30/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$30 × 12 | +$360 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$360 − $50 | +$310 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $360 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Zendesk Suite Team, 1 agent (annual) | $55/user/mo × 1 user | $55/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Agent skill: draft support replies | runs in the agent you already pay for | $0/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 0.5 h/mo × $50/h | $25/mo |
| Difference each month | $55 − $0 − $25 | +$30/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$30 × 12 | +$360 |
| Setup, once | 4 h × $50/h | −$200 |
| Year one | +$360 − $200 | +$160 |
- Not counting your time (10 h in year one): saves $660 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
- Tested by Stackcut: 12 of 12 test tickets passed a strict independent grader after 5 rounds. our test
- No new subscription if you already pay for an agent that runs skills: a skill is a folder of files the agent loads. agentskills.io
- Drafts only: nothing is sent, deleted or changed without a person. our test
- No ticket queue, assignment, SLAs, reporting, live chat or help center. our test
- Fixing one rule can break another reply; re-run the whole ticket set after every change. our test
- Help Scout's free plan (5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month) may already cover a tiny team. helpscout.com
Step-by-step: set up, move your data, check, roll back · about 4 h (estimate)
Keep answering from your normal inbox; your agent drafts each reply from a skill folder and you send it after a check.
Writing the reference files and a 12-ticket test set. Each test round took about 6.5 minutes of agent time.
Before you start
- Export tickets before you cancel. Zendesk: JSON export (CSV leaves out comments), which Zendesk Support must enable first. support.zendesk.com
- Pull your 20 most common questions and your macros; they become the reference files.
Set up
- Use the Agent Skills layout: a SKILL.md (when to use it, the output format, a Never list) plus a references/ folder for product facts, troubleshooting, policies, voice and escalation. agentskills.io
- Write a ready-made answer for every privacy and billing question. These were where drafts went wrong in our test. our test
- Write 10 to 15 realistic test tickets and a pass/fail rubric before the first run.
Move your data
- Turn macros into the troubleshooting and policies files; keep the ticket export as your archive.
Check it worked
- Have one agent draft all test tickets and a separate agent grade them against the rubric; fix the reference files, not the drafts. our test
- Only go live when every ticket passes, then spot-check real drafts for two weeks.
Roll back
- Zendesk starts deleting data 90 days after cancellation; restart within that window to get tickets back. support.zendesk.com
Watch out for
- Zendesk needs cancellation notice 30 days before the term ends, or it auto-renews. zendesk.com
Reviewed 2026-09-29.
How we got this
| You pay now: Front Starter | $35/user/mo × 1 user | $35/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Freshdesk | $23/user/mo × 1 user | $23/mo |
| Difference each month | $35 − $23 | +$12/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$12 × 12 | +$144 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$144 − $50 | +$94 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $144 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Intercom Essential | $39/user/mo × 1 user | $39/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Help Scout | $30/user/mo × 1 user | $30/mo |
| Difference each month | $39 − $30 | +$9/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$9 × 12 | +$108 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$108 − $50 | +$58 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $108 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Help Scout Standard | $30/user/mo × 1 user | $30/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Freshdesk | $23/user/mo × 1 user | $23/mo |
| Difference each month | $30 − $23 | +$7/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$7 × 12 | +$84 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$84 − $50 | +$34 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $84 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Front Starter | $35/user/mo × 1 user | $35/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: FreeScout | a small server (modeled) | $5/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 2 h/mo × $50/h | $100/mo |
| Difference each month | $35 − $5 − $100 | −$70/mo |
| Over 12 months | −$70 × 12 | −$840 |
| Setup, once | 4 h × $50/h | −$200 |
| Year one | −$840 − $200 | −$1,040 |
- Not counting your time (28 h in year one): saves $360 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Help Scout Standard | $30/user/mo × 1 user | $30/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: FreeScout | a small server (modeled) | $5/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 2 h/mo × $50/h | $100/mo |
| Difference each month | $30 − $5 − $100 | −$75/mo |
| Over 12 months | −$75 × 12 | −$900 |
| Setup, once | 4 h × $50/h | −$200 |
| Year one | −$900 − $200 | −$1,100 |
- Not counting your time (28 h in year one): saves $300 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How to leave Intercom
Export first
- Conversation data: Reports → Dataset export (CSV, JSON to Amazon S3). The CSV holds IDs, timestamps, attributes and metrics, not message text; exporting a single conversation from the inbox gives the full transcript. Data goes back up to 2 years. intercom.com
Cancel
- Export conversation data first (see export).
- Settings → Subscription → Billing → Payment details → Cancel subscription.
- On a contract, talk to your account manager instead of cancelling in the app.
- Takes effect
- You keep access until the end of the current billing period, then lose it.
- Refunds
- Annual subscriptions are paid upfront and aren't refunded pro rata if you cancel early.
- Notice
- Contract customers must give written notice at least 30 days before the renewal date, or the contract renews for another 12 months.
- After you cancel
- Cancelling doesn't delete your data, but you lose access to it once the subscription ends unless you restart a plan.
How to leave Zendesk
Export first
- Tickets, users, organizations: Admin Center → Account → Tools → Reports (after Support enables it) (JSON, CSV (no comments), XML (≤500 MB)). Suite Growth+/Support Professional+; Team plans must use the REST API. Can take a day; links last ≥3 days. support.zendesk.com
What you lose
- SLA policies and timers
- CSAT surveys
- Assignment, collision detection, reporting
Cancel
- Export tickets as JSON (CSV leaves out comments). The account owner must first ask Zendesk Support to enable exports.
- Admin Center → Account → Billing → Subscription → Manage → Remove products or cancel account (account owner only; sales-assisted accounts must contact Sales).
- Takes effect
- End of the billing cycle.
- Refunds
- Fees are non-cancelable and non-refundable.
- Notice
- 30 days before the term ends, or the term auto-renews (revops@zendesk.com).
- After you cancel
- Data deletion starts 90 days after cancellation; tickets are then removed within 40 days, irreversibly.
How to leave Help Scout
Export first
- Conversations, customers, users: Inbox API (rate limit by plan: 200/400/800 per minute) (JSON) docs.helpscout.com
- Knowledge base articles: Docs API (JSON) docs.helpscout.com
- Reports: Reports → Export (CSV, XLSX) docs.helpscout.com
What you lose
- SLA policies
- Satisfaction surveys
- Workflow auto-assignment
- Report history
Cancel
- Export conversations (Inbox API) and Docs articles (Docs API) first.
- Avatar → Your Plan (→ Manage your plan) → Delete Account (account owner only).
- Takes effect
- Immediately: access ends when you delete, so export first.
- Refunds
- 30-day money-back guarantee on your first payment; otherwise no refunds for partial or annual periods.
- Notice
- None.
- After you cancel
- Terms allow restoring data on written request within 14 days (the cancel doc says 60): plan around 14.
Tested by Stackcut
Help desk seat → an agent skill that drafts support replies
Question. Can a skill folder (SKILL.md plus reference files) draft support replies good enough to send after a quick human check, without a help desk subscription? Path: Agent skill: draft support replies.
Tested on. Stackcut support: Our own support inbox: real product, real policies, real edge cases (privacy, deletion, beta access).
Numbers
- 12 test tickets, strict independent grader
- Pass rate by round: 9, 9, 11, 11, 12 of 12
- Longest passing draft: 136 words
- About 6.5 minutes of agent time per test round
Verdict
Good replacement for a low-volume help desk if a person reviews every draft before sending. Budget a few hours to write the reference files and a test set, and re-test after every change.
Good fit when
- Under ~20 tickets a day
- Your answers live in a few pages of facts and policies
- One or two people answer email
Not a fit when
- You need SLAs, ticket assignment, reporting or a shared inbox for a team
- Replies must go out without a person checking them
- You handle regulated data (health, payments) in tickets
What we found
- Most failures were missing facts, not bad writing. Every fix was a sentence added to a reference file.
- Privacy answers are where drafts go wrong. Round 2 opened with 'No, we don't store your emails' while the policy keeps subject lines. A ready-made, checked answer in policies.md fixed it for good.
- Fixing one rule can break another. The round-3 fix for ticket 12 made the round-4 draft ask the right question but drop the card CSV suggestion. Re-run the whole ticket set after every change, not only the ticket you fixed.
- Deletion without a results link has no self-serve answer, because scans aren't tied to an email. The skill must say so instead of promising a manual delete.
- Drafts only. The skill never sends, deletes or changes anything. Every action goes to a checklist for a person.
How we tested
- Wrote the skill in the agentskills.io format: SKILL.md (when to use, output block, Never list) plus references/ for product facts, troubleshooting, policies, voice and escalation.
- Wrote 12 realistic test tickets and a pass/fail rubric before the first run. The tickets cover access errors, deletion without a link, 'do you store my emails', invite codes, billing, an angry public threat and a feature request.
- Each round: a fresh agent reads only the skill and the tickets and drafts all 12 replies. A second, separate agent grades them strictly against the rubric and the reference files: every must met, no unsupported fact, no claimed action, under 150 words outside steps.
- Between rounds we fixed the reference files only, never the drafts.
Compare before you switch
Read the checked comparisons and workload guides for the tools this recipe replaces.
- Front vs Chatwoot Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
- Help Scout vs Chatwoot Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
- Help Scout vs FreeScout Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
- Intercom vs Chatwoot Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
- Zendesk vs Chatwoot Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
- Zendesk and Intercom alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costs Compare the wider set of alternatives and their tradeoffs.
- A support inbox for a 3-person team: what it costs, and when an agent skill is enough Choose for a new project, using its workload and volume.
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