Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs Salesforce Sales Cloud comparison

Intercom and Salesforce are both solutions in the CRM category. Intercom is ranked #29 with an average rating of 9.0, while Salesforce is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2. Intercom holds a 0.3% mindshare in CRM, compared to Salesforce’s 8.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Intercom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

Intercom Customer Communica...

Read 2 Intercom Customer Communications Platform reviews

136 Views
63 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Read 115 Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews

4,575 Views
1,957 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Intercom Customer Communica...

Salesforce Sales Cloud

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Salesforce Sales Cloud and Intercom Customer Communications Platform compete in the data management and customer interaction category. Intercom seems to have the upper hand in feature richness, valued by clients, although Salesforce shows strong performance in data analytics and management.

Features: Salesforce Sales Cloud offers extensive CRM solutions, advanced analytics, and sales forecasting capabilities. Intercom focuses on robust communication tools, providing live chat, automated messaging, and enhanced customer engagement functionalities. Salesforce emphasizes sales process efficiency; Intercom prioritizes real-time communication and customer interaction.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Salesforce employs a traditional deployment model with comprehensive customer support, resulting in longer implementation times. Intercom offers a streamlined setup, focusing on seamless integration and proactive customer service, leading to faster deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce usually requires a higher initial investment but offers substantial ROI through comprehensive analytics and sales management. Intercom offers a competitive pricing model, ensuring quicker ROI by enhancing customer interaction efficiency. Salesforce's significant initial setup costs are balanced by long-term benefits, whereas Intercom's lower costs attract those seeking immediate improvements.

To learn more, read our detailed CRM Report (Updated: June 2025).

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June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Intercom Customer Communica...

Ranking in CRM

29th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM Customer Engagement Centers (12th), Social CRM (6th)

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Ranking in CRM

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

115

Ranking in other categories

Opportunity Management (1st), Sales Force Automation (1st), Conversation Intelligence Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Intercom Customer Communications Platform is 0.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 8.5%, down from 10.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

CRM

Featured Reviews

Kumar Abhishek Anand

Director at Revivo Technologies

Customer support has improved significantly with seamless chat integration for quick resolutions

The feature we appreciate most about the Intercom Customer Communications Platform is the messenger functionality. We are able to integrate it into our application and provide support to customers directly through our application. The messenger works efficiently, allowing users to have conversations without entering their details repeatedly. There is conversation history available for each customer interaction, and they can access the help section within the chat itself. The Finn AI agent handles conversations both in chat and WhatsApp, which is particularly beneficial. Regarding automation tools, we have enabled the AI agent to answer customer queries instantly, reducing the need for constant staff presence. The AI agent quickly responds to customers and summarizes their issues, informing us when it cannot resolve a problem independently.

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Greg-Lythe

CTO at Amulets Hotkey

A feature-rich platform that helps to track sales and gather customer information

My age-old complaint with Salesforce Sales Cloud is that it has to be refreshed because it's a cloud-based system. If you make any updates, you have to refresh and save because you're fundamentally looking at what's running in the cloud. It can be slow since you constantly refresh and save the screen. If you were running a local application, like a local CRM system, as you input anything, it would be more seamless. It's like using Excel—you don't have to save every single time you enter new details into a cell because it knows it's a local copy. With a cloud-based system like the tool, changing requires refreshing and saving, which can be tedious.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The live chat is pretty good because you can create a macro, which is a predefined input we can give customers."

"The feature we appreciate most about the Intercom Customer Communications Platform is the messenger functionality, allowing users to have conversations without entering their details repeatedly."

"The reporting is easy and helpful."

"The most valuable feature of Salesforce Sales Cloud is for teams the ability to do marketing on our page and to manage their marketing leads. You are able to close a deal and do the renewal. For the life cycle management for customer management, we use Salesforce Sales Cloud. The performance of the solution is good."

"On the high level, it's all about managing the clients, managing the opportunities around those clients, managing the tasks, calls, activities, all those things."

"This solution offers a good user experience. It is easy to learn and use, even for those who are using it for the first time."

"The product is very fast and responsive. There's no lag time when you are on the platform."

"Salesforce highlights what are we selling in different regions and which regions or areas offer opportunities. We are able to view sales by month, quarter or year."

"The company wants to implement the idea of democracy within IT. As an end user, you can do a lot by yourself, so you do not have to write code. The idea is that they go for low-code and they use flow. It's possible to update records and do things like automation without writing real codes. I think this is one of the advantages of the solution."

"The dashboards and dashboard customization are great."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pros

Cons

"It would be beneficial if there was a way to train the AI to better understand customer language."

"Sometimes, the solution lags and takes time to update something."

"Auto clean for duplicate leads, accounts, and contacts needs improving."

"The built-in functionality is a little dated."

"We have a very broad set of products at our company. The process to get that information accurately into the Sales Cloud system could use improvement. It shouldn't take weeks of time. The process of identifying products that are being sold for forecasting purposes and sales tracking purposes is too hard."

"We prefer using local solutions like RD Station in Brazil due to pricing considerations."

"It is a bit pricey."

"There are things that could be improved with respect to file sharing. There is a limited file size."

"The performance is sometimes slow. There is too much information and this makes it difficult to find the answers we are looking for."

"Salesforce Sales Cloud does not integrate with Slack or WhatsApp, for example. As a result, there is no easy way to directly log a conversation with a client that occurred on one of these platforms. There are a few things that still need to be done manually in these instances."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The price of the Salesforce Sales Cloud is expensive. We pay monthly for the solution but we are billed quarterly."

"Not the cheapest"

"The main thing is it is costly. Salesforce it is not cheap, it's costly. Some of our customers say it is a costly solution. So, we have lost some sale opportunities regarding the high price. This is the main thing that we are facing. It is sales per user and the user price is about $150 per month, per user for the Enterprise Edition. The other edition is less than this, but it is costly. A company that has 70 or 80 users would pay more than $8,000 USD yearly because it is cloud based."

"Being license based, the license varies by type. The pricing is considered average."

"Sales Cloud is expensive."

"The overall price of Salesforce Sales Cloud could be better, it is more expensive than other competitors. There is an annual license for Salesforce Sales Cloud."

"My understanding is that Salesforce is a little bit expensive, but in terms of the efficiencies, automation, and visibility, I think it's definitely value for money."

"I've seen the prices for Salesforce Sales Cloud, but I haven't been the one to handle the money. As someone who's only visually looked at the price, I would imagine it's on the pricier side, but they do have a ton of leverage, and seeing that everyone I've worked for has always been dedicated to continuing Salesforce. I've never worked for anyone who has threatened to leave. Everyone has accepted the pricing for what they offer."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

53%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

The live chat is pretty good because you can create a macro, which is a predefined input we can give customers.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

Sometimes, the solution lags and takes time to update something. If I put a specific tag on an inbound lead, it would take around five minutes for that tag to reflect throughout the solution for al...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

We use the solution to capture leads and interact with them. Our company manages all the customer interactions through the solution.

See all answers

What do you like most about Salesforce Sales Cloud?

The features of Sales Cloud most useful for testing and running email campaigns are highly valuable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Salesforce Sales Cloud?

With today's generative AI capabilities like ChatGPT ( /products/chatgpt-reviews ), it should be possible to directly communicate with the software rather than navigating through the entire system ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Salesforce Sales Cloud?

I generally use Salesforce Sales Cloud ( /products/salesforce-sales-cloud-reviews ) for our sales process, setting up the entire opportunity lifecycle from lead generation to contract closure. It h...

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

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June 2025

Intercom Customer Communications Platform report

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Salesforce Sales Cloud

May 2025

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Also Known As

Intercom

Sales Cloud, SFDC, Salesforce

Overview

Intercom Customer Communications Platform enhances interactions by offering robust tools designed to streamline customer engagement and support, effectively catering to modern business communication needs.

Providing a comprehensive approach to customer interaction, Intercom facilitates seamless conversation management through its adaptable suite of messaging, logistical, and analytical features. Frequently utilized for customer support and marketing, its flexibility and user-friendly design encourage efficient communication. While offering valuable insights through analytics, some users note areas for improvement in customizability and pricing models, pointing towards a potential enhancement in fine-tuning its cost-effectiveness and adaptability to diverse business strategies.

What are the standout features of Intercom?

Live Chat: Immediate customer support through real-time messaging.
Automated Bot: Streamlines inquiries by handling routine questions.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with third-party tools.
Inbox Management: Organizes conversations for efficient response.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Faster resolutions lead to happier clients.
Improved Team Efficiency: Automation reduces manual workload.
Actionable Analytics: Data-driven insights optimize strategies.
Scalable Solutions: Adapts to growing business demands.

Industries such as e-commerce, SaaS, and tech-driven businesses often implement Intercom for its ability to provide personalized customer journeys. Its messaging platform excels in maintaining customer relationships and resolving issues quickly, which is crucial in these fast-paced sectors.

Intercom

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive CRM platform designed for efficient lead management, sales forecasting, and customer engagement, offering extensive customization and cloud-based accessibility.

Aimed at enhancing business efficiency, Salesforce Sales Cloud supports core business processes like CRM, lead and opportunity management, sales forecasting, and customer engagement. Its robust integration capabilities allow seamless connectivity with ERP systems and various applications. The platform offers pipeline tracking, process automation, and advanced sales cycle management. Users appreciate its cloud-based accessibility, allowing teams to operate remotely and manage sales operations effectively. However, users highlight concerns about its complexity, cost, and the need for a more intuitive interface.

What features does Salesforce Sales Cloud offer?

Customization: Tailor the CRM to meet specific business requirements.
Robust Reporting: Comprehensive analytics and data insights.
Lead Management: Efficiently manage and convert leads.
API Integration: Seamless connectivity with multiple applications.
Cloud Accessibility: Work from anywhere with cloud-based access.

What benefits should be evaluated in Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews?

Enhanced Productivity: Streamline sales processes with automation.
Improved Collaboration: Facilitate team coordination and client engagement.
Accurate Forecasting: Make informed decisions with reliable sales forecasts.
Flexibility: Accommodate diverse industry needs with ease.
Legacy System Integration: Efficiently update and integrate with existing systems.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is widely implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail, supporting sales teams in tracking and managing sales operations. Its use extends to reporting, collaboration, and enhancing client interactions, allowing companies to tailor Salesforce to meet industry-specific requirements efficiently.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

Expensift, Moz, Invision, Salesforce, Droplr, Vend, BugHerd, Ghost, Put.io, Codeship

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kuoni Global Travel Services, Financial Times, Just Eat, Jobsite, H.R. Owen, PlayerLayer, O2, DMGT, Philips, Xtreme.ie, Business Stream, Remote Asset Management, Dialogue Group

Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP and others in CRM. Updated: June 2025.

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