Reviewed by Zoran P — Editor, AI Agents List · Last verified: September 28, 2026 · How we test
Choose Fin if you want published pricing ($0.99 per outcome), a same-week launch on the helpdesk you already run — Intercom, Zendesk, HubSpot, Freshdesk, Salesforce, and others — and no enterprise contract to get started.
Choose Ada if you are an enterprise running a contact-center stack such as Genesys, Amazon Connect, NICE CXone, or Twilio Flex and want a vendor-independent AI agent with sales-led, conversation-based pricing and implementation support.
Last verified: September 28, 2026
Key facts
Fin and Ada both resolve customer conversations with AI and hand the rest to human agents, but Fin is a self-serve, per-outcome agent that plugs into your existing helpdesk, while Ada is a sales-led enterprise platform that sits between your channels and your contact-center systems.
| Fin AI Support Agent for Intercom and Other Helpdesks | Ada No-Code AI Customer Service Automation Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0.99 per outcome (resolution, procedure handoff, disqualification, or self-serve routing); $9.99 per qualification; one outcome charged per conversation | Not published. Ada describes conversation-based pricing (you pay for every conversation the AI agent has), with a resolution-based model for some enterprises |
| Required subscriptions and extra costs | On another helpdesk: no Intercom seats, 50-outcome monthly minimum. On Intercom: helpdesk seats — Essential $19, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat/month billed annually. Copilot for human agents: $29/agent/month billed annually. Fin Voice: via sales | Custom contract via demo. You keep paying for your own helpdesk or contact-center platform; Ada's platform fees are quoted, not published |
| Free trial | 14-day trial with unlimited outcomes, no credit card; 90-day money-back guarantee on intercom.com | No public trial or free tier found — demo only |
| Helpdesks and platforms | Native in Intercom; deep integrations for Zendesk, Salesforce (managed availability), HubSpot, and Freshworks; also lists Front, Gorgias, Zoho, Dixa, and Sprinklr; other platforms via URL, JavaScript, or API handoff | Helpdesk-independent. Platform integrations named: Zendesk, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Freshworks, Genesys, Amazon Connect, Twilio Flex, Aircall, and GitHub |
| Channels | Chat (Messenger), email, WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Slack, voice, and API — availability varies by helpdesk | Voice, email, chat, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram, in-app, and custom channels |
| Human handoff | Escalates on request, frustration, or loops, plus your rules; routing follows your helpdesk's assignment rules. Freshdesk handovers do not carry conversation context | Hands off with full conversation history, customer data, and context into your helpdesk; handoff guides for Zendesk, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Genesys, Amazon Connect, NICE CXone, Gorgias, Help Scout, and more |
| Actions and API | Data connectors (API calls, all customers), Procedures (managed availability), MCP connectors (Stripe, Shopify, Linear, Zapier, custom); Fin Agent API by request | Public APIs for knowledge, conversations, end users, data export, tools, and Playbooks |
| Setup effort | Vendor says setup takes under an hour and most teams go live the same day; our rating: easy | Sales-led rollout; Ada publishes no setup time. Our rating: medium — expect integration and configuration work in weeks, not days |
| Ownership | Salesforce (acquisition completed September 10, 2026); Fin still works with non-Salesforce helpdesks | Independent vendor |
| Best for | Small to large support teams that want per-outcome automation on the helpdesk they already use | Enterprises with contact-center stacks that want a vendor-independent AI layer and a negotiated contract |
Based on each vendor's documentation — not a test we ran.
Fin and Ada both handle the same core job — answering customer questions from your knowledge content, taking simple actions, and escalating to people — so the practical difference is how you buy and deploy them. Fin publishes its price, runs a 14-day unlimited trial, and installs into Intercom or an existing helpdesk such as Zendesk, HubSpot, or Freshdesk. Ada is bought through a demo and a contract, connects to contact-center systems like Genesys, Amazon Connect, and Twilio Flex, and describes conversation-based pricing without publishing rates.
Channel coverage is now similar on paper: both list voice, email, chat, WhatsApp, SMS, and social channels, although Fin Voice is limited to select customers and some Fin channels depend on the helpdesk (Slack and HubSpot's native chat widget are not available on HubSpot, for example). We have not run the same support workload through Fin and Ada; this comparison is based on each vendor's published pricing, documentation, and help articles, and setup-time claims are the vendors' own.
No — Fin does not require Intercom. Intercom's pricing page lists a Fin-only option with the Intercom helpdesk "not included" and "no seat costs", and fin.ai lists Intercom, Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshworks, Dixa, Front, Zoho, Sprinklr, and Gorgias as helpdesks it works with; Fin's help center also documents a full Zendesk integration. Standalone deployments do carry a 50-outcome monthly minimum. Running Fin inside Intercom unlocks Intercom-only features such as its inbox, ticketing, and proactive outbound tools, and adds Intercom seat costs. Ada, by contrast, is not tied to any helpdesk vendor at all.
Fin is the only one of the two you can price in advance: $0.99 per outcome, $9.99 per qualification, a 50-outcome monthly minimum when it runs on another helpdesk, and Intercom seats from $19 per seat per month (billed annually) if you run it inside Intercom. Ada does not publish rates; it says customers pay for every conversation the AI agent has, with resolution-based pricing for some enterprises, so you need a quote. Because Ada's model counts conversations and Fin's counts outcomes, compare them on your own monthly conversation and resolution volumes rather than on a headline rate.
Fin is the faster start: Fin says setup takes under an hour and that most teams go live the same day, and the 14-day trial lets you test on real conversations first. Ada is sold and deployed with Ada's team, and it does not publish a time to launch; connecting a contact-center stack, knowledge sources, and Playbooks is a project measured in weeks. Both vendor timelines are vendor statements, not results we have tested.
Neither Fin nor Ada is a safe default — each has documented limitations worth weighing before you commit.
Most teams choosing between Fin and Ada can decide on four things: which helpdesk or contact-center system they run, whether they need a published price, how much implementation effort they can absorb, and how human handoff has to work.
Quick answers to the questions support leaders ask most when choosing between Fin and Ada.
Yes. Fin runs on Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshdesk, and other helpdesks without Intercom seats, at $0.99 per outcome with a 50-outcome monthly minimum. Inside Intercom there is no minimum, but you pay for Intercom helpdesk seats.
Fin is cheaper to start and the only one with public pricing: $0.99 per outcome, a 14-day trial, and no contract. Ada's pricing is conversation-based and quoted through sales, so compare it on your own conversation volume.
Yes. Ada names Zendesk and Salesforce among its platform integrations, alongside ServiceNow, Freshworks, Genesys, Amazon Connect, Twilio Flex, and Aircall, and hands conversations off to them with the full history and context.
Yes. Salesforce completed its acquisition of Fin, formerly Intercom, on September 10, 2026. Salesforce says Fin continues to work with the helpdesks companies already use, and Fin's published pricing was unchanged when we checked on September 28, 2026.
Fin and Ada each have a full profile with pricing, limitations, and alternatives — start there if you are still deciding.
Fin — full profile
AI Support Agent for Intercom and Other Helpdesks
Ada — full profile
No-Code AI Customer Service Automation Platform
Fin alternatives
Credible Fin replacements by helpdesk, budget, and team size — including Ada.
Fin vs Sierra
Per-outcome deflection vs a standalone enterprise agent that takes backend actions.
Browse all customer support tools → /categories/customer-support