The Intercom alternative that proves its answers
HelpShelf is an AI support and sales agent born from your codebase. Every confident answer carries citations, unsupported answers can offer a verified visitor-confirmed handoff, and your product becomes legible to compatible AI tools your buyers use.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | HelpShelf | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free plan — no credit card (Pro from $49/mo) | Per-seat pricing |
| AI Agent Pricing | Monthly AI-search + AI-chat limits | Fin AI billed per resolution |
| Citations on Answers | Every confident answer cites sources | Via Fin AI (paid per resolution) |
| Human Escalation | Visitor-confirmed via verified Telegram | Inbox seats (per-seat pricing) |
| Legible to AI Agents | llms.txt, llms-full.txt + public MCP endpoint | |
| Born from Your Codebase | npx helpshelf scans your repo | |
| Install Path | One command or one script tag | Workspace and Messenger configuration |
| Best For | Product teams, SaaS, indie builders | Large support & sales orgs |
Why teams switch from Intercom
Citations on every confident answer
HelpShelf's rule is simple: no uncited confidence. If the agent cannot verify an answer, it says so. With tested Telegram reachability, it can offer a visitor-confirmed handoff instead of claiming automatic contact.
Verified handoff, not another seat
When HelpShelf cannot verify an answer, it can offer an editable handoff. After the visitor submits it, your verified Telegram connection gets the question, bounded context, and acknowledgement options.
Per-resolution AI fees add up
Intercom's Fin AI is billed per resolution on top of per-seat plans. HelpShelf uses fixed monthly plans with separate published allowances for AI search and AI chat.
Legible to the AI agents your buyers use
HelpShelf publishes llms.txt, llms-full.txt, and a public MCP endpoint for your site, so ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants can read — and recommend — your product with verifiable claims.
Pricing comparison
Fixed plan limits, not seats or per-resolution AI fees
Migration is easy
Switch from Intercom to HelpShelf in three simple steps
Connect Intercom
HelpShelf imports your published Intercom articles directly — collections and all.
Add your sources
Run npx helpshelf to scan your codebase, or paste URLs. Everything lands in one knowledge base.
Go live
Add one line of code to your site. Your agent answers with citations from day one.
Frequently asked questions
If you use Intercom primarily for support and self-service, yes. HelpShelf handles AI answers with citations, knowledge bases, email intake, and human escalation. If you rely heavily on Intercom's sales and marketing automation suite, you may still want a separate tool for that.
Two big differences. First, pricing: Fin is billed per resolution on top of seat fees, while HelpShelf publishes fixed monthly AI-search and AI-chat allowances. Second, posture: HelpShelf refuses to answer confidently without citations, and it makes your product legible to compatible external AI tools via llms.txt and a public MCP endpoint.
It withholds the unsupported answer. If your tested Telegram destination is reachable, the visitor can review and submit a handoff; only then does Telegram receive the question, bounded context, and acknowledgement options.
Yes. HelpShelf connects to Intercom and imports your published help center articles directly, preserving collections. Imported published content is treated as curated and ranks highest in answers.
Yes — a real free plan with monthly usage included, citations on every confident answer, and visitor-confirmed handoff when verified Telegram is reachable. No credit card required, and it never expires.
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