Appcues vs Intercom Product Tours: The $99 Add-On That Does Almost Nothing

Intercom's product tours are a $99/month add-on to their $500-1,200/month messaging platform.

So you're not comparing "$99/month vs $879/month." You're comparing "$600-1,300/month vs $879/month."

And here's what nobody tells you: Intercom's "product tours" offer one template, linear flows only, and analytics so basic they're essentially useless.

This isn't a comparison. It's a warning about buying add-ons that don't solve the problem.

Let me break down what you're actually getting—and what you should do instead.

What You're Actually Comparing

Appcues positioning: Dedicated product tour and onboarding platform. Chrome extension builder, multiple UI patterns (modals, tooltips, slideouts, checklists), mobile SDKs, focused entirely on in-app guidance.

Intercom Product Tours positioning: An add-on called "Proactive Support Plus" that bolts onto Intercom's messaging/support platform. Not a standalone product. Not Intercom's core competency. Just a feature to keep you from needing a second tool.

So right away: if you're evaluating these as equivalent products, you're making a category error.

Appcues is a tour builder. Intercom Product Tours is a messaging platform with a basic tour feature tacked on.

The Intercom Pricing Trap

Here's how Intercom pricing actually works:

Base Intercom plans:

• Essential: $29/seat/month (basic chat, limited features)
• Advanced: $85/seat/month (better automation, team features)
• Expert: $132/seat/month (full feature set)

Typical team size: 3-5 support/product seats minimum.

So your base Intercom cost is:

• 3 seats on Essential: $87/month ($1,044/year)
• 5 seats on Advanced: $425/month ($5,100/year)
• 5 seats on Expert: $660/month ($7,920/year)

Now add Proactive Support Plus:

• $99/month flat fee for the add-on
• Includes: Product tours, surveys, in-app posts, mobile carousels, push notifications
• 500 "messages sent" included per month
• Overage charges if you exceed 500 messages

Total Intercom cost with product tours:

• Essential plan (3 seats): $186/month ($2,232/year)
• Advanced plan (5 seats): $524/month ($6,288/year)
• Expert plan (5 seats): $759/month ($9,108/year)

For comparison:

• Appcues Growth: $879/month ($10,548/year) standalone

So Intercom looks cheaper at small scale ($186/month vs $879/month), but you're not comparing equivalent products.

With Intercom, you get messaging/support platform + basic tours. With Appcues, you get dedicated onboarding tools + no messaging.

If you don't already use Intercom for support, you're buying a $2,200-9,100/year messaging platform just to get $99/month tours. That math doesn't work.

What Intercom Product Tours Actually Gives You

Let's be brutally honest about the feature set:

Intercom Product Tours capabilities:

• One tour template (linear, non-interactive)
• Basic modals and tooltips
• Mobile carousels for apps
• Extremely limited customization without CSS
• Analytics so basic they're almost useless ("basic analytics" per reviews)

From actual user reviews:

"There is a lack of UI elements in product tours. They do not give you many onboarding features, which means that you can't use checklists, modals, or any other key UI elements for user onboarding."

"Intercom Product Tours literally offers one product tour template, with extremely limited customization, and extremely basic analytics."

"The add-on alone costs $199/month [note: older pricing, now $99/month] and this price for an add-on that does so little is too much for most businesses."

What you DON'T get:

• Checklists (the thing most people want)
• Advanced segmentation
• Branching/non-linear flows
• A/B testing on tours
• Useful analytics
• Any customization without CSS

What Appcues Actually Gives You

Appcues Growth ($879/month) capabilities:

• Multiple UI patterns: modals, tooltips, slideouts, hotspots, banners, checklists
• Mobile SDKs (iOS, Android, Ionic)
• Advanced segmentation
• A/B testing
• Goal tracking and basic funnels
• Chrome extension builder (genuinely easier than Intercom)
• Launchpads (self-service help centers)

What you DON'T get:

• Robust product analytics (need Mixpanel/Amplitude separately)
• Messaging/live chat (need Intercom/Zendesk separately)
• Deep customization without CSS

So Appcues gives you WAY more onboarding functionality. But it's 4.7x more expensive than the Intercom add-on ($879/month vs $186/month total).

The Hidden Integration Cost

Here's where the math gets messy:

If you use Intercom for support:

• You're already paying $87-660/month for messaging
• Adding tours for $99/month makes sense (total: $186-759/month)
• You get tours + messaging in one platform

If you DON'T use Intercom for support:

• You'd need to buy Intercom PLUS tours ($186-759/month)
• OR buy Appcues ($879/month) PLUS a support tool ($50-300/month)
• Total cost either way: $600-1,200/month

If you already use a different support tool (Zendesk, Freshdesk, HelpScout):

• Switching to Intercom just for tours is insane
• Appcues + your existing support tool is simpler

So the "Intercom is cheaper" argument only works if you're already locked into their ecosystem.

The Learning Curve and Implementation

Intercom Product Tours:

• Easy to implement if you already have Intercom Messenger installed
• Just turn on the add-on, create tours, publish
• But: tours are so limited you'll quickly hit walls

From reviews: "Creating a product tour on Intercom is an easy process. It's simple, and Intercom provides all the help that you might need."

But also: "Intercom's product tours are limited and basic at best—decent customization requires CSS styling, it only supports linear tours, and the pricing can add up quickly."

Appcues:

• Chrome extension builder is genuinely intuitive
• Most teams get first tours live in 1-3 days
• More complex than Intercom but way more powerful

The Pricing Breakdown at Scale

Let me show you what happens as you grow:

At 2,500 MAUs:

• Intercom (Essential + tours): $186/month ($2,232/year)
• Appcues Growth: $879/month ($10,548/year)
• Gap: $8,316/year in Appcues' favor (against)

At 5,000 MAUs:

• Intercom (Advanced + tours): $524/month+ ($6,288/year+)
• Appcues Growth: $879/month+ ($10,548/year+)
• Gap: ~$4,260/year

At 10,000 MAUs:

• Intercom (Expert + tours): $759/month+ ($9,108/year+)
• Appcues Growth: ~$1,200/month ($14,400/year+)
• Gap: ~$5,292/year

Notice the gap narrows as you scale. At small scale, Intercom looks way cheaper. At 10K+ MAUs, the prices converge.

When Intercom Product Tours Makes Sense

Choose Intercom Product Tours if:

• You already use Intercom for messaging/support
• You're under 5,000 MAUs
• You need very basic, linear tours (nothing fancy)
• You want one vendor for messaging + tours
• Budget is tight and you can't afford Appcues ($879/month)

Real use case from reviews: "If you are already using Intercom Messenger since you can showcase the product tours within the messenger, or order resolution bots to suggest product tours in certain cases."

That's the sweet spot: you're already paying for Intercom, so adding tours for $99/month is incremental.

When Appcues Makes Sense

Choose Appcues if:

• You need real onboarding functionality (checklists, A/B testing, segmentation)
• You're over 5,000 MAUs
• You need mobile SDKs (iOS, Android)
• You don't use Intercom for support (buying Intercom just for tours is wasteful)
• You can afford $879/month and want a dedicated tool

The Question Nobody Asks

Here's what both pricing pages won't tell you: product tours have a 5-15% completion rate in production.

85-95% of users skip them, close them, or ignore them.

So you're comparing two expensive tools for a solution that works for 5-15% of users at best.

Before spending $2,200-10,500/year on either tool, answer:

1. Do you already use Intercom for support? (If no, don't buy it for tours)
2. Do you actually need tours or just tooltips? (90% of "tour" needs are tooltip opportunities)
3. What's your real drop-off point? (Education problem or UX problem?)

If you genuinely need tours AND already use Intercom, the $99/month add-on makes sense—despite its limitations.

If you don't use Intercom, buying it just for tours is financially stupid.

What Bootstrapped Founders Actually Need

Let's be honest: if you're at $10K-50K MRR, spending $186-879/month on onboarding is questionable.

You need:

1. Fast activation (≤60 seconds to value)
2. Minimal friction (no interrupting modals)
3. Basic analytics (where do users drop off?)
4. Affordable enough to not stress about burn

Neither Intercom ($2,200-9,100/year) nor Appcues ($10,548/year) makes sense at that scale. Consider lightweight alternatives like Escourtly that offer onboarding features without the ecosystem lock-in or recurring enterprise pricing.

For more comparisons: Appcues vs Userflow | Intercom vs Chameleon | Appcues vs Pendo

When to Use What

Use Intercom Product Tours if:

• You already pay for Intercom messaging ($87-660/month)
• You need basic tours and don't mind severe limitations
• Budget is $2,200-9,100/year total (messaging + tours)
• You want one vendor for support + tours

Use Appcues if:

• You're at $500K+ ARR
• You need dedicated onboarding with checklists, A/B testing, mobile SDKs
• You don't use Intercom for support
• Budget is $10,548/year+

The Bottom Line

Intercom Product Tours is a $99/month add-on to a $500-1,200/month messaging platform. It offers one template, linear tours only, and analytics so basic they're useless.

If you already use Intercom for support, the $99/month add-on makes sense—despite limitations. You're paying incrementally for basic tours.

If you DON'T use Intercom, buying it just for tours is insane. You'd spend $2,200-9,100/year on a messaging platform to get $99/month tours that barely work.

Appcues is a dedicated onboarding tool at $10,548/year. Way more powerful than Intercom tours, but 4.7x more expensive if you're already on Intercom.

For bootstrapped founders at <$100K ARR, consider lightweight alternatives before committing to $2,200-34,000/year recurring costs.

For teams at $100K-500K ARR already on Intercom, the $99/month add-on is worth testing—but expect to hit limitations fast.

For teams at $500K+ ARR not on Intercom, Appcues makes more sense. Negotiate 40-60% off list price.

But first, figure out if tours solve your actual problem. Most activation issues are UX problems, not education problems. Fix that before spending thousands on tour builders.

Related comparisons: Appcues vs Userflow | Appcues vs Pendo | Intercom vs Chameleon | Intercom vs Userpilot