Does Fin work without Intercom?

Yes. Fin runs on other help desks, but that option goes through sales with a minimum commitment.

Are Decagon and Sierra for small businesses?

Their customers are large companies, and both sell through demos, so they rarely fit a one-person company.

Can a help desk's AI answer on its own?

Yes. Help Scout's agent, Crisp's Hugo, and the agents in Zendesk and Gorgias resolve requests without you and hand off what they can't.

AI support agent or help desk: which do you need first

Start with a help desk that includes an AI agent, like Help Scout or Crisp. Add a separate agent like Fin only when your help desk's own agent isn't enough.

The difference

A help desk is where customer conversations live: one inbox for email and chat, a help center, and the history of every customer. An AI support agent answers those conversations. Most help desks now include an agent, so for a small company the question is usually which help desk, not whether to buy an agent separately.

Start here: a help desk with an agent inside

Help Scout fits if most of your support comes by email. It has a free plan, an agent that resolves requests on its own, and Copilot to draft replies for you.
Crisp fits if chat matters more. It has a free plan, an agent called Hugo on paid plans, and an official MCP server.
Gorgias fits online stores on Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, or WooCommerce.
Zendesk fits if you expect support to grow into many channels. It takes more setup than the others.

When a separate agent makes sense

Fin runs on Intercom or on top of help desks like HubSpot, Front, and Gorgias. Pick it if you want a stronger agent on the help desk you already have. Running it on another help desk goes through sales.
Chatbase puts an agent trained on your content on your site, WhatsApp, and email, with a basic inbox. Pick it if you want an agent live today without a help desk.

Built for large companies

Decagon and Sierra build AI agents for large companies with high support volume. Both sell through demos, with no self-serve signup, so they rarely fit a company with no employees.

Choose in one minute

Mostly email: Help Scout.
Mostly chat: Crisp.
An online store: Gorgias.
You have a help desk and want a stronger agent: Fin.
No help desk, and you want an agent on your site today: Chatbase.