Userlist vs Intercom: Which Email Marketing Tool for SaaS?

Overview

Userlist and Intercom approach customer communication from different angles. Userlist is a focused email tool built specifically for SaaS companies. Intercom is a comprehensive customer engagement platform that includes messaging, support, and much more.

This comparison helps you decide whether you need a specialized email tool or a full-suite approach to customer communication.

Key Differences

Scope and Focus

Userlist is intentionally focused on email for SaaS. It does one thing well: helping you send the right emails to the right users at the right time. No chat, no ticketing, no in-app messages - just email done right for software companies.

Intercom is a comprehensive customer engagement platform. It includes live chat, in-app messaging, email, support ticketing, product tours, and more. It's designed to be your entire customer communication stack.

SaaS-Specific Features

Userlist was built specifically for SaaS. The company/user relationship model is native, making it easy to target emails based on company attributes, user roles, or a combination. Lifecycle stages, trial management, and usage-based triggers are first-class concepts.

Intercom also understands B2B SaaS models with company and user support, but it's designed for broader use cases. Some SaaS-specific email patterns require more setup than they would in Userlist.

Pricing Transparency

Userlist has straightforward pricing based on contacts. You know exactly what you'll pay as you grow, and the cost scales reasonably.

Intercom pricing is notoriously complex and can escalate quickly. Different features are in different plans, and costs can surprise you as you add users and use more features. At scale, Intercom bills can reach thousands per month.

Pricing Comparison

Direct comparison is difficult because Intercom's pricing varies dramatically based on which features you use, how many users you have, and your conversation volume. The base prices shown don't tell the full story.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Choose What

Choose Userlist if:

• Email is your primary customer communication channel
• You want a tool built specifically for SaaS
• Predictable pricing matters to you
• You prefer focused tools over all-in-one suites
• You'll use separate tools for chat and support

Choose Intercom if:

• You want one platform for all customer communication
• In-app messaging and product tours are important
• You need built-in live chat and support
• You have budget for enterprise-level tooling
• You want to consolidate multiple tools

The Bottom Line

This decision comes down to philosophy: do you want a focused email tool or an all-in-one platform?

Userlist is the right choice if email is your priority and you're happy assembling a best-of-breed stack. It does SaaS email better than Intercom, costs less, and is easier to use. The trade-off is you'll need other tools for chat and support.

Intercom makes sense if you want everything in one place and can afford it. The in-app messaging, product tours, and chat features are genuinely excellent. But be prepared for complexity and escalating costs.

Many SaaS companies start with Intercom for its all-in-one appeal, then later migrate email to a specialized tool like Userlist when they realize they're paying too much for email features they've outgrown.