Service & helpdesk platforms
Intercom App Store vs Zendesk Marketplace
Intercom App Store and Zendesk Marketplace both compete in service & helpdesk platforms. Here is how they compare on the factors that decide where a developer should build — authentication, complexity, review, monetization, and merchant of record.
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Intercom, Inc. | Zendesk, Inc. |
| Ecosystem | Service & helpdesk platforms | Service & helpdesk platforms |
| Category | Helpdesk | Helpdesk |
| Primary auth | OAuth 2.0 | OAuth 2.0 |
| Also supports | API key | API key |
| Complexity | Advanced (L3) | Moderate (L2) |
| Security review | Required | Required |
| Integration types | Embedded app, Connector, Bot, Workflow action | Embedded app, Connector, Workflow action |
| Monetization | Free, Paid app, Revenue share, Listing fee | Free, Paid app, Usage-based |
| Onboarding fee | None to list | $0 |
| Commission | App Partner Program terms are negotiated, not publicly published | 0% direct; billing handled by developer |
| Merchant of Record | Partner-managed pricing for paid apps | Developer is MoR |
| AI agents / bots | Supported | Supported |
| Example apps | Salesforce, Stripe, Jira | Slack for Zendesk, Jira for Zendesk, Salesforce for Zendesk |
| API rate limits | Rate limits are enforced per app/workspace and vary; not published as a single fixed number. | Per-account API rate limits vary by Zendesk plan tier. |
| Links |
Which should you choose?
- Lower complexity: Zendesk Marketplace (level 2/4).
- Security review: both require a formal review.
- AI agents: both explicitly support AI agents.