A developer's guide to the Intercom React Native SDK

If you're building a mobile app with React Native, you know that customer support can't be an afterthought. Users expect to get help right inside the app, and for many of us, Intercom is the go-to tool. That's where the Intercom React Native SDK comes in, it's the official toolkit for getting Intercom's chat messenger running in your app.

But let's be honest, getting any native SDK to play nice with React Native isn't always a walk in the park. Between the setup, maintenance, and a pricing model that can get a little hairy (especially with AI), it's worth knowing what you're getting into. This guide is a developer-to-developer look at the Intercom SDK: what it does well, where it stumbles, and how you can add some serious AI power to it without the usual headaches.

What is the Intercom React Native SDK?

So, what is this thing, really? Think of the Intercom React Native SDK as the middleman between your JavaScript code and Intercom's native iOS and Android components. Instead of you having to write separate native code for both platforms, the SDK gives you a single JavaScript API to control everything.

Its main job is to get the Intercom Messenger, that little chat bubble we all know, into your app. This lets your users chat with your support team, read help articles, and deal with bots, all without leaving your app.

Beyond just showing the messenger, the SDK also lets you:

• Keep track of users and actions: You can tell Intercom who is logged in and send custom data about what they're doing in the app. This is key for giving personalized, helpful support.

• Send in-app messages and push notifications: A great way to engage users based on what they're doing.

• Show your Help Center: Let users help themselves by putting your knowledge base articles right inside the app's messenger.

It’s the toolkit you need to make Intercom feel like a natural part of your mobile app.

Key features of the Intercom React Native SDK

The SDK packs a lot of functionality, and once you get through the initial native setup, using the JavaScript API from your React Native code is pretty straightforward.

Core messaging and the Messenger UI

This is the bread and butter of the SDK. You get a handful of simple commands to control the chat messenger.

• "Intercom.present()": Pops open the Messenger to its home screen.

• "Intercom.presentMessageComposer("...")": Opens a new chat with a message already typed out. This is great for lowering the effort for a user to ask for help.

• "Intercom.presentSpace()": Lets you open the Messenger directly to a specific section, like "Messages" or your "Help Center".

User and event tracking

To give good support, you have to know who you're talking to. The SDK lets you register users who are logged in and even track anonymous guests.

• "Intercom.loginUserWithUserAttributes({ userId: '...', email: '...' })": This is how you tell Intercom a user has logged in. You can also pass along custom info like their name or subscription plan.

• "Intercom.logEvent('event-name', { meta: 'data' })": Lets you track what users do inside your app. You can then use these events to trigger automated messages.

Help Center integration

Self-service support is a huge time-saver. With the SDK, you can show your entire knowledge base, a specific collection of articles, or just a single article inside the app. It helps users find their own answers and cuts down on the number of common questions your support team has to answer over and over.

Native mobile features

The SDK also gives you control over mobile-specific details, like using "setLauncherVisibility()" to show or hide the chat bubble and "setBottomPadding()" to adjust its position. Most importantly, it gives you the tools to set up and manage push notifications, so users know when they have a new message.

Built-in AI with Fin AI Agent

Intercom has its own AI agent called Fin, which you can use in the mobile messenger. Fin tries to answer user questions using your Intercom articles. While it's built right in, it only works within Intercom's world and has a unique pricing model that we should probably talk about.

A breakdown of Intercom React Native SDK pricing

Alright, let's talk about money. Intercom's pricing can be a bit of a maze, so it pays to know what you're signing up for. The cost boils down to two main things: how many support agents you have on your team and, if you use their AI, how many questions it answers for you.

Intercom has three main plans, and the price per agent changes if you pay yearly vs. monthly.

Plan	Billed Annually (per seat/mo)	Key Features Included
Essential	$29	Shared Inbox, Ticketing, Public Help Center
Advanced	$85	Everything in Essential + Workflows, Multiple Inboxes
Expert	$132	Everything in Advanced + SLAs, Multibrand Support

But the seat price is just the beginning. The real wildcard is Fin, Intercom's AI Agent, which rings in at $0.99 every time it solves a problem. Intercom calls this a "resolution."

On paper, this pay-per-use model can sound appealing. In reality, it means your bill can swing wildly from one month to the next. A new feature launch or a marketing campaign could send user questions soaring, and your Intercom bill right along with them. It makes budgeting a guessing game and almost penalizes you for growing your user base.

On top of that, other AI features cost extra. For instance, Copilot, an AI helper for your human agents, is an add-on that costs another $29 per agent, per month.

This kind of pricing model is a common headache for teams that need predictable expenses. You either have to be really good at guessing your future support volume or look for an AI solution with a simpler, flat-rate price.

Challenges and limitations of integrating the Intercom React Native SDK

As useful as the SDK is, it's not always smooth sailing. If you've spent any time in the React Native world, you know that bridging the gap to native code can open up a can of worms.

Complex setup and maintenance

The setup process itself isn't just a quick "npm install". The official docs will have you digging into native iOS files like "AppDelegate" and messing with Android's "Gradle" scripts and "Manifest" files. If you're mainly a JavaScript dev, this can feel like a chore and a half.

A quick look at GitHub issues or community forums shows a few common struggles:

• Dependency Conflicts: The Intercom SDK sometimes bundles its own versions of other libraries (like Sentry). If your app is already using a different version, you can end up with frustrating build failures.

• Expo Woes: If you're using Expo, you'll likely need to use a custom development client and mess around with config plugins. It adds a few more steps compared to a standard React Native project.

• The Update Treadmill: Every time React Native gets a major update or a new Android version drops with new permission rules, you might have to go back and tweak your native setup. It turns maintenance into a recurring task.

The smarter alternative: Supercharging the Intercom React Native SDK with a dedicated AI layer

This is where things get interesting. You can use the Intercom SDK for what it's good at, displaying the chat UI, but plug in a more powerful, flexible AI brain behind the scenes. That's exactly what a tool like eesel AI is for.

Here’s why that approach works so much better:

• Get it running in an afternoon: You can connect eesel AI to your Intercom account with a single click. There's no SDK to install or native code to touch for the AI part. You get all the automation without the engineering work.

• It learns from everything: Intercom's Fin AI is mostly stuck with your Intercom Help Center articles. eesel AI can connect to all the places your knowledge actually lives, Google Docs, Confluence, Notion, and even your past Intercom conversations, to give much more accurate answers.

This infographic shows how eesel AI, when used with the Intercom React Native SDK, can draw from multiple knowledge sources.

• Test before you go live: Nervous about letting an AI talk to your users? eesel AI has a simulation mode that lets you test it on thousands of your past support tickets. You can see exactly how it would have performed and what its resolution rate would be before you turn it on for real.

A look at the eesel AI simulation dashboard, a powerful tool for testing AI responses with the Intercom React Native SDK.

• Predictable, flat-rate pricing: With eesel AI, you get a straightforward monthly plan with no fees per resolution. Your bill is the same every month, so you can scale up support without worrying about a surprise invoice.

The public pricing page for eesel AI, offering a clear alternative to complex Intercom React Native SDK AI pricing.

Here’s a quick side-by-side look:

Feature	Intercom Fin AI Agent	eesel AI + Intercom
Setup	Requires SDK installation & native code changes	1-click integration, no code needed for the AI
Knowledge Sources	Limited to Intercom Help Center	All your sources (Docs, Notion, past tickets, etc.)
Pre-launch Testing	Limited	Powerful simulation on historical tickets
Pricing Model	$0.99 per AI resolution + seat cost	Flat monthly fee, no per-resolution charges
Customization	Basic workflows	Full prompt control & custom API actions

By letting the Intercom SDK handle the UI and layering eesel AI on top for the intelligence, you get a much better setup without the drawbacks.

Intercom React Native SDK: Build, buy, or integrate?

So, what's the verdict? The Intercom React Native SDK is pretty much non-negotiable if you want that classic Intercom Messenger in your app. It handles the UI and the basic chat functions perfectly well.

However, when it comes to the "smarts," relying on Intercom's built-in AI adds a layer of complexity and cost that many teams can do without. The setup headaches, ongoing native maintenance, and unpredictable pricing are real drawbacks. For teams that want a powerful, flexible, and affordable AI solution, layering a dedicated platform like eesel AI on top of Intercom is a much better path. It takes your existing setup and turns it into a support engine that can actually run on its own.

Add powerful AI to your Intercom React Native SDK messenger in minutes

Tired of wrestling with SDK configs and surprise AI bills? With eesel AI, you can plug a powerful AI agent right into your existing Intercom setup without the drama.

Train it on all your scattered knowledge, see how it will perform before it ever talks to a customer, and enjoy a flat monthly rate that lets you scale without fear. See how much time and money you can save by automating your frontline support.

Start your free trial of eesel AI or book a demo to see it in action.