How to Add Intercom to Your Website

Intercom's Messenger installs from one JavaScript snippet that carries your workspace ID (Intercom calls it the APP_ID). Paste it into the head of every page, or switch on the Intercom add-on in We.Inc. Anonymous visitors chat straight away; signed-in customers need a second boot call with their email or user ID.

Facts to settle before installing Intercom
Question	Answer from Intercom's own pages
Is there a free plan?	No. Intercom lists a 14-day free trial with no card, then paid seats
What ID do I need?	Your workspace ID, used as app_id in the snippet
Where does the snippet go?	In the HTML head of each page
Can I verify signed-in users?	Yes, by adding user_hash to the boot call (identity verification)
Single-page apps?	Call Intercom('update') when the URL changes without a reload

Updated October 28, 2026

Intercom is built for companies that talk to customers inside a product as well as on a marketing site. That is why its install guide spends as much time on logged-in users as on visitors. If your site is a brochure with a contact form, the logged-out install is all you need.

Add Intercom on We.Inc, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or plain HTML

We.Inc

Open your site in the builder and pick Add-ons from the "..." menu.
Find Intercom and paste your workspace ID into its field.
Flip the Intercom switch on; you will see "Saved. It goes live when you next publish."
Press Publish, then check the launcher on the live address.

WordPress

On a self-hosted site, go to Plugins, then Add New Plugin, and search for Intercom.
Install and activate the plugin, then enter your workspace ID in its settings.
Or paste the snippet into your theme's head with a header-scripts plugin.
Visit the site logged out to confirm the launcher appears.

WordPress.com sites need the Personal, Premium, Business or Commerce plan to install plugins.

Wix

In the dashboard, open Settings and choose Custom Code under Development & integrations.
Click + Add Custom Code and paste the Intercom snippet.
Choose All pages and place the code in Head.
Click Apply and publish.

Wix runs custom code only on a published site with a connected domain, which means a premium plan.

Squarespace

Open the Code Injection panel from your site's settings.
Paste the snippet into the Header field.
Click Save and reload the live site.

Code Injection is available on the Core, Plus and Advanced plans and some legacy plans.

Plain HTML

Paste the snippet inside <head> on every page, or in a shared header include.
Replace the placeholder with your workspace ID.
Upload the files and load the page with the browser console open to catch errors.

The boot call, in short

Logged-out boot

This is the call Intercom's loader makes for anonymous visitors. For signed-in users add user_id or email, and user_hash once verification is on.

window.Intercom('boot', {
  app_id: 'YOUR_APP_ID'
});

Sources

Intercom: Install Intercom for logged-out visitors and single-page apps, https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/170-install-intercom-on-your-website-for-logged-out-visitors, checked October 28, 2026, for the Intercom steps
Intercom pricing, https://www.intercom.com/pricing, checked October 28, 2026, for the Intercom steps
Wix: Embedding custom code on your site, https://support.wix.com/en/article/embedding-custom-code-on-your-site, checked October 28, 2026, for the Intercom steps
Squarespace: Using code injection, https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205815908-Using-code-injection, checked October 28, 2026, for the Intercom steps
WordPress.com: Install a plugin, https://wordpress.com/support/plugins/install-a-plugin/, checked October 28, 2026, for the Intercom steps

Logged-out visitors versus known users

For a public site, Intercom boots with only the app_id, and each visitor becomes an anonymous lead tied to a cookie. When someone signs in to your app, Intercom wants a fresh boot that includes their email or user_id, plus created_at, so conversations land on the right person.

When a user logs out, call Intercom('shutdown'). Intercom says this clears its cookie, which otherwise lasts a week, so the next person on a shared computer cannot read the previous user's conversations.

Identity verification

Anyone can type someone else's email into a JavaScript console. Identity verification stops that: your server computes a hash of the user ID with a secret from Intercom and passes it as user_hash. Never put the secret in browser code, and never hard-code user details into the snippet.

How it works

Copy your workspace ID from Intercom's Messenger install screen.
Paste the snippet, or the ID into a platform setting, on every page.
Publish and open the site in a private window to see the launcher.
Send yourself a test message and reply from the Intercom inbox.
If you have logins, add the signed-in boot call and identity verification.

Tips

Intercom's update call is limited to 20 per user per page, so do not fire it on every scroll or keypress.
Use custom_launcher_selector if you want your own Help link to open the Messenger instead of the floating bubble.
Intercom offers a Google Tag Manager template, which keeps the snippet out of your theme files.
Turn on identity verification before you start passing emails, not after; mixed traffic makes the switch messier.

Frequently asked questions

Is Intercom free for small websites?

No. Intercom's pricing page lists Essential, Advanced and Expert plans billed per seat, with a 14-day free trial. If you need a no-cost widget, Crisp, Tidio, tawk.to and HubSpot all publish free plans.

Where do I find my Intercom app ID?

In Intercom, open Settings, then Channels, Messenger, Install, and choose the web option. The snippet shown there already contains your workspace ID; the same value is what platform plugins ask for.

Why does the Messenger show the wrong person's chats?

Usually the site never calls shutdown on logout, so the cookie survives into the next session. Call Intercom('shutdown') when someone signs out and boot again as a logged-out visitor.

Does Intercom work in a React or Next.js site?

Yes, but Intercom recommends its single-page app pattern there: boot once, then call update whenever the route changes, because the page never fully reloads.

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