TranslateDesk vs Unbabel for Intercom Translation (2026 Comparison)

Looking at TranslateDesk vs Unbabel for Intercom translation? Here's the key insight: they solve completely different problems.

This isn't a typical comparison of competing tools. Understanding what each does will help you build the right multilingual support stack.

The Key Difference

	TranslateDesk	Unbabel
What it translates	Help Center articles	Live chat conversations
When	Before customers arrive	During conversations
Content type	Static knowledge base	Real-time messages
Intercom integration	Help Center	Inbox/Chat

TranslateDesk translates your Help Center articles, guides, and documentation. You select articles, choose target languages, and publish translated versions to your knowledge base.

Unbabel translates live chat conversations between your agents and customers in real-time. Messages flow through their translation layer so agents can communicate with customers in any language.

Different Problems, Different Solutions

TranslateDesk: Multilingual Self-Service

Your Help Center is the front line of customer support. When customers search for help, they expect articles in their language.

TranslateDesk handles this by:

• Translating existing articles to 100+ languages
• Preserving formatting (code blocks, images, links)
• Publishing directly to Intercom Help Center
• Pay-as-you-go pricing (from ~$0.79/article)
• 5-minute setup via Intercom App Store

Outcome: Customers find answers in their language before reaching out to support.

Unbabel: Multilingual Live Chat

When customers do contact support, agents need to communicate across language barriers.

Unbabel handles this by:

• Real-time translation of incoming messages
• Agent responses translated back to customer language
• Human post-editing for quality (AI + human hybrid)
• Integrates directly into Intercom Inbox
• Enterprise volume-based pricing

Outcome: Any agent can support any customer, regardless of language.

When You Need TranslateDesk

• You want customers to self-serve in their language
• You have a growing Help Center library
• International expansion is a priority
• You want to reduce support ticket volume
• Budget is a consideration (transparent pricing)

When You Need Unbabel

• You have high volumes of live chat support
• Agents handle conversations in multiple languages daily
• Enterprise budget for ongoing translation costs
• You need real-time, conversation-level translation
• Human quality assurance on translations is required

Using Both Together

For complete multilingual support, many teams use both:

1. TranslateDesk first: Translate your Help Center so customers find answers in their language. This reduces live chat volume.

2. Unbabel for conversations: When customers do reach out, agents communicate through Unbabel's real-time translation.

The combination means:

• More customers self-serve (translated articles)
• Fewer tickets reach agents
• Agents handle remaining tickets in any language

Quick Comparison

Feature	TranslateDesk	Unbabel
Content type	Help Center articles	Chat conversations
Translation timing	On-demand (you translate)	Real-time (automatic)
Translation method	AI (DeepL/OpenAI)	AI + human post-editing
Pricing model	Pay-as-you-go	Enterprise volume-based
Starting price	$79 for 100 credits	Contact sales
Setup time	5 minutes	Days (enterprise onboarding)
Best for	Knowledge base	Live support

The Bottom Line

TranslateDesk and Unbabel aren't competitors. They're complementary tools that solve different parts of multilingual support:

• TranslateDesk = Translate your knowledge base
• Unbabel = Translate your conversations

Start with the bigger impact for your situation. If most support happens through self-service, translate your Help Center first. If you have high live chat volume in multiple languages, prioritize real-time translation.

For comprehensive multilingual support, you'll likely want both.