[3] The song was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold certification for selling over half a million copies in the US.

Chuck Taylor from Billboard magazine compared the band's vocals to those of Bryan Adams and Blessid Union of Souls, going on to say that the song would be refreshing to hear on the radio "like crisp white sheets.

"[2] British columnist James Masterton wrote that "Incomplete" proved that the band had not lost their talent following their hiatus, going on to call the track's production "bombastic.

"[4] Directed by Joseph Kahn, the music video for "Incomplete" sets the band in an arid desert environment and features each of the band members in a different element or force of nature: Brian Littrell, water; Nick Carter, fire; Howie Dorough, rain; Kevin Richardson, snow; and AJ McLean, the Sun.

In 2017, international symphonic metal supergroup Exit Eden covered "Incomplete" as the 3rd track of their debut album entitled Rhapsodies in Black.