25 Best Gorgias Alternatives in 2026: Ecommerce Helpdesk

The Gorgias decision is mostly about the ticket cost curve and the per-resolution AI add-on. As of May 2026, Gorgias offers Starter at $10 per month (50 tickets, 3 agent seats), Basic at $60 per month (300 tickets, up to 500 seats), Pro at $360 per month (2,000 tickets), Advanced at $900 per month (5,000 tickets), and Enterprise with custom pricing. As of May 2026, Gorgias offers Starter at $10 per month (50 tickets, 3 agent seats), Basic at $60 per month (300 tickets, up to 500 seats), Pro at $360 per month (2,000 tickets), Advanced at $900 per month (5,000 tickets), and Enterprise custom pricing above 5,000 tickets. AI Automate is a separate add-on at $0.90-$1.00 per automated resolved conversation, and overage tickets are billed at $0.36-$0.40 each. Annual billing saves around 16 percent. Voice and SMS support are also separately billed add-ons.

If the ticket-volume cost curve, the per-resolution AI charges that compound at scale, the overage fees, or the retail-first product orientation do not fit your team, this guide ranks 25 Gorgias picks in 2026. The list is organized by use case (retail-specific helpdesk, large helpdesk, SMB customer-first helpdesk, AI-bundled chat, CRM-integrated, WhatsApp plus multichannel, and free) with verified pricing and a quick comparison table. All pricing reflects published vendor tiers as of May 2026, verify on the vendor's own pricing page before purchase.

Where Gorgias loses deals

Gorgias holds the top customer service app slot on the Shopify App Store and stitches order, refund, and shipping data directly into the conversation thread. Teams that outgrow the ticket-volume tiers, want bundled live chat without per-ticket pricing, or sell outside Shopify usually start comparing options.

• Ticket-based pricing that scales steeply. Starter at $10/month (50 tickets) jumps to Basic $60 (300 tickets), Pro $360 (2,000 tickets), Advanced $900 (5,000 tickets). Once a store crosses each volume break, the next plan is a step-function increase. Flatter cost options include Re:amaze (Basic $29 per user per month, Plus $49, Pro $69 with multi-store routing), Help Scout (Standard $25 per user, Plus $45, Pro $75), Freshdesk Growth ($19 per agent annual), and LiveAgent Small Business ($15 per agent annual with AI bundled on every plan).
• Per-resolution AI Automate at $0.90-$1.00. Gorgias AI Automate is sold as an add-on on top of seat plans, so a store handling 2,000 monthly AI resolutions pays an extra $1,800-$2,000 per month. Predictable AI cost options include LiveAgent (AI Chatbot and AI Answer Assistant bundled on every plan from $15 per agent), Tidio with Lyro AI (from $32.50 per month for 50 Lyro conversations on top of Starter $24.17 per workspace annual), Chatbase (Hobby $40, Standard $150, Pro $500 per month), and Botpress (Plus $89/month with AI Spend bundled, Team $495).
• Overage tickets at $0.36-$0.40 each. Exceeding a plan's ticket allowance triggers per-ticket overage billing, which can push a busy ecommerce store's bill thousands above the listed tier. Tools without ticket caps include Re:amaze (per-user pricing without ticket limits), Help Scout (per-user pricing), LiveAgent (per-agent pricing), Front (per-seat pricing), HubSpot Service Hub (per-seat pricing with Free tier), and Zoho Desk (per-agent pricing).
• retail-first product orientation. Gorgias is built around Shopify with deeper integration depth than its support for BigCommerce, Magento, or WooCommerce. Stores on non-Shopify platforms often pick Re:amaze (Shopify plus BigCommerce plus WooCommerce plus Magento with multi-store routing) or Richpanel (major retail platforms with self-service portal). For pure helpdesk without ecommerce orientation: Help Scout, Zendesk, or Freshdesk.
• Voice and SMS support priced separately. Voice channel and SMS support are add-ons billed per ticket on top of seat plans, which can surprise growing online retail teams. Bundled voice options include LiveAgent (multichannel helpdesk plus chat plus voice plus AI all bundled at $15 per agent annual) and JivoChat (per-agent chat plus phone from $28 per agent annual).
• Onboarding fees on Advanced and Enterprise. Advanced and top plans often include onboarding and migration setup fees that can run into mid-four figures before resolving the first ticket. Tools with no onboarding fee at SMB tiers include Help Scout, Freshdesk, Re:amaze, Tidio, and HubSpot Service Hub Free. For SMB ecommerce starting cheap: Tidio with native integration (Starter $24.17 per workspace annual).

All 25 picks compared in one table

The platforms below are the most-cited Gorgias competitors across retail helpdesk, large support, SMB customer-first inbox, AI-bundled chat, CRM-integrated, WhatsApp, and free tiers. Verify pricing on each vendor's own page before purchase.

Platform	Best for	Free plan	Paid from (verified, May 2026)
Re:amaze (GoDaddy)	Ecommerce helpdesk with multi-store support across Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento	14-day trial	Basic $29 per user, Plus $49, Pro $69 per user monthly
Richpanel	Ecommerce CX platform with self-help portal for major retail platforms	Yes, 30-day trial	From $29 per agent monthly
Gladly	People-first conversation platform for online retailers	30-day trial	From $180 per agent monthly
Hiver	Gmail-native shared inbox for ecommerce teams in Google Workspace	7-day trial	From $19 per user monthly
HappyFox	Ticketing-first helpdesk with workflow automation	Yes, basic free	From $29 per agent monthly
Zendesk	Large helpdesk and ticketing	14-day trial	Suite Team $55, Growth $89, Enterprise $169 per agent annual
Kustomer	Enterprise support platform (Meta-owned)	14-day trial	From $89 per user monthly annual
Freshdesk	Freshworks email-first helpdesk with Freddy AI automation	14-day trial	Growth $19, Pro $55, top tier $89 per agent annual
Front	Shared inbox for collaborative support teams	7-day trial	Starter $19 per seat annual (up to 10 users), Growth $59, Scale $99
Help Scout	Customer-first email-led shared inbox for SMB	Yes, 5 users with 1 Inbox	Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user annual
ProProfs Chat	Simple chat plus knowledge base for SMB customer support	15-day trial	From $19.99 per user monthly
LiveAgent	Multichannel helpdesk plus chat plus voice plus AI all bundled	30-day trial	Small Business $15 per agent annual
Tidio (with Lyro AI)	Live chat plus Lyro AI chatbot with native integration	Yes, 50 conversations/month, 10 seats	Starter $24.17 per workspace annual + Lyro AI $32.50/mo
Intercom (Fin AI)	SaaS in-app messaging plus customer support plus per-resolution AI	14-day trial	Essential $39, Advanced $99, Expert $139 + Fin $0.99/resolution
HubSpot Service Hub	CRM-first customer service with free unlimited-user CRM included	Yes, unlimited agents with CRM	Starter $20/mo Core Seat, Hub Pro $90 per seat annual
Zoho Desk	Helpdesk in the Zoho stack for teams using Zoho CRM	Yes, 3 operators	From $20 per agent annual (Standard), Pro $35, Enterprise $50
Crisp Chat	Multichannel inbox plus AI chatbot in one workspace	Yes, 2 seats	Mini $45 per workspace, Essentials $95, Plus $295
Respond.io	WhatsApp Business plus Messenger plus Instagram plus Telegram	7-day trial only	Starter $79/mo, Growth $159/mo with AI Agents
Wati	Official WhatsApp BSP with broadcasts plus chatbot flows	7-day trial	Growth $59/mo annual, Pro $119, Business $279
Userlike (now Lime Connect)	European GDPR-aligned chat plus WhatsApp (rebranded Sept 2025)	Yes, 1 seat	From €90 per month annual at Team (4 seats)
HelpCrunch	Live chat plus email plus knowledge base with AI Reply	14-day trial	Basic from $15 per team member monthly
Smartsupp	Chat with visitor session recording plus Mira AI for ecommerce	Yes, 25 conversations/month	Standard $20 per agent annual + Mira AI $16/mo
Chatbase	Custom AI chatbot trained on your website or docs	Yes, 50 message credits/month	Hobby $40/mo, Standard $150, Pro $500
Tawk.to	Fully free chat with unlimited agents	Yes, unlimited agents (branded)	$29 per month annual to remove branding
Chatwoot	Open-source self-hosted customer support platform	Yes, self-hosted unlimited	Cloud Startups $19/agent monthly, Hacker free 2 agents
Gorgias (reference)	retail-anchored retail helpdesk with order context	7-day trial	Starter $10/mo (50 tickets), Basic $60, Pro $360, Advanced $900

Pricing accurate as of May 2026. Plan names, tiers, and features change frequently, verify on each vendor's official pricing page before purchase. Some prices reflect annual billing. Currency shown is USD unless otherwise noted (Userlike / Lime Connect is quoted in EUR). Gorgias overage tickets billed at $0.36-$0.40 each beyond the plan limit; AI Automate add-on at $0.90-$1.00 per automated resolved conversation.

Chatim as an SMB Shopify pick when Gorgias tier pricing is steep

Disclosure: Chatim is our own product. For small Shopify stores that have outgrown the $10 Gorgias Starter ticket cap but find the $60 Basic tier a big jump, Chatim offers SMB live chat plus chatbot with a native Shopify plugin and predictable per-plan pricing.

Try Chatim free at chatim.app →

Shopify-native alternatives to Gorgias

For major commerce platforms businesses that want order-context customer support in one tool, the retail-specific platforms below are the closest direct rivals to Gorgias.

Re:amaze, multi-store retail helpdesk

Re:amaze supports major commerce platforms with multi-store routing in one shared inbox. Plans: Basic $29 per user, Plus $49, Pro $69 per user monthly. Acquired by GoDaddy in 2021. Key features include live chat, email ticketing, social media integration, and FAQ tools tailored for ecommerce. Key features address teams running multiple online stores. Re:amaze review.

Richpanel, self-help retail CX platform

Richpanel is an retail support platform with a self-service portal that lets shoppers handle returns, exchanges, and order tracking without an agent. Pricing from around $29 per agent monthly on entry tier, with higher tiers for large teams. Native integrations for major retail platforms. The most-cited Richpanel difference vs Gorgias is the customer-facing self-service portal (Richpanel) versus pure agent-facing ticketing (Gorgias).

Gladly, people-first retail conversation platform

Gladly is a people-first support platform anchored on customer profiles rather than tickets, with deep retail integrations. Pricing from $180 per agent monthly. Key features address premium businesses that want lifelong conversation threads across channels rather than discrete tickets.

Hiver, Gmail-native shared inbox

Hiver turns Gmail into a shared inbox for support teams in Google Workspace. From $19 per user monthly. Strong for online retail teams that already run on Google Workspace and want lightweight ticket-style features without leaving Gmail.

HappyFox, ticketing-first helpdesk

HappyFox is a workflow-automation-led helpdesk with multichannel ticketing. From $29 per agent monthly. Strong for mid-market online retail teams that want deeper workflow automation than Gorgias's macro and rule library.

Best large customer service helpdesks

Large businesses and enterprises that have outgrown retail-specific tools usually pick a horizontal helpdesk with deep SLA, routing, and integration coverage.

Zendesk, large support

Zendesk Suite combines email, chat, voice, and social into one ticketing helpdesk with deep automation. Plans: Suite Team $55, Suite Growth $89, Suite Professional $115, Suite top $169 per agent annual. AI Agents at $1.50 per automated resolution. The broadest integration marketplace in the helpdesk category. Pick Zendesk over Gorgias when the use case extends beyond Shopify stores to multi-channel enterprise customer service. Zendesk review.

Kustomer, Meta-owned large support

Kustomer is an enterprise support platform with a CRM-style data model and AI-assisted timelines. Pricing from $89 per user monthly annual. Owned by Meta. Strong for large businesses that want CRM-centric customer profiles rather than ticket-centric workflows.

Freshdesk, email-first helpdesk with Freddy AI

Freshdesk is Freshworks' email-first helpdesk with Freddy AI for canned-response automation and ticket-routing automation. Plans: Growth from $19 per agent annual, Pro $55, Enterprise $89. Strong for online retail teams that want a horizontal helpdesk with mature AI workflow automation. Freshdesk review.

Front, collaborative shared inbox

Front combines email, SMS, social, and chat in a shared inbox built for team collaboration with assignment, internal comments, and shared draft replies. Gorgias Plans: Starter $19 per seat annual (up to 10 users), Growth $59, Scale $99. Strong for online retailers that want team-based collaboration on customer threads.

Best SMB customer-first helpdesk

For smaller online retailers and SMB support teams that want a quiet, email-led experience without large-team complexity, the customer-first picks below are picks beyond Gorgias's heavier ticketing model.

Help Scout, customer-first inbox

Help Scout is built around email-style customer support with live chat (Beacon) and a knowledge base in one workspace. Plans: Free 5 users with 1 Inbox, Standard $25 per user, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user annual. Strong for SMB online retailers that want a customer-first help desk without per-ticket pricing.

ProProfs Chat, simple SMB chat plus tickets

ProProfs Chat is a simple live chat plus knowledge base bundle for SMB support teams. Pricing from $19.99 per user monthly. Strong for small online retailers that want a lightweight chat plus ticketing combo.

Best Gorgias alternative with bundled AI automation

Gorgias AI Automate is sold separately at $0.90-$1.00 per resolved conversation. The picks below bundle AI automation into seat or workspace pricing without per-resolution metering.

LiveAgent, AI bundled on every plan

LiveAgent combines live chat, email ticketing, a call center with IVR, knowledge base, and social channels in one helpdesk. Plans: Small Business $15 per agent annual. AI Chatbot and AI Answer Assistant bundled on every plan, making this the cheapest AI floor in the helpdesk category. LiveAgent review.

Tidio with Lyro AI for Shopify

Tidio combines live chat, chatbots, and a modern LLM-driven Lyro AI add-on in one workspace-priced tool with native Shopify integration. Plans: Free 50 conversations per month with 10 seats, Starter $24.17 per workspace annual, Lyro AI add-on from $32.50 per month for 50 Lyro conversations. The cheapest retail chat plus AI bundle. Tidio review.

Intercom Fin AI, per-resolution AI

Intercom Fin AI is priced at $0.99 per resolved conversation with a 50-resolution monthly minimum, on top of Intercom seat costs (Essential $39, Advanced $99, Expert $139 per seat). Comparable to Gorgias AI Automate but on top of SaaS in-app messaging rather than retail ticketing. Pick Intercom over Gorgias when the team is a SaaS product needing in-app messenger plus Fin AI rather than a Shopify-store ticketing system. Intercom review.

Where chat meets CRM: the alternatives

Ecommerce teams that want customer support plus a real CRM with deals, marketing automation, and contacts in one tool pick the CRM-anchored platforms below.

HubSpot Service Hub, CRM-first customer service

HubSpot Service Hub combines live chat, ticketing, basic chatbot, and a free CRM with unlimited users. Plans: Free unlimited agents, Starter $20/month at Core Seat, Service Hub Pro $90 per seat annual, Hub top $150 per seat annual. integration available via HubSpot App Marketplace. HubSpot review.

Zoho Desk plus Zoho SalesIQ

Zoho Desk is the helpdesk component of the Zoho stack. Zoho SalesIQ is the live chat component. Plans: Zoho Desk Standard from $20 per agent annual, Professional $35, Enterprise $50. Strong for online retail teams already standardized on Zoho CRM. Pick Zoho SalesIQ over Gorgias when the store is not on Shopify or the team wants chat tied to Zoho CRM rather than Shopify-ticket pricing. Zoho review.

Multichannel inbox picks for WhatsApp

Ecommerce brands with significant WhatsApp Business volume often pick a WhatsApp-anchored platform with broadcast plus chatbot depth alongside their Shopify integration.

Respond.io, WhatsApp plus multichannel inbox

Respond.io is built around WhatsApp Business Cloud API, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and SMS in one inbox. 7-day trial only. Starter $79 per month basic, Growth $159 per month with AI Agents and 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts. Respond.io review.

Wati, official WhatsApp BSP

Wati is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider that bundles broadcasts, no-code chatbot flows, shared team inbox, and CRM-style contact management. Growth from $59 per month annual, Pro $119, Business $279.

Crisp Chat, multichannel inbox plus AI

Crisp bundles live chat, multichannel inbox (email, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram), an AI chatbot, co-browsing, and a help center into one workspace. Free 2 seats, Mini $45 per workspace, Essentials $95 with AI unlocked, Plus $295. Pick Crisp Chat over Gorgias when the workflow is chat-first SMB rather than Shopify-ticket-volume scaling. Crisp review.

Userlike (now Lime Connect), European GDPR-aligned

Userlike officially rebranded to Lime Connect in September 2025 after being acquired by Lime Technologies in 2021. Team €90 per month annual with 4 seats and 2 WhatsApp channels. European GDPR-aligned. Pick Userlike (Lime Connect) over Gorgias when the store is European and needs GDPR-aligned chat plus WhatsApp rather than a Shopify-only helpdesk. Userlike review.

Best free Gorgias alternatives

Gorgias offers only a 7-day free trial. The picks below offer perpetual free tiers suitable for online retailers starting with low ticket volume.

Tawk.to, fully free unlimited agents

Tawk.to is the most-installed free chat platform. Fully free with unlimited agents and unlimited history; $29 per month annual to remove branding. Free Shopify and BigCommerce plugins. Tawk.to review.

Chatwoot, open-source self-hosted

Chatwoot is an open-source support platform that online retailers can self-host with unlimited agents at no software cost (Cloud Hacker plan free 2 agents, Startups Cloud $19 per agent monthly). Strong for technical teams that want full data control.

HubSpot Hub Free

HubSpot Hub Free includes live chat, ticketing, basic chatbot, and the free HubSpot CRM with unlimited users.

Tidio Free, 50 conversations per month

Tidio Free covers 50 conversations per month with 10 seats including a basic chatbot, plus optional Lyro AI add-on.

Buyer framework for Gorgias alternatives

Five steps to narrow 25 options to one.

Step 1: Define the job your tool needs to do

Pure retail helpdesk with order context: Re:amaze, Richpanel, Gladly. Horizontal large support: Zendesk, Kustomer, Freshdesk, Front. SMB customer-first inbox: Help Scout, ProProfs. AI automation bundled in: LiveAgent, Tidio Lyro. SaaS in-app messenger: Intercom Fin. CRM-integrated customer service: HubSpot Service Hub, Zoho Desk. WhatsApp Business plus multichannel: Respond.io, Wati, Crisp, Lime Connect. Free unlimited: Tawk.to, Chatwoot, HubSpot Free.

Step 2: Pick a cost model

Free options have no spend to start. Per-ticket volume pricing (Gorgias) fits online retailers with predictable monthly volumes. Per-user or per-agent pricing (Re:amaze, Help Scout, Freshdesk, LiveAgent, Zendesk) fits online retail teams that want predictable seat costs without ticket caps. Per-workspace flat fee (Tidio, Crisp, Chaport) fits SMB ecommerce with small teams. Per-seat with metered AI (Intercom Fin) fits SaaS-anchored ecommerce. Per-message credit (Chatbase, Botpress) fits custom AI builds.

Step 3: List the channels you actually need

online retail with order context: Gorgias, Re:amaze, Richpanel, Tidio. Multi-platform ecommerce (Shopify plus BigCommerce plus Magento plus WooCommerce): Re:amaze. Email plus ticketing: Help Scout, Freshdesk, Zendesk, Front. Voice plus chat bundled: LiveAgent. SaaS in-app messenger: Intercom. WhatsApp Business: Respond.io, Wati, Lime Connect.

Step 4: Match team size to plan

Solo ecommerce brand (1-3 users): Tawk.to, HubSpot Free, Tidio Free, Help Scout Free, Chatwoot self-hosted, Gorgias Starter ($10/month for 50 tickets). Growing ecommerce team (3-15): Re:amaze Basic ($29/user), Help Scout Standard ($25), LiveAgent Small Business ($15/agent annual), Freshdesk Growth ($19), Tidio Starter ($24.17 workspace), Gorgias Basic ($60 for 300 tickets). Mid-market (15-50): Re:amaze Pro ($69), Freshdesk Pro ($55), Zendesk Suite Team ($55), HubSpot Service Hub Pro ($90), Front Growth ($59), Gorgias Pro ($360 for 2,000 tickets). Enterprise (50+): Zendesk Suite top ($169), Kustomer ($89/user), Help Scout Pro ($75), Service Hub top tier ($150), Gorgias Advanced ($900 for 5,000 tickets) or custom plans.

Step 5: Pilot two finalists for 14 days

Pilot two finalists side by side. Pick the one that wins on support workflow depth, integration quality, and total cost (including overage tickets, AI add-ons, voice and SMS per-ticket charges, and onboarding fees) as a function of features.

Gorgias strengths and pricing recap

To compare alternatives fairly, here is the recap on Gorgias itself. Gorgias is a support platform purpose-built for online retailers, with the most-installed support app on retail app stores. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and is independent. Gorgias serves over 14,000 brands per its own marketing.

Strengths

• native integration depth with order, refund, and shipping context inside the agent inbox.
• Revenue-tracked workflows showing dollar value generated by each support interaction.
• Automated tagging and macros that pull live product and order data into agent replies.
• Multichannel ticketing across email, live chat, social, voice, and SMS.
• AI Automate add-on for resolution automation at $0.90-$1.00 per automated resolved conversation.
• 500 agent seats included on Basic and above so the team size does not drive seat costs.

Pricing recap (verified May 2026)

• Starter: $10/month for 50 tickets and 3 agent seats. Lowest entry for solo online stores.
• Basic: $60/month for 300 tickets and up to 500 agent seats.
• Pro: $360/month for 2,000 tickets.
• Advanced: $900/month for 5,000 tickets, often with onboarding fees.
• Enterprise: custom pricing above 5,000 tickets, typically with onboarding fees.
• Overage tickets: $0.36-$0.40 each beyond the plan limit.
• AI Automate: $0.90-$1.00 per automated resolved conversation (separate add-on).
• Voice and SMS: separate add-ons billed per ticket.
• Annual billing saves approximately 16 percent.

Pros and cons

Pros: deepest Shopify integration in the support category, revenue-tracked workflows, automated tagging and macros pulling product context, multichannel ticketing including voice and SMS, AI Automate for resolution automation, 500 agent seats included on Basic and above.

Cons: ticket-based pricing scales steeply between tiers, overage tickets at $0.36-$0.40 each, AI Automate priced separately at $0.90-$1.00 per resolution, voice and SMS support priced as add-ons, retail-first orientation makes BigCommerce or Magento integration shallower, Advanced and Enterprise often include mid-four-figure onboarding fees, learning curve on advanced automation features.

Common buyer questions

For the broader customer service landscape, see our guides on the best live chat platforms, Zendesk alternatives, Help Scout alternatives, Re:amaze alternatives, Freshdesk alternatives, and Tidio alternatives. For platform-specific setups, see live chat for Shopify.