9 Gorgias alternatives for Shopify stores (2026)
Gorgias counts tickets and bills its AI Agent per interaction. Here are the helpdesks and chat apps Shopify stores weigh against it: who each one suits, what it lacks and what it costs.
We make Reponse, listed first. Every other tool is described from its own pricing page and documentation, and each entry links its source with the date we checked it. The order runs from the smallest store to the largest support team; it is not a ranking.
The alternatives at a glance
Entry plans as each vendor publishes them, and how each one bills its AI.
| Tool | Best for | Entry plan | How AI is billed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reponse | Shopify stores: chat and helpdesk never billed, an AI agent that sells | From $39 a month for 1,000 AI actions, every AI agent included, after 14 days free | A plan by AI actions (1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 a month), then $0.05 per action beyond; your team's work is never billed | Reponse pricing |
| Shopify Inbox | Small stores that only need chat, AI agent included | Free, on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans | Free: no AI usage fee listed | Shopify Help Center, checked October 2026 |
| Tidio | Small teams on several platforms, free plan | $24.17 / month, Starter plan, billed annually | Lyro add-on from $32.50/mo billed yearly for 50 conversations, once the first 50 free conversations are used | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
| Re:amaze | Several brands or platforms, SMS and phone | $29 / team member / month, Basic plan | 5, 10 or 20 AI resolutions per user a month, then $0.85 each | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
| Richpanel | Support teams that want self-service and returns | $89 / seat, per month (Pro, monthly billing) | $0.20 per AI-handled conversation, on top of seats | Pricing page, checked 28 October 2026 |
| Zendesk | Large support departments, phone included | $19 / agent / month, billed yearly, Support Team plan | Automated resolutions: an allowance per plan, then billed on usage | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
| Crisp | Any kind of website, seats included in a flat price | $45 / month, Mini plan | AI credits included: about 90 conversations on Mini, 450 on Essentials | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
| Intercom | B2B SaaS with logged-in users | $29 / month per seat, Essential plan billed annually | Fin AI Agent from $0.99 per resolved outcome, on top of seats | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
| Kustomer | Large service organisations, custom data, voice | Pricing on request, Enterprise plan | $0.60 per AI-engaged conversation, plus $40 per user a month for AI for reps | Pricing page, checked September 2026 |
The 9 alternatives, one by one
1. Reponse
Customer experience suite for Shopify
Our product
Live chat, shared inbox, tickets, loyalty and referral in one app inside the Shopify admin, with unlimited seats; the support emails you forward land in Tickets. Every AI agent works from day one: one sells in the store chat, recommending products in stock, building the cart and applying a Shopify discount code, and the Support Agent sorts tickets and drafts the replies your team sends.
- Choose it if
- You sell on Shopify, answer customers yourselves today, want neither per-seat nor per-ticket billing, and want an AI agent that sells from day one, in a plan sized by AI actions.
- Before you choose
- Shopify only, in English and French, with no phone, SMS or voice channel. Your Gorgias tickets, macros and rules aren't imported, and it is a younger product with far fewer integrations than Gorgias.
- Entry plan
- From $39 a month for 1,000 AI actions, every AI agent included, after 14 days free
- How AI is billed
- A plan by AI actions (1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 a month), then $0.05 per action beyond; your team's work is never billed
- S
2. Shopify Inbox
Shopify's free chat app
Shopify's own chat for the online store. Your team answers from the web app or the iOS and Android apps, and an opt-in Inbox agent can answer shoppers by itself: it recommends products from your catalog, adds items to the cart and, once the shopper signs in, looks up their order.
- Choose it if
- You want a free chat with an AI agent on your store, and handle email, returns and reviews in other tools.
- Before you choose
- A chat, not a helpdesk: no tickets and no email inbox. The agent works only in the store chat, needs new customer accounts and always tells shoppers they are chatting with AI; discount codes are shared by your staff, and when no one is available the shopper is given your email address.
- Entry plan
- Free, on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans
- How AI is billed
- Free: no AI usage fee listed
3. Tidio
Live chat and AI chatbot
A live chat with a visual Flows builder and the Lyro AI agent, which installs on about fifteen platforms, from Shopify to WordPress and Wix. Tidio bills the conversations a human answers, not seats: up to 10 seats come with the self-serve plans.
- Choose it if
- You sell on more than one platform, want to draw scripted paths yourself, or need a free live chat for a small team.
- Before you choose
- Lyro and Flows are paid add-ons on top of the plan (Lyro from $32.50 a month billed yearly, for 50 conversations), and removing the Tidio branding costs $16.67 a month.
- Entry plan
- $24.17 / month, Starter plan, billed annually
- How AI is billed
- Lyro add-on from $32.50/mo billed yearly for 50 conversations, once the first 50 free conversations are used
4. Re:amaze
Multichannel helpdesk
A classic helpdesk that also carries SMS, VoIP and video calls (SMS and voice from the Pro plan), and integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, WordPress and Stripe. From Pro, multibrand lets several support sites share one account.
- Choose it if
- Your support spans several brands or commerce platforms, needs a phone line, or wants staff shifts, custom roles and satisfaction ratings (Plus plan).
- Before you choose
- Billed per seat on Basic, Pro and Plus ($29 to $69 per team member a month), or $59 a month on Starter for unlimited members up to 500 responded conversations; a 14-day trial but no permanently free plan, and the AI Agent is still in beta.
- Entry plan
- $29 / team member / month, Basic plan
- How AI is billed
- 5, 10 or 20 AI resolutions per user a month, then $0.85 each
5. Richpanel
E-commerce helpdesk
A helpdesk for e-commerce support teams, with a self-service portal where customers track an order or start a return, a Returns & Exchanges module, and SMS and phone channels. Richpanel moves tickets, macros, tags and rules over from Gorgias for you.
- Choose it if
- Several agents work on support full time, you want customers to handle returns themselves, and you'd like the move from Gorgias done for you.
- Before you choose
- $69 to $119 per seat a month depending on the plan and the contract, so the bill follows the size of the team, AI at $0.20 per conversation on top, and no free plan listed.
- Entry plan
- $89 / seat, per month (Pro, monthly billing)
- How AI is billed
- $0.20 per AI-handled conversation, on top of seats
6. Zendesk
General-purpose helpdesk
The helpdesk of support departments in every industry: skills-based routing, granular permissions, a sandbox to test workflows, telephony with an IVR phone tree in the Suite plans, and a broad ecosystem of apps.
- Choose it if
- Support is a department of its own, runs on the phone, or also serves your employees (IT, HR).
- Before you choose
- Billed per agent: the $19 Support Team plan is email and ticketing only, web messaging and the AI agent start with Suite Team at $55 per agent a month (billed yearly), and Copilot adds $50 per agent.
- Entry plan
- $19 / agent / month, billed yearly, Support Team plan
- How AI is billed
- Automated resolutions: an allowance per plan, then billed on usage
7. Crisp
Multichannel messaging
A shared inbox for any kind of website, SaaS, brochure site or store, with a status page, a visual scenario builder and the Hugo AI agent. Crisp bills per workspace with seats included: 4 agents on Mini at $45 a month, then $10 per extra agent.
- Choose it if
- Your site isn't only a Shopify store, or you want a status page and a flat price that doesn't grow with each agent.
- Before you choose
- The AI runs on credits included in the plan ($5 on Mini, about 90 automated conversations), the full AI agent starts with Essentials at $95 a month, and contacts are capped per plan.
- Entry plan
- $45 / month, Mini plan
- How AI is billed
- AI credits included: about 90 conversations on Mini, 450 on Essentials
8. Intercom
Customer messaging platform
A messaging platform built around a logged-in product: in-app messenger, mobile SDKs, product tours, a help center and the Fin AI agent, which can also run on top of another helpdesk.
- Choose it if
- You run a product-led SaaS or app, alongside or instead of a store, and want in-product messages and tours.
- Before you choose
- Two bills: seats from $29 a month (Essential, billed yearly) and Fin outcomes from $0.99 each, with a minimum monthly commitment; only full seats can message customers.
- Entry plan
- $29 / month per seat, Essential plan billed annually
- How AI is billed
- Fin AI Agent from $0.99 per resolved outcome, on top of seats
9. Kustomer
Enterprise CRM helpdesk
A CRM-style platform for large service teams: one timeline per customer that pulls in phone, SMS and social, custom objects (Klasses), skills-based routing, SLAs, sandbox, SAML and SCIM, and up to 300 brands on Ultimate.
- Choose it if
- You have a CX operations owner, an annual budget and a data model that goes well beyond commerce, or regulated data (HIPAA option).
- Before you choose
- No published price for Enterprise and Ultimate (an ROI assessment or a sales call), and AI billed apart: $0.60 per AI-engaged conversation plus $40 per user a month for AI for reps.
- Entry plan
- Pricing on request, Enterprise plan
- How AI is billed
- $0.60 per AI-engaged conversation, plus $40 per user a month for AI for reps
Why Shopify stores look beyond Gorgias
Gorgias is a mature ecommerce helpdesk, strong on ticket routing and integrations. What can send stores looking elsewhere is the way it bills, as its pricing page sets it out:
- Billed on ticket volume, not per seat: Starter includes 50 billable tickets a month, then $0.40 per extra ticket
- AI Agent is usage-based on top of the plan: $1.00 per automated interaction on monthly billing, $0.90 on an annual contract
- Each AI Agent interaction also counts as a helpdesk ticket and is billed as one; adding AI Agent takes Starter to $40 a month, with 50 tickets and 30 automated interactions
- Annual commitment lowers the monthly rate (Basic is $60/mo billed monthly vs $50/mo billed annually); the Starter plan is monthly billing only
When Gorgias stays the better choice
When your desk runs on phone calls (the Gorgias Voice add-on), when you also sell on WooCommerce, BigCommerce or Magento, or when your team relies on Rules, Flows, seat allowances up to 500 users, audit logs and 150+ app integrations.
Reponse vs Gorgias, point by pointGorgias pricingHow to choose a helpdesk for a Shopify store
We compare Gorgias with 7 helpdesks and messaging tools: Zendesk, Intercom, Crisp, Tidio, Richpanel, Re:amaze, and Kustomer. Beyond features, four points set them apart.
How it bills
Per agent seat (Zendesk, Intercom, Richpanel, Re:amaze), per ticket or conversation handled (Gorgias, Tidio), or a flat price with seats included (Crisp). The AI almost always comes on top, metered per resolution or interaction. Reponse bills no seat and no human ticket: three plans by volume of AI actions, from $39 a month for 1,000, each with 14 days free, then $0.05 per AI action beyond the plan.
The channels you need
Phone, SMS or video calls point to Zendesk, Re:amaze, Kustomer or the Gorgias Voice add-on. Reponse covers your store's live chat with human handover and the support emails you forward into Tickets, with no phone or SMS channel.
Your platform
Reponse is built for Shopify and works from its data: catalog, orders and customers. On WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento or WordPress, look at Gorgias, Re:amaze or Tidio, which installs on about fifteen platforms.
One suite or one tool per job
Most of these tools are helpdesks or messaging platforms, and loyalty and referral live in other apps. Reponse puts them in the same suite as tickets and live chat, around one customer profile. The honest trade-off: a younger, narrower product than the established helpdesks.
Questions about switching helpdesk
Which Gorgias alternative suits a small Shopify store?
If you answer customers yourselves, start with the tools that don't bill seats or tickets.
Shopify Inbox is free and includes an AI agent in the store chat, but it has no tickets or email inbox. Reponse bills no seat and no ticket for live chat, a shared inbox with the support emails you forward, tickets, loyalty and referral; its plans hold every AI agent, from $39 a month for 1,000 AI actions after 14 days free. Tidio and Crisp have free plans, with paid plans listed at $24.17 and $45 a month. Per-seat helpdesks such as Zendesk, Re:amaze, Richpanel or Intercom make more sense once several people work on support full time.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Gorgias for Shopify?
Reponse bills no seat and no ticket for the whole CX suite.
Tickets, shared inbox, unlimited human live chat, loyalty and referral, with unlimited seats, and nothing to enter, since it is on your Shopify invoice. Its plans hold every AI agent and differ only by AI actions: from $39 a month for 1,000, after 14 days free. Tidio and Crisp have a free plan; their entry paid plans are listed at $24.17 and $45 a month.
How is the AI priced?
In the plan, by AI action, on your Shopify invoice.
Each plan includes 1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 AI actions a month, then each one costs $0.05, within the monthly overage budget you set, after 14 days free. Helpdesks usually meter AI on top of seats or tickets, per resolution or interaction; each comparison gives the vendor's rate.
Can I bring my tickets over from Gorgias, Zendesk or another helpdesk?
Not today.
Reponse does not import ticket archives, macros or rules from another helpdesk: your previous tool stays your archive, and Reponse rebuilds the customer picture from Shopify (customers, orders, catalog). A safe path is to run both side by side for a while, then switch the store chat over to Reponse.
When is another tool the better choice?
When you need phone or SMS (Zendesk, Re:amaze, Kustomer, the Gorgias Voice add-on), sell outside Shopify (Gorgias, Re:amaze, Tidio), support a logged-in B2B product (Intercom), want a self-service returns portal (Richpanel) or prefer to draw scripted flows by hand (Tidio). Each comparison lists what Reponse does not replace.
Can ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity read your store?
The AI Readiness Checker reads your store the way AI assistants do: crawler access, catalog, structured data, return and shipping policies. You get a score out of 100, check by check. No install, no account.
Customer service that finally pays for itself.
It installs from the Shopify App Store, lives in your admin and already knows your customers and orders.