Gorgias vs Zendesk: ecommerce helpdesk or general support suite?
Gorgias is an ecommerce-first helpdesk with Shopify-deep integrations, ticket-based pricing, and unlimited seats. Zendesk is a general customer service suite with ticketing, messaging, knowledge, marketplace apps, and AI agents priced per agent.
Ecommerce-focused helpdesk with Shopify-first integrations, ticket-based pricing with unlimited seats, and an AI Agent priced per interaction.
Enterprise-grade customer service suite with ticketing, messaging, live chat, voice, knowledge base, AI agents, Copilot, and a large marketplace.
Side-by-side comparison
The pricing models are opposites: Gorgias charges by ticket volume with unlimited seats, Zendesk charges by agent seat regardless of volume — so team size and ticket volume decide most of this comparison.
| Feature | Gorgias | Zendesk | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting plan | $10/month for Starter (50 tickets) | $19/agent/month paid yearly for Support Team | Different units: tickets per month vs agent seats. |
| Pricing scales with | Monthly ticket volume, with overages from ~$0.36/ticket | Agent seats and suite tier | High-volume stores feel Gorgias pricing; big teams feel Zendesk pricing. |
| Seats | Unlimited agent seats on paid plans | Every agent needs a paid seat | Gorgias favors large teams with modest volume; Zendesk the reverse. |
| Ecommerce depth | Shopify-first: order data, refunds, and actions inside tickets | Ecommerce via marketplace apps and integrations | Gorgias is the specialist; Zendesk is the generalist. |
| AI | AI Agent at $0.90–$1.00 per interaction (also counts as a ticket) | AI agents, Copilot, triage, and automation through Suite/add-ons | Both meter AI separately from the base plan. |
| Best fit | Ecommerce and Shopify teams that want order-context support and ticket-based pricing. | Teams that need a broad, scalable customer service suite with enterprise controls. | Choose by what grows faster: your ticket volume or your team. |
Protodesk angle
If Gorgias is too ecommerce-specific and Zendesk is more suite than you need, Protodesk is the small-team option: AI support for email, WhatsApp, and live chat with flat monthly credits instead of per-ticket or per-agent math.
Gorgias prices by ticket volume: Starter $10/month for 50 tickets up to Advanced $900/month for 5,000, with unlimited seats and AI Agent interactions at $0.90–$1.00 each. Zendesk starts at $19/agent/month paid yearly. The page compares ticket-based ecommerce support against a per-agent general suite.