Gorgias alternatives for Shopify support in 2026
Every list of Gorgias alternatives is written by a helpdesk vendor that ranks itself first. This one is too — so here is the useful part up front: for most of the situations below, the answer is not CaseKit, and each entry says which one it is.
It also includes the option the other lists leave out entirely: not migrating.
The shortlist
| Tool | Type | Entry price | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richpanel | Ecommerce-native helpdesk | From about $29/mo, usage-based | You want Gorgias's model with different pricing and a strong self-service portal. |
| Re:amaze | Ecommerce helpdesk with chat | From $29/user/mo | You want chat and social in the same inbox as email, and per-user pricing suits your headcount. |
| Zendesk | General customer service platform | From $19/agent/mo, annual | Support is a function with headcount, shifts and targets rather than a task. |
| Help Scout | Simple shared inbox | Per-user, published on their site | You want a proper shared inbox with assignment, but not an ecommerce platform. |
| Freshdesk | General helpdesk | From $19/agent/mo, annual | You want a general-purpose helpdesk at a lower per-seat price and Shopify depth is secondary. |
| eDesk | Marketplace-focused helpdesk | Published per-agent tiers | Marketplace channels are a real part of your volume. |
| Shopify Inbox | Free storefront chat | Free | Your support need is pre-purchase chat, not post-purchase email. |
| CaseKit | Gmail extension, no migration | Free, or $19/mo for up to 3 people | Gmail is your support inbox, order questions dominate, and you do not want to migrate at all. |
Competitor details verified 29 August 2026. Helpdesk pricing changes often — check the vendor's own page before deciding.
Why teams start looking
Worth naming, because the reason decides which of these is right.
The bill scales with your best month
Ticket-metered pricing plus per-resolution AI charges means peak season costs the most, exactly when margin is tightest. A flat or per-seat model changes the shape of that.
The AI answers off-brand
The most-cited complaint in public comparisons. If the helpdesk is fine and only the AI disappoints, layering a better AI on top avoids a migration.
You never needed a helpdesk
Some teams bought one to get Shopify order data next to the customer message. If that was the whole reason, the queue, SLAs and routing are overhead you are paying for and not using.
The options in detail
Richpanel
The most direct like-for-like swap. Native Shopify actions, a self-service portal and a one-click Gorgias import that carries tickets, macros and tags across.
Best when: You want Gorgias's model with different pricing and a strong self-service portal.
From about $29/mo, usage-based
Re:amaze
Shared inbox, live chat, social channels, chatbots and Shopify order actions. Multi-brand on higher tiers.
Best when: You want chat and social in the same inbox as email, and per-user pricing suits your headcount.
From $29/user/mo
Zendesk
The broadest platform here: ticketing, routing, SLAs, reporting and a large app ecosystem. Shopify context comes via integration rather than natively.
Best when: Support is a function with headcount, shifts and targets rather than a task.
From $19/agent/mo, annual
Help Scout
A clean shared inbox that feels closer to email than to a ticket queue. Popular with small teams who find Zendesk heavy.
Best when: You want a proper shared inbox with assignment, but not an ecommerce platform.
Per-user, published on their site
Freshdesk
Full ticketing with an AI layer. Shopify support is via a marketplace app rather than native order actions.
Best when: You want a general-purpose helpdesk at a lower per-seat price and Shopify depth is secondary.
From $19/agent/mo, annual
eDesk
Built around marketplaces. The strongest option if a meaningful share of your sales runs through Amazon or eBay alongside Shopify.
Best when: Marketplace channels are a real part of your volume.
Published per-agent tiers
Shopify Inbox
Shopify's own tool for chat conversations that start on your storefront, with customer and cart context and AI-assisted suggested replies.
Best when: Your support need is pre-purchase chat, not post-purchase email.
Free
CaseKit
Not a helpdesk. It puts the Shopify order and a ready reply next to the Gmail conversation you already have open, and leaves your inbox alone.
Best when: Gmail is your support inbox, order questions dominate, and you do not want to migrate at all.
Free, or $19/mo for up to 3 people
A decision tree that doesn't end at our product
Do you need more than one channel in one queue?
Yes → you need a helpdesk. Re:amaze or Richpanel for ecommerce-native, Zendesk if support is a function with headcount. Stop here.
Do you need SLAs, routing or assignment you can report on?
Yes → helpdesk again. Zendesk or Freshdesk. Stop here.
Is the helpdesk fine and only the AI disappointing?
Then layer better AI onto what you have rather than migrating. Several tools are built specifically for that.
Is a meaningful share of sales on marketplaces?
eDesk. Its whole model is built around that.
Is it email in Gmail, mostly order questions, one to three people?
Then a migration is solving a problem you do not have. Put the Shopify order next to the email and keep the inbox. That is what CaseKit does.
Where Gorgias still wins
A comparison that cannot name this is not worth reading.
Depth of Shopify integration
Refunds, cancellations and order edits from inside the ticket. CaseKit is read-only and cannot do any of it.
Unlimited seats on paid plans
Because billing is per ticket, adding people costs nothing. For a growing team that is a genuine advantage over per-seat models.
Revenue attribution
Tying support conversations to revenue is well built and most alternatives here do it less well or not at all.
See the no-migration option
The Shopify order, next to the Gmail conversation, with the reply already written.
Common questions
Why do people leave Gorgias?
What is the closest direct alternative to Gorgias?
Is there a Gorgias alternative that isn't a helpdesk?
How much does Gorgias cost?
Should I migrate or add an AI layer on top?
Before you migrate, try not migrating
CaseKit adds the Shopify order to the Gmail you already use. Free plan: unlimited lookups and 25 replies a month, about a minute to set up.