Updated March 2026
Zendesk vs Gorgias: General Help Desk vs E-Commerce Support
Zendesk handles any industry. Gorgias handles Shopify stores. If you sell physical products online, this comparison matters. If you don't, Gorgias probably isn't for you.
The 30-Second Version
Zendesk is the general-purpose help desk. $55-$169/agent/month. Email, phone, chat, social, AI agents, 1,500+ integrations, enterprise compliance. It works for airlines, banks, SaaS companies, and retail brands. 100,000+ customers. The tradeoff: no native e-commerce features. Connecting Shopify requires third-party apps and custom setup.
Gorgias is the Shopify help desk. $10-$900/month, priced per-ticket with unlimited agents. Order data, refund actions, shipping status, and customer purchase history are built into every ticket view. Revenue-per-ticket tracking, social media support for DTC brands, and macros with Shopify variables. 15,000+ stores. The tradeoff: if you're not in e-commerce, Gorgias has nothing to offer you.
Pricing
| Plan | Zendesk | Gorgias |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | $55/agent/mo (Suite Team) | $10/mo (Starter, 50 tickets) |
| Growth / Basic | $89/agent/mo (Suite Growth) | $60/mo (Basic, 300 tickets) |
| Pro | $115/agent/mo (Suite Professional) | $360/mo (Pro, 2,000 tickets) |
| Enterprise / Advanced | $169/agent/mo | $900/mo (Advanced, 5,000 tickets) |
| Pricing model | Per-agent | Per-ticket (unlimited agents) |
| AI cost | $1/automated resolution | Automate included in plans |
| 5 agents, 2,000 tickets/mo | $445/mo (Growth) | $360/mo (Pro) |
Different models make direct comparison tricky. Zendesk gets expensive as you add agents. Gorgias gets expensive as ticket volume grows. A 5-agent team handling 2,000 tickets pays $445/month on Zendesk Growth vs $360/month on Gorgias Pro. But a 5-agent team handling 10,000 tickets? Gorgias hits $900+/month while Zendesk stays at $445.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Zendesk | Gorgias |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify integration | Via third-party apps | Native (deep, inline actions) |
| Order management | Requires app/custom build | Built-in (refunds, edits, cancels) |
| Email ticketing | Yes (core) | Yes |
| Phone support | Zendesk Talk | No |
| Live chat | Yes | Yes |
| Social (FB, Instagram) | Yes | Yes (strong for DTC) |
| Ticket routing | Advanced (skills, load, round-robin) | Basic rules |
| SLA management | Yes (Professional+) | No |
| Knowledge base | Guide | Help center |
| Revenue tracking | No | Yes (revenue per ticket) |
| Compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA) | Yes | SOC 2 only |
| Integrations | 1,500+ | 200+ (e-commerce focused) |
| Unlimited agents | No (per-seat) | Yes (all plans) |
| BigCommerce/Magento | Via third-party | Yes (native) |
When Gorgias Wins
- 1. You're on Shopify (or BigCommerce or Magento). Gorgias pulls order data, shipping status, and purchase history into every ticket. Agents can refund, cancel, and edit orders without switching tabs. Zendesk needs third-party apps to do any of this.
- 2. You have seasonal support staff. Unlimited agents on every Gorgias plan means you can add 15 holiday temps without changing your bill. Zendesk charges per seat.
- 3. Revenue attribution matters. Gorgias tracks how much revenue each support interaction generates (post-support purchases, upsells). Zendesk doesn't measure this.
- 4. DTC social media support. Gorgias handles Facebook and Instagram comments, DMs, and ads in one queue. Good for brands where social is a sales channel.
When Zendesk Wins
- 1. You're not in e-commerce. SaaS, fintech, healthcare, travel, education. Zendesk works everywhere. Gorgias works in one industry.
- 2. Phone support matters. Zendesk Talk is a real call center product. Gorgias has no phone channel.
- 3. You need enterprise features. SLA management, skill-based routing, HIPAA/FedRAMP compliance, custom roles, sandbox environments. Gorgias doesn't offer these.
- 4. Ticket volume is high. Once you pass 5,000 tickets/month, Gorgias's per-ticket pricing gets expensive. Zendesk's per-agent pricing stays flat regardless of volume.
- 5. You need 1,500+ integrations. Gorgias has 200+ focused on e-commerce. Zendesk's marketplace covers every category.
Who Uses What
Zendesk customers: Uber, Shopify (the platform), Airbnb, Slack, Tesco. Companies across every industry with dedicated support teams. 100,000+ customers.
Gorgias customers: Steve Madden, OLIPOP, Parade, Princess Polly, Dr. Squatch. DTC and e-commerce brands on Shopify. 15,000+ stores, mostly in fashion, beauty, food, and wellness.
The Third Option
Zendesk charges per agent and gets expensive at scale. Gorgias charges per ticket and gets expensive at volume. Neither pricing model is ideal if both your team and your ticket count are growing.
Supp charges $0.20 per message with no seat fees and no ticket caps. 315 intents for automatic classification and routing. Integrates with Shopify, Slack, Jira, Linear, GitHub, and more. Per-message pricing that scales without cliffs. Try it free.