Gorgias autoresponder: What it is & the best alternatives (2025)

So, you're looking to set up a Gorgias autoresponder to handle common customer questions and give your support team a break. Smart move. But before you dive in, there’s a big shift you need to know about: Gorgias is phasing out its classic "Autoresponder Rules" for new accounts and is moving everyone over to its more advanced AI Agent.

What does that mean for you? Don't worry, this guide has you covered. We'll walk through what the old feature was, how the new AI Agent works, and introduce a powerful, more flexible alternative for teams that want total control over their automation without having to leave their helpdesk.

What was the original Gorgias autoresponder?

The original Gorgias autoresponder was a simple, straightforward feature built on what Gorgias calls "Rules." You can think of it as a basic "if this, then that" system for your support tickets. You could set up these rules to automatically fire off templated responses based on certain triggers.

A screenshot of the Gorgias autoresponder showing the classic if-then rule setup for automation.

It was pretty handy for the basic stuff that didn't require a ton of brainpower. Most teams used it for things like:

• Sending a quick "we're away for the night" message when a ticket came in after business hours.

• Replying with a link to the returns portal anytime a message contained the word "return."

• Automatically closing out tickets that were clearly spam.

It was a reliable, rule-based workhorse that got the job done for simple automation. But as customer support AI has gotten smarter, Gorgias has moved on. The phase-out of this feature means that if you want to automate responses in Gorgias today, you'll need to get to know its replacement: the AI Agent.

The new Gorgias autoresponder: Meet the AI Agent

The Gorgias AI Agent is the modern follow-up to the old Autoresponder Rules. Instead of just sending a pre-written reply, it's built to be more intelligent and conversational. It actually tries to understand what a customer wants and then decides what to do next.

What the new Gorgias autoresponder can do

The AI Agent is definitely a step up from the old system. It uses intent detection to figure out the purpose behind a customer's message, so it doesn't have to lean on exact keyword matches. If a customer asks, "How do I send this back?" the AI knows it's a return request.

The Gorgias autoresponder's conversational AI handling a customer query about an order.

Because it's built for ecommerce brands using platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento, it can also take action, like:

• Looking up an order's current status.

• Finding and sending a tracking link.

• Kicking off a return through an integrated app.

It's a capable tool that can handle a decent amount of repetitive support questions right out of the box.

Limitations of the Gorgias autoresponder

While the AI Agent is more powerful, it also comes with a few headaches. One of the biggest is the lack of fine-grained control. The AI works a bit like a "black box", you give it general instructions, but you can't really get in there and fine-tune the specific logic or triggers. This can make it tough to handle unique edge cases or customize the workflow to match your process perfectly.

The automation is also very tied to the Gorgias ecosystem. To get the most from it, you need their specific add-ons, and your automation features are linked to your pricing plan. But for many teams, the biggest factor is the cost.

Gorgias autoresponder pricing

The AI Agent’s pricing is usage-based, which can make your monthly bill a bit of a guessing game. Instead of a flat fee, you pay for each successful resolution the AI handles on its own.

Here’s a quick breakdown, based on their official pricing page:

A more flexible alternative: eesel AI

For teams who love using Gorgias but want more control, better accuracy, and a predictable bill at the end of the month, there's another way. eesel AI is an AI platform that plugs directly into your existing helpdesk, giving you advanced automation without the downsides of a closed system. It’s made to make your Gorgias setup better, not force you to replace it.

Set up your alternative in minutes and stay in control

Unlike a lot of enterprise AI tools that make you sit through long sales demos and complicated onboarding, eesel AI is built so you can get started yourself. You can connect your Gorgias account with a single click and start building out your AI agent in just a few minutes.

The real difference-maker is the control you get. With selective automation, you decide exactly which types of tickets the AI should handle. Want to start small and just automate "where is my order?" questions? You can do that. Want to build a rule that immediately escalates tickets from VIP customers to a human? You can do that, too. This level of control lets you roll out automation slowly and confidently.

Teach your alternative everything your team knows

A common problem with native helpdesk AI is that it can only learn from the articles you've saved in that one helpdesk. But let's be real, your company's knowledge is scattered all over the place.

This is where eesel AI really shines. It can connect to and learn from all your knowledge, no matter where it's stored:

• Past Gorgias tickets: The AI reads through thousands of your team's past conversations to learn your brand's unique voice, tone, and answers from day one.

• External sources: You can connect it to your internal docs in Confluence, Google Docs, Notion, and wherever else your team keeps its notes.

eesel AI's interface, showing how the Gorgias autoresponder alternative can connect to multiple knowledge sources like past tickets and external documents.

By pulling all these sources together, you create an AI agent that is way more knowledgeable and accurate than one stuck looking at a single knowledge base.

Test your alternative safely and know what you'll pay

Launching a new AI can feel like a gamble. How do you know if it will actually work well before you let it talk to customers? eesel AI solves this with its simulation mode. You can test your AI agent on thousands of your own past Gorgias tickets in a safe environment. It shows you exactly how it would have replied, what its resolution rate would have been, and where you might have gaps in your knowledge, all before a single customer sees it.

The simulation mode for the Gorgias autoresponder alternative, showing how the AI would have replied to past customer tickets.

This risk-free approach applies to pricing, too. While the Gorgias AI Agent has that pay-per-resolution model, eesel AI offers simple, transparent plans based on a set number of AI interactions per month (an interaction is any reply or action the AI takes).

With eesel AI, you get a predictable monthly cost. You won't get penalized for having a busy month or for your AI doing a great job helping more customers. This makes budgeting for automation simple and clear, with no surprise bills. The whole process is easy: connect your tools, run a simulation to check its accuracy, and then go live on a small number of tickets before rolling it out more widely.

Choosing the right Gorgias autoresponder

The old rule-based Gorgias autoresponder is officially a thing of the past. Now, there's the Gorgias AI Agent, a capable tool that's baked right into the platform. However, it comes with some trade-offs, like that unpredictable pricing model and less direct control over how your automation works.

For support teams on Gorgias who are looking for more power, flexibility, and predictability, eesel AI is the answer. It gives you the best of both worlds: you keep the helpdesk your team knows and loves while adding best-in-class AI on top.

With its self-serve setup, total control over automation, ability to learn from all your knowledge sources, risk-free simulation, and clear pricing, eesel AI helps you build a smarter, more efficient autoresponder that works for you, not the other way around.

Ready to build a smarter Gorgias autoresponder?

Get started with eesel AI for free to see how easy it is to automate support in Gorgias, or book a demo with our team to chat about more advanced setups.