Zendesk vs Gorgias: Which helpdesk is right for you in 2026?

Picking a new helpdesk is a pretty big deal for any support team. No pressure, right?

It’s the one tool that dictates your team's entire workflow and shapes the entire customer experience. When you choose a mature, reliable platform, your team feels empowered and ready to handle anything the day throws at them.

Two of the biggest names you'll bump into are Zendesk and Gorgias. In one corner, you have Zendesk, the industry leader and trusted platform that provides a comprehensive suite for businesses of all shapes and sizes. In the other, you have Gorgias, a specialized tool built specifically for e-commerce brands.

This guide will walk you through a detailed Zendesk vs Gorgias comparison, breaking down their features, AI smarts, pricing, and who they’re really for. We'll also look at a modern way to think about this - one that lets you enhance the tools you already have without forcing you into a corner.

What is Zendesk?

You’ve almost certainly heard of Zendesk. It’s a powerhouse in the customer service world, known for its ability to scale with just about anyone, from ambitious startups to massive companies like Uber and Tesco. The core of Zendesk is a powerful ticketing system: A complete overview of features and capabilities that pulls in conversations from dozens of places - email, phone, live chat, social media, and more - organizing them into one professional, streamlined queue.

But it doesn't stop at ticketing. Zendesk has a whole family of products, including a world-class knowledge base builder (Zendesk Guide), community forums where customers can help each other out, and some serious reporting and analytics tools to track your team’s success. Its main appeal is its comprehensive, professional-grade approach. It’s a solid, all-in-one platform you can customize to handle just about any support scenario imaginable. If you need a proven tool that can do it all, that’s Zendesk.

What is Gorgias?

Gorgias, on the other hand, is a tool designed specifically for the e-commerce merchant. Its design is focused on online stores, and its key feature is its native integration with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento.

This connection is useful for e-commerce support. It means an agent can see a customer's order history and perform actions like editing an order or issuing a refund from the helpdesk. Gorgias pulls in customer chats from email, live chat, SMS, and social media comments. It’s built to help teams solve problems and drive sales by turning support questions into buying opportunities.

A detailed comparison of Zendesk vs Gorgias

Even though both platforms help you talk to customers, they offer different strengths. Let’s break down how they compare in the areas that really matter.

Zendesk vs Gorgias: E-commerce focus and integrations

This is where the two platforms offer different approaches to the e-commerce workflow.

Gorgias is specialized for this niche. Its native Shopify integration is highly rated. When a customer gets in touch, an agent sees their order history and shipping status next to the ticket. They can take certain actions, like canceling an order, directly within the screen. Its app marketplace is curated for tools e-commerce brands use, like ReCharge or Loop.

Zendesk provides a Shopify integration that focuses on providing a comprehensive, high-level view of customer data. It allows agents to see essential order info while maintaining the flexibility of Zendesk's enterprise-grade ticketing environment. For many teams, this centralized approach provides a reliable support workflow that keeps all customer data in one secure, trusted place.

If you want to add even more specialized functionality to your setup, a great way to do so is to add a specialized AI layer. For example, eesel AI is a complementary option that plugs directly into helpdesks like Zendesk and connects to your Shopify store. This gives your setup the ability to look up order information and even take action, providing powerful e-commerce automation within the Zendesk ecosystem you already trust.

Zendesk vs Gorgias: Automation and AI capabilities

Both tools have made significant investments in AI to help support teams work smarter.

Zendesk has introduced sophisticated AI features, such as intelligent triage, which automatically categorizes incoming tickets based on intent and sentiment. Its AI capabilities can also point customers toward helpful articles in Zendesk Guide. This is a mature system designed for teams who want a professional, structured way to automate their workflows using their existing knowledge base.

Gorgias offers a highly effective automation suite tailored for the e-commerce experience. By using rules-based automation and macros, Gorgias makes it easy to handle common questions like "Where is my order?" It uses machine learning to identify customer needs, allowing teams to provide quick, accurate responses. This structured approach ensures that support remains consistent and efficient for high-growth merchants.

For teams looking for another way to enhance their automation, eesel AI is an option that works alongside your helpdesk. It can connect not just to your helpdesk but also to internal resources like Confluence or Google Docs. It learns from your team's best responses to provide nuanced answers. You can even run it in a simulation mode on your past tickets to see how it would perform before you turn it on.

Zendesk vs Gorgias: Scalability and business model

How a tool scales is a key part of choosing the right foundation for your business.

Zendesk uses a classic per-agent, per-month pricing model. This is widely considered the gold standard for predictability, as your budget is clearly tied to the size of your support team. It allows you to plan your hiring and scaling with confidence, knowing exactly what each new team member will cost.

Gorgias uses a ticket-based model. You pay for a certain number of "billable tickets" every month. This flexible approach ensures that your costs align with your support volume, allowing you to scale your capacity seamlessly during busy seasons or successful marketing campaigns.

If you're looking for an automation solution that doesn't increase your costs as you get more successful, eesel AI offers transparent, predictable pricing based on the features you need, rather than the number of tickets you resolve. This is a great way to handle more customer questions while keeping your budget steady.

Zendesk vs Gorgias: A full pricing comparison

Let's look at the numbers for 2026. Zendesk's per-agent pricing provides a clear path for team growth, while Gorgias's plans are based on ticket volume to support your brand's expansion.

Zendesk pricing

Zendesk's plans are priced per agent, offering more comprehensive features as you move up the tiers. These prices reflect annual billing for 2026.

Plan	Price (per agent/month)	Key features
Support Team	$19	Basic email, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) support.
Suite Team	$55	Includes essential AI agents, a knowledge base, messaging, and voice support.
Suite Professional	$115	Adds CSAT surveys, advanced reporting, SLA management, and more integrations.
Suite Enterprise	$169	Adds custom agent roles, a sandbox environment for testing, and advanced workflows.

Gorgias pricing

Gorgias's pricing is centered on the number of monthly "billable tickets." Most plans include unlimited user seats, making it a great choice for collaborative teams.

Plan	Price (monthly)	Included tickets	Key features
Starter	$10	50 / month	Designed for brand-new stores with limited integrations.
Basic	$50	300 / month	Core helpdesk features and the essential Shopify integration.
Pro	$300	2,000 / month	Adds phone support (voice) and access to more integrations.
Advanced	$750	5,000 / month	Includes more advanced reporting and analytics features.
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Offers dedicated support, onboarding, and custom terms.

Pro Tip: Choosing between per-agent and per-ticket pricing depends on your growth strategy. Many teams find that adding an AI automation tool like eesel AI to their existing helpdesk allows them to handle much larger ticket volumes without needing to significantly increase their per-agent or per-ticket costs.

Zendesk vs Gorgias: Don't just switch, upgrade

So, who's the winner in the Zendesk vs Gorgias showdown for 2026? It depends on your specific business needs.

• Zendesk is the trusted choice for large, complex companies and growing teams that need a versatile, enterprise-grade tool. Its strengths lie in its massive ecosystem, proven reliability, and professional reporting features.

• Gorgias is a popular choice for e-commerce brands that want a specific focus on Shopify and order management within the ticket view, offering a streamlined and efficient experience for merchants.

However, you don't necessarily have to choose one over the other. The most effective way to improve your support is often to enhance the platform you already have. Moving to a completely new system can be a major project.

This video provides a helpful visual breakdown of the Zendesk vs Gorgias comparison to aid in your decision.

A smart move is to upgrade your current setup with specialized tools. eesel AI is a complementary option that integrates with your helpdesk in just a few minutes, connecting all your knowledge sources to deliver accurate and customizable AI automation. This allows you to gain specialized features and advanced AI while staying within the Zendesk ecosystem you already know and trust.

Ready to see what a smart AI layer can do for your team?

You can upgrade your support capabilities without the need for a full platform migration. See how eesel AI can automate your frontline support, help draft replies for your agents, and bring new levels of efficiency to your workflow.

Start a free trial or Book a demo to see it for yourself.