Quick signals
Complexity
Medium
E-commerce fit and ticket-based pricing are clear; overage and AI resolution cost need modeling.
Common upgrade trigger
Ticket volume exceeds 50 (Starter)—Basic $60 for 300
When it gets expensive
Ticket definition: verify what counts (new conversation vs reply); overage math matters
What this product actually is
Gorgias is purpose-built for e-commerce: native order lookup, refund actions inside tickets, and Shopify-deep automation macros—priced per ticket volume, not per agent. Breaks when you need multi-channel beyond email/chat.
Pricing behavior (not a price list)
These points describe when users typically pay more, what actions trigger upgrades, and the mechanics of how costs escalate.
Actions that trigger upgrades
- Ticket volume exceeds 50 (Starter)—Basic $60 for 300
- 300 tickets exceeded—Pro $360 for 2,000; overage $40/100
- 2,000 tickets exceeded—Advanced $900 for 5,000
- Need AI Agent—unavailable on Starter; Basic+ required
- Revenue statistics and advanced reporting—Pro+
- Dedicated email server—Advanced tier
When costs usually spike
- Ticket definition: verify what counts (new conversation vs reply); overage math matters
- AI Agent $0.90–1.00/resolution; no flat cap by default; high volume = large add-on
- Starter: no AI Agent; Basic+ for AI deflection
- Omnichannel add-ons: WhatsApp, SMS, Voice priced separately
- Enterprise custom volume; overage $32/100 tickets
- Unlimited users but ticket volume caps drive plan; 10 agents on 50-ticket Starter = constant overage
Plans and variants (structural only)
Grouped by type to show structure, not to rank or recommend specific SKUs.
Plans
- Starter - $10/mo - 50 tickets/mo, basic macros
- Basic - $60/mo - 300 tickets/mo, order lookup
- Pro - $360/mo - 2000 tickets/mo, automation depth
- Advanced - $900/mo - 5000 tickets/mo, full platform
Costs and limitations
Common limits
- E-commerce-only: weak fit for B2B, SaaS, or non-storefront support
- 50 tickets on Starter exhaust quickly; Basic $60/mo (300) next step
- Pro $360/mo (2,000 tickets) = $0.18/ticket; high volume = Advanced $900 (5,000) or Enterprise
- AI Agent $0.90–1.00/resolution; 1,000 resolutions = $900–1,000 add-on
- No native CRM; Zendesk/Freshdesk better for complex contact/account workflows
- Ticketing built for e-commerce; queue depth and SLA less mature than Zendesk
What breaks first
- 50-ticket Starter limit; 51st ticket = $0.40 overage; 100 tickets = $10 + $20 = $30
- AI Agent resolution cost: 2,000 resolutions = $1,800 add-on to Pro $360
- Ticket volume spikes (holidays, promo)—overage $36–40/100 adds unpredictability
- Pro $360 (2,000) to Advanced $900 (5,000)—2.5x cost for 2.5x volume
- Non-e-commerce use cases: order lookup and macros less valuable
- Queue and SLA maturity lag Zendesk; complex routing harder
Decision checklist
Use these checks to validate fit for Gorgias before you commit to an architecture or contract.
- Ticket queue vs conversational support model: Is email/chat resolution threaded or formal tickets?
- Per-agent vs per-ticket pricing model: What is your projected ticket volume vs agent count?
- Enterprise depth vs simplicity and adoption: How many integrations and workflow automations do you need?
- General-purpose vs vertical-specific (e-commerce): Does order lookup and refund-in-ticket dominate your support queue?
- Upgrade trigger: Ticket volume exceeds 50 (Starter)—Basic $60 for 300
- What breaks first: 50-ticket Starter limit; 51st ticket = $0.40 overage; 100 tickets = $10 + $20 = $30
Implementation & evaluation notes
These are the practical "gotchas" and questions that usually decide whether Gorgias fits your team and workflow.
Implementation gotchas
- E-commerce integration depth → Less mature queue and SLA than Zendesk
- No native CRM; Zendesk/Freshdesk better for complex contact/account workflows
Questions to ask before you buy
- Which actions or usage metrics trigger an upgrade (e.g., Ticket volume exceeds 50 (Starter)—Basic $60 for 300)?
- Under what usage shape do costs or limits show up first (e.g., Ticket definition: verify what counts (new conversation vs reply); overage math matters)?
- What breaks first in production (e.g., 50-ticket Starter limit; 51st ticket = $0.40 overage; 100 tickets = $10 + $20 = $30) — and what is the workaround?
- Validate: Ticket queue vs conversational support model: Is email/chat resolution threaded or formal tickets?
- Validate: Per-agent vs per-ticket pricing model: What is your projected ticket volume vs agent count?
Fit assessment
Good fit if…
- Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento merchants where the majority of support volume is order-related — status updates, returns, exchanges — and the ability to take order actions (refund, cancel, reorder) directly from the support ticket reduces handling time.
- E-commerce brands that want to track revenue generated from support conversations and measure which agents' proactive chat interactions convert to sales.
- DTC brands with high support volume that need automation for common e-commerce patterns — order status auto-responses, return request workflows, and VIP customer identification — built in rather than custom-coded.
Poor fit if…
- Not e-commerce; B2B, SaaS, or services—Zendesk/Freshdesk/Help Scout better
- Ticket volume unpredictable; per-ticket overage can spike ($0.40/ticket Starter)
- Need mature SLA policies and queue governance—Zendesk stronger
- Chat-first, proactive engagement—Intercom's Fin and messaging better
- Collaborative inbox over tickets—Front built for that
- Already on Zoho CRM—Zoho Desk integrates natively
Trade-offs
Every design choice has a cost. Here are the explicit trade-offs:
- Unlimited users, ticket-based pricing → Overage cost when volume spikes
- Native e-commerce order actions → Weak for B2B, SaaS, non-storefront
- AI Agent $0.90/resolution → Variable cost at scale vs flat AI add-ons
- Starter $10 (50 tickets) → AI Agent unavailable; Basic+ required
- E-commerce integration depth → Less mature queue and SLA than Zendesk
Common alternatives people evaluate next
These are common “next shortlists” — same tier, step-down, step-sideways, or step-up — with a quick reason why.
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Zendesk — step-upZendesk is the step-up when the business expands beyond e-commerce into general-purpose support operations. Handles multi-brand, multi-channel, and enterprise compliance requirements that Gorgias's e-commerce focus doesn't address.
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Freshdesk — step-sidewaysFreshdesk is the general-purpose fallback when Gorgias's per-ticket pricing becomes too expensive at high support volumes. Handles multi-channel routing across email, phone, and social without the e-commerce-specific overhead.
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Intercom — step-sidewaysIntercom adds proactive customer engagement that Gorgias's reactive ticket model lacks—in-app messaging, onboarding flows, and lifecycle emails. The right choice when the e-commerce brand wants to engage customers before they submit a ticket.
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Help Scout — step-downHelp Scout is the simpler, email-first alternative for e-commerce stores that don't need Gorgias's deep Shopify integration. Best for lower-volume DTC brands where most support interactions are simple email exchanges.
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Zoho Desk — step-downZoho Desk handles multi-channel support outside the Shopify/BigCommerce ecosystem better than Gorgias. Best for e-commerce brands that also need email, phone, and social media support without Gorgias's per-ticket pricing model.
Sources & verification
Pricing and behavioral information comes from public documentation and structured research. When information is incomplete or volatile, we prefer to say so rather than guess.
Something outdated or wrong? Pricing, features, and product scope change. If you spot an error or have a source that updates this page, send us a correction. We prioritize vendor-verified updates and linkable sources.