Gorgias vs. Zendesk: Which AI customer service tool is best?

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Struggling to make your customer service get 5-star reviews? Learn how a help desk can streamline your support in this Gorgias vs. Zendesk Comparison.

 
 
Pricing:
$10/mo - $900/mo
Pricing:
$25/user/mo - $149/user/mo
Best For:
Ecommerce businesses of all sizes
Best For:
Medium to large businesses that need a robust and flexible customer service solution.
Pricing:
$10/mo - $900/mo
Best For:
Ecommerce businesses of all sizes
Pricing:
$25/user/mo - $149/user/mo
Best For:
Medium to large businesses that need a robust and flexible customer service solution.

Is your business getting a 1-star rating for customer service? Then, consider Gorgias’ and Zendesk’s help desks.

In this Gorgias vs. Zendesk comparison, we pit them against each other. Zendesk outshines Gorgias with its all-rounded features.

However, don’t count out Gorgias; it’s tailored for e-commerce stores. However, how did we come to this verdict? Let’s find out.

SMB Guide’s Verdict on Gorgias vs. Zendesk

CriteriaGorgiasZendeskWinner
SMB Guide’s Rating8.7/108.6/10Gorgias
Real-Time Messaging and Canned ResponsesGorgias
Live Chat AI and NLPLearns from customer interactionsNative “answer botGorgias
Customizable Chat WidgetsZendesk
Visitor Tracking and AnalyticsTracks visitors’ actionsMulti-channel trackingTie
Multichannel SupportZendesk
Multilingual SupportZendesk
Offline Messaging and AvailabilityLack specific response timesHave specific response timesZendesk
Handoff and Escalation to Human AgentsManual escalationAutomated escalationZendesk
Security and ComplianceZendesk
User Experience and User InterfaceInterface colors are pink and blackMany features make it look clutteredZendesk
Integrations and Compatibility100+ integrations100+ integrationsZendesk
Customer supportPhone, live chat, and emailLive chat, email, and phoneZendesk
Pricing$10/mo – $900/mo$25/user/mo – $149/user/moGorgias
ScalabilityZendesk

Gorgias: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

gorgias homepage

Gorgias is a customer service solution tailored for Shopify stores, providing a helpdesk to empower support teams.

The ticketing system is one of its stand-out features. The system uses AI to automate processes like prioritizing, assigning, and tagging each ticket in the inbox. 

The omnichannel inbox is another feature unique to Gorgias. It consolidates all conversations from multiple channels in one spot, enhancing efficiency and quick responses.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Offers a free trial

100+ integrations

Automation capabilities

Centralized customer support

Cons

No mobile app

Limited customization options

Pricing

The pricing model on Gorgias is straightforward, offering 5 packages that get billed monthly or annually. The pricing is per user seat, with the Starter plan maxing at 3 and the others at 500. 

The good thing is that the plans have a week-long free trial,  along with a demo option to test out the software. The platform also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee after signing up for any package.

Here are the plans:

  • Starter: $10 monthly (Max 50 tickets)
  • Basic: $60 monthly (Max 300 tickets) or $600 yearly 
  • Pro: $360 monthly (Max 2000 tickets) or $3600 yearly 
  • Advanced: $900 monthly (Max 5000 tickets) or $9000 yearly 
  • Enterprise: Custom
Gorgias

Helpdesk designed for eCommerce stores. Provide multichannel customer service from a single app.

Sign up free

Zendesk: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

Zendesk homepage

Zendesk is a popular all-inclusive customer service platform offering a help desk, CRM, and app marketplace.

The help desk provides a multichannel ticketing system with inbound voice calling, live chat, email, SMS, and social media ticketing. 

The platform also provides an agent workspace as a central spot where agents can manage tickets, make calls, and reply to inquiries.

It eases the agent’s work because it eliminates the need to toggle between pages, which is time-consuming.

Pros & Cons

Pros

30-day free trial

100+ integrations

Omnichannel support

Intelligent AI usage

Cons

No self-hosting

Only ticketing support provided

Pricing

Zendesk provides a simple pricing structure with 4 plans and the pricing is per agent. It lacks a money-back guarantee, and like Gorgias, it doesn’t offer a free plan.

However, startups get a six-month trial period after application. Here are the plans:

  • Suite Team: $69 per agent monthly or ($660 yearly)
  • Suite Growth: $115 per agent monthly or ($1068 annually)
  • Suite Professional: $149 per agent monthly or ($1380 annually)
  • Suite Enterprise: Custom

Real-Time Messaging and Canned Responses

Gorgias’ focus on e-commerce allows its real-time messaging to be fast and reliable for a smoother customer experience.

It provides a live chat compatible with mobile devices and browsers. The good thing is that service teams can integrate the widget on their social networks or the Shopify site.

Gorgias canned messages

With canned responses, Gorgias provides pre-built, customizable templates. These templates can be edited, deleted, and created through drag and drop.

The templates also have a search functionality. Unlike Zendesk, canned responses to Gorgias allow better personalization with dynamic variables. For example, you can add a name, a tracking link, and more.

Zendesk real-time messaging is general, and the speed varies with configurations. For large-scale operations, the feature tends to have latency issues.

The messaging on Zendesk is through live chat and messaging channels like SMS. Zendesk allows service teams to integrate the live chat widget on websites and social media.

zendesk real time messaging

Zendesk canned responses are extensive with macros, where agents can merge fields to add a human touch. The macros offer better customization options than Gorgias, which include conditions and triggers.

However, agents need tech skills to implement them effectively. Personalization, on the other hand, is basic compared to Gorgias. It lacks the data insertion dynamics of Gorgias.

✅ Winner: Gorgias

Live Chat AI & NLP

Gorgias provides a better understanding and context awareness, unlike Zendesk, since it uses Google’s Dialogflow. The tools rely on ML, which is dynamic and smoother with user interaction and accurate replies.

Gorgias live chat

One thing to note is that setting up the conditional dialogue requires tech skills. With the chatbot AI learning capabilities, it learns from customer interactions.

From there, it adapts better than Zendesk AI to growing demands over time. Bot customization options on Gorgias are also extensive.

Agents can tweak the tone of the chat, branching logic and personality.

Zendesk, on the other hand, uses its native “Answer bot” that uses its knowledge base to answer customer inquiries.

The bot can reply to simple queries, but its understanding is rigid. The bot uses canned responses for quicker responses to an inquiry, but often it misinterprets the questions.

zendesk live chat ai

The Answer bot follows a linear learning structure, focusing on knowledge-based content. It makes it struggle with varied customer interactions, especially new info.

Zendesk’s bot customization options have limitations compared to Gorgias. For example, the decision logic and the entire flow are rigid, limiting bot tweaking for your brand.

✅ Winner: Gorgias

Customizable Chat Widgets

Gorgias and Zendesk allow agents to change the positioning of the chat window, logo, theme color, and more.

However, Zendesk offers more control over designing the widget. An agent can customize the buttons, pick animations, and choose the size and shape of the chat badge.

gorgias chat widget customization

Gorgias limits the customization options of the chat badge design. Agents cannot tweak the footer or header of the chat widget.

Configuring pre-chat forms and automated greetings is possible on Gorgias and Zendesk. However, on Zendesk there are more features to enhance the chat widget.

With Zendesk, an agent can create various pre-chat forms and greetings based on user variables. For example, customer location, behavior, language, and more.

Agents can also add emojis or files and use the Answer bot to create triggers for automated actions and responses.

zendesk customizable chat widgets

Gorgias limits the use of variables on the pre-chat and automated greetings. Agents have to integrate third-party integrations to automate some processes. However, agents can add emojis and attach files to the conversations.

Gorgias and Zendesk also allow service teams to align their chat widget with their business brands. However, Zendesk provides a higher level of alignment than Gorgias.

Zendesk allows the formatting of the images and wording to fit the brand voice.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Visitor Tracking and Analytics

The deep focus on e-commerce allows Gorgias to track visitors’ actions like purchase behavior, abandoned carts, and product views. It is crucial data that provides insight into the customer journey in the funnel.

gorgias reporting

The software also provides sales statistics that track revenue generated from support engagement. It helps assess customer service’s impact on lead generation, conversion, and sales.

Besides the advanced tracking, Gorgias lacks in-depth reporting like that on Zendesk. In addition, the software doesn’t provide heatmaps on the customer journey for visual insights.

zendesk analytics

Zendesk’s visitor tracking is powerful, providing multi-channel tracking across multiple channels, like social networks and email. The software also allows agents to segment their clientele based on custom-defined criteria for in-depth analysis. 

Teams can also have an overview of the customer’s journeys through the heatmaps. One thing to note is that some e-commerce integrations are not seamless like those you find on Gorgias.

✅ Winner: Tie

Multichannel Support

Gorgias’ strength is in e-commerce, providing native integrations with WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and more.

Its focus on online stores allows it to offer features like discount codes, order management, refund processing, and product recommendations.

Gorgias multichannel support

The support channels offer a live chat that is embeddable on a mobile app or website. Other channels are SMS, voice calls, email, and social networks like WhatsApp, FB, and Instagram DM.

However, unlike Zendesk, it lacks Twitter integration, and the options besides e-commerce are few.

Zendesk provides multichannel support that’s more comprehensive than Gorgias. The platform offers support channels for voice calls, SMS, live chat, FB, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram.

Zendesk multichannel support

Besides that, the platform offers self-service options through live chat. A chatbot guides the customers to the knowledge base to find answers without involving an agent.

With integrations, Zendesk provides an app marketplace with 1000+ platforms, including CRMs, social networks, and more.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Multilingual Support

Gorgias only offers direct multilingual support in 11 languages, including Spanish and English. However, translating other languages requires integrating a paid software called Lokalise Messages.

Through it, service teams can interpret 100+ languages, delivering localized experiences.

Gorgias multilingual support

With responsiveness, the service in some situations requires manual translation through an agent. The translations are prone to errors because of the lack of a dedicated multilingual feature.

It results in non-English customer queries getting slower resolutions, unlike on Zendesk.

Zendesk multilingual support

Zendesk, on the other hand, supports over 40 languages globally for its interface and 100+ for live chat.

The knowledge base also translates into several languages depending on customer location. Not only that, Zendesk Talk transcribes and translates voice calls in real time.

Language translation accuracy on Zendesk is top-notch, with a dedicated feature that syncs with the chatbot.

The chatbot can understand NLP and reply to the query in the customer’s native language. It reduces the language barrier, leading to better interactions.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Offline Messaging and Availability

Offline messaging on Gorgias is dynamic, allowing text and form customization. The software also allows agents to set automated responses when a message gets delivered.

However, it lacks estimates of specific response times. Offline messaging is available on FB Messenger, email, and live chat channels.

Zendesk allows agents to customize offline messages and forms. Agents can create triggers for automated responses like ticket updates or email confirmations.

With notifications, Zendesk provides more advanced functionality, unlike Gorgias.

zendesk offline messaging

Agents can pick estimated response times and preferred notification methods. Offline messaging is on Twitter, email, WhatsApp, live chat, and Facebook Messenger channels.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Handoff and Escalation to Human Agents

Agents can create rules on Gorgias to trigger a handoff and escalation. It all depends on intent, sentiment analysis, or keywords. Not only that, a customer can escalate a conversation manually from a chatbot to an agent. 

The software then notifies both parties of the handoff and escalation through live chat or email. The best part is that Gorgias retains conversation history and context for future reference.

With human intervention, Gorgias offers tools like notes, macros, customer data, and ratings for resolving queries.

Like Gorgias, Zendesk allows agents to set up triggers for a handoff and escalation depending on sentiment, keywords, and intent.

Zendesk agent transfer

Zendesk also supports conversation escalation, but unlike Gorgias, it automates and assigns to ideal agents. The software uses phone, live chat, and email to notify both parties of the handoff and escalation.

Unlike Gorgias, Zendesk provides a detailed overview of conversation history, like attachments and relevant details for better context.

Zendesk also offers human agents tools and features to resolve inquiries. They include analytics, custom workflows, and more for optimization.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Security and Compliance

Gorgias states it uses firewalls, access control, and SSL encryption for data security. The platform also claims to comply with CCPA and GDPR, but detailed documents are lacking. 

It also states that it allows clients to access, modify, or delete their data at will. One thing to note is that Gorgias undergoes security audits annually. 

However, it doesn’t display independent certification details. Gorgias also allows teams to customize data retention policies with specific storage timeframes.

Zendesk is transparent in its security procedures and policies, unlike Gorgias. With its data security, it uses robust measures like data centers, intrusion detection, end-to-end encryption, and more.

Zendesk also complies with more regulatory bodies like HIPPA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, and more. With data retention, Zendesk allows teams to customize data retention policies with specific storage timeframes.

Not only that, teams get granular control on data retention, like data types.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

User Interface and User Experience

Pink and black are the color schemes on Gorgias, and the interface design is modern. The platform is also intuitive, and navigating through basic tasks is easy.

With customization, the platform has limitations compared to Zendesk.

gorgias interface

The only customization options are the branding elements and theme color. However, Gorgias allows user preference adjustments like the keyboard shortcuts and notifications.

Agents will also find the mobile app responsive with full functionality. Zendesk interface is more appealing than Gorgias with purple, gray, and black colors.

It also offers more animations, making it interactive. Now, with its intuitiveness, agents will have a steep learning curve compared to Gorgias.

zendesk interface

It’s because of the broad range of features and tools. Unlike Gorgias, Zendesk’s customization options are extensive. Teams can tweak their workflows, dashboards, and reports. 

The software also offers more user preference options like custom dashboards, notifications, and keyboard shortcuts. Zendesk also has a responsive mobile app, suiting agents on the go.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Integrations and Compatibility

Gorgias’ integrations focus on e-commerce, and the built-in include Shopify, Google Analytics, Klaviyo, Stripe, and more.

One thing to note is that the integration stack isn’t as extensive as Zendesks’. Now, for CRMs and other systems integration, teams require Zapier to connect them to it.

gorgias integrations

Gorgias also has a RESTful API for custom integration. It is well-documented but requires tech skills to configure, unlike Zendesk.

Now, setting up built-in integrations on Gorgias is simple, but API integration requires an expert. 

With integration support, Gorgias provides basic documentation and a forum. However, teams can purchase it as an add-on feature to access detailed support.

zendesk integrations

Zendesk has an extensive integration stack with over 700+ pre-built systems like CRMs, support, marketing, and analytics platforms.

Setting up the native integrations is easy because of its in-depth documentation and tutorials.

Agents will also find an API that they can use to integrate custom platforms. Unlike Gorgias, the API is well-documented with developer support.

Overall, Zendesk provides better and broader compatibility with other systems for simplifying complex workflows.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Customer Support

Gorgias offers 3 support channels: phone, live chat, and email. One thing to note, depending on the plan you subscribe to, is that live chat isn’t available around the clock.

Response times for the channels vary, with email and phone taking up to 6 hours, while live chat is instant on business days.

Gorgias customer support

The support quality of Gorgias is decent, with helpful and knowledgeable agents. However, for complex technical situations, they are lacking in expertise.

Gorgias also provides self-help resources, including a help center, blog, forum, and documentation that are handy in troubleshooting.

However, they can’t compare to Zendesk’s detailed analysis. Zendesk offers 3 support channels: phone, live chat, and email.

The response times for the email and phone are within 1-2 hours. Live chat is instant and has priority options for emergencies.

Zendesk’s support quality is top-notch, providing helpful agents with expertise even for complex technical issues.

Zendesk also provides self-help resources, which include a blog, events, webinars, and a vibrant community forum.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Pricing

Gorgias’s pricing model focuses on ticket volumes. The 5 plans have tiers and rise with allocated tickets. The top plan is custom and requires sending a quote.

In addition, whenever a team exceeds allocated tickets, Gorgias offers add-on charges and doesn’t charge for multiple users of the same plan.

Zendesk offers 4 plans, and the pricing model is per user, rising with tiers, each with varying features. Zendesk also provides an enterprise package for large teams; the price is available on their site.

Zendesk’s plans are pricey, starting at $69 per agent compared to Gorgias’ $10, and large teams may need a larger budget.

✅ Winner: Gorgias

Scalability

Gorgias’s tiers are scalable, but the plan seems ineffective once a team exceeds allotted tickets.

It then means subscribing to higher plans is suitable to combat substantial ticket increases. With the Enterprise plan, it offers custom features to suit your model.

Zendesks’ pricing is scalable and predictable, unlike Gorgias, where teams can anticipate costs as they grow.

Scaling through the plans is seamless, with each tier providing advanced features.

✅ Winner: Zendesk

Standout Features of Gorgias

Gorgias offers decent customer service features for e-commerce stores to deliver exceptional support.

However, here are 2 unique ones that make it stand out.

Order management & refund automation

Gorgias’s primary focus is e-commerce, which connects to popular systems like WooCommerce and Shopify.

Gorgias supports managing orders, issuing discounts, post-purchase support, and more through these platforms.

Built-in macros & canned responses

Agents will find Gorgias provides built-in canned responses and macros to respond to common FAQs. It enhances efficiency and quick customer service.

Standout Features of Zendesk

Zendesk is an all-rounded customer service platform offering one of the best help desks in the market. However, what makes it stand out?

Here are 2 unique features it offers:

Omnichannel ticketing & multichannel support

Service teams can use multiple channels to engage with customers, such as social media, phone, live chat, or email. Zendesk also consolidates all the communication channels in one spot, allowing it to streamline the support.

Detailed reporting and analytics

Service teams can get in-depth reporting on their workflows and conversation pipelines to get insights into what works.

Zendesk’s allows tracking metrics and finding emerging trends for better performance.

Gorgias vs. Zendesk: SMB Guide’s Verdict

Our Gorgias vs. Zendesk comparison shows that each software offers something unique to varied users.

Gorgias is e-commerce oriented, while Zendesk is all-rounded. However, after a thorough comparison, Zendesk wins. Here is why:

Zendesk offers more features and integrations than Gorgias. The platform is also transparent in its compliance and security procedures and policies.

It also provides an advanced API, which is easy to set up with help from in-depth documentation and support.

A combination of all these factors and more is the reason Zendesk wins.

Gorgias is a decent alternative, offering tailored software that caters to online stores. However, the lack of reliable APIs, reporting limitations, and more factors made it lose to Zendesk.

Choose Gorgias If

You are an e-commerce-focused small team and need affordable software with predictable variables.

Choose Zendesk If

You are a large service team looking for a helpdesk with advanced features to anticipate complex workflows.

Gorgias

Helpdesk designed for eCommerce stores. Provide multichannel customer service from a single app.

Sign up free

Jessica Pereira helps SaaS and digital marketing brands build long-lasting customer relationships with meaningful content. Her favorite topics include career development, productivity, and email marketing.