Alternatives / Gorgias
A Gorgias alternative when you need policy answers, not order actions
Gorgias is a help desk built for ecommerce. It connects to Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce, and its AI Agent can act on orders: returns, order tracking, cancellations, and discounts. If you run an online store and most questions are "where is my order", Gorgias is built for exactly that, and SupportHQ is not.
SupportHQ fits a different job. It answers from your docs and website on your site, in Telegram, and in Discord. That suits SaaS products, communities, service businesses, and stores whose questions are about shipping, returns, and sizing policies rather than a specific order. It has no order actions and no store integration. Pricing is flat, with 2,000 conversations a month on Starter, instead of a ticket allowance plus a fee per automated interaction.
The comparison below quotes the Gorgias pricing page as of the date shown. Where Gorgias does not publish a detail, this page says so.
Gorgias pricing quoted from its pricing page as of October 1, 2026. Prices change. Check the source before deciding.
SupportHQ vs Gorgias at a glance
Gorgias is an ecommerce help desk whose AI acts on orders. SupportHQ is an AI agent for product, community, and service questions on web, Telegram, and Discord. Pick by whether the AI must act on orders or answer from your policies.
| SupportHQ | Gorgias | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plan. No per-seat fees, no per-resolution fees. | By ticket volume, never per agent. AI Agent billed per automated interaction on top. |
| Entry price | Starter $29/month or $290/year. Growth $49/month or $490/year. | Helpdesk only: Starter $10/month (50 tickets, monthly billing only). Basic $60/month or $50/month billed annually (300 tickets). Pro $360/month or $300 billed annually (2,000 tickets). Advanced $900/month or $750 billed annually (5,000 tickets). |
| Team seats | Unlimited team members on every plan. | 3 user seats on Starter, 500 on Basic, Pro, and Advanced. |
| AI agent pricing | Included. 2,000 conversations/month on Starter, 3,000 on Growth. Resolving more costs nothing extra. | $0.85 to $1.00 per automated interaction depending on plan. With AI Agent added: Starter $40/month (30 interactions), Basic $90/month (30), Pro $550/month (190). Gorgias defines a billable ticket as a conversation with a message from a human agent, a Rule, or AI Agent. Ticket overage is $0.40 per ticket on Starter, $40 per 100 on Basic, and $36 per 100 on Pro and Advanced. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial. Card required, not charged if you cancel before it ends. | 7 days, no payment info required. |
| Channels | Website widget, Telegram (chats and groups), Discord (servers). WhatsApp coming soon. | Email, chat, social, and help center on every plan. Voice and SMS as add-ons (not on Starter). Telegram and Discord are not listed. |
| Human handoff | On every plan. The agent escalates with its own reason, urgency, and summary into a unified inbox. Team notified by email, Telegram, or SMS. | Full ecommerce help desk. Tickets are handled by human agents, Rules, or AI Agent in one inbox. |
| How the AI answers | Answers only from approved content: files, synced website, articles, past conversations. Says when it does not know. | AI Agent is pre-trained on 18+ ecommerce verticals, with brand voice and guardrails, and Actions such as cancel, discount, and apply on higher plans. |
Feature by feature
| Feature | SupportHQ | Gorgias |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plan | Ticket volume + per automated interaction |
| Entry price with AI | Starter $29/month (2,000 conversations) | Starter + AI Agent $40/month (50 tickets, 30 AI interactions) |
| Team seats | Unlimited on every plan | 3 on Starter, 500 on Basic and above |
| Shopify order actions (returns, tracking, cancel) | No | Yes |
| Store integrations | None | Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce |
| Email ticketing | No | Yes |
| Website chat widget | Yes | Yes |
| Telegram and Discord | Yes, both | Not listed |
| Voice and SMS | No customer channel (SMS is a team notification only) | Add-ons, priced by volume |
| Free trial | 7 days, card required | 7 days, no payment info |
When Gorgias is the better choice
- You run a Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, or WooCommerce store and want the AI to look up and act on orders.
- Email and social messages from shoppers are a large share of your support.
- You want revenue attribution that ties support conversations to sales.
- You need voice or SMS support with customers in the same help desk.
When SupportHQ is the better choice
- Your store's questions are about shipping, returns, and sizing policies, not looking up or changing a specific order.
- Your customers ask on your website, in Telegram, or in Discord.
- You want thousands of AI conversations included at a flat price, not a fee per automated interaction.
- You want the agent to escalate on its own with a reason and summary, and your team notified by email, Telegram, or SMS.
Switching from Gorgias
- Bring your content. Point SupportHQ at your public help center or website to sync it, upload exported articles as files, or write articles directly. The agent answers only from what you approve.
- Add the widget. One script tag on your site. Connect Telegram and Discord in a few clicks if your customers are there.
- Set escalation rules. Plain English, per channel. Start strict and relax as the knowledge base covers more.
- Run both during the trial. Keep Gorgias live for 7 days while you compare answers, handoffs, and the bill.
For the reasoning behind flat pricing, read how AI support pricing models compare. For the full plan detail, see pricing.
FAQ
Is Gorgias cheaper than SupportHQ?
At very low volume, Gorgias Starter helpdesk is $10 per month for 50 tickets. With AI Agent it is $40 per month for 30 automated interactions. SupportHQ Starter is $29 per month with 2,000 AI conversations included. For a store that needs order actions, compare features before price.
Can SupportHQ look up or change Shopify orders?
No. SupportHQ has no store integration and cannot track, cancel, or refund orders. It answers from your knowledge base and hands the conversation to your team when it cannot help. If order actions are the main job, Gorgias is the better fit.
How does AI pricing differ?
Gorgias charges per automated interaction, from $0.85 to $1.00 depending on plan, on top of a ticket allowance. SupportHQ includes conversations in the plan (2,000 on Starter, 3,000 on Growth) with no per-resolution fee.
Does SupportHQ support WhatsApp or Instagram?
Not today. WhatsApp is coming soon. SupportHQ currently supports a website widget, Telegram, and Discord. Instagram, Messenger, and SMS from customers are not supported.
Do both have a free trial?
Yes. Gorgias offers 7 days with no payment info. SupportHQ offers 7 days on every plan, card required, not charged if you cancel before it ends.