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Top 10 Gorgias Alternatives For Your Customer Support Team
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Turn Gmail into a collaborative hub

Top 10 Gorgias Alternatives For Your Customer Support Team

Mar 22, 2024
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10 min read
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Hiver HQ
Siddharthyka Saraswat

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We all know that providing exceptional customer service is a must-have today. You have to provide support that is both quick and efficient at the same time.

This is where a helpdesk software can help. While there are plenty of options in the market, few stand out, and Giorgias is amongst those.

Gorgias, a popular helpdesk software designed specifically for e-commerce businesses, has gained traction for its integration with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms. Here are some key features offered by Gorgias:

  • Omnichannel support across channels like email, live chat, Whatsapp, social media, and SMS
  • Build a knowledge base for self-service
  • Automation add-ons for repetitive tasks
  • E-commerce integrations 
  • Reporting and analytics to track metrics
  • Can be configured to be HIPAA-compliant (for healthcare organizations)
Try the best Gorgias alternativeTry Hiver Free

Pricing

While most helpdesks have pricing plans based on the number of agents per month, Gorgias’ pricing plans are based on billable tickets:

  • Starter: $10/month for 50 tickets/month
  • Basic: $60/month for 300 tickets/month
  • Pro: $360/month for 2000 tickets/month
  • Advanced: $900/month for 5000/tickets/month
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

Since Gorgias charges for the number of tickets resolved in a month, there can be cases where you can be charged wrongly for tickets. 

For instance, if a customer responds to a marketing campaign and you have set an auto-responder for it, it will be charged as a ticket. Similarly, cases where a customer responds back after three days will be marked as a separate query; customer requests that are that are forwarded out of the platform to a different team, say Sales, will also become separately billable—which can be a hassle to deal with.

In addition to a complicated pricing plan where you might be wrongly charged for tickets, Gorgias has a few other limitations as well:

Drawbacks of Gorgias Helpdesk Software

  • Complex and Unintuitive Interface: Many Gorgias users have complained about the software’s complex and unintuitive interface. They find it difficult to navigate and learn, and they often need to consult documentation or reach out to vendor support to find what they’re looking for. This can be a major time suck for busy customer service teams.

“I didn’t like the organization of everything and the user interface. It didn’t have great ways to keep the support channels organized. It could also use UI refresh to make it look more modern.”
User Review on G2

  • Poor Customer Service: There have been some user reviews indicating that Gorgias’ customer service can be slow to respond and unhelpful at times. Some users have also reported that the company’s support representatives can be dismissive of customer concerns and seem to be more interested in upselling than resolving issues.

“I’ve had some frustrating experiences with Gorgias’ customer service. They’ve been slow to respond to my inquiries and sometimes seem more interested in upselling me on their services than actually helping me resolve my issues.”
User Review on G2

“Gorgias’ customer service is terrible. They’re always trying to sell me something, and they don’t seem to care about my problems. I’ve had to wait days for a response to my inquiries, and when I do get a response, it’s always the same generic answer.”
User Review on Trustpilot

  • Sub-par Reporting and Analytics: Gorgias’ reporting and analytics features are also lacking, according to many users. The software does not provide detailed insights into customer support performance, and it can be difficult to track trends or identify areas for improvement. This can make it difficult to make data-driven decisions about customer support operations.

“Gorgias’ reporting and analytics are useless. I can’t get the information I need to make data-driven decisions about my customer support team.”
User Review on Trustpilot

“Gorgias’ reporting and analytics are a major letdown. The data is not very granular, and it’s difficult to track trends or identify areas for improvement.”
User Review on GetApp

Whether you are looking to make a switch from Gorgias or evaluating other helpdesk software against Gorgias, we have curated a list of the top 10 alternatives to Gorgias.

Top 10 Gorgias Alternatives For Your Customer Support Team

Here are the features, pricing, and cons of the best 10 Gorgias alternatives.

1. Hiver

Hiver is a Google Workspace-compatible customer service platform offering omnichannel support via email, phone, WhatsApp, live chat, and knowledge base, all within Gmail.

Your customer support team can begin using Hiver immediately — within a few hours of setting it up — as it operates on top of Gmail. Unlike Gorgias, the interface is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it much easier to navigate. 

You also get access to 24×7 vendor support across all plans, ensuring you don’t have to wait for long times for a response when you have a query, which is the case with Gorgias.

Hiver’s User Interface

Here are the helpdesk features offered by Hiver at a glance:

Hiver Pricing

Hiver offers three pricing options. 

  • Lite: $15 per user per month 
  • Pro: $49 per user per month  
  • Elite: $79 per user per month
  • Free Trial: 7 days. No credit card required.

2. Zendesk

Next on the list is Zendesk, a popular customer support solution particularly suited for large organizations. It offers a unified platform for various support channels like emails, live chat, and a knowledge base. Zendesk allows control over team member permissions and access levels, which is beneficial for managing extensive support teams.

Moreover, Zendesk’s knowledge base functionality enables the creation of internal and external FAQs. Its virtual workspace feature facilitates handling multiple support channels through a single interface, eliminating the need to switch between dashboards for different customer interactions.

Zendesk’s User Interface

Cons of Zendesk:

  • Zendesk can be expensive, especially for small companies or startups with limited budgets.
  • The platform’s extensive features might be overwhelming, requiring significant time to learn and use effectively.
  • Lower-tier plans offer limited customization options and features.
  • Zendesk charges a substantial fee for personalized training, ranging from $1,500 to $2,800, which can be prohibitive for many organizations.

Zendesk Pricing

Zendesk has three tiers of pricing for small to large-sized businesses.

  • Suite Team: $49 per agent per month
  • Suite Growth: $79 per agent per month
  • Suite Professional: $99 per agent per month

For enterprise companies, Zendesk has two tiers of pricing:

  • Suite Enterprise: $150 per agent per month 
  • Additional and more powerful enterprise plans start at $215 per agent per month

Free Trial: 14 days 

3. Front

Another Gorgias alternative is Front, which is a customer support software that is particularly beneficial for support teams looking to deliver personalized customer service. It allows agents to respond to customer queries from their own work email IDs instead of using group email addresses like [email protected]

It also unifies various communication channels like text and email into one consolidated inbox. Front enhances team collaboration by enabling members to draft emails for others, and it distinguishes between communication types through color coding. 

Other features of Front include its efficient email management system with comprehensive rules for email categorization and the ability to integrate seamlessly with essential tools such as JIRA and Slack. Its omnichannel communication support, two-way SMS, and team inbox are particularly notable for streamlining workflows.

Front’s User Interface

Cons of Front:

  • New agents may find it difficult to get used to Front’s interface.
  • Users have reported sub-par support from Front, with only email support available on certain plans.
  • Essential helpdesk features come at a high cost, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. Basic automation features are only available on the more expensive Growth plan, priced at $49/agent/month.
  • The analytics feature is quite restricted, lacking options for custom report creation and detailed data analysis, which is vital for data-driven business decisions.

Front Pricing

Front offers four pricing options. 

  • Starter: $19 per user per month
  • Growth: $49 per user per month
  • Scale: $99 per user per month
  • Premier: $229 per user per month

Free Trial: 7 days 

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk stands out as another notable choice for multi-channel support, distinguishing itself from Gorgias with its free plan option. This plan, while feature-limited, is an attractive alternative for budget-conscious businesses.

Freshdesk excels in consolidating customer inquiries from a diverse range of channels, including email, social media, and phone. It efficiently transforms complex inquiries (parent tickets) into manageable, smaller queries (child tickets),which can then be systematically assigned to agents. 

This streamlined ticketing system ensures that customer queries are addressed promptly and effectively, making Freshdesk a comprehensive solution for organizations aiming to enhance their customer support efficiency.

Freshdesk’s User Interface

Cons of Freshdesk:

  • Setting up Freshdesk is not straightforward. Support teams need time to learn to use the platform and navigate its complex workflows.
  • Integration issues with Google Workspace products, like Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Contacts, have been reported. For instance, new customer ticket alerts might not appear in Gmail, potentially leading to important queries being missed.
  • Agents are required to switch to the Freshdesk interface to keep track of their workload, unlike Hiver, where managing work emails and customer queries can be done from a single platform like Gmail.

Freshdesk Pricing

Freshdesk’s Support System offers four price tiers.

  • Free: Starter plan for unlimited agents but with limited features
  • Growth: $15 per agent per month billed annually
  • Pro: $49 per agent per month billed annually
  • Enterprise: $69 per agent per month billed annually

Freshdesk’s Omnichannel system offers three price tiers.

  • Omnichannel Growth: $29 per user per month
  • Omnichannel – Pro: $59 per user per month 
  • Omnichannel – Enterprise: $99 per user per month

Free Trial: 21 days 

5. Help Scout

Next on the list is Help Scout. It is an efficient cloud-based customer support software renowned for its unique Beacon feature, which offers customers the option to talk to an agent or provides links to how-to guides based on the query.

Help Scout facilitate better team collaboration with an intuitive interface that minimizes the need for extensive training. Notable features include a centralized portal to manage customer data, shared mailboxes for tracking conversations, a customizable knowledge base, proactive messaging options, and comprehensive reporting tools.

Help Scout’s User Interface

Cons of Help Scout:

  • Agents are restricted to responding to tickets only from group emails like [email protected], limiting the ability to reply from individual work emails.
  • The platform’s design can lead to overlaps between internal and external conversations, increasing the risk of misdirected messages.
  • Help Scout lacks phone support, which could be a drawback for businesses that rely on this channel.
  • Direct creation of SLAs is not possible; it requires integration with Super SLA.
  • Mailbox availability is restricted in each pricing plan, with additional costs for extra mailboxes, unlike most tools that offer unlimited mailboxes.

Help Scout Pricing

Help Scout offers three pricing options:

  • Standard: $25 per user per month
  • Plus: $50 per user per month  
  • Pro: $65 per user per month

Free Trial: 15 days

6. Intercom

Another Gorgias alternative, ideal for larger businesses, is Intercom. It boasts an advanced AI-powered inbox specifically crafted to cater to the dynamic needs of modern support teams. Known as the Engagement OS, its ticketing system excels in gathering, tracking, and managing customer inquiries efficiently. 

This platform provides essential tools for support teams to effectively organize and collaborate on resolving tickets.

In addition, Intercom offers a ‘Messenger’ feature, which brings together multiple applications into one window. This feature allows users to perform various tasks, such as searching the knowledge base or initiating customer conversations seamlessly. 

Intercom’s User Interface

Cons of Intercom:

  • Navigating the platform can be difficult due to a steep learning curve and the complexity of setup options.
  • Intercom can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses or those operating on limited budgets.

Intercom Pricing

Intercom, in a nutshell, offers four different tiers of pricing:

  • Start: $39 per month per seat 
  • Grow: $99 per month (includes 5 seats)
  • Accelerate: from $499 per month (includes 10 seats)
  • Scale: from $999 per month (includes 10 seats)

Free Trial: 14 days

7. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is an effective customer service tool that integrates various communication channels like phone, email, live chat, SMS, and social media. This makes it a suitable Gorgias alternative, especially for mid-sized businesses that aim to deliver multi-channel support and keep an updated customer contact directory.

The platform brings together all customer interactions from different channels into one streamlined interface. This integration enables teams to engage in context-rich customer conversations and offer effective support. 

Moreover, Zoho Desk’s freemium plan presents a budget-friendly option for businesses looking to optimize their customer service without significant expense.

Zoho Desk’s User Interface

Cons of Zoho Desk:

  • The platform has a complicated user interface, which requires a period of acclimatization and agent training.
  • Users have encountered issues with the phone calling feature within Zoho Desk.
  • Zoho Desk does not offer a desktop application version. Agents can only access Zoho Desk via a web browser.

Zoho Desk Pricing

Zoho Desk offers five tiers of pricing:

  • Free Plan 
  • Express: $7 per month per user 
  • Standard: $14 per month per user 
  • Professional: $23 per month per user
  • Enterprise: $40 per month per user

Free Trial: 15 days

8. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot Service Hub is customer service software aimed at simplifying customer data management and communication. It provides a centralized portal for assigning, tracking, and collaborating on customer inquiries from various channels like email, chat, and phone. 

Its standout feature, Conversation Intelligence, utilizes AI to analyze customer interactions, identify key trends and patterns to refine training materials, pinpoint areas for improvement, and deliver personalized support. It also has a knowledge base recommendations feature that automatically suggests relevant knowledge base articles based on a customer’s current issue, enabling them to find solutions quickly and easily. 

HubSpot Service Hub’s User Interface

Cons of HubSpot Service Hub:

  • While a free plan is available, it offers limited features compared to the free plans of other tools in the market.
  • The entry-level pricing of HubSpot Service Hub is relatively higher in comparison to alternatives such as Hiver. Its Service Hub Starter plan costs $50/month for two users, whereas Hiver’s Lite plan costs $30/month for two users.
  • Onboarding in HubSpot Service Hub comes with an additional cost, while alternatives like Hiver offer free onboarding across all its plans.

HubSpot Service Hub Pricing

HubSpot Service Hub offers four pricing plans: 

  • Service Hub Free 
  • Service Hub Starter: $50 per month for 2 users   
  • Service Hub Professional: $450 per month for 5 users   
  • Service Hub Enterprise: $1200 per month for 10 users   

Free Trial: 14 days

9. TeamSupport

For B2B businesses seeking an alternative to Gorgias, TeamSupport is a tailored option. It’s a customer service platform crafted specifically for B2B organizations aiming to enhance their customer support processes. 

TeamSupport aids in identifying upsell opportunities and accounts that might be at risk of churning. Additionally, it facilitates cross-departmental collaboration for addressing customer inquiries effectively.

TeamSupport’s User Interface

Cons of TeamSupport:

  • Users have noted that the analytics feature lacks detail and comes with slow loading time. Additionally, viewing ticket history and navigating open tickets can be cumbersome.
  • TeamSupport does not support multi-level escalation for SLA violations. This can be problematic for businesses with agreements with multiple vendors or with multiple departments within an organization using different pricing tiers.

TeamSupport Pricing

​​TeamSupport offers three pricing plans:

  • Essential Support: $49 per agent per month  
  • Enterprise Support: $69 per agent per month 
  • Complete Customer Support Suite: $119 per agent per month 

Free Trial: 14 days 

10. GrooveHQ

The last alternative to Gorgias on the list is GrooveHQ, which stands out with its user-friendly interface. 

GrooveHQ is a multi-channel customer service platform that simplifies the handling of customer inquiries from email, live chat, and knowledge base. Additionally, GrooveHQ provides valuable integrations with automation tools, CRMs, and e-commerce platforms, enabling agents to accomplish more tasks without the need to constantly switch between different applications.

GrooveHQ’s User Interface

Cons of GrooveHQ:

  • Users have reported performance issues with the platform, especially when handling large volumes of customer data.
  • GrooveHQ lacks some basic features, including the ability to unsend sent emails, highlight text in the email body, and download multiple attachments. This may inconvenience agents accustomed to Gmail’s interface and its features.

GrooveHQ Pricing

GrooveHQ offers three pricing plans:

  • Starter: $20 per month per user
  • Plus: $40 per month per user
  • Pro: $65 per month per user

Free Trial: 14 days

How to Choose the Best Gorgias Alternative?

Selecting the right helpdesk is a critical decision for any business. With hundreds of options listed on comparison websites, making a choice can seem overwhelming. Gorgias, while popular, is not the one-size-fits-all solution for every business need, as we have explored in our article.

Our exploration of Gorgias alternatives brings us to a standout option: Hiver.

With Hiver, you get access to all robust helpdesk features, along with 24×7 customer support at a cost-effective price —right from your Gmail account.

Get started in just an hour with Hiver’s 7 day free trial.

An engineer turned B2B marketer, Siddharthyka creates research-driven, actionable content for professionals from various backgrounds, such as customer success, IT, and finance. She also collaborates with industry experts to create insightful campaigns and content for readers. When away from her work desk, she can be found reading about the cosmos or picking a new coffee roast to try.

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