Comparison

OpenAgent vs Cresta

Cresta and OpenAgent both use AI to make customer support better, but they operate on opposite sides of the interaction. Cresta is an agent-assist tool — it coaches human agents in real time while they handle conversations. OpenAgent is an autonomous AI agent — it handles the conversation itself, without a human agent involved at all, and escalates only when necessary. For ecommerce stores looking to reduce support costs and resolution time by automating common queries rather than coaching staff, OpenAgent is the direct solution.

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OpenAgent vs Cresta at a glance

Feature	OpenAgent	Cresta
Primary function	Autonomous AI resolution	Real-time agent coaching / assist
Human agent required for every conversation	No — AI handles most queries	Yes — AI assists, not replaces
Built for ecommerce	Yes — Shopify-first	Contact-center / multi-industry
Native order actions (track, return, refund)	Built in	Not applicable (human agent acts)
Pricing model	Flat plans, no per-resolution fee	Enterprise per-seat / contact-center pricing
Ticket deflection	Yes — AI deflects without human	No — all conversations staffed
Human handoff + shared inbox	Included for escalations	Core use case
Product recommendations	Built in	Not applicable
Self-serve onboarding	Yes — hours	Enterprise implementation

Why ecommerce teams choose OpenAgent over Cresta

Autonomous resolution, not just coaching

OpenAgent handles conversations end-to-end without a human agent. Cresta helps human agents respond better, but doesn't reduce headcount or deflect tickets on its own.

Ecommerce-native actions

OpenAgent resolves order tracking, returns, refunds, and subscription changes inside the chat automatically. Cresta provides suggestions to human agents who then take those actions manually.

No human agent required for deflection

Every interaction OpenAgent handles autonomously reduces staffing cost. With Cresta, every interaction still requires a human — Cresta just makes that human faster.

Flat, affordable pricing

OpenAgent's flat monthly plans are publicly listed and suited to any size store. Cresta's enterprise pricing targets contact-center teams with dozens or hundreds of agents.

Pricing compared

OpenAgent

One flat plan per business — free, Desk at $149, Front Desk at $399, and Concierge at $1,200 a month (as of August 2026) — no per-agent fees for AI-handled conversations, and text conversations are unlimited; voice minutes are the only meter.

Cresta

Enterprise per-seat pricing targeting contact centers; not publicly listed. Requires dedicated sales engagement.

OpenAgent and Cresta serve fundamentally different needs: OpenAgent reduces the number of conversations humans handle, while Cresta makes humans handle them better. For deflection-focused ecommerce teams, OpenAgent delivers direct cost savings; Cresta adds value only if you're keeping a large agent team.

Choose OpenAgent when

You want to reduce support ticket volume and staffing costs through AI deflection
You need order queries resolved automatically without any human agent involvement
You run a Shopify store and want native order actions built in
You want flat pricing suited to a small or mid-size ecommerce team

Choose Cresta when

You run a large contact center where every interaction involves a human agent
Your priority is improving human agent quality and consistency, not deflecting tickets
You have significant sales or upsell conversations that require human expertise

Switching from Cresta

Switching from Cresta to OpenAgent is a model shift, not just a tool swap. Rather than assisting human agents, OpenAgent takes over customer conversations autonomously. Start by routing common query types (order status, returns, FAQs) to OpenAgent while your human team handles the rest. Gradually expand OpenAgent's coverage as you build confidence in its resolution accuracy. Most teams see meaningful deflection within the first week.

Frequently Asked Questions

OpenAgent is an autonomous AI agent that resolves customer conversations without human involvement. Cresta is an agent-assist tool that coaches human agents in real time. OpenAgent deflects tickets; Cresta makes agents faster at handling them.

Not directly — Cresta requires a human agent for every conversation, it just makes that agent more efficient. OpenAgent autonomously handles the majority of inbound queries, which directly reduces the volume your human team needs to staff.

OpenAgent is best for ecommerce stores of all sizes that want to automate support. For enterprise contact centers with hundreds of agents where human interaction is required for every case, Cresta's coaching model addresses a different need.

OpenAgent offers flat self-serve plans from a free tier to Desk at $149/month, Front Desk at $399/month, and Concierge at $1,200/month — text conversations unlimited on every paid plan. Cresta uses enterprise per-seat pricing for contact-center teams, which is appropriate for large organizations but over-engineered for most online stores.

Yes. OpenAgent handles the conversations it can resolve autonomously and escalates to your human team when needed, with full context handed off. Your agents focus on complex or sensitive cases, not order status lookups.

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Ready to switch from Cresta?

Join the ecommerce teams resolving more tickets, answering 24/7, and turning support into a revenue channel with OpenAgent.