Comparison

OpenAgent vs Gladly

Gladly and OpenAgent are both used by DTC and ecommerce brands, but they embody opposite priorities. Gladly's signature is its people-first architecture — every customer has a continuous conversation thread across channels, and agents see a full lifetime history. It's built for brands where human relationships are central to the customer experience. OpenAgent is built for brands where speed and scale are the priority — the AI resolves the majority of contacts autonomously, human agents handle the relationship-critical conversations, and pricing doesn't scale with headcount.

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OpenAgent vs Gladly at a glance

Feature	OpenAgent	Gladly
Primary philosophy	AI-first deflection + human escalation	People-centered — human-first relationships
Built for ecommerce / Shopify	Yes — Shopify-first	Yes — premium DTC and retail focus
Native order actions (track, return, refund)	AI executes natively	Agent executes via order data in conversation
Pricing model	Flat plans, no per-agent fee	Per-Hero (agent) — premium pricing
AI deflection rate	60-80% for ecommerce tickets	Sidekick AI available; primary model is human
Human handoff + shared inbox	Included	Core product — people-centered inbox
Lifetime customer conversation history	Order + conversation history	Full lifetime cross-channel timeline (strength)
Omnichannel	Chat, email, WhatsApp, IG, FB	Chat, email, phone, SMS, IG, WhatsApp
Product recommendations / upsell	Built in	Agent-led; no AI sales layer
Cost at scale	Flat — predictable	Scales with agent count — expensive

Why ecommerce teams choose OpenAgent over Gladly

AI deflects before humans engage

Gladly routes conversations to agents who handle them personally. OpenAgent's AI resolves 60-80% of contacts before any agent involvement — order tracking, returns, refunds, FAQs handled end-to-end.

Dramatically lower cost

Gladly charges per Hero (agent) at premium rates. OpenAgent charges one flat price per business, with text conversations unlimited and seats in the plan — a typical mid-market brand pays 5-10x less than on Gladly.

Native Shopify order actions

OpenAgent's AI takes real actions in Shopify. Gladly displays order data from integrations but agents still take all the actions — Gladly is designed for humans to build relationships, not bots to complete transactions.

24/7 coverage with instant response

Gladly's experience depends on agent availability. OpenAgent's AI is available 24/7 with instant response times, meeting the expectations of shoppers at any hour.

Pricing compared

OpenAgent

One flat plan per business as of August 2026: Free, Desk $149/mo, Front Desk $399/mo. Text conversations are unlimited, all AI resolutions are included, and seats come with the plan — five on Desk, fifteen on Front Desk.

Gladly

Gladly does not publish pricing but is known to start at ~$150/Hero/mo with a multi-Hero minimum. Annual contracts for a 5-hero team typically run $9,000-$15,000+/year.

Gladly is among the most expensive customer service platforms per agent. OpenAgent is dramatically cheaper because the AI handles most contacts before they become agent work. The tradeoff is Gladly's premium human relationship experience vs. OpenAgent's AI efficiency.

Choose OpenAgent when

You want to deflect 60-80% of tickets with AI before agents handle them
Gladly's per-hero pricing is too high for your team size or growth plans
You want flat, predictable pricing through any volume spike
You run Shopify and need order actions handled by AI, not routed to agents
You're scaling and need efficiency gains, not just a better agent UX

Choose Gladly when

Your brand's competitive advantage is genuinely exceptional, high-touch human service
You have a luxury or premium DTC brand where relationship continuity is critical
You want agents to have a full lifetime customer timeline across all channels
You have the budget for Gladly's premium pricing and value what it delivers
Your voice/phone channel is a primary support touchpoint

Switching from Gladly

Moving from Gladly to OpenAgent involves exporting your knowledge base content, converting it to OpenAgent training material, and connecting your Shopify store. Gladly's customer conversation history stays in Gladly or can be exported to a CRM. Redirect your channels to OpenAgent, configure the shared inbox for escalations, and go live. The main cultural shift is from a people-first routing model to AI-first deflection — agents move from handling most contacts to handling the most complex and high-value ones. Most migrations complete in 2-3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gladly is built around the philosophy that every customer deserves a personal, human relationship — agents see a full lifetime history and conversations are never re-routed as tickets. OpenAgent is built around AI efficiency — the agent resolves most contacts autonomously, and humans handle what genuinely requires a personal touch. Different philosophies, both legitimate depending on your brand strategy.

Yes, significantly. Gladly's per-Hero pricing typically runs $150+/Hero/mo with minimums. A 5-hero team costs $9,000-$15,000+/year. OpenAgent's $149/mo flat Desk plan covers the same ticket volume with AI handling the majority and text conversations unlimited. The savings are substantial.

OpenAgent shows Shopify order history and conversation history for each customer in the escalation inbox. It doesn't replicate Gladly's cross-channel lifetime timeline that spans years of interactions. For brands where that depth of relationship context is critical, Gladly's timeline is a genuine differentiator.

OpenAgent covers web chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Gladly adds voice and SMS. If phone is a primary channel for your brand, Gladly has an advantage. For most ecommerce brands where chat and email dominate, OpenAgent's coverage is sufficient.

For luxury, high-touch DTC brands where the personal support relationship is a genuine competitive differentiator, Gladly's investment may be justified. For most ecommerce brands looking to scale efficiently, OpenAgent's AI-first deflection delivers better cost-per-resolution and 24/7 coverage at a fraction of the cost.

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