OpenAgent vs Gorgias at a glance
| Feature | OpenAgent | Gorgias |
|---|---|---|
| Built for ecommerce | Yes — Shopify-first | Yes — Shopify-first, a genuine strength |
| Primary model | AI agent first, help desk underneath | Help desk first, AI Agent layered on |
| Seat pricing | Seats included in plan | Not priced per agent — a real advantage |
| Help desk pricing model | Flat plan, text conversations unlimited | Metered billable tickets, 50 to 5,000/month tiers |
| AI pricing model | Included, no per-resolution fee | $0.90/resolved conversation annual, $1.00 monthly |
| Double metering | No | A ticket can count toward tickets and automated interactions |
| Native order actions | Track, return, exchange, refund, subscriptions | Deep Shopify actions in the agent view and configured flows |
| Product recommendations & cart recovery | Built in | Conversion features available; not the AI Agent's focus |
| Channels | Chat, email, WhatsApp, IG, Messenger, Slack; voice higher tiers | Chat, email, social; voice and SMS charged separately |
| Macro and rule depth | Standard | Extensive and ecommerce-tuned |
| Analytics | Resolution rate, CSAT, revenue influenced | Strong ecommerce support and revenue reporting |
Why ecommerce teams choose OpenAgent over Gorgias
No per-resolution fee and no double metering
Gorgias meters billable tickets and separately charges for AI-resolved conversations — its documentation confirms one ticket can count toward both. OpenAgent is one flat price for the business with text conversations unlimited and no charge tied to a ticket or a resolution.
AI-first rather than help-desk-first
OpenAgent's agent attempts every conversation and resolves what it can end to end, typically deflecting up to around 70% of ecommerce tickets. Gorgias starts from the inbox and layers AI on top of a human workflow.
Deeper action coverage
Order tracking, returns and exchanges, refunds within merchant-set caps, subscription changes, product recommendations, and cart recovery are native OpenAgent behaviours across Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce.
Every channel in the plan
Web chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, and Slack are included on Desk at $149, with the phone receptionist on Front Desk. Gorgias sells voice and SMS as separately charged products.
Predictable peak-season cost
A Black Friday spike does not move OpenAgent's invoice at all, because text conversations are unlimited on every paid plan. On a per-resolution model, a spike raises the invoice in direct proportion to how well the AI performed.
Pricing compared
One flat plan per business as of August 2026: Free ($0, one AI agent on website chat), Desk $149 (every text channel unlimited, 5 seats, help desk and all messaging channels), Front Desk $399 (adds the AI receptionist on a real phone number, 500 voice minutes then $0.25/minute against a spend cap you set, 15 seats, white-label, SSO). Nothing is billed per ticket, per message, or per resolution; voice minutes are the only meter.
Gorgias prices on billable tickets rather than agents, with plans scaling from 50 to 5,000 tickets a month; its documentation's worked example is 300 tickets for $60/month plus $0.40 per extra ticket. AI Agent is charged separately at $0.90 per AI-resolved conversation on annual billing or $1.00 monthly, with Starter plans beginning at $1.00, and plans covering 90 to 2,500+ AI-resolved conversations. Voice and SMS are charged separately. Figures as published in July 2026 — confirm on gorgias.com/pricing.
Gorgias's unlimited-agent model is genuinely good for teams that scale headcount seasonally. The cost pressure comes from two meters running at once: 2,000 AI-resolved conversations is roughly $2,000 a month in AI fees on monthly billing, and those conversations also consume ticket allowance. OpenAgent's Desk plan is $149 flat at that volume, because text conversations are unlimited.
Choose OpenAgent when
- Your queue is high-volume and transactional — WISMO, returns, refunds, product questions
- You want the AI to resolve tickets end to end rather than assist a human workflow
- You want one predictable number rather than a ticket meter and a resolution meter
- You need WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger included rather than charged separately
- You want support conversations to recommend products and recover carts
Choose Gorgias when
- Your support is human-led by design and AI is meant to assist rather than resolve
- You scale headcount sharply for peak season and value not paying per agent
- You have built a deep macro and rule library that encodes real operational knowledge
- You rely on Gorgias's mature Shopify edge cases or its conversion and revenue features
- Your ticket volume is low enough that the per-resolution fee stays immaterial
Switching from Gorgias
Moving from Gorgias to OpenAgent is one of the simpler migrations in this category because both tools already speak Shopify. Export your help centre content and macro text, import it into OpenAgent's training panel, reconnect your store with OAuth, point your support address at OpenAgent's inbox, and swap the widget snippet. Order actions work immediately. The work that takes real thought is deciding which macros should become knowledge the agent uses autonomously rather than canned replies a human sends — that translation is where most of the deflection gain comes from, and it is worth doing deliberately rather than in bulk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to switch from Gorgias?
Join the ecommerce teams resolving more tickets, answering 24/7, and turning support into a revenue channel with OpenAgent.