Zipchat vs Gorgias: which is better for a small store in 2026?
Zipchat is the better pick when the job is selling in chat: an AI trained on your store that recommends products, tracks orders and answers in the shopper's language, rated 4.9 on the Shopify App Store and sold in AI reply packs from $49/mo for 500 replies (about 200 conversations) up to $499/mo for 6,000, with $49 for every extra 250 replies. Gorgias is the better pick when the job is support: a Shopify-native helpdesk where a team works email, chat, social, SMS and voice tickets in one inbox, priced by ticket volume from $40/mo for 50 tickets to $1,430/mo for 5,000, never per agent, with the AI Agent metered at $1.50 per automated interaction past the allowance. Want more orders from the chat: Zipchat. Want an inbox for a support team: Gorgias. They solve different problems, and some stores run both.
Chatonbo is the third option when you want the selling AI without the reply meter or the helpdesk overhead: Free, Pro $19/mo for 5,000 conversations or Business $59/mo for 10,000, AI included, no reply packs, no per-ticket tiers, with product cards, add to cart and order tracking through the official Shopify app and a simple inbox for human handoff.
Zipchat vs Gorgias vs Chatonbo at a glance
Prices are as listed on each vendor's own pricing page on the dates in the note below. Where a page does not state something, we say so instead of guessing.
| Zipchat | Gorgias | Chatonbo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Tiered by AI replies, not conversations: Starter $49/mo (500 replies), Growth $129/mo (1,500), Pro $249/mo (3,000), Scale $499/mo (6,000), Unlimited from $999/mo; $49 per extra 250 replies on all standard plans* | Tiered by ticket volume: Starter $40/mo (50 tickets), Basic $90/mo (300), Pro $550/mo (2,000), Advanced $1,430/mo (5,000); never priced per agent* | Flat monthly: Free, Pro $19/mo, Business $59/mo. No per-seat or per-resolution fees |
| Entry price | Starter $49/mo: 500 AI replies (about 200 conversations), 1,000 training pages, 2 stores* | Starter $40/mo: 50 tickets, 30 automated interactions, 3 seats* | Free plan; Pro $19/mo with AI included |
| At 5,000 conversations a month | Above Scale ($499/mo for 6,000 replies, about 2,500 conversations), so the Unlimited tier from $999/mo. A shopper who asks four questions uses four replies* | Advanced, $1,430/mo for 5,000 tickets and 530 automated interactions; AI Agent $1.50 per automated interaction past that* | Pro $19/mo covers 5,000 conversations a month; Business $59/mo covers 10,000. A busy month costs the same as a quiet one |
| AI answers from your own content | Yes, the AI is trained on the store; training pages are capped per tier (1,000 on Starter, 15,000 on Growth, 75,000 on Pro, 300,000 on Scale)* | AI Agent on every plan, metered per automated interaction (30 included on Starter and Basic, then $1.50 each)* | Yes, drafted from your website URL, documents and product catalog; AI included on every plan |
| Shopify add to cart in chat | Product recommendations are advertised; add to cart inside the chat is not stated on the pricing page* | Not listed on the pricing page | Yes: product cards with pictures and add to cart inside the chat (official Shopify app) |
| Order tracking | Yes, order tracking is among the advertised features | Order data in the agent inbox; AI order handling counts as automated interactions | Yes, shoppers get order status inside the chat (official Shopify app) |
| Languages | Multilingual advertised; the number of languages is not stated | Multilingual support available; not itemized on the pricing page | 50+ languages |
| Setup time | Shopify app install (other platforms supported), then the AI trains on the store | Helpdesk onboarding: channels, rules, macros | About 2 minutes from a website URL; official Shopify and Wix apps, WordPress/WooCommerce plugin |
| Free plan | No permanent free plan; 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment* | No permanent free plan; free trial without a credit card* | Yes, plus a 30-day free trial on paid plans |
| Human handoff | Unlimited team members on every plan; a human handoff inbox is not detailed on the pricing page* | Full helpdesk inbox for a team: email, chat, social, SMS and voice; not priced per agent* | Yes, human handoff and lead capture with a simple inbox; not a multichannel ticketing helpdesk |
*Zipchat: zipchat.ai/pricing as read on September 19, 2026, monthly billing. Gorgias: gorgias.com/pricing as viewed on September 11, 2026, monthly billing. Both vendors may change pricing; check their sites for current terms.
Two-way breakdowns: Chatonbo vs Zipchat and Chatonbo vs Gorgias.
When to pick Zipchat
You want the chat to produce orders
Zipchat is a sales assistant first: trained on the store, product recommendations, order tracking, multilingual. Its Shopify App Store reviews (4.9) praise it for selling rather than deflecting. Gorgias is a helpdesk first; its AI Agent resolves tickets rather than guiding a purchase.
You do not have a support team yet
A solo owner or a two-person store does not need macros, SLAs and a multichannel inbox. Zipchat answers shoppers on the storefront on its own, and every plan includes unlimited team members for whoever wants to look in.
You run more than one store
Zipchat plans cover 2 stores on Starter, 5 on Growth, 10 on Pro and 20 on Scale. Gorgias prices by ticket volume per helpdesk. If you operate several storefronts and want one AI setup, Zipchat maps to that.
You want a refund window, not only a trial
Zipchat offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment. Gorgias offers a free trial without a card and no permanent free plan.
Thinking of leaving Zipchat? Read the honest Zipchat alternative page.
When to pick Gorgias
A support team works tickets all day
Gorgias is a full helpdesk: email, chat, social, SMS and voice in one inbox with macros, rules and SLAs, and it is never priced per agent. If two or more people answer customers full time, that tooling earns its price. Zipchat does not detail a helpdesk inbox on its pricing page.
You want Shopify order data next to every ticket
Gorgias surfaces the order beside the conversation so an agent can refund, edit or answer without leaving the inbox. That is the core of the product, not an add-on.
You measure support in tickets, not replies
Gorgias plans are sized by monthly tickets (50, 300, 2,000, 5,000) with a stated overage ($0.40 per ticket on Starter and Basic). Zipchat is sized by AI replies, where one shopper can use several. If you already track ticket volume, the Gorgias model maps to how you work.
You want AI resolutions inside the helpdesk
The AI Agent runs on every Gorgias plan and hands unresolved tickets to your team in the same inbox. You pay $1.50 per automated interaction past the allowance (30 on Starter and Basic, 530 on Advanced), which is fine if the team handles the bulk.
Thinking of leaving Gorgias? Read the honest Gorgias alternative page.
When Chatonbo is the better fit
Chatonbo is an AI assistant that answers from your own website, documents and catalog at a flat price: Free, Pro $19/month or Business $59/month, with no per-seat or per-resolution fees and a 30-day free trial on paid plans.
Selling AI at a flat price, no reply packs
With the official Shopify app the assistant shows product cards with pictures, adds items to the cart inside the chat and tracks orders. Pro is $19/mo for 5,000 AI conversations; Zipchat is at $499/mo by about 2,500 conversations and Unlimited from $999/mo beyond that. One US massage chair store saw $107,725 in orders over seven weeks from shoppers who chatted first.
No ticket tiers and no per-interaction fees
Gorgias Advanced is $1,430/mo for 5,000 tickets and the AI Agent adds $1.50 per automated interaction past the allowance. Chatonbo Business is $59/mo for 10,000 conversations with AI included. A busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
You do not want to configure a helpdesk or a bot
Paste your website URL and Chatonbo drafts the assistant from your pages, policies and catalog in about 2 minutes. Install the Shopify or Wix app, or the WordPress/WooCommerce plugin, and it is live. White-glove installation is free on every plan.
Your visitors write in many languages
The assistant answers in 50+ languages, auto-detected from the visitor. Zipchat advertises multilingual without a count and Gorgias does not itemize languages on its pricing page.
When Chatonbo is not the fit
We would rather you pick the right tool than sign up and leave. These are the cases where Zipchat or Gorgias is the better choice.
You need full helpdesk ticketing
Chatonbo has a simple inbox with human handoff and lead capture. It is not a multichannel ticketing system with email, social, SMS, macros and SLAs. For that, Gorgias is the stronger product.
You run several stores on one plan
Zipchat covers 2 to 20 stores per plan. Chatonbo runs one bot per account on Free, Pro and Business; several stores means Enterprise. If you operate a group of storefronts, Zipchat is the simpler buy.
A large support team lives in the inbox
If five or more agents work conversations full time and you need assignment rules, reporting and SLAs, Gorgias is built for that and Chatonbo is not.
You automate Instagram or Messenger
Chatonbo lives on your website (and WhatsApp as a fallback). Gorgias pulls social DMs into the helpdesk. If most of your conversations start in Instagram DMs, look at Gorgias or a social automation tool; our alternatives page covers ManyChat.
Comparing more tools? See every comparison on the alternatives page or the head-to-head index.
Zipchat vs Gorgias FAQ
Is Zipchat or Gorgias cheaper for a small store?
Gorgias is cheaper to start: $40/mo for 50 tickets, 30 automated interactions and 3 seats, with $0.40 per extra ticket. Zipchat starts at $49/mo for 500 AI replies (about 200 conversations) and charges $49 for every extra 250 replies. At higher volume the gap flips: Gorgias Advanced is $1,430/mo for 5,000 tickets plus $1.50 per automated interaction past 530, while Zipchat Scale is $499/mo for 6,000 replies (about 2,500 conversations). Chatonbo covers 5,000 conversations for a flat $19/mo.
Are Zipchat and Gorgias the same kind of tool?
No. Zipchat is an AI sales chat for the storefront: trained on your store, it recommends products, tracks orders and answers in the shopper's language. Gorgias is a helpdesk: a team inbox for email, chat, social, SMS and voice tickets with an AI Agent that resolves tickets. Some stores run Zipchat on the storefront and Gorgias for support. Chatonbo sits between them: a selling AI with a simple inbox for human handoff, at a flat price.
Does Gorgias have an AI sales agent like Zipchat?
Gorgias includes an AI Agent on every plan, metered at $1.50 per automated interaction past the included allowance (30 on Starter and Basic, 530 on Advanced), and it is built to resolve support tickets. Zipchat is sold as a sales assistant with product recommendations and order tracking on every plan. Chatonbo includes product cards with pictures, add to cart and order tracking through the official Shopify app on its flat plans.
Which one is better for Shopify?
Both are Shopify-first. Gorgias shows order data beside every ticket and lets agents refund or edit without leaving the inbox. Zipchat is trained on the store, recommends products, tracks orders and covers several stores per plan, with a 4.9 rating on the Shopify App Store. If the goal is selling in chat at a flat price, Chatonbo adds product cards, add to cart and order tracking through its official Shopify app for $19/mo.
Do Zipchat and Gorgias have free plans?
Neither has a permanent free plan. Zipchat offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment. Gorgias offers a free trial without a credit card. Chatonbo has a free plan and a 30-day free trial on Pro and Business.
The Fair Billing Guarantee
Flat price. No meters. No surprises.
No credits, no per-resolution fees, no forced upgrades. Your bot never goes silent, you can cancel in one click, and your first charge is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
See all six promises