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Ecommerce helpdesk software pulls customer questions from email, social, live chat and web forms into one place, and attaches order data so an agent can act without switching systems.
Pricing note. Every price below was checked against the vendor’s own pricing page in August 2026. Most of the figures previously published here were wrong — one plan tier no longer exists, one vendor no longer publishes rates at all, and one price was out by a factor of five. Confirm rates before budgeting.
Key features to look for:
- Multichannel Support: inquiries from every channel in one queue
- Ticket Management: create, assign, prioritise, track
- Knowledge Base: searchable FAQs and guides
- Automation: routing, templates, follow-up reminders
- Reporting & Analytics: response times, resolution, satisfaction
- Self-Service Portal: order tracking and returns without an agent
| Software | Key Strengths | Entry price (checked Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Simple shared inbox, quick to adopt | Free up to 5 users; Standard $25/user/month |
| Zoho Desk | Multichannel, strong automation | Free Forever for 3 users; paid per user, local currency |
| Freshdesk | Cloud-based, wide integrations | Free for 2 users; Growth $19/agent/month annually |
| Gorgias | Built for ecommerce, streamlined order management | Priced by ticket volume, not per agent |
| Zendesk | Deep ticketing, enterprise scale | Suite Team $55/agent/month paid yearly |
| HubSpot Service Hub | Live chat, customer portal, free tier | Free for 2 users; Starter $7/seat/month annually |
| Kustomer | AI-driven assistant, advanced search | Not published |
| LiveAgent | Multilingual, highly configurable | Small Business $15/agent/month annually |
| eDesk | Marketplace coverage, AI summaries | Essential $39/user/month annually |
| Intercom | Messaging, in-app support, Fin AI | Essential $29/seat/month plus AI fees |
Note the units. Gorgias charges by ticket volume with unlimited users. Everyone else charges per agent or seat. And three of these now bill AI separately, per resolution, on top of the seat price.
1. Help Scout
A shared inbox with live chat and a knowledge base attached. The simplest option here to get running.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multichannel Support | Email, live chat and social in one queue. |
| Ticket Management | Assign, prioritise and track conversations. |
| Knowledge Base | Searchable FAQs and guides, served automatically by Answers. |
| Automation | Routing, saved replies, reminders. |
| Reporting and Analytics | Response time, resolution speed, satisfaction. |
Pricing
Not $20 per user. Current rates, billed monthly:
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 5 users |
| Standard | $25 per user/month |
| Plus | $45 per user/month |
| Pro | $75 per user/month |
Annual billing saves 16%. AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution.
Integration
WooCommerce, Shopify and BigCommerce, plus Slack, Trello and Google Workspace.
Scalability
Fine up to mid-size. Teams needing heavy workflow customisation outgrow it.
2. Zoho Desk
A multichannel helpdesk that makes most sense if you already run other Zoho products.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multichannel Support | Email, live chat, social, web forms and messaging. |
| Ticket Management | Assignment, prioritisation and tracking. |
| Knowledge Base | Searchable self-service content. |
| Automation | Routing, templates and reminders. |
| Reporting and Analytics | Support performance reporting. |
Pricing
The “$7 per user per month” figure previously published here does not appear on Zoho’s pricing page. Zoho Desk has a Free Forever plan covering three user licences, then four paid editions — Express, Standard, Professional and Enterprise — priced per user per month with a discount for annual billing.
Zoho displays rates in the local currency of the visitor’s region, so a figure quoted from one market will not match yours. Check the price on Zoho’s site in your own currency. There is a 15-day free trial, and Zoho offers discounts for nonprofits and educational institutions.
Integration
Shopify and other store platforms, plus Slack, Trello and Google Workspace.
Scalability
Scales well on paper; the practical limit is how much configuration work you are prepared to do.
3. Freshdesk
A mainstream helpdesk covering email, messaging, chat, phone and social, with Freddy AI for categorisation and suggested replies.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multichannel Support | Email, messaging apps, chat, bots, phone and social. |
| Ticket Management | Assignment, prioritisation and tracking. |
| Automation | Routing, templates and reminders. |
| Self-Service | Multi-level knowledge base with AI-powered bots. |
| Reporting and Analytics | Support data and trends. |
Pricing
The previous claim that “plans start at $49 per agent per month” was wrong by more than double. Current rates, billed annually:
| Plan | Price (billed annually) |
|---|---|
| Free | $0, for 2 users |
| Growth | $19 per agent/month |
| Pro | $55 per agent/month |
| Enterprise | $89 per agent/month |
Freshworks advertises a 20% saving for annual billing, so monthly rates are higher. There is a 14-day trial of Enterprise.
Integration
Shopify and Magento, plus Slack, Salesforce, Mailchimp and Google Workspace.
Scalability
Handles growth well; the jump from Growth to Pro is where the cost steps up sharply.
4. Gorgias
Built specifically for online retail, with deep Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento integration.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multichannel Support | Email, chat, phone and social in one dashboard. |
| Order actions | Refunds and order edits inside the helpdesk. |
| Macros | Pre-written responses in your brand voice. |
| Automation | Ticket assignment and routing rules. |
Pricing
The structural point matters more than any tier: Gorgias states that its helpdesk is never priced per agent. It scales on ticket volume, from 50 to 5,000 tickets a month, and all plans include unlimited users. The AI Agent is billed separately — you pay only when it resolves a conversation. Voice and SMS are volume-priced add-ons.
The “$10 a month Starter plan” previously quoted here did not render on the pricing page when we checked in August 2026, so it has been removed rather than repeated. Get current tiers from Gorgias.
Integration
Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento and WooCommerce, plus Klaviyo, Recharge, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Slack.
Scalability
Volume-based pricing scales cleanly with a growing store, and does not punish you for adding agents.
5. Zendesk
The enterprise default: omnichannel ticketing, deep configuration, extensive reporting.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Omnichannel console | Email, chat, voice, messaging and self-service. |
| Ticket Management | Routing, SLAs, escalation rules. |
| Knowledge Base | Help centre with AI deflection. |
| Collaboration | Side conversations and internal notes. |
| Reporting | Cross-channel analytics. |
Pricing
The tier list here was out of date: there is no Suite Growth plan at $79, and Suite Team is no longer $49. Current Suite pricing:
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Suite Team | $55 per agent/month, paid yearly |
| Suite Professional | $115 per agent/month, paid yearly |
| Suite Enterprise + Copilot | Quoted |
Zendesk also sells a cheaper Support-only line, which is where the old $49-and-under figures came from; it is a narrower product than the Suite. Add-ons at the time of checking: Copilot $50/month, Workforce Engagement Bundle $50/month, Contact Center $83/month.
Integration
Shopify and WooCommerce for order lookups and returns, plus a large app marketplace.
Scalability
The most scalable option here, and the one most likely to need a dedicated administrator.
6. HubSpot Service Hub
Support tooling attached to HubSpot’s CRM, which is the reason to choose it: the customer record is already there.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Ticketing | Shared inbox and ticket pipelines. |
| Live chat | On-site chat and bots. |
| Customer portal | Customers track their own requests. |
| Knowledge base | Self-service articles. |
| Reporting | Service analytics tied to CRM data. |
Pricing
Every figure in the previous version of this table was wrong, including both onboarding fees. Current pricing:
| Plan | Annual billing | Monthly billing | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 2 users | $0 | None |
| Starter | $7 per seat/month | $20 per seat/month | None |
| Professional | $90 per seat/month | $100 per seat/month | $1,500, required |
| Enterprise | Quoted | Quoted | $3,500, required |
Note that Professional is priced per seat, not as a $450 bundle. Five seats on Professional is $450 a month plus the $1,500 onboarding fee, which is probably where the old figure came from. View-only seats are free on paid plans.
Integration
Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Magento, plus the wider HubSpot ecosystem.
Scalability
Scales with the CRM. The cost step from Starter to Professional is the largest on this page.
7. Kustomer
A CRM-style support platform organised around a customer timeline rather than a ticket queue.
Features
Kustomer’s features are aimed at ecommerce businesses handling high volumes:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer Timeline View | The full customer journey in one view, with context on every interaction. |
| Conversational Assistant | AI assistant for resolution and self-service. |
| Smart Search | Complex queries across customer data. |
| Omnichannel Support | Email, chat, SMS, social and self-service. |
Pricing
Kustomer no longer publishes rates. Its pricing page states that “every CX team’s setup is different, so we don’t post one-size-fits-all pricing” and routes visitors to an assessment or demo. HIPAA support and implementation are chargeable add-ons.
The Enterprise at $99 and Ultimate at $169 per user per month previously listed here do not appear anywhere on Kustomer’s site, so both have been removed. Budget for a sales conversation rather than a signup form.
Integration
Shopify, Magento and Zapier out of the box, plus payment and shipping tools.
Scalability
Aimed at larger support operations; the lack of published pricing is itself a signal about the intended buyer.
8. LiveAgent
A configurable helpdesk covering email, social and live chat, with strong multilingual support.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multichannel Support | Email, Facebook, Instagram, X and live chat. |
| Live chat | Real-time chat with visitor tracking. |
| Ticket Management | Routing, tags and SLAs. |
| Multilingual Support | Support in multiple languages. |
Pricing
Two corrections: there is no free plan, only a 30-day trial, and the entry tier is not $9. List prices per agent per month:
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | $15 | $19 |
| Medium Business | $29 | $35 |
| Large Business | $49 | $59 |
| Enterprise | $69 | $85 |
At the time of checking, LiveAgent was running a 33% discount promotion, which brought Small Business down to $10 a year-billed agent per month. Promotional rates end; budget from the list price, not the promotion.
Integration
Shopify, Magento and Squarespace, plus the main social platforms.
Scalability
Good value per agent at volume, though the interface shows its age next to newer tools.
9. eDesk
The marketplace specialist: strongest option here if you sell on Amazon and eBay as well as your own store.
Features
- AI sentiment analysis and summaries: quick read on tone and issue.
- Templates and auto-translate: faster responses across markets.
- Marketplace integrations: Amazon, eBay, Shopify and many more in one inbox.
Pricing
eDesk’s pricing model has changed. There are no longer “Performance+” and “agent-based” options; it now sells four per-user tiers:
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $39 per user/month | $49 per user/month |
| Growth | $89 per user/month | $115 per user/month |
| Professional | $119 per user/month | $149 per user/month |
| Enterprise | Quoted | Quoted |
All plans include the AI Agent, charged at $0.99 per outcome when it resolves an issue. Annual billing saves 20%. There is a 14-day full-feature trial, no card required.
Integration
Amazon, eBay, Shopify and a wide range of other marketplaces and channels.
Scalability
Priced at the upper end per user, so it earns its keep only if marketplace volume is a real part of your business.
10. Intercom
A messaging-first support platform with the Fin AI agent in front of the queue.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Fin AI Agent | Resolves common questions before an agent sees them. |
| Integrations | CRMs and third-party tools. |
| Email Automation | Automated messaging workflows. |
| In-App Messaging | Support inside your site or app. |
| Help Center | Knowledge base for self-service. |
Pricing
There is no “$74 a month for 2 users” plan and no $395 Pro tier. Intercom prices per seat, with AI charged separately per resolution:
| Plan | Per seat/month | AI cost |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29 | From $0.99 per Fin outcome |
| Advanced | $85 | From $0.99 per Fin outcome |
| Expert | $132 | From $0.99 per Fin outcome |
The per-outcome charge is the part to model. At 500 AI resolutions a month it adds at least $495 to the bill.
Integration
Shopify, Salesforce and Zendesk, among others.
Scalability
Scales, but the cost curve is steep in two directions at once — seats and AI usage.
Pros and Cons Comparison
This table previously compared a different set of products entirely — Desku, Labidesk, ThriveDesk, MyAlice and others that are not reviewed anywhere in this article. It has been replaced with the ten tools actually covered above.
| Software | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Free tier for 5 users; fastest to adopt | Light on workflow customisation; AI billed per answer |
| Zoho Desk | Free for 3 users; cheap paid editions | Rates shown only in local currency; configuration-heavy |
| Freshdesk | Cheapest capable paid tier at $19 | Free plan is only 2 users; big step up to Pro |
| Gorgias | Unlimited users; built for ecommerce | Tiers not displayed publicly; reporting is thin |
| Zendesk | Deepest feature set and reporting | Most expensive per agent; needs an administrator |
| HubSpot Service Hub | Free tier; cheapest annual seat at $7 | $1,500 to $3,500 compulsory onboarding above Starter |
| Kustomer | Customer timeline instead of tickets | No published pricing at all |
| LiveAgent | Low per-agent cost; strong multilingual support | No free plan; dated interface |
| eDesk | Best marketplace coverage | Highest per-user entry price here |
| Intercom | Strong AI agent and in-app messaging | Seat cost plus per-resolution AI fees |
Final Thoughts
Three things decide this, and none of them is the feature list.
The pricing unit. Gorgias charges by ticket volume, everyone else by agent or seat, and Help Scout, eDesk and Intercom charge again per AI resolution. Convert every quote into a monthly total using your own volume before comparing.
Where you sell. If Amazon and eBay matter, eDesk. If it is Shopify only, Gorgias. If the customer record already lives in HubSpot, Service Hub.
What you can staff. Zendesk and Kustomer repay a dedicated administrator. Help Scout and Freshdesk do not need one.
Free tiers exist at Help Scout (5 users), Zoho Desk (3 users) and HubSpot and Freshdesk (2 users each). Start there, and use the trials with real tickets rather than test data.
All prices in this article were checked against vendor pricing pages in August 2026 and should be confirmed before budgeting.
FAQs
What is an ecommerce helpdesk?
A customer service tool for online stores. It collects questions from email, social media, live chat and phone into one queue, and attaches order data so agents can answer without switching systems.
Can I connect an ecommerce helpdesk to my social media accounts?
Yes. Most of these turn comments and direct messages into tickets, so social conversations sit in the same queue as email.
How does an ecommerce helpdesk improve customer experience?
Mostly by removing the wait caused by an agent hunting for order information across systems. Automation of repetitive replies helps too, but the order-context integration is where the time actually goes.
More on this topic
Browse all 21 articles on Customer Support, or jump straight to our buying guide: Best Customer Support Tools for Small Teams.