Should you pick Gorgias, the savvy e-commerce specialist, offering tools tailored for online stores, or Zendesk, the versatile (at this stage, veteran) of customer service? This blog aims to provide a comparison between Gorgias and Zendesk to help you determine which platform is the best fit for your organisation.

Gorgias and Zendesk are both leaders in the customer service software industry, yet they cater to distinct audiences and use cases.

Gorgias is designed primarily for e-commerce businesses, offering deep integrations with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento. It is tailored to meet the unique demands of online stores, providing tools that streamline customer interactions across multiple channels such as email, live chat, social media, and SMS.
Zendesk, on the other hand, is a more generalist tool, serving a wide array of industries including technology, finance, healthcare, and more. It offers a comprehensive suite of customer service solutions, including ticketing, live chat, knowledge bases, and advanced AI-driven features, making it a scalable option for businesses of all sizes.

As always, good advice gets personal! For tailored software advice on which software providers best meet your needs, be sure to check out the Archways Guide. In the meantime, let’s discuss the differences between the platforms.

Key Differences Between Gorgias and Zendesk

E-commerce Integration

One of Gorgias’s standout features is its deep integration with e-commerce platforms, especially Shopify. This integration allows support agents to handle customer inquiries directly from the Gorgias dashboard, accessing order histories and making modifications without switching platforms. Zendesk also integrates with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, but its integration is not as deep or seamless as Gorgias’s, making Gorgias the go-to choice for e-commerce businesses.

Winner: Gorgias

Multichannel Support

Both platforms support multichannel customer service, allowing businesses to manage inquiries from email, live chat, social media, and SMS. However, Gorgias offers additional features that are particularly beneficial for e-commerce businesses, such as the ability to manage comments on Facebook and Instagram posts and ads directly from the platform. Zendesk supports a broader range of channels, including Twitter, and provides more extensive tools for managing customer interactions across these channels.

Winner: Tie (Gorgias for e-commerce; Zendesk for broader industry needs)

Automation and AI

Zendesk leverages AI extensively to enhance customer support, offering features like automated ticketing, AI-driven chatbots, and predictive analytics. These tools are particularly beneficial for larger organisations with high volumes of customer interactions. Gorgias also offers automation, but its tools are more focused on streamlining e-commerce tasks, such as automatically tagging orders and responding to common customer inquiries.

Winner: Zendesk

Knowledge Base

Zendesk excels in its knowledge base capabilities, providing a robust platform for creating self-service portals where customers can find answers to common questions. This reduces the load on support teams and enhances customer satisfaction. Gorgias, while offering integrations with third-party knowledge base tools, does not have a native knowledge base feature, making Zendesk the stronger choice for businesses that rely heavily on self-service support.

Winner: Zendesk

Ideal Use Cases

Gorgias

Gorgias is an ideal choice for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses that need a platform tailored to their specific needs. Its deep integration with e-commerce platforms and user-friendly interface make it easy to manage customer interactions across various channels. If your business is primarily focused on online retail and you need efficient tools to handle common customer queries, Gorgias offers a streamlined solution.

Zendesk

Zendesk is best suited for larger enterprises or businesses in industries outside of e-commerce that require a more comprehensive and scalable customer support platform. With its advanced AI capabilities, extensive customization options, and robust knowledge base, Zendesk is well-equipped to handle the complex needs of diverse industries. Whether you’re in finance, technology, healthcare, or beyond, Zendesk’s versatility makes it a strong contender.

Pricing

While both Gorgias and Zendesk offer tiered pricing plans, they take different approaches to pricing units. When it comes to pricing, Gorgias and Zendesk take fundamentally different approaches. Zendesk operates on the more-tradition per-agent pricing structure, which can be beneficial for businesses with dedicated, scalable support teams. This model allows for predictable costs based on the number of agents, making it easier to budget as your team grows. On the other hand, Gorgias employs a per-ticket pricing strategy, which can be more cost-effective for businesses that handle a high volume of customer inquiries, particularly in the e-commerce sector. This approach allows businesses to scale their support without the need to increase the number of agents proportionally, offering flexibility for teams that prioritize efficiency and automation in managing customer interactions. For a detailed overview of pricing check out the pricing pages on the Gorgias and Zendesk websites.

Gorgias starts at $60 per month for 350 customer conversations, making it a cost-effective option for small e-commerce businesses. As businesses grow, they can scale up to more advanced plans that offer additional features and higher limits on customer interactions.
Zendesk offers a wider range of plans, starting at $5 per agent per month for basic email and social media support. More advanced plans, which include features like AI-driven automation and advanced analytics, can cost up to $99 per agent per month. While Zendesk can be more expensive, its scalability and extensive feature set justify the cost for larger businesses with complex needs.

Small Businesses: Gorgias offers a more affordable solution for e-commerce start-ups, while Zendesk’s basic plan provides a cost-effective option for broader industry use.

Medium-sized Businesses: Both platforms offer mid-tier plans that balance cost and functionality, with Zendesk offering more versatility and Gorgias providing specialized tools for e-commerce.

Large Enterprises: Zendesk’s top-tier plans are ideal for large organizations that require extensive customization, scalability, and advanced AI features. Gorgias’s higher-tier plans remain focused on high-volume e-commerce support.

Pros and Cons

Gorgias Pros:

Specifically designed for e-commerce businesses
Deep integration with Shopify and other platforms
User-friendly interface with a unified dashboard
Affordable for small to medium-sized businesses

Gorgias Cons:

Limited to e-commerce, not ideal for other industries
Lacks a native knowledge base
Fewer customization options compared to Zendesk

Zendesk Pros:

Comprehensive suite of customer service tools
Advanced AI capabilities for automation and analytics
Highly customizable and scalable
Strong knowledge base and self-service features

Zendesk Cons:

Can be expensive for small businesses
More complex setup and learning curve
E-commerce integration is not as seamless as Gorgias

Key Company Info

Gorgias was founded in 2015 by Romain Lapeyre and Alex Plugaru and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. The company was established with the mission to provide e-commerce businesses with a powerful customer service platform that integrates deeply with their existing tools. Gorgias has quickly become a favourite among online retailers, particularly those using Shopify, due to its specialized features and seamless integration with e-commerce platforms. The company has experienced rapid growth, supported by a dedicated team of approx. 400 employees, and continues to innovate in the customer support space for online merchants. Customers include Timbuk2, Crossnet, Jetson, Truwood, and Birddogs.

Zendesk was founded in 2007 by Mikkel Svane, Morten Primdahl, and Alexander Aghassipour, and is also headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Originally created as a user-friendly helpdesk solution, Zendesk has evolved into a comprehensive customer service platform that serves a wide range of industries. With a workforce of approx 5,000 employees globally, Zendesk is leading at scale with an extensive feature set make it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to large enterprises. Zendesk serves over 100,000 businesses worldwide, including industry giants like Uber, Airbnb, Shopify, WeightWatchers and Classpass.

Conclusion

Both Gorgias and Zendesk are powerful customer support platforms, but they cater to different needs. Gorgias is the clear choice for e-commerce businesses that require a specialised, easy-to-use platform with deep integrations. Its focus on e-commerce makes it the best option for online retailers looking to streamline their customer service operations.

Zendesk, however, is a versatile and scalable solution suitable for businesses across various industries. Its advanced AI features, extensive customization options, and robust knowledge base make it a powerful tool for large enterprises and organisations with complex customer support needs.

Ultimately, the right choice depends on your business’s specific requirements. If you’re in e-commerce and need a dedicated platform, Gorgias is likely your best bet. But if you’re looking for a more general, scalable solution that can grow with your business, Zendesk offers more flexibility and power.

For more tailored, independent advice on what software best meets your needs, check our Archways Guide.