{"question": "best help desk software for online stores", "category": "help-desk-software", "category_name": "help desk software", "audience": "online-stores", "audience_name": "online stores", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-09-26T21:50:18Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/help-desk-software-online-stores-2026-09-26", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/help-desk-software/online-stores", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Gorgias", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Shopify", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "BigCommerce", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Help Scout", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Richpanel", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Max", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Zendesk", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Zoho Desk", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Gladly", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://www.richpanel.com/learn/best-help-desk-software-ecommerce-2026", "domain": "richpanel.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://hiverhq.com/blog/ecommerce-helpdesk", "domain": "hiverhq.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.gladly.ai/blog/best-helpdesk-software-online-stores/", "domain": "gladly.ai", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://joinagentready.com/blog/gorgias-vs-zendesk-vs-richpanel", "domain": "joinagentready.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.featurebase.app/blog/gorgias-pricing", "domain": "featurebase.app", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.gorgias.com/blog/richpanel-pricing", "domain": "gorgias.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://www.getmacha.com/blog/gorgias-vs-richpanel", "domain": "getmacha.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "## My picks\n\n**1. Gorgias** - the default for most Shopify/BigCommerce/Magento stores. It's the most ecommerce-native option: agents see order history in the sidebar and can refund, cancel, duplicate, or edit orders without leaving the inbox. It also prices by ticket volume rather than per seat (Starter ~$40/mo up to Advanced ~$1,227/mo, plus AI credits), with unlimited agents on every plan - good if you have seasonal spikes or a lot of part-time agents. This is where I'd start unless you have a specific reason not to.\n\n**2. Help Scout** - the right call for a small store or a 1-3 person support team. Shared inbox, fast onboarding, minimal configuration, no ticket-system feel for the customer. You give up deep order-action integration, but for a store doing modest volume that's rarely the bottleneck.\n\n**3. Richpanel** - the main Gorgias alternative worth a real look. Purpose-built for ecommerce, and priced per agent (~$69/agent/mo Pro, ~$99 Pro Max annually) with AI and automations included rather than metered. If you have few agents handling high ticket volume, this usually beats Gorgias's ticket-based math; if you have many agents and low volume, it doesn't.\n\n**4. Zendesk** - pic", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}