Gorgias vs Help Scout (2026)

Gorgias

by Gorgias

Help Scout

by Help Scout

Pros

• ✓Native Shopify actions let AI Agent process refunds, edit orders, update addresses, and generate discount codes autonomously mid-conversation, without handing the customer to a human agent.
• ✓Helpdesk plans are priced by ticket volume rather than per agent, with 500 user seats on every tier above Starter, so support headcount can grow without changing the plan.
• ✓Fully public pricing across every helpdesk tier, with a $10/month Starter plan and an AI Agent add-on billed only on conversations the AI fully resolves.
• ✓The MCP server is included in any paid plan at no extra cost and does not require the AI Agent add-on, so a helpdesk-only team can query its own tickets and analytics from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.

Limitations

• –AI Agent is billed separately from the helpdesk plan at $0.90 per resolved conversation on most plans and $1 on Starter, so total monthly cost is the plan fee plus resolution fees.
• –Ticket-based pricing rises with seasonal volume. A Black Friday spike can push teams over the plan limit, where extra tickets cost $0.36 to $0.40 each on top of AI Agent fees, and automated interactions beyond the allowance are charged at $1.50 each.
• –Built around ecommerce data. AI Agent's actions run against store platforms such as Shopify, and the preferred integrations are ecommerce apps such as Loop Returns, Yotpo and Recharge.

Pros

• ✓Compass answers customers on web and in-app from a team's own help content, hands off with full context, and is charged only for conversations it resolves, with a monthly spending cap.
• ✓Every plan price is published, there is a free plan, and Standard and Plus can be tried for 15 days with no credit card.
• ✓An official MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor read conversations, customers and Docs content with each user's own permissions.

Limitations

• –The MCP server is read-only, so AI tools can look up support data but cannot reply to or update conversations.
• –Compass does not answer email yet, and answering from past conversations and connected apps is listed as coming soon.
• –Phone and SMS come through the Aircall integration rather than a built-in phone system, and SSO and HIPAA need the Pro plan.