Simple Chat vs Gorgias
App comparison
Simple Chat vs Gorgias
Gorgias is the incumbent. A 2026 scan of 154k Shopify storefronts found it on about 48% of stores that had a detectable third-party support app, the highest share of any helpdesk in this set. The product itself is a ticket-based helpdesk with one inbox for email, live chat, social, SMS, and voice, plus an AI Agent and a Shopping Assistant layered on top.
Modeled at 1,000 AI-resolved tickets / month: Simple Chat $290 vs Gorgias $1,200 on published list prices.
Checked against public Shopify App Store listings and vendor pricing pages. List prices change; confirm with the vendor before you buy.
Who each one is for
The channel list decides most of this. If support arrives over Instagram, SMS, or the phone, Gorgias handles conversations Simple Chat can’t see, and its ecommerce-integration catalog is the largest around. If chat and email cover your volume, the calculus flips: Simple Chat keeps staff in Shopify Admin and charges only when its AI closes a ticket.
Pricing
One Gorgias invoice, two meters. The helpdesk plan is sized by how many tickets it includes; AI Agent is a prepaid allowance of automated interactions on top. A ticket the AI resolves draws down both, once as a helpdesk ticket and once as an AI interaction. Simple Chat runs a single meter: $0.29 when the AI closes a conversation, nothing otherwise.
| Line item | Gorgias | Simple Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Published starting price | $10/month Starter (50 tickets, 3 agents) on the App Store | No platform fee; $0.29 per AI resolution |
| Helpdesk at 1,000 tickets | Pro $300/mo on annual billing (2,000 tickets included) | $0 |
| AI at 1,000 resolutions | $0.90 per automated interaction on annual billing, then $1.50 over the allowance | $0.29 per closed AI conversation |
| Human-handled tickets | Count against the helpdesk ticket pool | $0 |
| Per-seat fee | None on Basic–Advanced (large seat allowance); Starter includes 3 agents | None |
| Modeled monthly total | $1,200 ($300 helpdesk + $900 AI) on annual list prices | $290 for 1,000 AI resolutions |
The $1,200 model takes Pro at its annual list price, $300/mo per gorgias.com/pricing and the App Store listing, and adds $0.90 × 1,000 AI interactions. Monthly billing lists higher. The model is also kind to Gorgias in one way: human-handled tickets draw from the same helpdesk pool, so real totals climb once your team answers tickets too.
Features
Capabilities below are for a typical Shopify store. Plan, channel, and add-on limits apply. Gorgias features come from its App Store listing and public docs, not from a paid trial of every SKU.
| Feature | Simple Chat | Gorgias |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | ||
| Shopify Admin embedded app | YesShopify Admin app home | —External product + Shopify app |
| Shopify App Store listing | Yes | Yes |
| Built primarily for Shopify support | Yes | Yes |
| No per-seat platform fee | YesNo per-seat fee | YesLarge seat allowance on paid plans |
| Shopify usage billing | Yes$0.29 per AI resolution | —Helpdesk + AI Agent bill |
| Channels | ||
| Storefront live chat | Yes | Yes |
| Email in the same inbox | YesSame inbox as chat | Yes |
| SMS | — | Add-on |
| Social messaging | — | YesInstagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others |
| Phone / voice | — | Add-on |
| AI and Shopify work | ||
| AI resolves post-purchase support | Yes | YesAI Agent, Shopify-only |
| AI shopping assistant | PartialProduct Q&A | YesShopping Assistant |
| Order lookup and edits | YesLookup, cancel, hold, address | YesIn-ticket Shopify actions |
| AI address validation before changes | YesValidate, then modify | Partial |
| Shopify Payments chargebacks | YesAI representment drafts | — |
| Product subscriptions | YesSelling plans included | —Helpdesk only; not a selling-plan product |
| Back-in-stock alerts | YesWaitlists and restock email | PartialVia other apps |
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Simple Chat vs Gorgias. Updated August 17, 2026.
What does each app actually bill me for?
Gorgias bills twice: a helpdesk subscription sized by ticket volume, then AI Agent usage on top of it. Simple Chat puts one line on your Shopify invoice, $0.29 for each conversation the AI closes, through Shopify usage billing. No subscription, no seat fees, and the tickets your staff answer are free. Both vendors publish their rates and both revise them, so recheck gorgias.com/pricing and our listing before you decide.
Do I work in Shopify Admin or in a separate helpdesk?
With Gorgias, a separate helpdesk. Its Shopify integration is deep, orders and refunds and cancellations all surface in the ticket view, but the workspace is Gorgias. Simple Chat is a Shopify embedded app, so the inbox is a page inside Shopify Admin and staff never switch tools. Deep integration and embedded app are different claims; Gorgias makes the first, we make the second.
Can either app help with Shopify Payments disputes?
Shopify Admin ships its own dispute tools, and they remain where you respond. Simple Chat adds monitoring: when a Shopify Payments chargeback lands, a thread opens in the merchant inbox with AI-drafted representment evidence, text plus a PDF, ready for review. The Gorgias listing and its public docs, as read for this page, describe helpdesk and AI Agent features rather than a representment workflow.
Why does Gorgias cost more than the AI rate in this model?
Because the AI rate is only half the bill. At 1,000 AI-resolved tickets, AI Agent usage runs about $900 at the $0.90 annual rate, and a ticket pool that size calls for the Pro helpdesk at $300/mo on annual billing. Those two lines add to $1,200. Simple Chat’s $290 has no second line.
Does Gorgias support more channels than Simple Chat?
Yes, and it isn’t close. Gorgias adds social, SMS, and voice on top of chat and email; Simple Chat handles chat and email only. A brand that lives in Instagram DMs or runs a support phone line needs the Gorgias side of this table. A store whose tickets arrive through the widget and the inbox doesn’t.
Sources and other comparisons
- Gorgias on the Shopify App Store (4.2 from 618 reviews, from $10/month)
- Gorgias pricing
- Gorgias AI Agent
- All Simple Chat vs pages
- Three-way feature chart vs Gorgias and Intercom
- Three-way pricing chart vs Gorgias and Intercom
- Simple Chat vs Tidio
- Simple Chat vs Zendesk
- Simple Chat vs Re:amaze
- Simple Chat vs Intercom
- Simple Chat vs Richpanel
- Simple Chat vs Help Scout
Gorgias is a trademark of its owner. Simple Chat is not affiliated with Gorgias. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. Simple Chat is a third-party Shopify App Store app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shopify. These pages compare independent App Store products and do not recommend uninstalling Shopify products such as Shopify Inbox. See shopify.com. List prices and review counts verified .