Best Shopify Helpdesk Apps (2026): 15 Help Desks Scored on App Store Ratings

The 15 help desks at a glance

Tiers: 10 (apps 1-4), 9 (5-9), 8 (10-13), 7 (14-15). Prices are each vendor's published US-dollar prices, from its own pricing page where it has one and from the App Store listing where it doesn't.

How we ranked them

We read every page of the App Store's Helpdesk category on October 29, 2026 and kept apps that give a team a ticket inbox, in Shopify admin or the vendor's own app. That left out storefront-only AI chat, order editors, voice agents and returns-first platforms. Freshdesk, which some rival lists rank, has no Shopify App Store listing (apps.shopify.com/freshdesk returns a 404), so it isn't scored. Each app is scored 0 to 2 on five criteria.

Reviews are the Shopify App Store's public rating and count. Free apps score 2 on price. Shopify listings show a launch date but no update date, so for Maintained we used the vendor's dated changelog, which several listings link to directly. Ties are broken by review count. When apps tie, we present them as a tier, and the order inside a tier says nothing about quality.

Shopify's own Shopify Inbox sits outside the ranking. It's free and rated 4.6 from 5,809 reviews, but it's filed under Chat, sells itself as "an AI sales associate for your online store" and shows no ticketing. For a wider view across ecommerce help desks, including ones that don't sell through the App Store, see our ecommerce help desk guide.

Top tier, 10 of 10: Tidio, SB Helpdesk, Commslayer and Richpanel

1. Tidio: live chat and tickets on one free plan, 10/10

Tidio puts live chat, an email and social helpdesk and its Lyro AI agent in one app, with Shopify orders beside each chat. Ticketing is on the free plan, and the listing's Customer Service plan costs $29 for 100 conversations or $59 for 250 to 1,000, though its own pricing page uses other plan names. It has 1,356 reviews averaging 4.8, and its changelog has an October 23, 2026 entry. Craftinglove praised "a good AI assistant and a neat interface."

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: small teams that start on chat and want tickets without a second tool.

2. SB: Helpdesk, Live Chat & FAQs: an FAQ app that grew a helpdesk, 10/10

HelpCenter by Shark Byte leads with an FAQ builder and sells a ticket helpdesk beside it, with live chat and an order-tracking widget; its docs describe ticket statuses, internal comments and snoozing. It's free for 10 tickets a month, then $40 for 500 tickets, $70 for 1,000 and $120 for 2,000, each with a per-ticket overage. It has 318 reviews averaging 4.6, and its changelog added bulk ticket actions on October 5, 2026. Vital Depot wrote: "We added HelpCenter mainly for the FAQ section, but ended up using the ticket system too."

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: stores whose main problem is repeat questions.

3. Commslayer: unlimited seats, priced by conversation, 10/10

Commslayer comes from the founders of Lifetimely, who say on the listing they built it "because other support helpdesks stopped improving but kept raising prices." Every plan has unlimited seats. The free plan covers 300 conversations a month; paid plans run from $39 for 700 to $299 for 4,500, and subscription apps such as Recharge, Skio and Loop work inside the inbox. It has 238 reviews averaging 4.9 and changelog entries on October 16 and 21, 2026. Sunray Fly Fish wrote: "I run three brands through this, seven figures, with one human agent."

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: subscription brands and stores adding seasonal agents.

4. Richpanel: AI agents first, inbox for the exceptions, 10/10

Richpanel calls itself "an AI-native helpdesk": AI agents resolve order, return, refund and subscription tickets within limits you set, and your team works the exceptions in one inbox. Its pricing page lists PRO at $69 and PRO MAX at $99 per agent a month on yearly contracts, with AI conversations at $0.20 each. The listing offers a 14-day trial, and its help center documents a self-serve Shopify connection. It has 136 reviews averaging 4.9, and its changelog added an integration in the last week. Plateful called the new AI "a great addition".

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: teams that want the help desk vendor to run the AI too (Gorgias vs Richpanel).

Second tier, 9 of 10: Chatty, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Crisp and eDesk

5. Chatty: the most-reviewed app here, with tickets in early access, 9/10

Chatty has the most reviews of any app we scored, 1,895 averaging 4.9, and carries Shopify's Built for Shopify badge. It's sales-first AI chat. Its help center documents a tickets view with statuses, assignees and priorities, but says Helpdesk "is in early access and must be turned on for your store", so it scores 1 on working in the ticket. The free plan includes 50 AI conversations a month; paid plans cost $19.99, $68.99 and $199 a month. Its roadmap page was updated on October 29, 2026. BullRing said support "took the time to understand my scenario."

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 1, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: stores where most conversations are pre-sale questions on the storefront.

6. Gorgias: the Shopify-native helpdesk, priced by ticket, 9/10

Gorgias has run on Shopify since 2017, and its listing promises a "Shopify-native helpdesk: edit orders, refund and cancel inside tickets". It prices by ticket: Starter $10 a month for 50 tickets and 3 agents, Basic $60 for 300, Pro $360 for 2,000 and Advanced $900 for 5,000, confirmed on its pricing page. Its AI Agent costs $1.00 per automated interaction on monthly contracts, and each AI interaction also counts as a helpdesk ticket, so Gorgias earns more on a conversation its AI handles than on one a person answers. That's the incentive to keep in mind when it suggests turning on more automation. It has 707 reviews averaging 4.3, which costs it a point; recent one-star reviews are mostly about billing. Its updates feed has entries from the last few days. HARBOUR LIFESTYLE wrote that its AI agent "has really relieved pressure from our customer services department."

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: Shopify-only brands with steady volume (Gorgias integrations).

7. Re:amaze: multi-store support with Shopify order editing, 9/10

Re:amaze lets agents "manage, modify, and create Shopify orders directly in customer support and chats" and runs several stores from one inbox. Its pricing page charges per team member, $29, $49 or $69 a month, with 5 to 20 AI Agent resolutions per user, and the listing adds a $59 Starter plan for 500 conversations. It has 180 reviews averaging 4.4, and its blog posted a feature update on August 17, 2026.

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: merchants running two or more storefronts with a small team.

8. Crisp: seats in bundles, not one by one, 9/10

Crisp is a multichannel inbox with a trainable AI agent and Shopify data in each conversation. It sells seats in bundles: free for 2 seats, Mini at $45 a month for 4, Essentials at $95 for 10 and Plus at $295 for 20. Its Summer 2026 product update is dated September 3, 2026. It has 34 reviews averaging 4.0. One reviewer said: "I'm unable to delete my account."

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: teams of 4 to 20 who want a fixed monthly bill.

9. eDesk: Shopify and marketplaces in one inbox, 9/10

eDesk serves sellers on Shopify plus Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces. Its pricing page charges per agent, $49, $115 or $149 a month billed monthly, plus $0.99 for each outcome its AI Agent resolves. The Shopify listing sizes its plans by ticket volume instead, so billing through Shopify and contracting direct are different deals. Its updates feed had an entry on October 28, 2026. It has 32 reviews averaging 4.7. Spectral Paints wrote that it can "cancel orders, assign messages to specific customer service reps and do refunds for all of our marketplaces."

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: brands where Amazon or eBay messages outnumber Shopify email.

Third tier, 8 of 10: Willdesk, Zendesk, Help Scout and MX: Helpdesk

10. Willdesk: cheap ticketing with no public changelog, 8/10

Willdesk, from Channelwill, puts email, chat and social messages "in a ticketing system" and bundles TrackingMore order tracking. It's free for 20 conversations, then $16.90 a month for 100 or $89.90 for 1,000. It has 379 reviews averaging 4.7, but the changelog link on its listing returns a 404 and we found no dated release notes, so it scores 0 on Maintained. Pixel Burn Custom Laser Creations called it "clean, modern, and very easy to use."

Scores: reviews 2, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 0.

Best for: price-sensitive stores that want tracking and tickets together.

11. Zendesk: a full suite, the lowest rating here, 8/10

Zendesk's Shopify app connects Zendesk Support to your store, and its listing says agents can "process refunds and cancellations, directly from the Zendesk Support sidebar app." Zendesk's setup guide shows refunds and cancellations are off until an admin turns them on. Zendesk's pricing page lists Suite Team at $55 and Suite Professional at $115 per agent a month billed yearly, or $69 and $149 monthly, with Enterprise sold through sales. It has 95 reviews averaging 3.2, 29 of them one-star; The Artists Quarter wrote in September 2026 that "the setup experience was so poor that I gave up." Its Shopify for Zendesk Marketplace listing was updated in September 2026; see our Zendesk and Shopify setup guide.

Scores: reviews 0, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: brands that also support B2B, wholesale or non-Shopify products from the same desk.

12. Help Scout: email that stays email, 8/10

Help Scout keeps conversations looking like normal email, and its Shopify listing says agents can "edit, duplicate, cancel, and refund orders directly in Help Scout." The app is free; Help Scout's pricing page shows a free plan for up to 5 users and paid plans displayed at $25 to $75 per user a month. Its updates page has an October 1, 2026 entry. It has 19 reviews averaging 3.7, which scores 0. Ugmonk praised how it "keeps the communication to our customers just as normal email."

Scores: reviews 0, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 2.

Best for: teams whose customers expect a personal email reply.

13. MX: Helpdesk & Live Chat: free tickets inside Shopify admin, 8/10

MX: Helpdesk & Live Chat from Mirasvit is free and works inside Shopify, with the Built for Shopify badge. It turns email, chat and Facebook messages into tickets with the order number, date and total in each, and its docs cover setup, tickets and mailboxes. It has 11 reviews averaging 4.5. The only date we could find is its launch, October 15, 2025, just over 12 months ago, so it scores 1 on Maintained. Jeanity.com listed "Workflow automations, quick response templates, custom ticket fields, custom statuses" and wrote that "it's all there."

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 1.

Best for: a one- or two-person team that wants tickets without another login.

Fourth tier, 7 of 10: Kustomer and Replyco

14. Kustomer: perfect rating, sales-led buying, 7/10

Kustomer is a CRM-style help desk that shows each customer as one timeline, with Shopify orders, refunds and cancellations available from it. All 24 of its Shopify reviews are five stars. The listing prices it "From $89 per month, per user for Enterprise and $139 per month, per user for Ultimate", a "from" price, and its own pricing page publishes none and routes buyers to a sales rep, so it scores 1 on price and setup. Its product updates page has October 2026 entries. Mellanni said switching to it "was a great decision."

Scores: reviews 1, price 1, works in the ticket 2, setup 1, maintained 2.

Best for: larger retail teams buying through a sales process anyway.

15. Replyco: marketplace messages, priced per user, 7/10

Replyco gathers Shopify, Amazon, eBay and social messages into one inbox with order details, and its docs include a Shopify setup guide. Its pricing page charges per user, $65 a month each for 1 to 3 users down to $45 for 8 to 15. It has 12 reviews averaging 4.3; the reviews its listing shows date from 2022 to 2025, and we found no dated release notes, so it scores 0 on Maintained. The Dog Face wrote: "They add a face pricing and you will find another price once you end the free trial."

Scores: reviews 1, price 2, works in the ticket 2, setup 2, maintained 0.

Best for: small marketplace sellers who'd rather pay per user than per ticket.

How the pricing models differ

These 15 help desks bill in four ways, and the model matters more than the headline price. Eight of the 15 also have a free plan.

A per-ticket desk is cheap at low volume and expensive in November; a per-seat desk costs a two-person team the same in its busiest week as its quietest. If AI answers part of your volume, check whether those answers also count as tickets. On Gorgias they do.

What a Shopify help desk changes for an AI agent on the same tickets

Most of these help desks let a person refund or cancel a Shopify order from the ticket, and some tag it. Zendesk's integration adds shopify_cancelled to a ticket after a cancellation. An AI agent on the same queue has to see that, and any refund it can issue needs a confirmation step and a rule that sends partial refunds to a person.

Before an agent goes live, we check four things. First, the tags the help desk writes, so the agent's trigger excludes tickets a person already refunded; our tag-and-exclude pattern adds a unique tag when the trigger fires and excludes it from the trigger's own conditions. Second, the categories in past tickets, which decide which tools the agent gets. Third, whether the email on the Shopify order matches the requester; in our own test ticket the agent flagged a mismatch on its own, and we now write the ownership check into the instructions so it runs every time. Fourth, whether replies post as internal notes or public, with the agent in safe mode first. Then we replay past tickets in a simulation.

Where AI fits

Most of the help desks above sell their own AI, priced per interaction, resolution or conversation. The alternative is an AI agent layer on the help desk you keep. Macha runs AI agents inside Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Front, HubSpot or Intercom, reads Shopify through its connector, and calls the apps around it through custom tools. The Shopify connector reads orders, customers, products and discounts and can cancel or refund an order; both write actions ask for confirmation, and Create Refund refunds everything still refundable, so partial refunds stay with a person. Our map of Shopify app APIs shows which ones an agent can act in. The Macha team sets the agents up and monitors them. It fits teams running Shopify on one of those desks who'd rather not switch help desks to get an AI agent. Pricing starts at $299/month for 750 tickets, with a trial of $50 of free usage (about 125 tickets), no credit card, no time limit.

Which one fits your situation?

• You're a small team starting from chat: Tidio, or Chatty if most questions are pre-sale.
• Repeat questions are the real problem: SB: Helpdesk, which leads with an FAQ builder.
• You add seasonal agents: Commslayer, with unlimited seats on every plan.
• You want the vendor to run the AI too: Richpanel or Gorgias.
• You sell on Amazon and eBay as well: eDesk, or Replyco for per-user pricing.
• Shopify is one channel among many, including B2B: Zendesk.

FAQs

What is the best helpdesk app for Shopify?

On our rubric, Tidio, SB: Helpdesk, Commslayer and Richpanel share the top tier at 10 of 10, with Chatty, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Crisp and eDesk on 9.

Is there a free helpdesk app for Shopify?

Yes. MX: Helpdesk & Live Chat is free, and Commslayer, Willdesk, Chatty, SB: Helpdesk, Crisp, Tidio and Help Scout have free plans with limits on conversations, tickets or seats. Shopify Inbox is free too, but it's a storefront chat, not a ticket inbox.

Why does Gorgias score lower than smaller apps?

Gorgias averages 4.3 from 707 Shopify reviews, and our rubric gives full marks for reviews only at 4.5 or higher with 50 or more reviews. It scores full marks on the other four criteria.

<div class="docs-callout"><div><p class="docs-callout-title">Are you listed here?</p><p class="docs-callout-body">Partners and app makers can send corrections with a public source to [email protected]. We fix facts within a week. Scores follow the rubric above, not requests.</p></div></div>

How we researched this

On October 29, 2026 we read all 12 pages of the Shopify App Store's Helpdesk category, 279 apps, of which about 45 showed 10 or more reviews. We kept the 15 that give a team a ticket inbox and read each listing in a rendered browser, plus the vendor's pricing page and changelog. Prices are in US dollars, from each vendor's pricing page or, where it publishes none, the App Store listing. We didn't install or test any app or contact any vendor, and quotes are copied from public reviews on each listing.

Disclosure: Macha makes AI agents that run inside help desks, including some ranked here, such as Gorgias and Zendesk. Nobody paid to be listed, and Macha is not ranked.