Gorgias, Helpy, and Zammad all handle multichannel support ticketing, but they target different buyers: Gorgias is built specifically for ecommerce and…
freemium · From Free (self-hosted, open source); hosted plans from EUR 7 per agent per month
Best for: technical teams that want an open-source ticketing system with strong automation, custom objects, and GDPR-friendly EU-hosted plans
At a Glance
Gorgias
Helpy
Zammad
Primary category
Customer Support
Customer Support
Customer Support
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
Freemium / Open Source
freemium
Starting price
$10/month (Starter plan, 50 tickets)
Free (Community Edition), paid cloud from around $15/seat/month
Free (self-hosted, open source); hosted plans from EUR 7 per agent per month
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Gorgias is purpose-built for ecommerce, not general support
Gorgias offers deep, real-time Shopify integration and an AI Shopping Assistant that handles pre-purchase questions alongside support tickets, a use case Helpy and Zammad do not target.
Gorgias
Helpy and Zammad both offer genuinely free, self-hosted editions
Both are open source: Helpy's Community Edition and Zammad's self-hosted Community plan cost nothing to run, unlike Gorgias, which starts at $10/month for 50 tickets with no free tier.
Helpy, Zammad
Zammad adds SLA management and EU data residency
Zammad includes SLA management, triggers and schedulers, and German-hosted cloud plans for teams that need GDPR-friendly data residency, features not documented for Helpy or Gorgias.
Zammad
Helpy bundles community forums with its helpdesk
Helpy pairs ticketing and a knowledge base with built-in community forums, letting customers self-serve and discuss in one product, a combination Gorgias and Zammad don't offer.
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Gorgias
Starter — $10/month Monthly
Basic — $60/month ($50/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Pro — $360/month ($300/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Advanced — $900/month ($750/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom Custom, annual contract
Helpy
Community Edition — Free N/A
Cloud (Essential/Basic) — From around $15/seat/month Monthly
Self-Hosted Pro — From $40/seat/month Annual contract
Enterprise — Custom Annual
Zammad
Community (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Starter v2 (Hosted) — EUR 7/agent/month (annual) or EUR 9/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Professional v2 (Hosted) — EUR 16/agent/month (annual) or EUR 18/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Plus v2 (Hosted) — EUR 25/agent/month (annual) or EUR 27/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Self-Hosted Support (Business/Enterprise/Corporation) — From EUR 2,999/year annual
Pros & Cons
Gorgias
Pros
Deep, real-time Shopify integration purpose-built for ecommerce support workflows.
AI Agent handles both support resolution and pre-purchase sales assistance in one platform.
Ticket-based pricing keeps costs stable regardless of how many agents are on the team.
Supports replies in over 80 languages even without a translated knowledge base.
Cons
Separate AI resolution billing on top of the base plan can make total costs less predictable at high volume.
Deepest integration and value are focused on Shopify, with somewhat less native depth on other ecommerce platforms.
Overage charges for exceeding a plan's billable ticket allotment can add up for fast-growing stores.
Less suited to non-ecommerce industries or complex B2B support workflows compared to general-purpose helpdesks like Zendesk.
Helpy
Pros
Genuinely free, MIT-licensed open-source edition with no artificial feature caps
Flexible deployment across self-hosted and cloud options under one product
Carin AI agent adds modern automation on top of a mature open-source base
GDPR-compliant data deletion and anonymization built in
Free cloud tier for up to three agents with no credit card required
Cons
Self-hosting the open-source edition requires Ruby on Rails and DevOps expertise
Self-hosted commercial pricing requires an annual contract commitment
Smaller community and ecosystem than larger open-source alternatives like Chatwoot
Cloud pricing tiers are not fully transparent without contacting sales
Company scale and public roadmap are less visible than larger helpdesk vendors
Zammad
Pros
Free, fully open-source self-hosted option with no license cost
German-hosted cloud plans support GDPR-friendly data residency
Deep customization through the API and custom ticket objects
Multichannel support built in from the entry-level hosted tier
Cons
Self-hosted deployments require your own server management and updates
AI features carry an additional per-call usage fee
Interface is functional but less polished than premium SaaS helpdesks
Channels like WhatsApp and Facebook are reserved for the top hosted tier
Use Cases
Choose Gorgias: Shopify and ecommerce stores that want an AI agent handling both support resolution and pre-purchase sales in one omnichannel inbox
Choose Helpy: budget-conscious teams that want a genuinely free, MIT-licensed, self-hostable helpdesk with community forums built in
Choose Zammad: technical teams that want an open-source ticketing system with strong automation, custom objects, and GDPR-friendly EU-hosted plans
Gorgias
Ecommerce Customer Support — Online retailers use Gorgias to manage high volumes of order-related support conversations across email, chat and social channels in one workspace.
AI-Automated Support Resolution — Growing brands use the AI Support Agent to automatically resolve routine post-purchase questions like order tracking and returns without human agent involvement.
Conversational Sales Assistance — Merchants use the AI Shopping Assistant to engage pre-purchase site visitors with personalized product recommendations and discounts.
Helpy
Self-hosting a fully open-source helpdesk — A technical team deploys the free Community Edition on its own infrastructure for full data control and no licensing fees.
Running an affordable AI-assisted cloud helpdesk — A small support team uses the cloud SaaS plan with Carin to automate tier-one questions without hiring additional agents.
White-labeling a helpdesk for agency clients — An agency uses Helpy's Enterprise plan to resell a fully white-labeled support platform under its own brand to multiple clients.
Zammad
GDPR-compliant helpdesk — Run a support desk with data residency requirements met via German-hosted infrastructure.
OTRS migration — Replace legacy ticketing systems like OTRS with a modern, actively developed open-source alternative.
Affordable multichannel support — Consolidate email, chat, and social support channels without high per-agent SaaS pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of Gorgias, Helpy, and Zammad is best for a Shopify store?
Gorgias, since it offers deep, real-time Shopify integration and an AI Shopping Assistant built specifically for ecommerce support and sales, which Helpy and Zammad do not provide.
Can I self-host Helpy or Zammad for free?
Yes. Both offer a free, open-source, self-hostable Community edition, while Gorgias has no self-hosted or free option and starts at $10/month for 50 tickets.
Does Gorgias offer a free plan?
No. Gorgias's lowest tier is the Starter plan at $10/month for 50 tickets, with pricing scaling up through Basic, Pro, Advanced, and custom Enterprise plans.
Which tool has built-in AI support features?
Gorgias includes an AI Support Agent and AI Shopping Assistant, Helpy includes a Carin AI agent, and Zammad offers optional AI features that carry an additional per-call usage fee.
Is Zammad or Helpy better for GDPR and EU data residency?
Zammad, since it explicitly offers German-hosted cloud plans for GDPR-friendly data residency; Helpy's cloud hosting terms are less transparent without contacting sales.
Do any of these three tools include community forums?
Only Helpy includes built-in community forums alongside its ticketing and knowledge base; this is not documented as a feature of Gorgias or Zammad.