Gorgias Alternatives: High Volume

Gorgias’s per-ticket pricing looks attractive at low volume. But as your store grows, costs grow faster than you’d expect.

This guide is for stores handling 5,000+ tickets monthly who are watching costs spiral.

The High-Volume Problem

Gorgias Pricing at Scale

Monthly Tickets	Gorgias Plan	Monthly Cost
300	Basic	$60
2,000	Pro	$360
5,000	Advanced	$900
10,000	Advanced + overage	~$1,800
20,000	Custom	$3,000+

The jump from Basic to Pro is 6x. From Pro to Advanced is 2.5x. Beyond Advanced, you’re in custom pricing territory.

Seasonal Spikes

Ecommerce is seasonal. Black Friday, holiday rush, end-of-season sales—ticket volume can triple during peaks.

With per-ticket pricing:

• Normal month: 3,000 tickets = ~$500
• Peak month: 9,000 tickets = ~$1,600

That 3x spike in volume becomes a 3x spike in cost—right when you’re also paying for extra seasonal staff.

Cost Per Ticket Reality

At high volume, Gorgias’s cost per ticket:

• 2,000 tickets: $0.18/ticket
• 5,000 tickets: $0.18/ticket
• 10,000 tickets: $0.18/ticket (with overages)

Compare to flat-tier alternatives:

• Dispatch Tickets at 10,000 tickets: $0.01/ticket

The gap widens as volume increases.

Best Alternatives for High Volume

1. Dispatch Tickets — Best Per-Ticket Economics

Why it works: Flat tiers instead of linear per-ticket. $99/month for 10,000 tickets = $0.01/ticket. Doesn’t spike with seasonal volume.

Pricing: Free (100 tickets), $29/month (1,000 tickets), $99/month (10,000 tickets)

High-volume fit:

• Flat tier pricing
• No overages within tier
• Predictable budgeting
• Seasonal-friendly

Trade-offs:

• No native Shopify integration
• Order actions require custom work
• Newer product

Example savings at 10,000 tickets/month:

• Gorgias: ~$1,800/month
• Dispatch Tickets: $99/month
• Savings: $1,701/month (95%)

Best for: High-volume stores prioritizing cost efficiency over Shopify depth.

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2. Freshdesk — Best Per-Agent at Scale

Why it works: Per-agent pricing means cost scales with team size, not ticket volume. A 5-agent team handling 20,000 tickets pays the same as handling 5,000.

Pricing: $15/agent/month (Growth), $49/agent/month (Pro)

High-volume fit:

• Cost tied to agents, not tickets
• Efficient teams save more
• Automation reduces headcount
• Predictable costs

Trade-offs:

• No native ecommerce features
• Shopify integration via apps
• Per-agent still adds up

Example at 10,000 tickets/month with 5 agents:

• Gorgias: ~$1,800/month
• Freshdesk Pro: $245/month
• Savings: $1,555/month (86%)

Best for: Stores with efficient teams and good ticket-to-agent ratios.

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3. Zendesk — Best Enterprise Scale

Why it works: Handles any volume. Built for enterprises doing millions of tickets. If you’re genuinely enterprise-scale, Zendesk is proven.

Pricing: $55/agent/month (Suite Team) to custom enterprise

High-volume fit:

• Proven at massive scale
• Enterprise features
• Complex routing/automation
• Global support infrastructure

Trade-offs:

• Expensive per-agent
• Complex configuration
• No native ecommerce features

Best for: Large retailers doing 50,000+ tickets/month with enterprise requirements.

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4. Re:amaze — Best Mid-Volume Balance

Why it works: Per-user pricing with good ecommerce integration. Balances cost and features better than Gorgias at moderate-high volume.

Pricing: $29/user/month (Basic), $49/user/month (Pro)

High-volume fit:

• Per-user not per-ticket
• Good ecommerce features
• Multi-channel included
• Reasonable automation

Trade-offs:

• Not as deep as Gorgias on Shopify
• Per-user costs add up
• Less suitable for massive scale

Best for: 5,000-15,000 tickets/month with small teams.

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Volume-Based Cost Comparison

For a 5-person team at different volumes:

Monthly Tickets	Gorgias	Freshdesk Pro	Dispatch	Re:amaze Pro
2,000	$360	$245	$99	$245
5,000	$900	$245	$99	$245
10,000	~$1,800	$245	$99	$245
20,000	~$3,500	$245	$99*	$245

*Dispatch pricing above 10,000 tickets is custom but typically much lower than Gorgias.

The pattern is clear: per-ticket pricing (Gorgias) scales linearly with volume. Per-agent pricing (Freshdesk, Re:amaze) stays flat. Flat-tier per-ticket (Dispatch) offers the best economics.

What You Lose Switching from Gorgias

At high volume, cost savings are significant. But understand what you’re trading:

Gorgias-specific features:

• One-click refunds in tickets
• Order editing in helpdesk
• Revenue tracking per customer
• Macros with order data

Questions to ask:

• How often does your team use in-ticket order actions?
• Could they use Shopify admin in a separate tab?
• What’s the time cost of that workflow change?
• Does the cost savings justify the workflow change?

For some stores, $1,000+/month in savings justifies opening Shopify admin separately. For others, the workflow efficiency is worth paying for.

Reducing Volume Instead of Switching

Before switching tools, consider reducing ticket volume:

Self-service:

• Better FAQ/knowledge base
• Order tracking page
• Return portal

Automation:

• Auto-responses for common questions
• Chat bots for WISMO queries
• Proactive shipping notifications

Reducing 10,000 tickets to 5,000 might keep Gorgias affordable while improving customer experience.

The Bottom Line

Gorgias’s per-ticket model becomes expensive at scale. The question is whether the Shopify integration value exceeds the cost difference.

Calculate for your situation:

1. Your monthly ticket volume (including peaks)
2. Your team size
3. How much you use Gorgias-specific features
4. The actual dollar savings from alternatives

If savings exceed $500/month and you don’t heavily use order actions, switching makes sense. If you save $200/month but use refund buttons daily, maybe not.

Related

• Gorgias Alternatives (Full Guide)
• Gorgias Alternatives for Shopify
• Gorgias Alternatives for Multi-Store