Richpanel vs Zendesk
We give Richpanel a 2.2 GPA and Zendesk a 2.4, out of 4.0. Richpanel grades higher on platforms. Zendesk grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Richpanel
AI agents, help desk and a self-service portal for online stores
Zendesk
Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams
How we grade them
| 2.2GPARichpanelFair | 2.4GPAZendeskFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DOn record, from its July 2026 pricing guide: $99 a seat a month on a yearly deal, plus about $0.20 per AI conversation with a $200 monthly minimum, so one person pays about $300. That's in the dearest tenth. The AI rate is low next to rivals' $0.85 to $1. | DSupport Team is $19 an agent billed yearly, a little under this category's middle, but it's email tickets only. Chat, phone and a help center start on Suite Team at $55 an agent, above the dearest tenth of help desks, and extra AI resolutions are $1.50 to $2 each. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's a free trial, but the listing doesn't say how long it lasts or whether it needs a card. There's no free plan. | CA 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with Copilot, which shows you the top of the range. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. Funded startups can get 6 months free. |
| Features | CAI agents you can run on Claude, GPT or Gemini, one inbox for email, chat, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with order data, a self-service portal and an agent for social comments. The gap it names: no phone system, so calls go through Aircall, Dialpad or JustCall. | BTicketing across email, chat, social and phone, AI agents on every plan, help centers in 40+ languages with forums, voice numbers in 75+ countries, an IVR and reports you ask for in plain words. The whole job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Training the AI agents, connecting your store and channels and setting up the portal all come first, though Richpanel offers to move tickets and macros over from Gorgias or Zendesk. | B4.5 from 4,219 App Store ratings for the agent app. Prebuilt dashboards and pre-written replies come on every plan, but routing, triggers and automations take setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Klaviyo, Recharge, Loop Returns, Aircall and Salesforce, and an API. Every device type is covered. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Slack, WeChat and LINE as channels, and an API. No desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | busy online stores leaning on AI agents | support teams handling email, chat and phone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Richpanel and Zendesk. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Richpanel lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Zendesk also covers reports.
At a glance
| Richpanel | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial offered on the site; its length is not stated | 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with the Copilot add-on |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Richpanel, Inc. | Zendesk, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | zendesk.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Richpanel
- Ecommerce brands handling about 1,000 or more conversations a month
- Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want shoppers to serve themselves
- Teams moving off Gorgias or Zendesk mid-contract
Zendesk
- Support teams handling email, chat and phone in one queue
- Companies that want a public help center tied to their tickets
- Teams planning to hand routine questions to AI agents
Worth knowing
Richpanel
- Richpanel's pages disagree on price: the pricing page shows older per-agent tiers, while its July 2026 pricing guide says tiers were dropped.
- That guide gives $99 per seat a month on an annual commitment ($119 billed monthly) plus about $0.20 per AI conversation, with a $200 monthly AI minimum.
- The guide says the help desk is not sold on its own, and that small teams under a few hundred conversations a month will mostly pay the AI minimum.
- There is no built-in phone system; calls run through Aircall, Dialpad or JustCall. Returns and Exchanges is an add-on from $99 a month.
Zendesk
- Support Team covers email ticketing only; live chat, voice and a help center start at Suite Team, $55 per agent / month billed annually.
- AI resolutions beyond the included allowance cost $1.50 each on a committed volume or $2.00 each pay-as-you-go.
- Copilot, which adds Auto Assist and suggested first replies, is an add-on at $50 per agent / month billed annually.
- Phone numbers and call minutes are billed as add-ons, and Suite Enterprise is sold only through the sales team.
Key features
Richpanel
- AI agents billed by conversation
- AI agents resolve conversations end to end on a credit meter, and you choose the model behind them, including Claude, GPT and Gemini.
- Help desk for the human team
- One inbox for email, live chat, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with order data beside each ticket, assignment rules, macros and reports.
- Self-service portal
- Shoppers track orders, update their details and start returns themselves, which Richpanel says carries no add-on fee beyond AI usage.
- Social Media Agent
- Answers comments and direct messages in the same inbox and hides spam and abusive comments on paid and organic posts.
- Returns and exchanges
- A returns portal with exchange-first flows and label generation, sold as a paid add-on to ecommerce brands only.
- Migration and contract buyout
- Conversations, macros and tags are moved over from Gorgias or Zendesk, and Richpanel offers to buy out the rest of an existing help desk contract.
Zendesk
- Ticketing across channels
- Email, messaging, phone and social conversations land in one ticket queue, with routing, pre-written responses, triggers and automations.
- AI agents billed per resolution
- AI agents answer email on every plan and chat wherever messaging is on. Each agent seat includes 5 automated resolutions a month (10 on Suite Professional).
- Messaging and live chat
- Suite plans add chat for websites and apps plus WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Slack, WeChat and LINE as channels.
- Help center
- Suite Team includes one help center in one language. Suite Professional allows up to 5 help centers in 40+ languages, plus community forums.
- Voice
- Phone support in the browser with toll-free or local numbers from 75+ countries. Suite Professional adds an IVR phone tree.
- Reporting
- Prebuilt analytics dashboards on every plan. Suite Professional adds Quick Reports, which builds reports from questions typed in plain language.
Plans
Richpanel
Pricing could not be confirmed. See richpanel.com.
Zendesk
Support Team$19
per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
Email ticketing with routing, prebuilt dashboards, pre-written replies and automations. No help center, live chat or phone.
Suite Team$55
per agent / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Adds messaging and live chat, telephony, omnichannel routing, a knowledge base and Action Builder, with one help center in one language.
Suite Professional$115
per agent / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Adds skills-based routing, an IVR phone tree, AI writing tools, Quick Reports and App Builder, and up to 5 help centers in 40+ languages.
Suite Enterprise + CopilotCustom
Adds intelligent triage, Auto Assist, generative AI for voice, approval workflows, a sandbox and custom agent roles. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Richpanel
No public discounts listed.
Zendesk
- Annual discount
About 20% off with annual billing
Zendesk's pricing page marks annual billing as 20% off: Suite Team is $55 per agent a month billed yearly against $69 billed monthly.
- Startups
Startups: 6 months free, up to 2 years via partners
Funded startups up to Series B and under 10 years old get Suite Professional and Copilot free for 6 months, or 1 to 2 years through VC partners, for up to 50 agents.
