Best Shopify Customer Support Apps in 2026 [153,867-Store Study]

TL;DR:

• 94.4% of Shopify stores have no detectable customer support app. That's 145,272 stores in our database with no helpdesk, no live chat, nothing.
• Gorgias dominates with 4,113 stores and 48% market share among support app users. Tidio is second at 31%, Zendesk third at 12%.
• Stores with support apps have 180% more apps installed (4.2 vs 1.5), 41% higher lead scores, and 67% more tracking pixels than stores without.
• Shopify Plus stores are 8.8x more likely to run a support app (7.9% vs 0.9% on Standard Shopify).
• Health & Wellness leads support adoption at 9.7%. Hobby stores trail at 2.8%.
• The most common pairing is Gorgias + Klaviyo, with 85.9% of all Gorgias users also running Klaviyo.
• High-traffic stores (1M+ visitors/mo) adopt support apps at 5x the rate of stores under 50K visitors.

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Every "best customer support apps" article gives you the same list. Gorgias, Zendesk, Tidio, maybe Freshdesk. They compare features, show pricing tables, and pick a winner based on opinions. Most are written by the app vendors themselves.

None of them show you what stores actually use.

We scanned 153,867 Shopify stores and recorded which customer support apps they run. The result is the largest public dataset on Shopify support app adoption. It shows not just which apps are popular, but which ones correlate with sophisticated, high-performing stores.

The finding that stood out most? 94.4% of Shopify stores have no detectable support app at all. No helpdesk, no live chat widget, no AI chatbot. If you're an agency that sets up Gorgias or sells customer service consulting, that's 145,272 stores that might need your help.

How We Collected This Data

We detect installed apps by scanning each store's public-facing code: JavaScript globals, script URLs, DOM elements, and tracking pixels. Our scanner identifies 72+ apps across categories including email marketing, reviews, upsell, support, analytics, and more.

What we can detect: Any support app that loads client-side scripts, chat widgets, or injects DOM elements on the storefront. This covers Gorgias, Tidio, Zendesk, Re:amaze, Intercom, and Gladly.

What we cannot detect: Shopify Inbox (runs natively with no separate script), apps that only operate in the admin panel, and helpdesks that handle email-only support without a storefront widget. Our numbers are conservative. Actual support app adoption is likely higher than 5.6%, but 94.4% without any visible support tool is still a staggering gap.

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94% of Shopify Stores Run Zero Support Apps

This is the headline number. Out of 153,867 stores in our database, 145,272 (94.4%) have no detectable customer support app.

For context, 62% of stores have no email marketing app and 67% have no reviews app. Support is even more under-adopted than those categories.

This makes customer support the single largest "missing tool" category on Shopify. Whether you're evaluating apps for your own store or prospecting for agency clients, this gap represents a massive opportunity.

Support App Market Share Breakdown

Among the 8,594 stores that do run a support app, the market is concentrated at the top. Gorgias holds nearly half of all installs.

Gorgias and Tidio together account for 79.3% of all support app installs on Shopify. This is a two-player race at the top, with Zendesk holding a distant but stable third position.

The split tells an interesting story about the market. Gorgias is built specifically for ecommerce and offers deep Shopify integration (view orders, process refunds, manage subscriptions from inside tickets). Tidio appeals to budget-conscious stores with its free tier and AI chatbot (Lyro). Zendesk is the enterprise default that teams already know from non-ecommerce contexts.

How Adoption Changes With Store Size

Support app adoption scales with traffic. The bigger the store, the more likely it runs a dedicated helpdesk.

Stores with over 1 million monthly visitors adopt support apps at 5.4x the rate of stores under 50K. This makes sense: higher traffic means more support tickets, and the cost of a helpdesk app is easier to justify when you're handling hundreds of conversations per week.

The dip from 8.6% (50K-200K) to 6.5% (200K-1M) is worth noting. The 200K-1M tier is our largest bucket (68,281 stores) and the most heterogeneous. Many stores in this range are growing but haven't yet invested in dedicated support tooling. This "growth gap" represents the segment most likely to convert: stores generating real revenue but still managing support through email or Shopify Inbox.

At the top end, nearly 1 in 5 stores with over 1M monthly visitors runs a detectable support app. If you're checking a store's traffic before pitching support services, stores in the 50K-200K tier are the sweet spot: high enough volume to need help, low enough adoption to be receptive.

Shopify Plus Stores Invest 8.8x More in Support

The gap between Shopify Plus and Standard Shopify stores is dramatic.

Plus stores are 8.8x more likely to run a customer support app than Standard Shopify stores.

This tracks with what we've seen in other categories. Plus merchants tend to run more sophisticated tech stacks with higher app counts, more tracking pixels, and greater investment in tools like email marketing and reviews.

Among Plus stores specifically, the app breakdown mirrors the overall market: Gorgias leads (2,920 stores, 2.8%), followed by Tidio (2,023, 2.0%) and Zendesk (403, 0.4%). On Standard Shopify, Tidio actually leads (303 stores, 0.6%) over Gorgias (34 stores, 0.1%). Budget-friendliness matters more when you're not on the enterprise plan.

Which Niches Invest Most in Customer Support?

Support app adoption varies significantly by store category. Health & Wellness stores lead, while Hobby stores trail.

Health & Wellness and Electronics stores likely need more pre-purchase support: supplement interactions, dosage questions, product compatibility, technical specifications. These are categories where customers ask questions before buying, and a live chat widget converts browsers into buyers.

Two niches where Tidio outperforms Gorgias: Electronics (3.0% vs 2.7%) and Automotive (2.2% vs 1.8%). Both are categories with a higher proportion of smaller, technical stores where Tidio's free tier and AI chatbot fill the need without Gorgias-level pricing.

Gorgias dominates in 12 out of 15 categories. Its Shopify-native features (order lookup, refund processing, subscription management) give it an edge wherever post-purchase support volume is high.

The Gorgias-Klaviyo Stack and Other Winning Combinations

Support apps don't exist in isolation. They're part of a broader tech stack that includes email, reviews, loyalty, and analytics. The co-occurrence data reveals clear ecosystem patterns.

Gorgias Users Run the Most Sophisticated Stacks

The difference is stark. 91.6% of Gorgias users also run an email marketing app, compared to just 56.2% of Tidio users. Gorgias stores are also 7.3x more likely to use a upsell app like Rebuy and 11.4x more likely to use analytics tools like Elevar or Triple Whale.

This doesn't mean Gorgias causes stores to install more apps. It means the type of store that chooses Gorgias is already operating at a higher level of sophistication. Gorgias is the support tool for stores that take their entire stack seriously.

The Most Common Support + Email Pairings

Klaviyo is the email platform of choice for support app users across the board. 85.9% of Gorgias stores also run Klaviyo, the highest pairing rate we've found between any two app categories. Even among Tidio's more budget-conscious user base, Klaviyo leads at 37.2%.

This pairing makes operational sense. Klaviyo handles proactive communication (campaigns, flows, abandoned cart recovery). Gorgias handles reactive communication (tickets, live chat, returns). Together, they cover the full customer communication lifecycle. Our email marketing apps study found Klaviyo at 24% overall adoption, but among Gorgias users it's 85.9%. The overlap is almost universal.

The 6 Most Popular Shopify Customer Support Apps

Based on our detection data and external research, here's what each app offers and who it's best for.

1. Gorgias: The Shopify-Native Leader (4,113 Stores)

Gorgias is built specifically for ecommerce. Its deepest strength is Shopify integration: agents can view orders, issue refunds, cancel subscriptions, and edit customer data without leaving the helpdesk. It supports email, live chat, SMS, social media (Instagram, Facebook), and voice.

Pricing: Starts at $60/month (300 tickets). Overage fees apply beyond your plan's ticket limit. AI automation (Gorgias Automate) costs additional per automated interaction.

Who it's for: Mid-market to enterprise Shopify stores with 200+ tickets/month. The 4,113 stores running Gorgias have an average of 4.2 apps installed and a 90.9 lead score, making this the tool of choice for stores with mature, well-built tech stacks.

The pricing question: Gorgias recently moved to "value-based pricing" that charges per ticket rather than per agent. This has drawn criticism from merchants, particularly around overage fees during seasonal spikes and the cost of AI-automated tickets. If you're on a tight budget, model your expected ticket volume carefully before committing.

Best for: Shopify Plus stores, DTC brands with high support volume, stores needing order management inside their helpdesk.

2. Tidio: Budget-Friendly AI Chat (2,696 Stores)

Tidio offers live chat, AI chatbot (Lyro), and basic helpdesk features at a lower price point than Gorgias. Its free plan includes 50 live chat conversations per month, making it accessible to smaller stores.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $29/month. Lyro AI chatbot add-on starts at $39/month (50 conversations).

Who it's for: Small to mid-sized stores that want a chat widget and AI chatbot without enterprise pricing. Tidio leads over Gorgias on Standard Shopify stores (303 vs 34 detections) and in budget-conscious categories like Electronics and Automotive.

Watch out for: Lyro AI pricing can add up. 300 AI conversations per month costs $226/month, which approaches Gorgias territory. Tidio's Shopify integration is also less deep: you can view orders but can't process refunds or manage subscriptions directly from tickets.

Best for: Stores under $1M/year, stores that want AI chatbot without a heavy monthly commitment, non-Plus Shopify stores.

3. Zendesk: The Enterprise Standard (1,064 Stores)

Zendesk is the legacy enterprise helpdesk that many teams already use across their organization. Its Shopify integration has improved but still requires more setup than Gorgias. Zendesk's strength is its ecosystem: knowledge base, community forums, analytics, and 1,500+ integrations.

Pricing: Starts at $55/agent/month (Suite Team). Per-agent pricing means costs scale with team size, not ticket volume.

Who it's for: Stores where the support team already uses Zendesk for other channels, multi-brand operations, and businesses that need enterprise-grade reporting. In our data, 13.3% of Zendesk stores also run Mailchimp, suggesting a slightly different (often more enterprise-legacy) tech stack than Gorgias users.

Best for: Enterprise teams already on Zendesk, multi-brand retailers, stores selling on Shopify + Amazon + other channels.

4. Re:amaze: Multi-Channel All-in-One (526 Stores)

Re:amaze combines helpdesk, live chat, chatbots, FAQ/knowledge base, and status page in a single app. It's the most feature-complete option for stores that don't want to stitch together multiple tools.

Pricing: Starts at $29/agent/month (Basic). All plans include unlimited email, social, SMS, and live chat.

Who it's for: Stores that want everything in one place without paying for separate knowledge base, chat, and helpdesk tools. Re:amaze has a strong following among stores selling across multiple marketplaces (Shopify + Amazon + eBay).

Best for: Multi-marketplace sellers, stores that want a built-in FAQ/knowledge base, budget-conscious teams that need full-featured support.

5. Intercom: Product-Led Support (221 Stores)

Intercom is a customer communication platform that goes beyond traditional helpdesks. It combines support, marketing, and product messaging. Among our detected stores, 78.3% of Intercom users also run email marketing, suggesting overlap with sophisticated, product-led ecommerce operations.

Pricing: Starts at $39/seat/month. AI features (Fin) priced per resolution ($0.99/resolution).

Who it's for: Stores with a strong product/tech orientation, SaaS-adjacent ecommerce brands, and businesses that want to combine support with proactive product messaging.

Best for: Tech-forward DTC brands, stores with subscription models, businesses using Intercom for other products.

6. Gladly: People-First Enterprise Platform (73 Stores)

Gladly takes a different approach by organizing conversations around people rather than tickets. Every interaction (email, chat, SMS, voice, social) appears in a single, lifelong customer timeline. It's the most enterprise-focused tool in our dataset.

Pricing: Custom pricing (typically $150+/agent/month). Requires a demo and sales conversation.

Who it's for: The 73 stores running Gladly represent the highest tier of Shopify operations. Major brands like Allbirds, Crate & Barrel, and Warby Parker use Gladly for its people-centric approach.

Best for: Large enterprise brands, stores with dedicated support teams of 10+, brands that prioritize customer lifetime relationships over ticket resolution speed.

Other Support Apps Worth Considering

Our scanner detects apps that load client-side scripts. Several popular support tools operate primarily in the admin panel or via email, making them invisible to frontend detection. These are worth considering even though they don't appear in our data:

• Shopify Inbox (free, built-in): Handles basic live chat and automated responses. Good enough for stores under 100 tickets/month. No separate install needed.
• Help Scout (from $25/user/month): Clean, simple shared inbox with knowledge base. Popular among brands that prefer a lightweight approach over full helpdesk complexity.
• Richpanel (from $29/month): Self-service portal where customers can track orders, initiate returns, and manage subscriptions without creating a ticket. Claims to resolve 50% of tickets automatically.
• Freshdesk (free tier available): Broad-market helpdesk from Freshworks with solid automation. Better for multi-product businesses than Shopify-specific use cases.

How to Pick the Right Support App by Store Size

Based on our data and pricing research, here's a practical framework:

The transition point that matters most is around 100-200 tickets per month. Below that, Shopify Inbox and a shared Gmail inbox cover the basics. Above that, missed conversations and slow response times start costing you customers and reviews. Our data shows that stores in the 50K-200K traffic tier have the highest adoption growth rate (8.6%), which aligns with this transition.

Prospecting Opportunity: 145,000 Stores Without Support

If you're an agency or freelancer that configures helpdesk systems, this data points to a large addressable market. Here's how to find stores that need support help:

The ideal prospect profile:

• 50K-200K monthly visitors (enough traffic to need support, low adoption at 8.6%)
• Running Klaviyo or Omnisend (already investing in customer communication, but missing the reactive side)
• Has a reviews app like Judge.me or Yotpo (cares about customer experience)
• No support app detected (the gap you're filling)
• On Shopify Plus (budget for tools, but Standard stores with Tidio-level budgets work too)

You can filter stores by these criteria, combine them with verified contact data, and build a qualified outreach list. A personalized pitch like "I noticed you're running Klaviyo for email but have no chat widget for customers with pre-purchase questions" converts far better than generic cold emails.

Our tech stack study found that only 4.4% of stores run the full CRO stack (email + reviews + support). The gap between stores that use email marketing (38%) and stores that also add support (5.6%) represents the biggest upgrade opportunity in the Shopify ecosystem.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best customer support app for Shopify?

Based on our 153,867-store study, Gorgias is the most popular choice with 4,113 stores and 48% market share among support app users. It offers the deepest Shopify integration, allowing agents to view orders, process refunds, and manage subscriptions directly from tickets. For budget-conscious stores, Tidio offers a free tier with AI chatbot capabilities.

What percentage of Shopify stores use a customer support app?

Only 5.6% (8,594 out of 153,867 stores). This makes customer support the most under-adopted app category on Shopify, trailing behind email marketing (38% adoption) and reviews (33% adoption).

Is Gorgias worth the price?

For stores handling 200+ tickets per month, yes. Our data shows Gorgias users run the most sophisticated tech stacks: 91.6% also use email marketing, 51.9% have review apps, and their average lead score is 90.9 (vs 64.6 for stores without support apps). The ROI comes from faster response times, automated ticket handling, and the ability to process orders without switching tabs. For stores with fewer than 200 monthly tickets, Tidio or Re:amaze offer similar core features at lower price points.

What is the cheapest helpdesk for Shopify?

Shopify Inbox is free and built in. Among third-party apps, Tidio offers a free plan with 50 live chat conversations per month. Re:amaze starts at $29/agent/month and includes unlimited conversations across all channels. Freshdesk also has a free tier for up to 2 agents.

Does Shopify have built-in customer support tools?

Yes. Shopify Inbox is a free, native live chat and messaging tool available to all Shopify stores. It supports automated responses, order status lookups, and basic chatbot flows. For most stores handling fewer than 100 conversations per month, Shopify Inbox is sufficient. Our scanner can't detect Shopify Inbox (it runs natively without a separate script), so actual live-chat coverage across Shopify is higher than our 5.6% figure suggests.

When should I upgrade from Shopify Inbox to a paid helpdesk?

Consider upgrading when you consistently handle more than 100 support conversations per month, when you need multi-channel support (email, social DMs, SMS alongside chat), when you want to automate repetitive tickets (order status, returns), or when you need reporting on response times and customer satisfaction scores. Our traffic tier data suggests this transition typically happens around 50K-200K monthly visitors.

Is Gorgias better than Zendesk for Shopify?

For Shopify-specific needs, yes. Gorgias was built for ecommerce and offers deeper Shopify integration out of the box (order management, refund processing, subscription handling). Zendesk is a better choice if your team already uses it across your organization, you sell on multiple platforms beyond Shopify, or you need enterprise-grade reporting. In our data, Gorgias has 4x the Shopify installs that Zendesk does (4,113 vs 1,064).

What is the best free customer support app for Shopify?

Shopify Inbox is the best free option for basic live chat. Among third-party apps, Tidio offers the strongest free plan with 50 live chat conversations, basic chatbot flows, and a ticketing system. Tidio's free plan is enough for most stores under 50 tickets per month.

Which Shopify helpdesk has the best AI automation?

Gorgias Automate can handle order status, shipping tracking, returns, and cancellations automatically. Tidio's Lyro AI chatbot resolves FAQs and product questions using your knowledge base content. Intercom's Fin AI agent resolves tickets at $0.99 per resolution. Each prices AI differently: Gorgias charges per automated interaction, Tidio charges per conversation tier, and Intercom charges per resolution. Test which pricing model aligns with your ticket patterns before committing.

How many support tickets per 100 orders is normal for Shopify?

Industry benchmarks suggest 5-15 tickets per 100 orders is healthy for most ecommerce stores. Stores with complex products (electronics, supplements, custom items) skew higher. Stores with straightforward products (apparel, accessories) skew lower. High return rates and unclear shipping timelines are the biggest ticket drivers.

Which support apps do Shopify Plus stores prefer?

Gorgias leads on Shopify Plus with 2,920 stores (2.8% of Plus merchants), followed by Tidio at 2,023 stores (2.0%) and Zendesk at 403 stores (0.4%). Plus stores are 8.8x more likely to run a support app than Standard Shopify stores (7.9% vs 0.9% adoption).

Should I use live chat or email support for my Shopify store?

Both. Our data shows the most common setup is a helpdesk that handles email tickets alongside a live chat widget on the storefront. Live chat converts pre-purchase questions into sales (especially in categories like Health & Wellness and Electronics where our data shows highest support adoption). Email handles post-purchase issues like returns and order problems. Most modern support apps, including Gorgias, Tidio, and Re:amaze, combine both in a single platform.

What other apps pair well with customer support tools?

The most common pairing is support + email marketing. 85.9% of Gorgias users also run Klaviyo. Beyond email, support app users are significantly more likely to run review apps (51.9% of Gorgias users), loyalty apps (23.3%), upsell tools like Rebuy (16.8%), and analytics platforms like Elevar (15.9%).

Can a chatbot fully replace human support agents?

Not yet. AI chatbots handle repetitive queries well: order status, shipping estimates, return policies, FAQs. Vendors claim 30-70% automated resolution rates, but real-world performance varies significantly based on query complexity and how well the chatbot is configured. For pre-purchase questions about product fit, sizing, or compatibility, human agents still convert better. The best approach is AI handling tier-1 queries and routing complex issues to humans.

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Summary of Key Findings