Gorgias vs Tawk.to - Which one is the best option for e-commerce?

Gorgias - a quick overview

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Founded in Paris in 2015 by Alex Plugaru and Romain Lapeyre, Gorgias is a leading AI-powered helpdesk platform designed specifically for ecommerce brands. Now headquartered in San Francisco, Gorgias empowers over 12,000 merchants—including major names like Steve Madden and Glossier—to deliver fast, personalized customer support across email, live chat, social media, SMS, and phone.

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Gorgias stands out with deep integrations for Shopify and other ecommerce tools, a shared inbox for all channels, advanced automation using AI to handle repetitive queries 24/7, customizable macros and templates for quick responses, robust analytics to track support impact on sales, and extensive third-party app connections. Its intuitive interface streamlines order management directly within the helpdesk workspace. Recognized as a certified B Corporation for its commitment to sustainability and workplace equity practices.

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In the following section we’ll compare Gorgias’ features, pros/cons, pricing structures, and user reviews alongside Tawk.to and Ringly.io to help you find the best fit for your business needs.

Gorgias's features

• Shopify & E-commerce Integrations
  Gorgias offers deep, native integrations with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, letting support agents manage orders, refunds, and customer data directly from the helpdesk. This is ideal for online stores wanting to centralize their workflow. However, it lacks the real-time phone automation and AI-driven order status updates that Ringly.io provides.
• Multi-channel Ticket Management
  All customer conversations—email, chat, social media—are unified into a single dashboard using a ticket-based system. This streamlines agent workflows but can become overwhelming as ticket volume grows. Unlike Ringly.io’s automated voice support or Tawk.to’s free live chat focus, Gorgias relies heavily on manual agent intervention.
• Automated Responses & Macros
  Gorgias allows users to set up canned responses (macros) for common questions and automate basic tasks like tagging or assigning tickets. While this saves time on repetitive queries compared to Tawk.to’s manual approach, it doesn’t match Ringly.io’s ability to use your actual knowledge base content in real-time phone conversations.
• Basic Reporting & Analytics
  The platform includes standard analytics such as response times and ticket resolution rates but lacks advanced reporting customization or deep call analysis found in more modern solutions like Ringly.io. For businesses needing actionable insights from every conversation—including caller mood or outcome—Ringly.io delivers much richer analytics.
• Limited Knowledge Base Functionality
  While Gorgias supports FAQ articles for self-service support, its knowledge base is not deeply integrated with AI agents nor does it update automatically with website changes. In contrast, both Tawk.to (with its simple help center) and especially Ringly.io offer more dynamic knowledge integration that keeps answers current without extra effort.
• No Native Voice Support
  Gorgias does not provide built-in phone call handling or AI-powered voice agents; all interactions are text-based unless you integrate third-party tools at extra cost. Businesses looking for 24/7 automated phone support—or features like abandoned cart recovery via calls—will find this a major gap compared to what Ringly.io offers out of the box.
• Pricing Based on Ticket Volume
  Costs scale with the number of tickets handled each month—a model that can quickly become expensive as your business grows. This unpredictability is less appealing than Tawk.to’s free plan or Ringly.io’s transparent pricing tied directly to value-driving automations rather than raw volume.

In summary: Gorgias excels at centralizing e-commerce text-based support but falls short in automation depth, especially around voice channels and dynamic knowledge management where newer platforms like Ringly.io lead by a wide margin.

Gorgias Pros and Cons

• Centralized inbox for all channels – Users love having email, chat, social media (including Facebook Messenger), and even Shopify order details in one place. This saves time and reduces the risk of missing messages.
• Easy to use & intuitive interface – Many reviewers highlight how simple it is to onboard new agents thanks to a clean UI that’s easy to navigate.
• Seamless integrations with e-commerce tools – Especially praised by Shopify users; integrations are quick to set up with most major e-commerce platforms.
• Strong automation features – Tagging, macros, auto-responses, and workflow automations help teams prioritize tasks efficiently without manual effort.
• Helpful customer support & regular updates – Most users report positive experiences with support staff as well as frequent product improvements through webinars or town halls.

• Expensive pricing structure – Multiple users mention that costs add up quickly—especially for startups or small businesses—and some dislike being billed by ticket volume rather than seats.
• Billing issues & strict refund policy – Some customers have experienced unexpected charges during trial periods or difficulties getting refunds due to a no-refund policy. This can lead to frustration if plans change suddenly or billing isn’t transparent enough.
• Notification problems & missed tickets – There are reports about unreliable notifications for new tickets or messages which can cause delays in response times or lost communications.
• Bugs/glitches after updates – Frequent product updates sometimes introduce bugs that disrupt workflows until they’re resolved; onboarding may also take longer than expected due to these changes.
• Limited analytics/reporting capabilities – While basic reporting exists, some users wish for more advanced analytics tools out-of-the-box compared to other solutions in the market.

While many teams find value in Gorgias’s unified approach and ease of use—especially those deeply integrated into Shopify—some drawbacks around cost transparency, notification reliability, update stability, and analytics depth do come up repeatedly. If you’re considering alternatives like Ringly.io: note that Ringly.io emphasizes a simpler setup process with transparent pricing policies designed specifically so you don’t run into surprise bills or refund headaches—and its notification system is built from the ground up for reliability without workflow interruptions.

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Tawk.to - a quick overview

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Tawk.to was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Nevada, United States. It is led by Robert D'Assisi, its founder and CEO. Tawk.to offers a free live chat application that enables businesses to communicate with website visitors in real-time, enhancing customer support, sales, and marketing efforts. It is used by over 245,000 companies across various industries, with a strong presence in the United States.

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Tawk.to's core function is to provide real-time engagement tools, making it a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses. Its key features include customizable live chat widgets, ticketing systems, and basic analytics. Tawk.to is known for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

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In the following section, we will explore Tawk.to's features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Gorgias and other similar platforms. This comparison will help you understand where Tawk.to stands in the market and which solution might be best for your business needs.

Tawk.to's features

• Live Chat Widget
  Tawk.to provides a free, embeddable live chat widget for websites, enabling real-time conversations with site visitors. This is ideal for businesses looking to offer instant support or answer pre-sale questions without any upfront cost. Compared to Gorgias, which offers more advanced multi-channel support and deep ecommerce integrations, Tawk.to’s chat is simple and best suited for startups or small businesses needing basic customer engagement. Unlike Ringly.io’s AI-powered phone automation and knowledge base integration, Tawk.to focuses solely on text-based web interactions.
• Triggered Events & Automated Greetings
  You can set up triggers in Tawk.to so the chat widget pops up based on user actions—like visiting a specific page or spending time on your site. This helps initiate conversations at key moments in the customer journey (e.g., product pages), similar to Gorgias’ event-based triggers but limited to live chat only. While this boosts engagement compared to static widgets, it lacks the omnichannel automation and voice capabilities found in Ringly.io.
• Shared Team Inbox
  Tawk.to allows multiple team members to manage chats from a unified dashboard, ensuring no message goes unanswered even during busy periods. While both Gorgias and Tawk.to offer shared inboxes for collaboration across teams, Gorgias extends this feature across email and social channels as well—something not available in Tawk.to’s core offering. For teams wanting seamless handoff between channels (including phone), solutions like Ringly.io provide broader coverage.
• Basic Integrations
  Tawk.to integrates easily with popular website platforms such as WordPress and Shopify through plugins or code snippets—making setup quick even for non-technical users. However, its integration options are limited compared to Gorgias’ extensive ecosystem of ecommerce apps (order management, CRM) or Ringly.io’s ability to connect with thousands of business tools via Zapier/Make.com automations.
• Canned Responses & Shortcuts
  Agents can use pre-written replies (“canned responses”) within chats to answer common questions quickly—a major time-saver when dealing with repetitive inquiries. This matches similar functionality in both competitors; however, unlike Gorgias’ intent identification that automates more complex workflows—or Ringly.io’s AI-driven knowledge base that answers directly from your content—Tawk.to relies entirely on manual agent input.
• Affordable Pricing Model
  The core product is free forever; optional paid add-ons include removing branding ($19/month) or hiring outsourced agents ($1/hour). This makes it attractive for budget-conscious businesses but means you may outgrow its capabilities as needs become more sophisticated—a gap filled by platforms like Gorgias (for advanced ticketing/ecommerce) or Ringly.io (for automated voice support).

While Tawk.to excels at providing accessible live chat at zero cost with easy onboarding and basic automation triggers, it falls short when deeper ecommerce integrations or multichannel/voice automation are required—the very areas where modern solutions like Ringly.io deliver significant value by reducing manual workload while improving customer experience through intelligent automation.

Next, let's look at Tawk.to's pros and cons. We studied dozens of reviews from real Tawk.to users from platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Then we identified commonalities and summarized the main pros and cons of Tawk.to based on real user feedback for you here:

Pros

• Free Forever Plan – Users consistently praise Tawk.to for offering a robust set of live chat features at no cost, making it especially attractive to startups and small businesses with limited budgets.
• Easy Setup & Integration – Many reviewers highlight how simple it is to install the widget on their website or WordPress site, often requiring minimal technical knowledge.
• User-Friendly Interface (for most) – The platform is generally described as intuitive for day-to-day use by agents, with quick access to chat history and customer information.
• Mobile Apps Available – The availability of iOS and Android apps allows users to respond to chats while away from their desks, which many find convenient.
• Real-Time Visitor Monitoring & Reporting Tools – Users appreciate being able to see visitor locations in real time, track activity on their sites, view what customers are typing before they send messages (“live typing preview”), and access detailed analytics reports.
• Add-On Features Like Notes & Whisper Mode – Features such as internal agent notes about customers or “whisper” messages between agents during a live chat are valued for improving team collaboration without disrupting the customer experience.
• No Limits on Agent Seats (in free plan) – Unlike some competitors that restrict free plans by number of agents or conversations per month, Tawk.to lets you add multiple support staff without extra charges.

Cons

• User Interface Can Be Cluttered or Confusing for Newbies – Several users mention that while basic tasks are easy enough, the dashboard can feel overwhelming or unintuitive—especially for those less tech-savvy. This can slow onboarding or daily operations until staff get used to it.
• Lack of Customization Options (Especially Branding) – A frequent complaint is limited ability to customize the look/feel of the chat widget; removing “Powered by tawk.to” branding requires payment. Some feel this makes sites look less professional unless they upgrade.
• Bugs & Notification Issues (Especially Mobile App) – Multiple reviews cite delayed notifications about new chats—sometimes several minutes late—or missed alerts entirely via mobile app. Occasional bugs like session timeouts also disrupt workflow at times.
• Poor Customer Support Experience Reported by Some Users – While many never need help due to ease-of-use, those who do report slow response times or difficulty getting issues resolved promptly through official support channels.
• Limited Advanced Features / Integrations – As businesses grow, more complex needs arise: integrations with CRMs, advanced automation, omnichannel messaging, etc. Reviewers note these areas lag behind premium competitors.
• Reliability Concerns During High Traffic Periods – There are scattered reports about occasional crashes, empty visitor lists, inability to retrieve past chats, especially when handling higher volumes.
• Free Plan Limitations Not Always Clear Upfront – Some users feel initial “free forever” claims don’t make clear enough where paid upgrades become necessary—e.g., removing branding, hiring managed agents. This has led a few reviewers to feel misled after investing setup effort.

If you're considering alternatives like Ringly.io: it's worth noting that solutions such as Ringly.io may offer more modern interfaces out-of-the-box along with deeper customization options—and may avoid some notification reliability issues seen in user feedback above.

Pricing - Gorgias vs Tawk.to

Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.

Gorgias pricing

Automation Add-on: Each plan allows you to automate a percentage of your monthly tickets for an additional fee. For example:

• Basic: $140/month at 20% automation (60 automated tickets), up to $203/month at higher automation.
• Pro/Advanced: Scales similarly with usage and automation level.

Key Features by Plan

• Unified inbox for all channels
• Integrations with major ecommerce platforms (Shopify/WooCommerce)
• Automation rules & macros
• Intent/sentiment detection
• Advanced reporting on higher tiers
• Chat campaigns & proactive messaging

Contract Length & Billing Options

• No long-term contracts required—monthly billing is available on all plans.
• Annual billing offers approximately a 20–25% discount compared to monthly rates.

Cancellation Fees / Penalties

If you cancel your subscription before the next renewal period (end of the current month or year), there are no additional cancellation fees. Your service continues until the end of your paid term. However, if you commit to an annual plan and cancel early without proper notice before renewal, you’re still obligated for the full term’s payment.

Refund Policies / Money-back Guarantee

Gorgias does not offer standard refunds or money-back guarantees. Refunds may be granted only at Gorgias’ sole discretion in exceptional cases. Users are generally not entitled to refunds for unused time or prepayments unless required by law.

If you need details about overage charges or specific add-ons:

• Overage tickets are charged per extra ticket above plan limits ($0.40/ticket on Starter; discounted rates on larger plans).

Tawk.to pricing

Ringly.io pricing

Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms—or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.

Online customer reviews: Gorgias vs Tawk.to

Gorgias

Gorgias has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 504 reviews across various platforms like G2 and Capterra. It is known for its advanced features, especially for ecommerce businesses, and its seamless integration with multiple communication channels.

What users are saying about Gorgias:

"Great for ecommerce" - Jessie H., Customer Support Manager. Gorgias has been a game-changer for our customer support operations, integrating seamlessly with major ecommerce platforms...

"Expensive and buggy" - Anonymous, Customer Service Representative. Gorgias is expensive, especially for startups, and has issues with bugs and notifications, which can lead to missed communication opportunities...

Tawk.to

Tawk.to has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 181 reviews. It is praised for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, offering a free live chat application with optional paid add-ons.

What users are saying about Tawk.to:

"Easy to set up" - Anonymous, Customer Support Specialist. It's super easy to set up, and they allow us to communicate with clients easily. The FAQ setup is also great...

"Delayed notifications" - Anonymous, Non-Technical User. The chat notification seems delayed, sometimes kicking me out of the chat, and the dashboard can be confusing for non-technical people...

Unfortunately, I couldn't find reviews on Product Hunt or Trustpilot for these products. If you're considering these platforms, it might be wise to look for reviews on other platforms like G2 or Capterra.

What users are saying about Ringly.io:

Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.

"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.

"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."

"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.

"How to automate customer service? -> Ringly.io" - Sidra Husnain, Founder.

Gorgias vs Tawk.to : Which is best for you?

Who Gorgias is best for…

• Ecommerce stores on Shopify or WooCommerce
  If your business runs primarily on Shopify or other ecommerce platforms and you need tight order integrations, Gorgias makes it easy to manage support—right from one dashboard. This is especially helpful for teams dealing with lots of customer orders, refunds, and inquiries.
• Support teams that want a centralized inbox for every channel
  Gorgias is great if you want to handle email, live chat, social media messages, and customer tickets all in one place. This helps keep communications from getting lost—perfect for teams juggling lots of channels.
• Larger businesses with moderate-to-high support volume (and budget)
  With advanced automation options and bulk workflow tools, Gorgias works best for businesses ready to invest in their support stack. The pricing scales with ticket volume, which means it’s ideal if you expect higher numbers but have the budget to match.
• Brands needing ecommerce-specific automations
  If you often need quick access to customer orders, triggers for specific events (like refunds or cancellations), or detailed reporting on support and sales impact, Gorgias will be a strong partner.

Who Tawk.to is best for…

• Startups and very small businesses with minimal budgets
  Tawk.to’s live chat widget is totally free, making it the go-to choice for side projects, small online shops, or businesses just starting out who want to offer live support without any monthly spend.
• Companies looking for simple, real-time web chat
  If all you need is a quick, easy way to answer questions from your website visitors, Tawk.to shines with its live chat and basic automation. No need for complicated setup—you’ll be chatting in minutes.
• Teams wanting unlimited agents at zero cost
  Unlike many competitors, Tawk.to doesn’t charge per user. If you have a team that needs to take turns handling support chats, you can add as many agents as you like—without worrying about new charges.
• Businesses okay with basic integrations and fewer advanced features
  Tawk.to gets the job done for simple support, but most advanced automations, channel integrations, and branding options are limited or cost extra. If you can live with a basic set of tools, it’s a great “first step” platform.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• Businesses of all sizes wanting 24/7 AI-powered phone and chat support
  Ringly.io is built for small startups, fast-growing ecommerce brands, and larger businesses alike. You get instant AI phone agents, live order status, and even abandoned cart recovery—all fully automated, any time of day.
• Teams that want to automate and scale support without extra staff
  Ringly.io uses your existing knowledge base to answer customer calls, chats, and even handle sales questions—without making you rewrite answers or hire more agents. As your business grows, Ringly.io’s simple usage-based pricing means you only pay for what you use.
• Companies needing deep analytics and full control
  Get detailed reports on every conversation—including customer mood, call outcomes, and agent performance. Ringly.io’s modern analytics help you improve faster and see what’s really working.
• Brands that value clear pricing and easy setup
  No long contracts, no surprise fees, and a friendly onboarding process make Ringly.io a headache-free upgrade from outdated systems. You can even get started for free with a 14-day trial.

Why pick Ringly.io? Whether you’re a new shop or a large ecommerce brand, Ringly.io combines advanced automation, multi-channel coverage (including voice), and easy setup—without the surprise bills or complicated contracts. For anyone who wants to grow their business, delight customers, and save time, Ringly.io is the smart, future-proof choice.

Why Ringly.io is a Better Choice

Highly Rated: 4.8/5

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Founded in 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Maurizio Isendoorn and Ruben Boonzaaijer, Ringly.io is revolutionizing e-commerce customer service with AI phone agents. Designed for online businesses, Ringly handles customer calls on autopilot—solving support issues, recovering abandoned carts, and even boosting sales—at just 20% of the cost of human agents.‍

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With 2,300+ customers, Ringly.io is the go-to solution for e-commerce stores looking to scale without scaling their support team. With award-winning technology (BubbleCon 2024's "Most Innovative App"), Ringly.io transforms your phone system into a revenue-driving powerhouse—without the headaches of traditional call centers.‍

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Features that make Ringly.io the #1 alternative to Gorgias and Tawk.to :

No-code setup, instant results – Ringly.io is ready to go in minutes. Just add your website, docs, or text—no engineering required—and your AI phone agent instantly understands your business. It even updates automatically as your website changes.‍‍‍

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AI-powered sales & support – Ringly.io does both inbound and outbound calls. Recover 35%+ of abandoned carts with automated follow-up calls, provide real-time order tracking from Shopify, and convert more customers with personalized AI-driven conversations—not just reactive support.‍‍

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Advanced analytics for smarter decisions – Ringly.io gives you real-time call data, customer intent tracking, and performance reports—helping you optimize support and sales strategies.‍‍‍

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Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.‍

Conclusion: Which Support Platform is Right for You?

Choosing the best customer support solution really comes down to your business needs, stage, and vision for growth. Each platform—Gorgias, Tawk.to, and Ringly.io—has its own strengths, but the differences become clear when you look at what matters most for modern online businesses.

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• Gorgias: Powerful for established ecommerce brands needing multi-channel, Shopify-first support with advanced text automations. If your team manages high volumes and complex workflows—and you don’t mind paying more for deeper ecommerce integration—Gorgias is a solid option. However, its pricing structure, reliance on ticket-based workflows, and lack of built-in phone automation may limit scalability and flexibility as customer expectations evolve.
• Tawk.to: Perfect for startups, hobby projects, or small businesses needing simple live chat at zero cost. Tawk.to’s “forever free” model and instant setup make it ideal if you just want to chat with visitors quickly. But as your company grows or needs more advanced automation, analytics, or true omnichannel (especially voice) support, you’ll quickly notice its limitations.
• Ringly.io: Designed for any business—from small shops to leading ecommerce stores—wanting to deliver 24/7 instant support that actually scales. With AI phone agents, real-time analytics, and automatic knowledge updates, Ringly.io eliminates the manual work and surprise bills of legacy systems, giving your team superpowers without extra staff.

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Here’s when you should choose each:

• Go with Gorgias if you’re a larger, established ecommerce store deeply tied to Shopify and need robust text-based support across email, chat, and social—but don’t mind higher, ticket-based costs and want hands-on agent management.
• Pick Tawk.to if budget is your #1 concern, you only need website live chat, and your support needs are very basic. It’s a great “first step” that won’t break the bank for new businesses with simple requirements.
• Choose Ringly.io if you want to automate voice and chat support, scale your operations without scaling costs, and offer seamless, AI-driven service 24/7. You’ll get easy onboarding, powerful analytics, modern automation, and transparent pricing—with no nasty billing surprises down the road.

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In the end, while each platform serves a purpose, Ringly.io is built for the future—making it the smartest pick for businesses that want to delight customers, save time, and grow effortlessly. You get innovation without complexity, powerful automation without the high price tag, and the peace of mind that comes with clear, usage-based pricing.

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Ready to future-proof your support? Start your Ringly.io free trial today and see the difference for yourself.