RichpanelZendeskRichpanel vs Zendesk

Richpanel vs Zendesk: $495 against $275 a month

An ecommerce help desk with AI agents against a help desk suite: Zendesk is $220 a month cheaper for five people. Where Richpanel and Zendesk split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Richpanel if you want AI to take most of the ecommerce volume at $0.20 a conversation. Pick Zendesk if your support is ticket-first and email-heavy, with SLAs and a queue to manage. For five people, Zendesk is $220 a month cheaper than Richpanel ($495 a month on Richpanel against $275 on Zendesk), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $230 below Zendesk. Richpanel and Zendesk both include website chat, email and Instagram in the price; only Richpanel has WhatsApp. Neither Richpanel nor Zendesk includes Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing Richpanel against Zendesk, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceRichpanelRichpanelZendeskZendesk
Built aroundEcommerce tickets and AI · one seat price, AI per conversationTickets and a queue · messaging came later
Entry plan$99/seat/mo · Helpdesk seat$19/agent/mo · Support Team: email and tickets
Chat in the price$99/seat/mo · all channels in the seat$55/agent/mo · Suite Team
AI agent$0.20 per conversation · AI-handledPer automated resolution · rate quoted, not printed
Copilot for agentsIncluded$50/agent/mo
Free planNone · demo firstNone · 14-day trial

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    RichpanelRichpanel

    As a ticket with the order beside it, or as a conversation the AI agent handles before an agent sees it. Zendesk raises tickets too, from tickets and a queue.

    ZendeskZendesk

    As a ticket. Every channel, chat included, becomes a ticket with a status, a priority and an SLA clock. Richpanel raises tickets too, from ecommerce tickets and AI.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    RichpanelRichpanel

    $99 buys a help desk seat with every channel; there is no per-ticket fee on replies. $495 for five people, against $275 on Zendesk.

    ZendeskZendesk

    $19 buys email and tickets. Live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and AI agents start at Suite Team, $55. $275 for five people, against $495 on Richpanel.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    RichpanelRichpanel

    AI agents are $0.20 per conversation they handle, across email, chat, social, SMS and WhatsApp. Zendesk meters AI (per automated resolution) above the seats as well.

    ZendeskZendesk

    AI agents are priced per automated resolution on top of seats, and the rate comes from your quote. Richpanel meters AI ($0.20 per conversation) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    RichpanelRichpanel

    Email, chat, social, SMS and WhatsApp in the seat; no Telegram. WhatsApp is here and not on Zendesk.

    ZendeskZendesk

    Email, chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and voice on Suite plans; WhatsApp conversation fees still apply. Richpanel adds WhatsApp, which Zendesk lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    RichpanelRichpanel

    A self-service portal for order tracking and returns; returns and exchanges are $99 a month more. Zendesk is a help desk suite instead.

    ZendeskZendesk

    A contact center: voice, workforce management, QA, and a marketplace of over a thousand apps. Richpanel is an ecommerce help desk with AI agents instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    RichpanelRichpanel

    A sales demo, then a store connection and a training pass for the AI. Zendesk is a project.

    ZendeskZendesk

    A project. Queue, SLAs, routing and macros are set up before the first ticket is answered. Richpanel is a sales demo, then a store connection and a training pass for the AI.

Sources: Richpanel pricing · Zendesk pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

Inside Zendesk

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Zendesk Agent Workspace: a ticket view with the customer, the thread and the fields
ZendeskZendesk. The Zendesk Agent Workspace: a ticket view with the customer, the thread and the fields

What your team would pay

Move the sliders. Yearly-billing rates from each vendor’s pricing page, next to Sellio’s plan for the same number of seats.

5 people who answer customers

50

300 AI conversations on Richpanel, automated resolutions on Zendesk

3000+
RichpanelRichpanel

$555/mo

Unified inbox, every channel.

5 × $99 seats
$495
300 AI conversations × $0.2
$60

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. $0.20 per AI-handled conversation, as printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

ZendeskZendesk

$725/mo

Adds messaging, live chat, voice and AI agents.

5 × $55 seats
$275
300 automated resolutions × $1.5
$450
Copilot, 5 × $50
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. Zendesk's pricing page says AI agents are priced per automated resolution and does not print the rate. $1.50 is the figure Zendesk has quoted publicly; change it to what your quote says. Rates recorded on 2026-09-06.

Sellio · Mini

$55/mo

One price for the workspace: 3 channels, 2 AI agents, $5 AI credit a month.

Workspace, 5 of 5 seats
$45
AI past 100 included conversations
$10
Copilot for agents
Included

About $0.05 per AI conversation past the credit, with a daily and monthly cap you set. Yearly billing takes 20% off. See every plan.

Pricing references: Richpanel pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Zendesk pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Calculator uses yearly-billing rates. Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

5 people, website chat plus 2 more channels, 2 AI agents: $45 a month. Start free, no card.

Start freeSee every plan

Richpanel, Zendesk and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureRichpanelRichpanelZendeskZendeskSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per seat; AI per conversation
Per agent; AI per resolution; add-ons extra
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None
None; 14-day trial
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
In the seat
Suite plans
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
In the seat
All plans
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
In the seat
Suite plans, plus conversation fees
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Social channels
Suite plans
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Third-party apps only
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Not offered
Slack notifications and side conversations
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI agents on every channel
All plans, trained on the help center
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$0.20 per conversation
Per automated resolution, on top of seats
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Escalates to a seat
Escalates to agents
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
With order data
Ticket-first
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Rules and macros
Triggers and automations, form-based
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and QA agent
Explore; advanced on higher plans
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser only
Browser and mobile only
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Richpanel if

  • You want AI to take most of the ecommerce volume at $0.20 a conversation.
  • A self-service portal for orders and returns matters.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which Zendesk does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales demo, then a store connection and a training pass for the AI here and a project on Zendesk.

Pick Zendesk if

  • Your support is ticket-first and email-heavy, with SLAs and a queue to manage.
  • You need phone support and a contact center in the same tool.
  • Five people cost $220 a month less than on Richpanel ($275 against $495), before AI.
  • Time to the first reply is a project here and a sales demo, then a store connection and a training pass for the AI on Richpanel.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $495 a month on Richpanel against $275 on Zendesk for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Richpanel meters AI ($0.20 per conversation) above the seats, Zendesk meters AI (per automated resolution) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Richpanel nor Zendesk includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Richpanel on Helpdesk seat: $198, $495 and $990 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Zendesk on Suite Team: $110, $275 and $550 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $450 less than Richpanel and $230 less than Zendesk for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $895 under Richpanel and $455 under Zendesk.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Richpanel is an ecommerce help desk with AI agents built around ecommerce tickets and AI; Zendesk is a help desk suite built around tickets and a queue. Neither has a free plan: Richpanel offers no trial, Zendesk a 14-day trial of Suite Professional. Richpanel and Zendesk both include website chat, email and Instagram in the price; only Richpanel has WhatsApp. Neither Richpanel nor Zendesk includes Telegram outright. Richpanel ($0.20 per conversation) and Zendesk (per automated resolution) both meter AI above the seats. Richpanel and Zendesk both raise tickets, and neither Richpanel nor Zendesk ships a desktop app. Richpanel is a sales demo, then a store connection and a training pass for the AI; Zendesk is a project.

What each price leaves out

Richpanel: AI agents $0.20 per AI-handled conversation. Zendesk: AI agents are billed per automated resolution on top of the seat price; the Copilot add-on is $50 per agent per month. Beside Richpanel's $0.20 per conversation and Zendesk's per automated resolution, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    RichpanelRichpanel$0.2$96
    ZendeskZendeskAssumed $1.5$720
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    RichpanelRichpanel · None printed; demo first
    ZendeskZendesk · 14-day trial of Suite Professional
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Richpanel vs Zendesk: the questions people ask

Richpanel is an ecommerce help desk with AI agents built around ecommerce tickets and AI; Zendesk is a help desk suite built around tickets and a queue. Richpanel and Zendesk both raise tickets, and neither Richpanel nor Zendesk ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Richpanel $99/seat/mo (Helpdesk seat); Zendesk $19/agent/mo (Support Team: email and tickets).
  • Chat in the price: Richpanel $99/seat/mo (all channels in the seat); Zendesk $55/agent/mo (Suite Team).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: Telegram, which neither Richpanel nor Zendesk has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Richpanel and Zendesk rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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