Gorgias vs Tidio: choosing an AI support app for Shopify
Compare Gorgias and Tidio by support workflow, human handoff, policy control and real evaluation tasks—not headline automation claims.
SORTED.
A chatbot can sound excellent while quietly creating a returns problem. Customer support is full of exceptions: an order placed under a different email, an item damaged after use, a delivery that the carrier marks complete but the customer never received. The useful comparison starts there.
Two candidates, one support process
Gorgias
An ecommerce helpdesk with an AI agent, a shared inbox and routes for handing conversations to a human team.
- OUR TAKE
- Evaluate the complete helpdesk workflow if your team already thinks in queues, responsibilities and multiple conversation channels. The AI layer needs to fit that operating model.
- TEST THIS
- Ask for a walkthrough of one conversation from arrival through AI handling, escalation and final resolution. Include the full cost model.
- COST CHECK
- Check ticket allowances, AI charges and add-ons together.
Tidio
Live chat and a helpdesk with the Lyro AI agent. Its Shopify listing describes product assistance and order actions governed by merchant rules.
- OUR TAKE
- Evaluate the route from a storefront question to product assistance and a human colleague. Its current listing describes Lyro acting within merchant rules.
- TEST THIS
- Confirm which actions your setup permits and how the conversation is retained when the agent hands over. Test this rather than assuming it.
- COST CHECK
- Check Lyro usage allowances separately from other features.
The test pack your demo is missing
| Scenario | What a useful response does |
|---|---|
| Where is my order? | Verifies context and gives the appropriate status without exposing another customer’s data. |
| Will this fit my laptop? | Uses documented dimensions and asks when the specification is ambiguous. |
| I want a refund outside your policy. | Explains the policy and hands off an exception without inventing approval. |
| The answer on this page is wrong. | Allows a useful escalation and makes it possible to correct the source. |
| I need a person. | Provides a clear route and communicates availability honestly. |
Write the expected behaviour before the demo. Otherwise the evaluation rewards whichever tool sounds most confident. Give each scenario a status: correct, needs correction, safely escalated or unacceptable. Include the time a colleague spends repairing a conversation.
Count the whole bill
Prepare a normal month and a busy month using your actual contact volume. Ask each vendor to show the applicable base plan, usage allowances, AI charges and any extras needed for your chosen channels. A low headline fee is not a useful comparison if the workflows differ.
Also account for the person maintaining the knowledge base. Someone needs to update shipping information, retire expired promotions, resolve contradictions and review failures. AI can reduce repetitive handling while leaving this ownership requirement intact.
Support questions belong on the public product page
If dozens of customers ask whether the same bag fits a particular laptop, your support system has found a content requirement. Confirm the dimensions, write the answer on the relevant product page and link to a useful compatibility guide where appropriate. This is an editorial recommendation, not a claim that either app automatically improves SEO.
- Review recurring pre-purchase questions weekly.
- Separate missing facts from unclear wording.
- Publish verified answers where a shopper needs them.
- Keep the help centre and product page consistent.
- Measure whether the same avoidable question becomes less common.
Our buying rule
Choose the candidate that handles your actual exceptions, gives staff enough context and stays within its authority. If neither does, reduce the initial scope to a smaller set of questions with reliable answers. A modest assistant with clear boundaries is easier to improve than an ambitious one nobody owns.
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