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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Richpanel vs Zipchat: which is better for Shopify brands?
It depends on where your load sits. Richpanel is an AI-native helpdesk built around autonomous support agents. Zipchat is one AI agent that sells before the purchase and supports after it, on every channel, with one memory per customer.
What does Richpanel pricing cost compared with Zipchat?
With 5 seats on annual billing, Richpanel costs $695 a month at 1,000 AI conversations, $1,095 at 3,000 and $1,495 at 5,000. Zipchat costs $300, $894 and $1,200 for the same volumes. See Zipchat pricing for every plan.
What are the best Richpanel alternatives for Shopify?
Zipchat for one AI agent that sells and supports, Gorgias for ticket queues, Tidio for small teams, and Zendesk, Intercom (Fin) and Freshdesk for multi-industry support.
Does Richpanel have an AI shopping assistant?
Not found in Richpanel's public docs. Its pricing page describes AI agents for support, and it lists proactive live chat to a human agent. Zipchat answers questions on product pages and in the site search bar, and recommends products in chat.
How does Richpanel charge for AI?
Richpanel charges $99 per seat a month on annual commitment ($119 monthly), plus about $0.20 for each AI-handled conversation, with a $200 monthly AI minimum. It says the AI cost varies with the model and tokens used.
Is Zipchat a helpdesk?
No. Zipchat is an AI agent with a team inbox and takeover, not a full helpdesk with returns and subscriptions built in. Those actions need an Agentic Skill. Or run Zipchat in front of Richpanel with an Agentic Skill, so your team keeps Richpanel for escalations.
Can Zipchat do returns and subscriptions like Richpanel?
Yes, with an Agentic Skill. Richpanel works returns and subscriptions natively. Zipchat connects to your returns or subscription tool through an Agentic Skill and acts in the conversation.
Does Zipchat recover abandoned carts on WhatsApp?
Yes. Zipchat recovers carts on WhatsApp on Shopify, with a 13% to 39% purchase rate. Richpanel lists WhatsApp as a channel, and cart recovery on it is not found in its public docs.
Is Zipchat free to use?
No. Zipchat has a 7-day free trial. After it, pay from $64 a month with annual billing, or $80 monthly, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How fast can I set up Zipchat?
Zipchat is live in under 30 minutes. Connect your ecommerce platform and the AI reads your catalog and site. Richpanel states a typical setup of 5 to 20 minutes for its helpdesk.
Which platforms does Zipchat support?
Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento. On Shopify, cart recovery and the order lookup are built in. Other platforms use an Agentic Skill to read orders.
Does Zipchat reply in the customer's language?
Yes. The agent answers in whatever language the customer writes, automatically.
Can my team take over a conversation?
Yes. Your team takes over from the inbox whenever needed, and Draft Mode lets people approve replies before they send.
Last checked October 2026
Full comparison
Zipchat in one sentence
Zipchat is an AI agent for ecommerce brands: one agent, with one memory of each customer, that sells and supports on every channel.
Covered: Answers comments and DMs on Instagram and Messenger.
CoveredSocial channels
2Website
Covered: AI agent in your website chat, search bar and product pages.
CoveredLive chat channel
3WhatsApp
Covered: Chat and cart recovery on WhatsApp.
CoveredWhatsApp
4Email
Covered: Replies to support email in the same thread.
CoveredEmail
5Support
Covered: Tracks orders, answers after-sales, hands over to your team.
CoveredOrders, returns, subscriptions
6Memory
Covered: One memory per customer on every channel.
Not foundin Richpanel's public docs (checked October 2026)
Channels as listed on the pages we read. "Not listed" or "Not found" does not mean Richpanel lacks it.
Full results table
What Richpanel publishes compared with what Zipchat publishes
Metric
What Richpanel publishes
What Zipchat publishes
Automation
Guarantees 50% of tickets resolved autonomously within 30 days of going live, subject to terms
97%+ handled by the AI, under 3% escalate
Case studies
Haus: 55% of conversations resolved with no human. Aeons: 63% resolved end to end
16.4%+ of AI conversations convert into sales, on average across channels
Best case
Not published
Up to 37.8% in chat, one supplement brand
WhatsApp cart recovery
Not found in public docs (checked October 2026)
13% to 39% purchase rate
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Every Richpanel figure is Richpanel's own claim (a guarantee and two customer case studies). Every Zipchat figure is Zipchat's own. Each vendor defines resolution differently.
Full side by side table: Richpanel and Zipchat
Zipchat compared with Richpanel
Topic
RichpanelHelpdesk with AI agents
ZipchatBuilt for ecommerceOne AI agent
Designed for
Teams that want an AI-native helpdesk
Ecommerce brands that want one agent for sales and support
How it is built
Helpdesk first, AI agents added for resolution
Agent first, deployed on every channel
Pricing model
$99 per seat a month, plus about $0.20 per AI conversation, $200 AI minimum
Per reply, set by the plan. Unlimited at a fixed price
Channels with AI
Lists email, chat, social, SMS and WhatsApp as channels
Native: returns, subscriptions. Add-on from $99 a month for returns and exchanges
Agentic Skills for any tool with an API
Setup
States typical setup of 5 to 20 minutes
Live in under 30 minutes
Shopify App Store rating
4.9/5
5.0/5
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"Not found in public docs (checked October 2026)" means the sources we read do not say. It does not mean Richpanel lacks it.
Price assumptions and notes
In every row, each AI conversation is counted as one AI-handled conversation.
Richpanel: 5 seats on annual billing at $99, about $0.20 for each AI-handled conversation, $200 monthly AI minimum. Every AI conversation counts as resolved.
Zipchat: about 2.5 replies per conversation, monthly billing, unlimited team members, extra replies at $49 per 250 on Starter, Pro and Scale.
Prices checked October 2026.
Richpanel's AI cost varies with the model and tokens used. Zipchat's price is per reply, set by the plan.
How the positioning map was drawn
Horizontal axis: Helpdesk first to Agent first. Vertical axis: Part of the journey to Whole journey. Zipchat's own positioning. Richpanel is an AI-native helpdesk built around autonomous support agents. The vertical position follows the journey table: steps covered, with partial steps counted as half.
Zipchat plans compared
The five Zipchat plans compared
Plan
Price a month
Billed annually
Replies a month
Extra replies
Starter
$80
$64 a month
750
$49 per 250
Pro
$300
$240 a month
3,000
$49 per 250
Scale
$600
$480 a month
6,000
$49 per 250
Scale Plus
$1,200
$960 a month
14,000
$49 per 500
Unlimited
from $2,100
Fixed price, rate locked for 12 months
Unlimited
No overage
Scroll sideways for more
Every plan includes all channels, all languages and unlimited team members, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Annual billing saves 20%. See Zipchat pricing.
Footnotes and notes
* Tracking orders is built in on Shopify. Returns, exchanges and order edits need an Agentic Skill connected to your tools.
Set up with an Agentic Skill connected to Richpanel. See Agentic Skills.
Richpanel: not found in its public docs (checked October 2026).
Richpanel: not found in its public docs (checked October 2026).
Richpanel: memory across channels is not found in its public docs (checked October 2026).
Richpanel works returns and subscriptions natively.
What is the best Richpanel alternative for ecommerce?
For Shopify brands that want one AI agent that sells and supports, the best Richpanel alternative is Zipchat. Gorgias, Tidio, Intercom (Fin), Zendesk and Freshdesk follow, with one neutral line each.
1
Zipchat
One AI agent for sales and support on every channel, built only for ecommerce.
Best for: Shopify brands that want one agent from search to repeat order
