Mika vs Gorgias
Shopify helpdesk vs AI shopping assistant
Gorgias and Mika both put chat on your retail website, but they solve different problems. Gorgias is a helpdesk for post-purchase support. Mika is a pre-purchase shopping assistant. This page breaks down the differences so you can pick the right tool without a sales call.
At a Glance
A side-by-side look at how Gorgias and Mika compare across the categories that matter most for retail stores.
| Category | Gorgias | Mika |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | eCommerce helpdesk with live chat, ticketing, and automation | AI chat widget for product guidance and lead capture |
| Built for | Post-purchase support (order tracking, returns, refunds) | Pre-purchase guidance (product discovery, recommendations) |
| Pricing model | Ticket-based: plans from $10/mo for 10 tickets | Flat rate: free tier, then $9.99-$39.99/mo |
| AI chatbot | AI agent add-on ($0.60-$0.36 per automated resolution) | AI included on every plan, no per-resolution fees |
| Shopify integration | Deep native integration (orders, returns, macros) | Works on Shopify via script tag, no native app |
| Order tracking | Yes (pulls from Shopify/shipping APIs) | No (not a helpdesk) |
| Product catalog search | Limited (support-focused, not shopping-focused) | Yes, with photo cards in chat |
| Setup time | Hours to days (rules, macros, integrations) | 5 minutes, one script tag |
| Team required | Yes (agents manage tickets) | No team needed |
| Languages | Translation add-ons available | 8 languages with auto-detection, included free |
| Appointment booking | No | Built-in with calendar invites |
| Contract | Monthly or annual | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
What Gorgias Does Well
Gorgias is a purpose-built helpdesk for Shopify stores. It excels at post-purchase customer support: order tracking, return processing, refund management, and ticket routing. If you run a high-volume Shopify store with a support team handling dozens of tickets per day, Gorgias is designed for exactly that workflow.
The Shopify integration is deep. Agents can see order history, tracking numbers, and customer data right in the ticket view. Macros and automation rules let you handle common support scenarios quickly. The revenue tracking feature shows how much revenue your support team generates through upsells during support conversations.
Gorgias is a strong product for what it does. If your primary need is managing customer support tickets at scale on Shopify, it is worth evaluating.
What Mika Does That Gorgias Does Not
Mika focuses on the pre-purchase experience. When a visitor lands on your site and needs help finding the right product, Mika has a real conversation about what they are looking for, their budget, and their preferences. It searches your product catalog and shows matching items with photos and prices directly in the chat. This is not something Gorgias is designed to do.
Mika includes AI on every plan with no per-resolution fees. Gorgias charges per automated AI resolution on top of the base plan. For a small store that wants AI-powered chat without unpredictable costs, Mika's flat-rate pricing is simpler. Mika also works on any website platform, not just Shopify.
The Pricing Difference
Gorgias uses ticket-based pricing. The Starter plan is $10/month for 10 tickets. The Basic plan is $60/month for 300 tickets. The Pro plan is $360/month for 2,000 tickets. Their AI agent feature costs extra: $0.60 per automated resolution on Starter, scaling down to $0.36 on higher plans.
This means your monthly cost depends on ticket volume and how many conversations the AI handles. For a growing store, costs can increase quickly as support volume grows.
Mika has flat-rate pricing. Free tier with 150 messages/month. Core at $9.99/month for 750 messages. Plus at $19.99/month for 2,000. Pro at $39.99/month for unlimited messages. No per-ticket fees, no per-resolution charges. You always know what your bill will be.
Real cost example: retail store wanting AI chat
Gorgias Basic + AI Agent
Mika Plus
Gorgias pricing from gorgias.com/pricing as of March 2026. Mika pricing from hiremika.com.
Choosing the Right Fit
Choose Gorgias if you...
- Run a high-volume Shopify store with a dedicated support team
- Need order tracking, return processing, and refund management in chat
- Want deep Shopify integration with customer order history in the agent view
- Handle hundreds of support tickets per day and need ticket routing
- Need revenue attribution for support conversations
Choose Mika if you...
- Want AI-powered product discovery, not post-purchase support
- Do not have a support team to manage tickets
- Want flat-rate pricing with no per-ticket or per-resolution fees
- Run a retail store on any platform, not just Shopify
- Need appointment booking built into the chat widget
- Want to be live in 5 minutes with no integrations to configure
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about choosing between Mika and Gorgias for retail.
Can I use both Gorgias and Mika?
Yes. Some stores use Gorgias for post-purchase support (order issues, returns, refunds) and Mika for pre-purchase engagement (product discovery, recommendations, lead capture). The two widgets can coexist on the same site since they serve different purposes.
Does Mika handle order tracking like Gorgias?
No. Mika does not connect to order management systems, track shipments, or process returns. It is designed for the pre-purchase experience: helping visitors find products, answering questions, and capturing leads. If you need post-purchase support automation, Gorgias or a similar helpdesk is the right tool for that.
Is Gorgias better for Shopify stores?
For post-purchase support on Shopify, yes. Gorgias has a native Shopify app with deep integration. For pre-purchase product guidance, Mika is better regardless of platform. The right choice depends on whether your primary need is managing support tickets or converting website visitors into customers.
How much does Gorgias actually cost with AI?
Gorgias plans start at $10/month for 10 tickets (Starter). The Basic plan is $60/month for 300 tickets. AI automation costs $0.36-$0.60 per automated resolution on top of the plan cost. A store on the Basic plan with 100 AI resolutions per month would pay approximately $110/month. Mika Plus costs $19.99/month flat with AI included.
Does Mika have a Shopify app?
Mika does not have a native Shopify app. You install Mika by pasting one script tag into your Shopify theme. This takes about 2 minutes and works on any Shopify plan. The trade-off is that Mika does not pull order data from Shopify the way Gorgias does, but it does not need to because it focuses on pre-purchase guidance, not post-purchase support.
Can I switch from Gorgias to Mika?
If you are switching from post-purchase support to pre-purchase engagement, yes. Sign up on Mika, enter your website URL, paste the script tag, and you are live. If you still need post-purchase support, keep Gorgias for that and add Mika for the pre-purchase side.
See Mika in Action
No signup, no credit card. See how Mika handles real retail conversations, searches product catalogs, and captures leads in real time.
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