Best Gladly alternatives in 2026
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Scored out of 60 on six published criteria, the best Gladly alternatives are Keeyu at 50 and Siena AI at 26, with Gladly itself at 21. Keeyu published this page and is ranked on it, so every cell prints, including the six where a helpdesk outscores Keeyu.
Keeyu is not a helpdesk, and anyone leaving Gladly still needs one. Keeyu is proactive e-commerce operations: it catches the broken order behind the conversation and fixes it. Every order is a promise. Keeyu keeps the promise.
Gladly alternatives compared at a glance
The scores below measure one situation: an order breaks, and a customer is about to write about it. The table order is the rank.
Vendor | Total /60 | What starts the work | What it can change |
|---|---|---|---|
Keeyu | 50 | Order, stock, carrier and payment data | The order, the money, the warehouse, the carrier claim |
Siena AI | 26 | An inbound message | Shopify refunds, labels, replacements |
Gorgias | 23 | An inbound message | Shopify cancels, refunds, reships, returns |
Gladly | 21 | An inbound message | Returns, exchanges, discounts |
Richpanel | 21 | An inbound message | Returns, exchanges; money edits after approval |
Intercom Fin | 20 | An inbound message | Refunds, cancellations, returns |
Freshdesk (Freshworks) | 17 | An inbound message | Refunds and order updates by API |
Zendesk | 15 | An inbound message | Actions through integrations and apps |
How this list is ranked
Six criteria, 10 points each, weighted equally. Each score comes from the vendor's own public documentation, Keeyu's too, and each cell names what you can open and check.
# | Criterion | What you can check |
|---|---|---|
1 | Detection source | Does it read operational data (carrier scans, inventory, OMS, payments), or only what the customer typed? |
2 | Detects the event that did not happen | A scan that never came, an order that never shipped, an SLA that lapsed. |
3 | Acts on the order, not the message | Refund, cancel, reship, replace, push to the 3PL, file the claim. |
4 | Runs without an agent touching it | Published autonomous resolution, not a draft awaiting a click. |
5 | Reaches the customer before they contact you | The outbound fires on detection, not in reply. |
6 | Documented time from event to resolution | A published clock, or a workflow with one. |
A Gladly customer already has one of the strongest autonomy records here. What no helpdesk on this list does is notice a stalled order before the shopper does, which is why criteria 2 and 5 separate the field.
The full scorecard
Bold marks a cell where a rival beats Keeyu.
Vendor | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keeyu | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 50 |
Siena AI | 6 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 26 |
Gorgias | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
Gladly | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
Richpanel | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
Intercom Fin | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
Freshdesk (Freshworks) | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Zendesk | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
1 cell ties Keeyu without beating it: 1 on criterion 4, running unattended.
1. Keeyu
50 / 60. Proactive e-commerce operations: it monitors payment, fulfillment, shipping and returns, then repairs the order before a conversation starts.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 9 | Four operational streams, with storefront, ERP, WMS, carrier, payment, returns and helpdesk integrations. Not 10: no monitoring cadence is published. |
2. The event that did not happen | 9 | "Detect no movement for 24 to 48 hours", plus no scan in 48 hours, unshipped past cutoff and SLA breaches. Not 10: no expected-hop model. |
3. Acts on the order | 9 | Highest on this page. Cancel the original, raise an express order, push it to the warehouse, notify the customer, file the carrier claim. Not 10: split shipments are undocumented. |
4. Runs without an agent | 7 | Six rivals beat it: Gladly, Richpanel and Intercom Fin at 9; Siena AI, Gorgias and Freshdesk at 8. "Proactive doesn't mean unattended: your team approves the plays, the system runs them." |
5. Reaches the customer first | 9 | The outbound fires when stock fails and offers wait with a discount, swap or refund. Held at 9: the product page frames alerts as internal. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 7 | A before-and-after clock for a named customer's workflow. Held at 7: keeyu.com states that figure at two different scopes. |
Where it loses
On criterion 4, six of the seven helpdesks here resolve alone more often, and Gladly is one of them. Keeyu also runs no inbox: it takes no chat, email or voice conversations, which is the whole job you are replacing Gladly to do.
Buy it if
Buy Keeyu if many of your Gladly conversations were about orders that stalled, and you want those fixed before the shopper writes, next to whichever helpdesk you move to.
2. Siena AI
26 / 60. A Shopify AI agent that closes order tickets itself, and the top helpdesk score on this page.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 6 | Tracking across 2,000 or more carriers, plus order, subscription, returns and payment reads. Held at 6: it looks when a customer asks. |
2. The event that did not happen | 2 | Proactive delay detection is badged Coming Soon on its order tracking page as of 2026-09-23. Scored as not shipped. |
3. Acts on the order | 7 | Address changes, labels, full and partial refunds, replacements, subscription changes in Shopify. Not higher: no 3PL write-back or carrier claim. |
4. Runs without an agent | 8 | Beats Keeyu, 8 against 7. "Siena handles the full lifecycle of interactions autonomously." Not higher: up to 80% is an automation rate, not a measured resolution. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 3 | Its first proactive feature chases a pending ticket, so an inbound still starts it. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. Its 90% faster resolution figure has no baseline. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4. Siena claims the whole interaction runs without a person, while Keeyu keeps a human approval on each play.
Where it loses
It sits a point under Gladly on running unattended. Like Gladly, it waits for the customer to write, and its delay monitoring has not shipped.
Buy it if
Buy Siena AI if you run on Shopify and want more of Gladly's order conversations closed by an agent, with explicit refund and replacement actions.
3. Gorgias
23 / 60. The Shopify-native helpdesk, and the one on this page that keeyu.com names as an integration.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | Reads Shopify order and shipping data in depth, once a shopper writes. Every trigger it documents is inbound. |
2. The event that did not happen | 2 | Has order-age and transit-time conditions, evaluated only when a shopper asks. Nothing watches for an order that went quiet. |
3. Acts on the order | 8 | Itemized Shopify actions with preconditions: cancel with restock, address edit, item swap, free reship, refund, return. Not higher: no 3PL write-back or carrier claim. |
4. Runs without an agent | 8 | Beats Keeyu, 8 against 7. "You set the confidence threshold. AI Agent handles what it's sure about." Not higher: its 60% average covers five named brands. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 2 | Its outbound is a confirmation after a requested cancel: a reply, not a first contact. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. It publishes automation rate, CSAT and conversation counts. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4. The merchant sets how confident the agent must be before it acts alone; Keeyu asks your team to sign off on plays.
Where it loses
It scores a point under Gladly on running unattended and six or seven under Keeyu on criteria 1, 2 and 5. Like Gladly, it starts when the shopper does.
Buy it if
Move from Gladly to Gorgias if you sell on Shopify and want order actions spelled out, then add Keeyu for the orders that break before anyone asks.
4. Gladly
Tied 4th at 21 / 60. The platform this page is named for: conversation-first customer service with a money-back resolution guarantee.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | "Gladly connects to your commerce, logistics, and marketing tools to take real actions, not just give answers." Every documented flow still begins with a customer contact. |
2. The event that did not happen | 0 | Not documented. Nothing on its site monitors orders for something that failed to happen. |
3. Acts on the order | 7 | Order lookup, eligibility check, return, exchange, discount and sale in one loop. Not higher: refund, cancel, reship and WMS write-back are never named as actions. |
4. Runs without an agent | 9 | Beats Keeyu, 9 against 7. "We'll beat your resolution rate in 30 days. Or you don't pay." Not 10: its rates carry no customer base size. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 2 | "AI proactively engages shoppers before they leave." That is pre-purchase, not a broken order. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. Its 13 hours to under 1 is a response time, not a resolution time. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4, and on its own terms. Gladly counts a conversation resolved only when the customer never has to ask again, and backs that rate with a promise not to charge if it misses.
Where it loses
Criteria 2, 5 and 6 total 2 out of 30. The order problem reaches Gladly as a conversation, and it has no published price list for comparing a renewal.
Buy it if
Stay with Gladly if its resolution guarantee is why you bought it; most rivals below trade that for a public price or deeper Shopify actions.
4. Richpanel
Tied 4th at 21 / 60. An e-commerce helpdesk built around AI agents, with autonomy terms written into a contract.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | "It reads the order, applies your policy, closes the ticket." The start is still a question. |
2. The event that did not happen | 0 | Not documented. Its only monitoring line concerns brand crises. |
3. Acts on the order | 7 | Lookups, address edits, exchanges, store credit, subscription changes, cancellations, returns. Held at 7: "Lookups run free. Money and order edits wait for your approval." |
4. Runs without an agent | 9 | Beats Keeyu, 9 against 7. At least 50% of eligible conversations resolved alone in 30 days, no reopen for 72 hours, or that period's fees refunded. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 2 | Proactive campaigns target high-intent site visitors: pre-purchase. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. First response time is not resolution time. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4. Its guarantee terms define an autonomous resolution and name a refund if the floor is missed.
Where it loses
Same total as Gladly and the same gaps on criteria 2 and 5. By default a person still approves refunds and order edits.
Buy it if
Choose Richpanel if Gladly's guarantee mattered to you and you want a written autonomy floor from a helpdesk built for online stores.
6. Intercom Fin
20 / 60. Intercom's AI agent, backed by the largest published resolution sample on this list.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | Reaches Shopify, Stripe and internal systems by API and MCP. Each documented flow begins with a query. |
2. The event that did not happen | 0 | Not documented. No missed scan, stalled order or lapsed SLA. |
3. Acts on the order | 6 | "Fin resolves queries like order cancellations, shipping updates, returns, and abandoned carts." Not higher: no reship, 3PL write-back or claim. |
4. Runs without an agent | 9 | Beats Keeyu, 9 against 7. "Fin has industry leading resolution rates, averaging 76% across 12,000+ customers, with many seeing over 85%." Held at 9: resolved means no further help asked for. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 2 | Proactive prompts re-engage shoppers before purchase. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. A rate is a share, not a clock. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4, measured across more than 12,000 customers, the widest base any vendor here publishes.
Where it loses
It matches Gladly on running unattended and scores a point lower on acting on the order. Nothing starts until the question arrives.
Buy it if
Pick Intercom Fin if you want Gladly-level autonomy with a resolution rate you can compare against thousands of other companies.
7. Freshdesk (Freshworks)
17 / 60. Freshworks' general helpdesk, with Freddy AI Agent facing customers and Freddy AI Copilot helping staff.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | Freddy pulls live shipping status from backend systems after a customer asks. |
2. The event that did not happen | 0 | Not documented. |
3. Acts on the order | 6 | Refunds, order updates, cancellations and stock checks through connected systems. Not higher: the refund is a generic API block, and there is no reship. |
4. Runs without an agent | 8 | Beats Keeyu, 8 against 7. "Launch email AI agents that understand customer intent and take action to resolve." Not higher: up to 80% is a ceiling, not an average. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 0 | Not documented. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. First-contact resolution is a share, not a clock. |
Where it beats Keeyu
Criterion 4. Freshworks separates the agent that closes conversations from the copilot that only drafts.
Where it loses
Zero on criteria 2, 5 and 6, and a point behind Gladly on both order actions and autonomy.
Buy it if
Go to Freshdesk if Gladly's cost is the reason you are leaving and a general helpdesk with a public price will do.
8. Zendesk
15 / 60. The broad, general-purpose enterprise helpdesk. It ties Keeyu on criterion 4 and beats it nowhere.
Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
1. Detection source | 3 | Integrations pass order and account data to the AI agent. Every flow begins with a request. |
2. The event that did not happen | 0 | Not documented. Its proactive wording describes help for staff. |
3. Acts on the order | 5 | Actions run through integrations and apps, described generically. No prebuilt refund, cancel or reship. |
4. Runs without an agent | 7 | Tied with Keeyu. You "pay only for customer requests that were successfully resolved by the AI agent, without any escalation to a human agent." Not higher: no vendor-wide rate. |
5. Reaches the customer first | 0 | Not documented. |
6. Documented time to resolution | 0 | Not documented. |
Where it loses
Six points under Gladly, and behind it on order actions, autonomy and outbound. Zendesk's order actions are a framework you configure, not a list.
Buy it if
Pick Zendesk if your support reaches well beyond e-commerce and you would rather be billed per automated resolution than sign Gladly's terms.
The vendors this list does not score
Kustomer ties Gladly at 21. eDesk scores 20, Tidio 17 and Re:amaze 13. None beats Keeyu on a criterion, so none is profiled. Kustomer is worth a look for a Gladly buyer: its outbound can fire on a shipping status change in order data, which scores 7 on reaching the customer first.
Agentforce Service (Salesforce) at 18 and Front at 15 each beat Keeyu on criterion 4, 8 against 7. We have not read the documentation of Pylon, Dixa, Enchant, Help Scout, Zoho Desk or Hiver, so they are unscored.
The real decision: Gladly vs Zendesk
Gladly scores 21, Zendesk 15. Zendesk wins no criterion against Gladly.
- Order actions: Gladly 7, Zendesk 5. Gladly runs returns and exchanges in one loop; Zendesk leaves the action set to your integrations.
- Running alone: Gladly 9, Zendesk 7. Gladly guarantees a rate; Zendesk defines a resolution for billing but publishes no rate.
- First contact: Gladly 2, Zendesk 0. On detection, the missed event and a resolution clock, they tie.
The practical difference is commercial. Zendesk publishes plan pricing and bills automated resolutions; Gladly publishes no price list. Neither finds the stuck order before the shopper does.
Recommendation
- Leaving Gladly for Shopify depth: Gorgias, or Siena AI for an agent that closes tickets.
- Keeping a written autonomy promise: Richpanel.
- The broadest published resolution record: Intercom Fin.
- A public price and a general helpdesk: Freshdesk or Zendesk.
- Broken orders fixed before the conversation exists: Keeyu, next to the helpdesk you choose.
Whatever replaces Gladly will answer the customer. Keeyu is proactive e-commerce operations, the layer that repairs the order. Every order is a promise. Keeyu keeps the promise.
Keep reading
- Best ecommerce customer service software in 2026
- Best proactive customer service tools in 2026
- Best ticket deflection tools for ecommerce in 2026
- Helpdesk automation: the ceiling and what sits above it
- Best Gorgias alternatives in 2026
- Best Kustomer alternatives in 2026
- Best Richpanel alternatives in 2026
- Best Re:amaze alternatives in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Gladly alternatives?
On the six criteria used here, Siena AI scores 26 out of 60, Gorgias 23, Richpanel and Kustomer 21, Intercom Fin and eDesk 20, Freshdesk and Tidio 17, and Zendesk 15. Gladly scores 21. Keeyu, which published this list, scores 50 and is not a helpdesk.
Is Zendesk a good Gladly alternative?
On this rubric Zendesk scores 15 against Gladly's 21 and wins no criterion. Gladly leads on acting on the order (7 against 5), running unattended (9 against 7) and first contact (2 against 0). Zendesk publishes plan pricing and bills per automated resolution; Gladly publishes no price list.
Which Gladly alternative is closest on AI autonomy?
Richpanel and Intercom Fin both match Gladly's 9 out of 10. Richpanel puts a 50% autonomous resolution floor in its guarantee terms, and Fin publishes a 76% average across 12,000 or more customers. Siena AI, Gorgias and Freshdesk score 8. Keeyu scores 7, because its team approves the plays.
Can Keeyu replace Gladly?
No. Keeyu runs no inbox and handles no chat, email or voice conversations, so a team leaving Gladly still needs a helpdesk. Keeyu watches payment, fulfillment, shipping and returns, and acts on a broken order: cancel, reorder on express, push to the warehouse, notify the customer and file the carrier claim.
Which Gladly alternative is best for Shopify stores?
Gorgias itemizes its Shopify order actions, including cancel with restock, free reship and refund, and scores 8 on acting on the order against Gladly's 7. Siena AI scores 26 overall and settles Shopify order tickets with refunds and replacements. Of the helpdesks here, Gorgias is the one keeyu.com names as an integration.
Does any Gladly alternative contact the customer before they write in?
Among helpdesks, Kustomer comes closest at 7 out of 10: its outbound can fire on a shipping status change in order data. Gladly scores 2, because its proactive engagement reaches shoppers before purchase. Keeyu scores 9: the outbound fires when an order breaks.
References
- 1. Keeyu, "Keeyu: Proactive E-commerce Operations, Powered by an AI Agent", https://www.keeyu.com/ (read 2026-09-24). Keeyu's helpdesk integrations, Gorgias among them.
- 2. Keeyu, "Product: The AI Agent for Proactive E-commerce Operations", https://www.keeyu.com/product (read 2026-09-23). Keeyu's detection streams.
- 3. Keeyu, "Proactive customer service", https://www.keeyu.com/blog/proactive-customer-service (read 2026-09-23). Keeyu's documented order actions and the team-approves-the-plays line.
- 4. Keeyu, "Top post-purchase issues and the proactive fix", https://www.keeyu.com/blog/top-post-purchase-issues-proactive-fix (read 2026-09-23). Keeyu's no-movement thresholds.
- 5. Siena AI, "Siena Order Tracking", https://www.siena.cx/order-tracking (read 2026-09-24). Siena's carrier coverage, on-request tracking and the Coming Soon delay detection.
- 6. Siena AI, "Intelligent Follow-up Messages Handle Silent Customers", https://www.siena.cx/product-updates/intelligent-ticket-follow-up-detection (read 2026-09-23). Siena's autonomous lifecycle claim.
- 7. Siena AI, "Siena Intelligent Follow-ups: The first step toward proactive CX", https://www.siena.cx/blog/intelligent-follow-ups-for-proactive-customer-experiences (read 2026-09-23). Siena's first proactive capability.
- 8. Siena AI, "Price matching", https://www.siena.cx/product-updates/price-matching (read 2026-09-23). Siena's partial refunds in Shopify.
- 9. Gorgias, "The only AI Agent built for ecommerce", https://www.gorgias.com/ai-agent (read 2026-09-23). Gorgias' confidence threshold and automation rate.
- 10. Gorgias, "AI Agent Actions: make changes to Shopify orders", https://docs.gorgias.com/en-US/ai-agent-actions-make-changes-to-shopify-orders-757792 (read 2026-09-23). Gorgias' itemized Shopify actions and confirmation emails.
- 11. Gladly, "AI customer service agent: devotion, not deflection", https://www.gladly.ai/product/ai-customer-service-agent/ (read 2026-09-24). Gladly's connections to commerce and logistics tools.
- 12. Gladly, "Agentic loops that resolve conversations end to end", https://www.gladly.ai/agentic-loops/ (read 2026-09-24). Gladly's order actions.
- 13. Gladly, "AI resolution rate guarantee, measured in your own data", https://www.gladly.ai/roi-guaranteed/ (read 2026-09-24). Gladly's resolution guarantee and its definition of a resolution.
- 14. Gladly, "Ecommerce customer service software", https://www.gladly.ai/ecommerce-cx/ (read 2026-09-24). Gladly's proactive shopper engagement.
- 15. Richpanel, "AI Customer Service Agents That Resolve", https://www.richpanel.com/ai-agents (read 2026-09-23). Richpanel's action list and approval gate.
- 16. Richpanel, "Guarantee Terms", https://www.richpanel.com/trust/guarantee-terms (read 2026-09-23). Richpanel's autonomous resolution guarantee.
- 17. Richpanel, "AI Helpdesk for Customer Service", https://www.richpanel.com/helpdesk (read 2026-09-23). Richpanel's proactive visitor campaigns.
- 18. Intercom, "Fin. The highest performing Customer Agent", https://fin.ai/ (read 2026-09-23). Fin's connectors and average resolution rate.
- 19. Intercom, "Fin Procedures: Automate complex customer queries", https://fin.ai/procedures (read 2026-09-23). Fin's order actions and shopper prompts.
- 20. Freshworks, "Freddy AI Agent: Smart, Secure & Autonomous Customer Support", https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/omni/freddy-ai-agent/ (read 2026-09-23). Freddy's shipping lookups and order actions.
- 21. Freshworks, "AI-Powered Customer Service Software", https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/ (read 2026-09-23). Freshdesk's AI agent claim and resolution ceiling.
- 22. Zendesk, "Zendesk Pricing Plans", https://www.zendesk.com/au/pricing/ (read 2026-09-23). Zendesk's automated resolution billing definition.
- 23. Zendesk, "Autonomous AI agents for CX", https://www.zendesk.com/au/service/ai/ai-agents/ (read 2026-09-23). Zendesk's AI agent actions through integrations.
- 24. Kustomer, "Proactive Service", https://www.kustomer.com/proactive-service/ (read 2026-09-23). Kustomer's outbound triggered by order data.
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