Hobson vs Zendesk: a lighter helpdesk for Shopify teams
Zendesk is a powerful general helpdesk with deep customisation, reporting and voice. It charges per agent, plus £1.30 or more for each automated resolution.
Hobson is built for Shopify stores: a flat price with unlimited seats, a draft on every conversation and order actions approved with the reply.
Choose Zendesk if you need enterprise depth. Choose Hobson if you are a small team that wants AI help without per-agent and per-resolution fees.
14-day free trial. Hobson starts in shadow mode, so nothing reaches your customers until you choose. Hobson is opening to new stores soon, so for now you join the waitlist.
Updated 11 October 2026. Competitor prices checked on each vendor’s own site.
At a glance
| Feature | Hobson | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plans by conversations, every feature on every plan | Per agent a month, plus a fee for each automated resolution |
| Starting price | £59 a month for 300 conversations (£590 a year billed annually) | Support Team £20 per agent a month (£15 billed annually). Suite Team £59 (£45 annually) |
| AI fee | None. Drafting and auto-send are included in the plan | £1.30 per automated resolution on a committed volume, US$2.00 pay as you go. 5 included per agent a month on Team, 10 on Professional |
| Over the limit | No overage charges. At the limit Hobson stops drafting new conversations until you upgrade or the next period starts | Automated resolutions beyond those included are charged |
| Seats | Unlimited seats on every plan | Charged per agent |
| AI drafting | A draft on every conversation, included | Copilot £40 per agent a month billed annually, on Professional and above |
Prices as listed on each vendor’s own pricing page, checked on the dates under Sources. Prices exclude VAT.
What it costs in practice
Three example stores on monthly billing at list prices. Each competitor figure counts its seats and its fee for each conversation its AI resolves, on the plan shown. Drafting add-ons are left out, which favours the competitors. US dollar prices are converted at £1 = $1.33. Hobson’s AI drafting pauses at your plan limit, and you’re never billed overage.
Small store
300 conversations, 2 agents, 30% (90) resolved by AI
- Hobson Starter
- £59
- Zendesk Suite Team
- £222
- 2 agents × £59£118
- 80 automated resolutions × £1.30 (10 included)£104
Growing store
1,000 conversations, 3 agents, 40% (400) resolved by AI
- Hobson Growth
- £179
- Zendesk Suite Team
- £678
- 3 agents × £59£177
- 385 automated resolutions × £1.30 (15 included)£501
Busy store
3,000 conversations, 8 agents, 50% (1,500) resolved by AI
- Hobson Scale
- £399
- Zendesk Suite Team
- £2,370
- 8 agents × £59£472
- 1,460 automated resolutions × £1.30 (40 included)£1,898
How the AI works
Hobson drafts every conversation and a person approves it. It recommends auto-send for a category, such as order status or returns, once it has at least 20 reviewed outcomes, a 95% confidence lower bound of 70% or more acceptable, and facts changed in no more than 10% of replies. Policy categories like refunds stay locked until your policy is in the knowledge base. Every auto-send waits a minute so you can undo it, and a category goes back to asking first if corrections rise.
Zendesk charges for its AI by usage, so the bill rises as it does more. Hobson’s price stays the same.
Where Zendesk is better
- Customisation, workflow depth and reporting.
- Voice and a wider set of channels.
- A large marketplace of apps.
- Enterprise compliance and scale.
Where Hobson is better
- No per-agent fee. Bring the whole team for one price.
- AI drafting included, where Zendesk’s Copilot is £40 per agent a month.
- Shopify order actions proposed by the AI and approved with the reply.
- Less to set up for a Shopify store: connect Gmail and Shopify and Hobson starts drafting.
Switching
Connect Gmail in two clicks or forward your support email, and Hobson starts in shadow mode: it drafts every reply and sends nothing until you choose. Your history in Zendesk stays where it is.
Questions
Sources
- Zendesk UK pricing, checked 14 November 2026
Prices are list prices excluding VAT, voice, SMS and add-ons unless shown, and can change at any time. Check the vendor’s own page before you decide. Zendesk is a trade mark of its owner. Hobson is not affiliated with it. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@hobson.support and we’ll correct it.
Put Hobson on duty.
Connect your inbox in a few minutes. Hobson drafts, you approve, and nothing reaches a customer until you say so.