The best help desks for Shopify app developers and multi-app teams (2026)

Convot is the best help desk for Shopify app developers in this comparison: one inbox for every app, chat inside the embedded app, each merchant’s plan and revenue beside the conversation, and $20 per extra app. For 5 agents across 3 apps, list prices checked 30 September 2026 run from $99 a month (Convot) to $660 (Intercom Expert).

Disclosure: Convot publishes this list and ranks itself first. Competitor plan prices were checked on each vendor’s pricing or help pages on 30 September 2026, and the pricing-page screenshots were captured on 3 October 2026. Zendesk does not publish its AI price per resolution, so that figure is an estimate from third-party pricing breakdowns. Crisp is listed above Freshdesk in the ranking only if its multi-workspace discount applies. Sources: the Convot, Help Scout, Crisp, Freshdesk, Front, Zendesk and Intercom pricing pages, plus each vendor’s help center. Each entry says where that tool beats us. Convot’s team supports several apps of its own, Appointo, Depo and Panda Bundle, from one Convot inbox, which is the setup this comparison prices.

Which help desk works well for Shopify app developers?

A Shopify app developer’s customers are the merchants who installed the app, not shoppers buying from a store, so the help desk should show who the merchant is and what they pay you. Store-focused tools such as Gorgias and Shopify Inbox are built around shoppers and orders; general help desks fit better, and Convot is built for app teams.

What an app team needs, and which tools in this comparison cover it:

The guide to why store-focused help desks miss app teams covers each need in more depth, including how to add chat inside an embedded Shopify app.

Which support platforms pull merchant account data so the AI has context?

Convot connects to your Shopify Partner account and gives both the inbox and its AI agent each merchant’s plan, what they pay you each month and whether they are on a free install. Cove AI uses that to stay honest about paid features, telling a free-install merchant that a feature is on a paid plan instead of pretending it does not exist. Of the other help desks in this comparison, we did not find a built-in Shopify Partner API sync; they can store customer attributes you send through their APIs.

What is the most affordable all-in-one support setup for an indie Shopify app developer?

The cheapest indie setup is free: a developer whose app earns under $1,000 in monthly app revenue can start on Convot’s free Community plan, which includes chat, a help center and the shared inbox for one app but not the Cove AI agent. Above that, Convot Starter costs $49 a month for 1 app and 3 seats with Cove AI at $0.20 per resolved conversation. For one app at list price on monthly billing, Help Scout Standard is cheapest for a single agent at $30, Convot is cheapest from a second agent because Starter includes 3 seats, and Crisp Essentials costs $95. Help Scout’s free plan covers up to 5 users with one inbox, but only 100 contacts a month and 10 help articles, with AI Answers free for 3 months.

Which tools cover live chat, a help center and an AI agent in one place?

Convot covers all three from its $49 Starter plan: a chat widget and a help center for each app, plus the Cove AI agent at $0.20 per resolved conversation. Crisp Essentials pairs its chat with a knowledge base and an AI chatbot in each workspace, and Intercom combines its Messenger, a help center and the Fin AI agent at $0.99 per resolution.

How we compared them

We compared seven help desks on the four things that break when one team supports several products:

1. Separation per app. Each app needs its own widget, help center and branding, so a customer of App A never sees App B’s articles.
2. One place to work. The team should answer every app from one inbox, not log in and out of workspaces.
3. AI that stays in its lane. An AI agent answering App A’s customers should only use App A’s docs.
4. What a second and third app cost. Some tools include more brands in the plan. Others need a higher tier or a whole new subscription per app.

We priced one realistic setup: 5 support agents, 3 apps, each app with its own help center. That is the shape of a small SaaS studio, an agency running client products, or a Shopify or WordPress developer with a portfolio. We ranked by monthly cost for that setup, then by how cleanly each tool keeps apps apart. We left out tools that do not publish multi-brand pricing, such as Pylon and Kustomer, and HubSpot, which needs its wider product stack for this. Gorgias is built for online stores and prices by ticket volume, so it answers a different question. Plain, which focuses on B2B support in shared Slack channels, is compared separately in Convot vs Plain.

The cost of 5 agents across 3 apps

All figures are monthly list prices for the plan and seats, before AI usage. Convot and Help Scout are monthly billing; Help Scout Standard is $30 per user billed monthly, against $25 annually. Freshdesk, Front, Zendesk and Intercom are quoted on annual billing, the only rate their pricing pages show.

The AI column uses different units: resolutions for Convot, Help Scout, Zendesk and Intercom, sessions for Freshdesk, bundled credits for Crisp and conversations for Front. Compare per-resolution prices only against other per-resolution prices. To run the AI side for your own volume, use the AI support cost calculator.

How each monthly figure is built:

Zendesk’s documentation says Suite Growth also includes up to 5 brands, but we could not find a published Suite Growth price, so we price Suite Professional.

Which help desks add apps without a new subscription?

Convot and Help Scout do not add a full subscription per app: Convot adds $20 per extra app and Help Scout $36 for an extra inbox and Docs site. Convot prices by app count, from $49 for 1 app to $299 for unlimited apps. Help Scout includes 2 inboxes and 2 Docs sites on Standard. Freshdesk Pro, Front Professional, Zendesk Suite Growth or Professional and Intercom Expert cover several brands in one account at a higher per-seat price. Crisp, and Intercom below Expert, need one subscription per workspace or brand. To price your own stack across every app, use the support stack cost calculator.

What is a good Crisp alternative for multiple websites?

Convot is a Crisp alternative for multiple websites: it prices by app count, so 3 sites cost $99 a month against $285 on Crisp Essentials, and it imports Crisp conversations, contacts and help articles in one click. To keep each site’s chatbox, knowledge base and AI apart, Crisp needs one workspace per site. Crisp is stronger on WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS.

The seven help desks, ranked for multi-app teams

1. Convot

Convot is a help desk built for running more than one app. Every app gets its own widget, help center, changelog and roadmap (compared here), and the team works all of them from one inbox where each conversation carries a colored label for the app it came from. One customer who uses two of your apps has one record with the full history. You can route each app to its own Slack channel.

Convot’s AI agent, Cove AI, has separate settings and training data for each app, so it answers each app’s customers from that app’s docs and hands off to a human when it is not sure. Cove AI costs $0.20 per resolution on paid plans.

One Convot inbox across three apps. Each conversation carries its app label, and the sidebar shows this customer’s plan in both apps they use. Demo workspace.

Convot pricing is by app count, with seats included: $49 for 1 app and 3 seats, $79 for 2 apps and 7 seats, $149 for 5 apps and 12 seats, $299 for unlimited apps and 20 seats. Extra seats are $10 and extra apps $20. The free Community plan covers 1 app, without Cove AI, for teams under $1,000 in monthly app revenue. See how the inbox works and full pricing.

Thomas Lang, founder of Market Sync, a Shopify app team on Convot: “I like how it helps me centralize all my Shopify app-related support and merchant information in one place.”

Where others beat Convot: Convot has no phone, WhatsApp or social media channels; it covers chat, email, help center, changelog, roadmap, status and scheduling. Convot is a small company with a short track record next to every other name here.

2. Help Scout

Help Scout has the lowest per-user price among the per-seat tools here that separate apps, at $25 a month on Standard billed annually ($30 monthly). Help Scout’s docs recommend a separate inbox per brand, and the Standard plan already includes 2 inboxes and 2 Docs sites, so a third app adds $36 a month rather than a plan upgrade. Help Scout admins can search customers across all inboxes at once. Help Scout AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution.

Help Scout pricing page on annual billing, captured 3 October 2026.

Where Help Scout beats Convot: a free plan for up to 5 users with one inbox and 100 contacts a month, and an email-first help desk that suits teams whose support is mostly email. The catch is per-user pricing, so the Help Scout bill grows with every agent you add. For what that does at 3, 7 and 12 agents, see the best help desks with flat pricing. Convot vs Help Scout.

3. Crisp

Crisp prices per workspace, and one Crisp workspace is one subscription, so 3 apps on Crisp Essentials means 3 subscriptions: $285 a month at list. Crisp lists 20% off for 3 or more workspaces; if that applies to all three, it would bring the total to about $228, so confirm with Crisp. Crisp ranks third, above Freshdesk, only if that discount applies; at list price Freshdesk Pro is $10 a month cheaper. Crisp Essentials includes 10 seats per workspace. Crisp’s cheaper Mini plan has no knowledge base or AI chatbot, which is why we compare against Essentials.

Crisp pricing page, captured 3 October 2026.

Where Crisp beats Convot: WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS in the Essentials inbox, 10 seats per workspace, and a free plan. Moving from Crisp to Convot is a one-click import of conversations, contacts and help articles. Convot vs Crisp.

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk’s Multiple Products feature gives each product its own portal, knowledge base and mailbox, while every ticket lands in one shared Freshdesk helpdesk with Product as a report filter. Freshdesk Multiple Products needs the Pro plan, which allows up to 5 products at $55 per agent a month on annual billing. Freshdesk Enterprise allows unlimited products. The Growth and Free plans cannot use it.

Freshdesk pricing page, captured 3 October 2026 (US pricing).

Where Freshdesk beats Convot: deep ticketing, SLAs and automations for teams that work in tickets, and 500 AI sessions included. Freshdesk pricing is per agent. Convot vs Freshdesk.

5. Front

Front’s Professional plan allows up to 5 workspaces and costs $65 per seat a month on annual billing. Front organizes teams into workspaces, each with its own inboxes, teammates and settings. Front sells AI separately: Copilot is $20 per seat a month and Autopilot starts at $0.05 per conversation.

Front pricing page, captured 3 October 2026.

Where Front beats Convot: shared inboxes that other teams can use too, and Autopilot from $0.05 per conversation, a price in a different unit from per-resolution AI. Front pricing is per seat. Convot vs Front.

6. Zendesk

Zendesk Multibrand gives each brand its own help center, email and widget. Zendesk Suite Growth and Suite Professional include up to 5 brands, and Suite Enterprise up to 300. Each Zendesk AI agent is tied to one brand and uses that brand’s help center by default. On Zendesk, each brand’s My Activities page shows a customer only that brand’s tickets, so someone using two of your products cannot see both histories in one place.

Zendesk pricing page, captured 3 October 2026.

Where Zendesk beats Convot: Zendesk is built for large support organisations, with up to 300 brands on Enterprise and voice support. For a team of five, Zendesk Suite Professional is $575 a month, almost six times Convot’s $99. Convot vs Zendesk.

7. Intercom

Intercom supports multiple brands in one workspace only on the Expert plan, at $132 per seat a month on annual billing. Each Intercom brand gets its own Messenger styling, help center and Fin settings, and Fin, Intercom’s AI agent, uses only that brand’s help center by default. One Intercom workspace can hold up to 300 brands.

Intercom pricing page, captured 3 October 2026.

The alternative is one Intercom workspace per brand, each with its own subscription: about $435 a month for 5 agents across 3 brands on Essential at $29 per seat, assuming the same 5 seats in each of 3 workspaces, with no shared data or reporting between brands. Fin costs $0.99 per resolution.

Where Intercom beats Convot: scale, polish, and up to 300 brands in one workspace. Salesforce closed its acquisition of Intercom on 10 September 2026, according to Salesforce’s announcement (more in what the Salesforce deal means for Intercom customers), so Intercom pricing and plan names may change. Convot vs Intercom.

Which help desk fits your apps

• You build Shopify apps and want merchant revenue beside each conversation: Convot.
• You run 2 to 10 apps with a small team and want one bill priced by app count: Convot.
• Your support is mostly email and you have 1 to 3 products: Help Scout.
• You need WhatsApp or Instagram in the inbox: Crisp, and accept one subscription per workspace.
• You run formal ticketing with SLAs: Freshdesk Pro.
• You are a large team with many brands and budget to match: Zendesk or Intercom.

Below $1,000 in monthly app revenue, Convot’s Community plan is free for 1 app. Above that, at 1 app, Convot Starter at $49 is not the cheapest: Help Scout’s free plan covers up to 5 users with one inbox, up to 100 contacts a month. For a small team the price gap opens from the third app. For a wider view that is not about multiple apps, see the best help desk software for small teams.

FAQ

What customer support platforms do Shopify app developers use for merchant tickets?

A Shopify app developer’s customers are merchants, not shoppers, so general help desks fit better than store-focused ones such as Gorgias. This comparison covers seven: Convot, Help Scout, Crisp, Freshdesk, Front, Zendesk and Intercom. Convot is built for app teams and adds each merchant’s plan and revenue from the Shopify Partner API.

Which tools give a Shopify app developer live chat, a help center and an AI agent in one place?

Convot includes all three from its $49 Starter plan, with Cove AI at $0.20 per resolved conversation. Crisp Essentials and Intercom also combine chat, a knowledge base or help center and an AI agent, priced per workspace and per seat.

Which support platforms suit a small Shopify app team that does not want to pay per seat?

Convot prices by app count with seats included (3 on Starter, extra seats $10 each), from $49 for 1 app, and Crisp prices per workspace with 10 seats on Essentials. Help Scout, Freshdesk, Front, Zendesk and Intercom charge per agent or per seat.

Can one help desk support several apps with separate help centers?

One help desk can support several apps with separate help centers. Convot, Help Scout, Freshdesk Pro, Zendesk Suite Growth and up, and Intercom Expert all give each app or brand its own help center. The difference is cost: some include more brands in the plan, others need a higher tier or a separate subscription per app.

Which help desk is cheapest for multiple apps?

For 5 agents across 3 apps, Convot is cheapest at $99 a month, then Help Scout at $186, on list prices checked 30 September 2026 and before AI usage. For a small team with one product, Help Scout’s free plan and Convot’s free Community plan (under $1,000 in monthly app revenue) are both cheaper.

Does the AI agent mix up my apps?

The AI agent does not mix apps on Convot, Intercom or Zendesk, which each scope the AI agent to one app’s or brand’s own help center by default. Zendesk needs one AI agent configured per brand. On any other help desk, check how knowledge sources are attached before you turn AI on.

Do I need a separate subscription for each app?

On Crisp, yes: Crisp needs one subscription per workspace, so one per app. On Intercom, only below the Expert plan. Convot, Help Scout Standard, Freshdesk Pro, Front Professional and Zendesk Suite Growth or above cover several apps in one account.

About the author

Tarang Agarwal is the founder of Convot. Convot is built by Sidepanda, a small studio that runs several apps of its own, including Appointo, Depo and Panda Bundle, and supports all of them from one Convot inbox. That setup, several apps and one small team, is the one this comparison prices.