What counts as a conversation?

One customer’s thread on any channel, however many messages go back and forth. Imported history and spam don’t count.

What happens if I go over my plan?

Hobson tells the owner at 80% and 100% of the plan’s conversations. At the limit it stops drafting replies to new conversations until you upgrade or the next period starts. Messages still arrive and your team can still reply. There are no overage charges.

Can Hobson issue Shopify refunds?

Yes. Hobson can propose a refund, cancellation, address change, replacement order or discount code with its reply. Nothing runs until a person approves it, and agents have a money limit above which an owner or admin must approve.

Does Hobson charge per seat?

No. Every plan includes unlimited seats.

Where is my data stored?

Email and files are stored in AWS in Ireland (eu-west-1) and the app runs in the EU. AI drafting uses providers in the US under standard contractual clauses. OAuth tokens and API keys are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, each with its own key, wrapped by a master key held outside the database.

Hobson vs Richpanel: flat pricing for Shopify support

Richpanel is an AI support tool for Shopify brands with a self-service portal, a returns add-on and a resolution guarantee. It charges per seat, plus AI credits with a $200 a month minimum.

Hobson has no seat fees: a flat plan by conversations, drafts on every conversation and auto-send earned per category.

Choose Richpanel for a self-service portal and returns. Choose Hobson if your team is growing and you want one predictable price.

14-day free trial. Hobson starts in shadow mode, so nothing reaches your customers until you choose.

Get early access Compare your costs

Updated 11 October 2026. Competitor prices checked on each vendor’s own site.

At a glance

Feature	Hobson	Richpanel
Pricing model	Flat monthly plans by conversations, every feature on every plan	Per seat, plus AI credits
Starting price	£49 a month for 300 conversations (£490 a year billed annually)	$99 per seat a month billed annually, $119 monthly
AI fee	None. Drafting and auto-send are included in the plan	About $0.20 per conversation, bought as credits, with a $200 a month minimum
Over the limit	No overage charges. At the limit Hobson stops drafting new conversations until you upgrade or the next period starts	Credit based
Seats	Unlimited seats on every plan	Charged per seat
AI drafting	A draft on every conversation, included	Not listed as a separate add-on on the pricing page
Shopify order actions	Refund, cancel, address change, replacement order and discount code, proposed with the reply and run only when approved	Built for Shopify brands, with a returns add-on from $99
Channels	Email (Gmail, forwarding), live chat, Instagram, Messenger and contact forms. Microsoft 365 direct connect coming soon. No voice, SMS or WhatsApp	See their site

Competitor details as listed on their own pricing pages, 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: £49
Richpanel Per seat: ≈ £329

Change the numbers

Growing store

1,000 conversations, 3 agents, 40% (400) resolved by AI

Hobson Growth: £149
Richpanel Per seat: ≈ £419

Change the numbers

Busy store

3,000 conversations, 8 agents, 50% (1,500) resolved by AI

Hobson Scale: £349
Richpanel Per seat: ≈ £1,167

Change the numbers

How the AI works

Hobson drafts every conversation and a person approves it. A category, such as order status or returns, can only send on its own 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.

Richpanel’s AI is priced per resolution or interaction, so the bill rises as it does more. Hobson’s price stays the same.

Where Richpanel is better

A self-service portal and a returns add-on. Hobson has neither.
A guarantee of 50% resolution in 30 days or your money back.
More time in the market, and 4.7 from 122 reviews on the Shopify App Store.

Where Hobson is better

No per-seat cost. With 10 seats Richpanel is $990 a month on annual billing before any AI.
AI drafting included in one flat GBP price, with no credit minimum.
Shadow mode on your live Gorgias traffic before you switch.
Auto-send earned per category on measured accuracy.

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 Richpanel stays where it is.

Questions

Sources

Richpanel pricing (updated 28 July 2026), checked 28 July 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. Richpanel 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.