Does Hobson charge per agent?

No. Every plan includes unlimited seats.

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.

Can I move from Zendesk to Hobson?

Connect your support mailbox to Hobson and it starts drafting straight away. Hobson can import Gorgias history today; it doesn’t import from Zendesk, so your Zendesk history stays where it is.

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 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.

Get early access Compare your costs

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	£49 a month for 300 conversations (£490 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, on Professional and above
Shopify order actions	Refund, cancel, address change, replacement order and discount code, proposed with the reply and run only when approved	Through an app integration. Order actions need set-up or extra apps
Channels	Email (Gmail, forwarding), live chat, Instagram, Messenger and contact forms. Microsoft 365 direct connect coming soon. No voice, SMS or WhatsApp	Email, chat, social and voice

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
Zendesk Suite Team: £222

Change the numbers

Growing store

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

Hobson Growth: £149
Zendesk Suite Team: £678

Change the numbers

Busy store

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

Hobson Scale: £349
Zendesk Suite Team: £2,370

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.

Zendesk’s AI is priced per resolution or interaction, 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 built in, approved with the reply.
Far less to set up: 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 11 October 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.