Short answer
Zendesk's own AI agents and eesel AI meet all five stated criteria, and Aide, Macha and Minimal meet four. For Shopify cancellations and refunds from the ticket, eesel, Aide, Macha, Minimal, Siena and Yuma list both, and Zendesk's Copilot add-on suggests them for an agent to approve.- Options compared
- Zendesk AI agents, eesel AI, Aide, Macha, Minimal, Fin, Siena, Yuma.
- Criteria
- Answers alone, drafts, Shopify cancel and refund, published price, no-call start.
- Order
- Most criteria met, then the lowest monthly price to start using the AI.
- Zendesk AI billing
- Per verified automated resolution beyond the allowance, $1.50 committed or $2.00.
- Checked
- November 2, 2026, on each vendor's pricing pages, docs and help center.
- Disclosure
- Aide makes this page and is one of the eight.
The five criteria
Each is applied to what the vendor's own pages said on November 2, 2026; anything they didn't confirm is marked "Not confirmed" and doesn't count. Zendesk is an Aide partner, and every option here works inside Zendesk.
- Answers on its own: the AI replies to customers on email and messaging tickets in Zendesk.
- Drafts for review: it writes replies inside Zendesk for an agent to check and send.
- Shopify order actions: the AI cancels and refunds Shopify orders from the ticket, alone or after a teammate approves.
- Published price: the price and its billing unit are on the vendor's site.
- Start without a sales call: a free plan or trial you open yourself.
Tools are ordered by criteria met, then by the lowest monthly price to start using the AI on top of your Zendesk plan.
Side by side
| Tool | Answers email and messaging alone | Drafts in Zendesk | Shopify cancel and refund | Pricing unit and entry price | Start without a call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk AI agents | Yes | Yes, Copilot add-on | Yes, auto assist suggests, an agent approves (Copilot add-on) | Per verified automated resolution; 5 or 10 per agent a month included, then $1.50 or $2.00 | Yes, 14-day trial |
| eesel AI | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus address changes | 1 credit per ticket; $299 a month for 500 | Yes, 100 free credits |
| Aide | Email; drafts on messaging and chat | Yes | Yes, plus address changes | Per AI reply; free for 150, then $39 a month for 1,000 | Yes, free plan |
| Macha | Yes | Yes | Yes; refunds cover the whole order | Per ticket; $299 a month for 750 | No, trial after a discovery call |
| Minimal | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus address changes | Per ticket; $489 a month for 1,000 | No, money-back guarantee |
| Fin | Yes | No, Copilot is for Salesforce | Not confirmed | $0.99 per outcome; 50 a month minimum | Yes, 14-day trial |
| Siena | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes, plus address changes | $750 a month plus $0.90 per automated ticket | No |
| Yuma | Not confirmed for messaging | Yes, draft mode | Yes, plus edits and reships | Per full resolution; not published | No, trial through a demo |
Checked November 2, 2026 against each vendor's own pages. Sources below.
The eight, in order
1. Zendesk AI agents: best for one vendor and one bill
Included in every Suite and Support plan, Zendesk's AI agents answer messaging and email, and phone calls on Zendesk voice. Escalations and resolutions that fail Zendesk's LLM check don't use the allowance. Drafts and the Shopify actions come from auto assist in the Copilot add-on ($50 per agent a month yearly, Suite Professional and up). Forethought, now part of Zendesk, is sold through sales. More in Aide vs Zendesk AI.
2. eesel AI: best for a self-serve AI teammate across tools
eesel AI drafts, sends replies, adds notes and updates fields on email, chat, messaging and social tickets. On Shopify it refunds, cancels unfulfilled orders, changes addresses and starts returns, acting directly or waiting for a person, as you set it. Extra credits are $0.80 with overage on. More in Aide vs eesel AI.
3. Aide: best for Shopify brands that want order changes with approval
Aide drafts on every Zendesk ticket as an internal note and in the Aide panel, and answers email tickets itself once a brand is live. For verified shoppers it cancels, refunds, changes the shipping address or removes an unshipped item; refunds wait for a teammate by default. Each topic is set to AI Agent, Drafts or None, and human replies are never billed.
4. Macha: best for teams that want the setup done for them
Macha's team builds the agent from your past tickets and keeps it drafting internal notes until you let it send. It replies, tags and routes on email and messaging, and cancels unshipped Shopify orders and refunds them. A ticket is one thread, about $0.40 at every tier. More in Aide vs Macha.
5. Minimal: best for stacks with warehouse, returns and subscription tools
Minimal connects Shopify to tools such as Monta, Loop and Recharge, and you choose per topic whether it automates, drafts or stays out. On Shopify it refunds in full or in part, cancels, edits order lines and changes addresses. More in Aide vs Minimal.
6. Fin: best for outcome pricing on Zendesk
Fin answers Zendesk email, web form and messaging tickets, with Fin Voice for phone. An outcome is a resolution or a Procedure you set to end in a handoff. Its Shopify connector reads orders and products, for US-hosted Intercom workspaces only; we couldn't confirm Shopify cancellations or refunds. More in Fin alternatives for ecommerce.
7. Siena: best for brands that want support and social together
Siena answers Zendesk tickets on email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and chat, and on Shopify it cancels, refunds, replaces and edits orders. The price is quoted through a form. More in Aide vs Siena.
8. Yuma: best for high-volume brands that want a managed rollout
Yuma installs as a Zendesk app and edits, cancels, refunds and reships Shopify orders, with daily refund and cancellation caps. New playbooks go live on 10% of matching conversations, the rest as drafts. More in Aide vs Yuma.
What 1,000 tickets a month costs
Take 5 agents on Zendesk Suite Team and 1,000 tickets a month. Assume, for the math only, that the AI works every ticket, resolves 300 and writes 2 replies per ticket.
- Zendesk AI agents: 25 included, 275 at $1.50 committed: $412.50.
- Fin: 300 outcomes at $0.99: $297.
- Aide: 2,000 AI replies fit Pro: $149.
- Minimal: the 1,000-ticket tier: $489.
- Macha: the 1,500-ticket tier: $599.
- eesel AI: 500 credits for $299, plus 500 at $0.80: $699.
- Siena: $750 plus 300 at $0.90: $1,020, if only resolved tickets count.
Per-resolution bills grow as the AI resolves more; per-ticket and per-reply bills grow with volume.
How to choose
- One vendor and one bill: Zendesk AI agents.
- Shopify order changes from the ticket: Aide, eesel AI, Minimal or Siena, or Macha and Yuma if their team should run it.
- Start today without a sales call: Aide (free plan), eesel AI, Fin or Zendesk (trials).
- AI on phone calls: Zendesk AI agents with Zendesk voice, or Fin Voice. Aide does not handle voice or phone.
Sources
All facts were checked on November 2, 2026 against each vendor's own pages: Zendesk's pricing, automated resolution tiers, actions for auto assist, Shopify connector and AI agents and customer orders; eesel AI's pricing, Zendesk page, Gorgias page and Shopify docs; Macha's pricing and Zendesk page; Minimal's pricing, home page, Zendesk page and AI info page; Fin's pricing, Fin for Zendesk and Shopify connector; Siena's pricing, Zendesk page and Shopify page; Yuma's pricing, Zendesk page and home page. Also checked and left out: Ada, which shows pricing only through a demo, and Lorikeet, which is built for financial services, healthcare and insurance. Aide's facts come from its shipped product and pricing. Prices change; check each vendor before you buy. Aide makes this page; to correct a fact, write to support@aide.app.