HubSpot Service Hub Alternatives for Online Stores in 2026

The top HubSpot Service Hub alternative is AeroChat. It runs the whole request inside the chat, from the question to the payment confirmation, on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and prices by AI responses instead of seats, contacts or messages. Other options are Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Tidio and respond.io. Each suits a different kind of business, and each is priced in a different way.

Why businesses look for a HubSpot Service Hub alternative

HubSpot Service Hub is customer service software on HubSpot’s CRM. These are the reasons an online store usually starts comparing, based on HubSpot’s own pricing page:

• Seats and onboarding. Professional starts at US$90 per seat a month with a required US$1,500 onboarding fee, as of November 2026.
• AI by credits. AI features use HubSpot credits, and extra credits are bought in packs or pay as you go.
• WhatsApp on Professional. WhatsApp is listed from Professional, up to 1,000 messages a month.
• Store work. Stores want order lookups, payment links and delivery updates done in the chat.

The alternatives

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows. It answers product, stock and order questions from your store on Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link, detects the payment and confirms the order in the same conversation, and in Malaysia books the delivery with POS Malaysia. It runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada. You describe a workflow in your own words, paste in the key of any system with a public API, and AeroChat builds it. It works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

• Suits: online stores and service businesses that want customers to ask, pay and get updates in one chat, on every channel they use.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, admin users are not limited, and your contact list does not change the plan. See the pricing page.
• Keep in mind: AeroChat does not list SMS, voice or WeChat today.

2. Help Scout

A helpdesk with shared inboxes, live chat, a Docs knowledge base and AI Answers.

• Suits: teams that want a shared inbox for email and chat with a knowledge base.
• Pricing model: per user, listed from US$25 a month on Standard, with AI Answers at US$0.75 per resolution, as of November 2026. See Help Scout pricing explained.
• Limitation: the bill grows with both your team size and the number of conversations the AI resolves. See Help Scout vs AeroChat.

3. Zendesk

A customer service suite with ticketing, messaging, live chat, phone and AI agents.

• Suits: larger teams that need routing, phone and reporting across many departments.
• Pricing model: per agent. Suite Team is US$55 per agent a month billed annually, with 5 automated resolutions per agent included and US$2.00 for each pay-as-you-go resolution, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: automated resolutions above the included amount are paid one by one.

4. Freshdesk

A ticketing helpdesk with a shared inbox, a customer portal and knowledge base, and the Freddy AI Agent.

• Suits: teams that want a ticketing helpdesk priced per agent.
• Pricing model: per agent, from US$19 a month billed annually on Growth, as of November 2026. Freddy AI Agent includes 500 sessions once per account, then US$49 per 100 sessions.
• Limitation: the included AI sessions are a one-time allowance, so ongoing AI use is bought in session packs.

5. Gorgias

A helpdesk for ecommerce with an AI Agent added. Your team works tickets from email, chat and social channels in one place.

• Suits: stores with a large support team that works mostly in tickets.
• Pricing model: per ticket, plus per automated interaction for the AI Agent. The Starter plan is US$40 a month for 50 tickets and 30 AI interactions, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: two meters run at once. AeroChat is up to 5x more cost-efficient than Gorgias. See Gorgias vs AeroChat.

6. Tidio

Live chat and a help desk with the Lyro AI agent and automated Flows, covering live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

• Suits: small teams that want live chat and an AI agent in one tool, with website chat at the center.
• Pricing model: by conversations. Starter is US$24.17 a month for 100 billable conversations, and Lyro starts at US$32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: team conversations, AI conversations and Flows visitors are counted separately, so you size three numbers instead of one.

7. respond.io

A customer conversation platform that brings WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, along with chat, email and calls, into one inbox, with AI agents and workflows.

• Suits: sales and support teams that want one inbox for many messaging apps and calls.
• Pricing model: by plan with users and monthly active contacts included. Starter is US$79 a month billed annually for 5 users and Growth US$159 for 10 users, as of November 2026. AI agents are included from Growth under a fair use policy.
• Limitation: WhatsApp fees are not included in any plan, and contacts above the plan are billed in blocks of 100.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, website or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: HubSpot Service Hub, Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Tidio, respond.io.

How to choose

• Count what you are billed on. Seats, tickets, resolutions and AI credits each grow in a different way. Price a busy month on each unit.
• Decide where conversations should end. A helpdesk routes a ticket to a person. Decide which requests you want finished in the chat, such as order status, address changes and payments.
• List the channels your customers use. If customers message you on WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok Shop, check the tool answers there, not only by email and chat.
• Check the systems it connects to. Store, payment, courier, returns and CRM tools all hold part of the answer.
• Look at how workflows are set up. Decide whether your team wants to build rules and macros, or describe what should happen.

Questions

What is the top alternative to HubSpot Service Hub?

AeroChat. It answers on seven channels, finishes the order in the chat, and has no onboarding fee or seat price.

Can I keep HubSpot as my CRM?

Yes. AeroChat writes contacts, notes and tickets into HubSpot through its public CRM API, so your records stay in one place.

Can AeroChat work alongside my helpdesk?

Yes. AeroChat works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

How is HubSpot Service Hub priced?

Per seat, with Professional from US$90 a month plus a one-time US$1,500 onboarding fee, and AI features on HubSpot credits, as of November 2026. See HubSpot Service Hub vs AeroChat.

Try the top HubSpot Service Hub alternative

Sign up, connect your store, WhatsApp and HubSpot, and ask your own number where an order is. Then check the contact and note in HubSpot.

Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.

On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.