# Gladly — Customer Service & Helpdesk

Gladly by Gladly, Inc. holds a panel rating of 3/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2.5/5), as of 2026-11-04. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Gladly, Inc. (https://www.gladly.com)
- Category: [Customer Service & Helpdesk](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/gladly
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/gladly/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/gladly/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-11-04 · evaluated 2026-11-04 · oldest source captured 2026-11-03

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Gladly, Inc.
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026

## The panel's verdict

Gladly — the platform now named Gladly Team — earns its highest marks on omnichannel, 7-8, where judges found eight channels (voice, chat, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, email, voicemail) meeting in one conversation timeline per customer under a single SLA model. Customer data protection scores 6-7 for documented deletion at message, thread, call-recording and profile level and platform-wide retention with a 365-day minimum, held back by a redaction tool the pages state is currently only available for Shopify. Ticketing core scores 6-7 on a documented SLA and routing engine; judges found no public information on breach warnings, escalation, or merge and split, and the SLA attainment and channel mix reports are stated to be sunset soon. Among the product criteria, knowledge and self-service sits lowest at 5-6; integrations scores a flat 6 with a documented REST API and webhooks capped at 50 per organization. Sovereignty scores 0-1, with hosting, contracting entity, subprocessors and a data processing agreement all unknown; pricing transparency is 0. The bench stayed close: no criterion spans more than one point.

**Speaks for it:**
- Eight channels — voice, chat, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, email and voicemail — run in one system with per-channel SLA fulfilment rules.
- Deletion is documented at message, email-thread, call-recording and whole-profile level, with GDPR and CCPA retrieval via API and a compliance event log.
- SLA targets are configurable per Inbox and per Channel Entry Point, with due dates that drive routing priority.
- A documented REST API with token rotation, and webhooks offering custom headers, basic auth, retries and auto-disable, up to 50 per organization.
- Help Center supports multiple brand- and language-specific centers, embeddable on your site or Shopify, with up to 1,000 Public Answers per language or Audience.

**Held against it:**
- No price, tier, per-agent basis or billing period appears on the captured pages, so an invoice cannot be computed from public information.
- Hosting location, contracting entity, subprocessor chain and a data processing agreement all remain unknown from the captured pages.
- The redaction request tool is stated to be currently only available for Shopify.
- The SLA attainment and channel mix reports are both stated to be sunset soon.
- The events export reaches back only 24 hours, and all-time raw transcript data can only be generated by Gladly Support.

**Best for:**
- You support customers across many channels and need every conversation — voice to WhatsApp — on one timeline per customer under one SLA model.
- Your compliance workload centres on GDPR and CCPA subject requests requiring deletion at message, thread, call-recording or whole-profile level.
- Your developers can build against a documented REST API and webhooks to bring Shopify or Klaviyo activity into the customer profile.
- You run multiple brands or languages and want a separate embeddable Help Center for each, with up to 1,000 Public Answers per language or Audience.

**Avoid if:**
- Your redaction and compliance requests arrive from platforms other than Shopify — the redaction tool is currently only available for Shopify.
- You need to export event history yourself beyond a 24-hour window — all-time raw transcript data can only be generated by Gladly Support.
- Your reporting cadence depends on the SLA attainment or channel mix reports — the pages state both will be sunset soon.
- You need retention rules per queue or data category rather than one platform-wide setting.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v2). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price, or the judge found no public information on that criterion.

| Criterion | The Support Lead | The Agent Advocate | The Data Protection Officer | The Shop Operator | The Integrator | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ticketing, queues & SLA | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Channels in one queue | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Knowledge base & deflection | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Customer data protection | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Integrations & API | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| European sovereignty | n/r | n/r | 0.5/5 | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| **Weighted verdict** | **3.5/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** | **3.5/5** | **3.5/5** | **3.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Support Lead** (v1.0): Runs a team of twelve against an SLA the sales team promised. Wants routing that reflects skill, timers that warn before they breach, and reporting she can take to a quarterly review. Reads "AI-powered" as a claim to be checked against the queue on a Monday morning.
- **The Agent Advocate** (v1.0): Has answered tickets for six years and judges every tool by the hundredth reply, not the first. Wants search that finds the old thread, macros that save real keystrokes, and one screen rather than four tabs. Treats agent-activity dashboards as a smell.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Sees a ticket archive for what it is: years of personal data customers typed themselves, including the things they should not have. Wants retention that executes, redaction, an audit of who read what, and an answer on whether vendor support can open a ticket.
- **The Shop Operator** (v1.0): Handles "where is my parcel" at volume and needs the order in front of the agent without a second login. Judges omnichannel by whether WhatsApp and the shop actually land in one queue, and deflection by whether the ticket count falls in December.
- **The Integrator** (v1.0): Has to wire the helpdesk into a CRM, a shop and an identity provider that all predate it. Wants a documented API with rate limits, webhooks that retry, SCIM, and a sandbox. Reads a partner-contact form on an integrations page as a missing API.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Counts the channel logos on the marketing page, then asks which of them share one queue and one history. Reads for the tier where SLA policies begin, what a "light agent" may actually do, and whether the AI summariser is included or metered.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | — |
| Open source | Not determined | — | — |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | — |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Data**
- API retrieval: yes · GDPR · CCPA [S8]
- Call recording and attachment deletion: yes · yes [S8]
- Customer data request export: yes [S9]
- Deleted message placeholder: This item has been deleted [S8]
- Last contact excludes app activity: no [S8]
- Profile json export: Compliance Admin · json · yes [S8]
- Profile level deletion: yes [S8]
- Redaction CSV export: yes · yes [S9]
- Redaction permanent removal: yes [S9]
- Retention minimum days: last contact date · 365 [S8]
- Retention platform setting: yes · yes [S8]

**Integrations**
- API token generation: Setting > API Tokens > Create Token [S11]
- API token permission: API User [S11]
- API token required: API User · yes [S10]
- Deactivated user impact: yes [S10]
- Developer tutorial profile deletion: yes [S8]
- Freeform topics export: Insight Builder · yes [S11]
- SLA attainment API: Report can be generated via API [S3]
- Token rotation: yes [S10]
- Token visibility: yes [S10]
- User invitation expiry: 24 [S10]
- Webhook auto deactivate: yes [S10]
- Webhook basic auth: yes [S10]
- Webhook config fields: name · enabled_toggle · webhook_url · events · username · password · realm · http_headers [S10]
- Webhook custom headers: yes [S10]
- Webhook limit: 50 [S10]
- Webhook retry disable: 15 · yes [S11]

**Product**
- API export tool access URL: https://support-tools.gladly.tools/ [S11]
- API export tool beta: yes [S11]
- API export tool description: Web-based portal wrapping Gladly REST APIs, no code required [S11]
- Bulk close conversations: yes · yes [S11]
- Bulk close irreversible: yes [S11]
- Bulk close tasks: yes [S11]
- Call events lookup: Call Conversation Item ID · yes [S11]
- Cc bcc SLA rule: Email addressed to one entry point and CC/BCC to another uses the shorter SLA [S2]
- Channel mix channel options: PHONE_CALL · CHAT · SMS · FB_MESSENGER · TWITTER · WHATSAPP · EMAIL · VOICEMAIL · ABANDONED_CALL · ABANDONED_CALL [S4]
- Channel mix email contact behavior: Email messages before agent response count toward the same Contact, which can time out after agent responds [S4]
- Channel mix grouping: Contact · Time granularity [S4]
- Channel mix inbound definition: Customer · Internal · External [S4]
- Channel mix report: shows inbound volume across Channels and volume of individual messages sent [S4]
- Channel mix sunsetting: yes [S4]
- Channel mix time anchor: Contact Queued At event [S4]
- Conversational commerce: on-site conversational commerce agent guiding shoppers to products [S1]
- Due date comparison rule: On new inbound communication, the earlier of existing and potential due date is used [S2]
- Entry point SLA override: Entry Point SLA overrides Inbox SLA when specified [S2]
- Events 24h limitation: 24 [S11]
- Export agents: all Agents · CSV [S11]
- Export answers: all Answers with per-channel content · CSV [S11]
- Export audiences: all Audience segments · CSV [S11]
- Export business hours: all Business Hours · CSV [S11]
- Export customer conversations: Customer ID · ZIP of 2 CSVs [S11]
- Export events: CSV · JSON · AGENT_AVAILABILITY · AGENT_STATUS · CONTACT · CONVERSATION · CUSTOMER · PAYMENT_REQUEST [S11]
- Export inboxes: all Inboxes · CSV [S11]
- Export single conversation: Conversation ID · CSV [S11]
- Export teams: all Teams · CSV [S11]
- Export topics: all Topics · CSV [S11]
- Export webhooks: webhook configs incl. events, credentials, retry-disable timestamp · yes [S11]
- Get file export: ZIP with agents.jsonl, conversation_items.jsonl, customers.jsonl, topics.jsonl · CSV · JSON · 7 [S11]
- Help center answer limit: per language or Audience, per Help Center · 1000 [S7]
- Help center audience filter: Help Center can be scoped to an Audience for searching Public Answers [S7]
- Help center browsers: Chrome · Firefox · Safari · Microsoft Edge · yes [S6]
- Help center columns: 3 [S7]
- Help center css inheritance: Embedded Help Center inherits host website CSS [S7]
- Help center customizable text: Search placeholder, results header, back link, see-more link texts are customizable [S7]
- Help center embed code: embed code snippet on hosted website · gladly-help-center [S7]
- Help center knowledge base: Help Center is a customer-facing knowledge base (Public Answers) [S6]
- Help center language: Each Help Center supports one language [S7]
- Help center preview: unstyled layout preview · yes [S7]
- Help center preview delay: 10 [S7]
- Help center public answers: Help Center content is powered by Public Answers [S7]
- Help center required role: Administrator · Team Manager [S7]
- Help center search wildcard: display search term in search results header · %q [S7]
- Help center section sorting: drag and drop · yes [S7]
- Help center SEO: yes [S6]
- Help center server side rendering limitation: Server-side rendering prevents usage data capture in Help Center reports [S7]
- Help center shopify embed: web pages · Shopify [S7]
- Import agent preferences: export-edit-reupload CSV · yes [S11]
- Import answers: CSV · yes [S11]
- Import topics: CSV · yes [S11]
- Inbox reassignment SLA: On inbox reassignment, the shorter SLA of the two inboxes is applied [S2]
- Ivr recording export: ZIP of MP3s [S11]
- Mail routing recommendation balanced: Balanced: Same Agent with 5–45 minute response window [S5]
- Mail routing recommendation fcfs: First-come-first-serve: Next available Agent with 0–5 minute time limit [S5]
- Multiple help centers: yes [S7]
- Naming update: Gladly (AI) · Gladly Team [S6]
- Next available agent option: Route replies outside threshold to next available Agent [S5]
- No reply needed reporting: Unfulfilled contacts show as unanswered in Liveboards; mark No Reply Needed to fulfill [S2]
- Portal sections: Configuration · Conversations · Bulk Close · Logs · IVR [S11]
- Positioning: Commerce AI for every customer moment [S1]
- Raw transcript export limitation: via Gladly Support only [S11]
- Redaction bulk complete: yes [S9]
- Redaction compliance event log: yes [S9]
- Redaction customer redact permanent: yes [S9]
- Redaction email notifications: yes · yes [S9]
- Redaction hide email patterns: yes [S9]
- Redaction hide shops: yes · no · yes [S9]
- Redaction page pagination: 50 · 100 · 200 [S9]
- Redaction request types: Customer Data Export · Customer Redact · Shop Redact [S9]
- Redaction requests purpose: Redaction Requests feature lets Compliance Administrators review and act on data privacy requests received from an integrated platform (e.g., Shopify) [S9]
- Redaction requests required role: Compliance Administrator [S9]
- Redaction requests shopify only: yes [S9]
- Redaction shop redact auto: yes · no [S9]
- Redaction status values: Pending · Completed · Auto-completed [S9]
- Required role: Administrator [S5]
- Required role compliance admin: Compliance Administrator [S8]
- Same agent open reopened: Route replies to same agent even if offline when conversation open/reopened [S5]
- Same agent time limit: minutes · Same agent assignment time limit (minutes) [S5]
- Setting location: Settings > Agent Experience > Conversation Workflow [S5]
- SLA AI handoff: SLA clock starts only after Gladly AI hands off Customer to an Agent [S2]
- SLA attainment definitions: SLA = target response time; % within SLA = inbound contacts fulfilled within SLA; Fulfilled Contacts = inbound contacts fulfilled [S3]
- SLA attainment inbox attribution: Inbox attribution determined by the SLA set for the Inbox on the inbound item [S3]
- SLA attainment period comparison: weekly · monthly · quarterly · previous period [S3]
- SLA attainment report: SLA Attainment by Channel report measures team performance against SLAs per communication channel for inbound requests, over time [S3]
- SLA attainment report sunset: yes [S3]
- SLA attainment summary naming: Summary Report labels: Fulfilled Contacts = Responses, Fulfilled Contacts within SLA = Responses within SLA [S3]
- SLA attainment table limitation: no [S3]
- SLA attainment view frequency: daily [S3]
- SLA cold transfer voice: Cold transfer sets new due date based on destination inbox SLA [S2]
- SLA configuration location: Channel Entry Point · Inbox [S2]
- SLA counter start: SLA counter starts when the Conversation hits the queue, not when Customer lookup completes [S2]
- SLA definition: Reporting SLA measures time to acknowledge or respond to a Customer [S2]
- SLA due date formula: Time of Contact + SLA target time = due date [S2]
- SLA fulfillment email: email/voicemail · agent sends response containing customer email in TO/CC/BCC [S2]
- SLA fulfillment messaging: messaging · agent sends a response [S2]
- SLA fulfillment other triggers: yes · no [S2]
- SLA fulfillment voice: voice · agent accepts the call [S2]
- SLA transfer messaging mail: Transferred messaging/mail conversations keep SLA fulfilled but due date still prioritizes routing [S2]
- Timeline labels: <customer replied via email> · <customer> sent an email> [S5]

## Questions

### Is Gladly European?

Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where Gladly is based.

### Where does Gladly store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026.

### Does Gladly have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to Gladly?

As of 4 Nov 2026, the panel rates [Zendesk (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/zendesk), [HubSpot Service Hub (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/hubspot-service-hub) and [Deskpro (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/deskpro) highest among the other 35 Customer Service & Helpdesk products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Zammad](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/zammad) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Gladly alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/gladly/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- We found no public information on pricing on the pages we read (gladly.com, help.gladly.com/docs/how-sla-impacts-routing, help.gladly.com/docs/sla-attainment, help.gladly.com/docs/channel-mix, help.gladly.com/docs/configure-email-and-voicemail-routing-settings-1, help.gladly.com/docs/get-started-with-help-center and 5 more). If the vendor publishes it somewhere else, send us the page.
- We found no public information on compliance on the pages we read (gladly.com, help.gladly.com/docs/how-sla-impacts-routing, help.gladly.com/docs/sla-attainment, help.gladly.com/docs/channel-mix, help.gladly.com/docs/configure-email-and-voicemail-routing-settings-1, help.gladly.com/docs/get-started-with-help-center and 5 more). If the vendor publishes it somewhere else, send us the page.
- 16 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 data facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 integrations fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor page: https://www.gladly.com (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S2] Ticketing, queues & SLA — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/how-sla-impacts-routing (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S3] Ticketing, queues & SLA — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/sla-attainment (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S4] Channels in one queue — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/channel-mix (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S5] Channels in one queue — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-email-and-voicemail-routing-settings-1 (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S6] Knowledge base & deflection — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/get-started-with-help-center (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S7] Knowledge base & deflection — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/help-center-configuration (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S8] Customer data protection — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-data-retention-settings-and-data-deletion-options (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S9] Customer data protection — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/compliance-redaction-requests (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S10] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/generate-api-tokens-and-create-webhooks (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S11] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://help.gladly.com/docs/api-export-tool (checked 2026-11-03)

---

Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Gladly — Customer Service & Helpdesk", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-11-04. https://whats-best.ai/software/customer-service/gladly

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/1395?target=page