Gladly review 2026: the people-centered customer service platform's features, Sidekick AI, Hero and Superhero pricing, pros, cons, and top alternatives.
Category
Customer Support
Pricing
Subscription, from $180 per agent per month (billed annually, 10-agent minimum)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2014
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Web AppAPIAI
Overview
Gladly is a customer service platform founded in 2014 in San Francisco by Michael Wolfe, Joseph Ansanelli, and Dirk Kessler, built around a single continuous customer timeline instead of ticket queues.
The company has raised roughly 208 million dollars in funding and grew significantly after acquiring the AI automation company Thankful, which became the foundation of Gladly Sidekick.
Key Features
Gladly's unified timeline gives agents full cross-channel context for every customer across voice, email, chat, SMS, and social messaging in one continuous view.
Gladly Sidekick, born from the Thankful acquisition, adds generative AI and no-code automation to resolve common inquiries like returns and order status without human agents.
Pricing
Gladly's core Hero plan starts at approximately 180 dollars per agent per month billed annually with a 10-agent minimum, while the Superhero tier runs around 210 dollars per user per month with a 45-user minimum.
A separate, usage-based small-business plan is available through the Shopify App Store with a 30-day free trial and per-resolution AI pricing.
Key Features
Unified customer timeline — Every interaction a customer has ever had across channels lives on one continuous timeline instead of separate tickets.
Gladly Hero — The core agent workspace where human agents handle voice, chat, email, and SMS conversations with full customer context.
Gladly Sidekick — AI and no-code automation platform, built from the Thankful acquisition, that resolves routine inquiries like returns and order status without a human agent.
Omnichannel voice and messaging — Native support for phone, chat, email, SMS, and social messaging within a single interface.
Agent matching and routing — Routes conversations to the agent best suited to the customer or issue, rather than a generic queue.
Customer profile and lifetime value view — Surfaces order history, past conversations, and customer value directly in the agent view.
Self-service and automation — Sidekick can fully resolve common requests without human involvement, reducing overall contact volume.
Reporting and analytics — Dashboards for tracking agent performance, resolution rates, and customer experience metrics.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Ticketless, timeline-based model gives agents full customer context without repeat explanations
Tight integration between human-agent (Hero) and AI automation (Sidekick) products
Strong reputation among consumer and e-commerce brands that prioritize service as a loyalty driver
Well-funded with roughly 208 million dollars raised, supporting continued AI investment
Usage-based small-business option available through Shopify for smaller merchants
Cons
No free plan and no publicly available free trial for the core enterprise platform
Relatively high per-agent pricing, starting around 180 dollars per agent per month
Minimum seat commitments (10 agents on Hero, 45 on Superhero) exclude very small teams
Voice and SMS usage are often billed separately on top of the base subscription
Pricing is not fully transparent and requires a sales conversation for most customers
Pricing
Hero $180/agent/month Annual, 10-agent minimum
Superhero $210/user/month Annual, 45-user minimum
Small Business (Shopify) $120/agent seat/month + usage Monthly, usage-based with spend cap
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Gladly cost?
Gladly's Hero plan typically starts around 180 dollars per agent per month billed annually with a 10-agent minimum, while the Superhero tier is about 210 dollars per user per month with a 45-user minimum; a separate usage-based small-business plan exists via the Shopify App Store.
Who founded Gladly?
Gladly was founded in 2014 in San Francisco by Michael Wolfe, Joseph Ansanelli, and Dirk Kessler.
What is Gladly Sidekick?
Gladly Sidekick is Gladly's generative AI and no-code automation platform, built from its acquisition of Thankful, that resolves common customer inquiries like returns and order status without a human agent.
Does Gladly offer a free trial?
Gladly's core enterprise platform does not publicly advertise a free trial; the small-business plan on Shopify offers a 30-day free trial before usage-based billing begins.
What makes Gladly different from Zendesk or Intercom?
Gladly is built around a single, continuous customer timeline across all channels rather than discrete tickets, which it argues gives agents better context and turns service into a relationship-building function.
How much funding has Gladly raised?
Gladly has raised approximately 208 million dollars from investors including Greylock Partners, New Enterprise Associates, GGV Capital, and AXA Venture Partners.