Gladly vs Salesforce Service Cloud
Gladly and Salesforce Service Cloud, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Gladly
The only AI built for LTV. People-centered AI support; no ticket model.
Best for Mid-market to enterprise retail, ecommerce, and hospitality (Ulta, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, TUMI).
2014 · San Francisco, CA.
Salesforce Service Cloud
Enterprise customer service platform with autonomous AI agents (Agentforce) and CRM integration.
Best for Large enterprises on Salesforce needing CRM-unified service at scale with AI.
Salesforce 1999; Service Cloud 2009. · San Francisco, CA, USA.
Claimed: from the vendor, not independently verified.
3rd-party: sourced elsewhere, not on the vendor's site.
Everything else: from the vendor's own pages and verifiable.
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- GladlyPer agent/mo, annual; usage fees for voice, SMS, and AI; not published on site.
- Salesforce Service CloudPer user/mo; annual contract billed upfront.
- Free plan
- GladlyNo(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudNo standalone free plan; Foundations gives Enterprise 200k Flex Credits free but needs a paid license.
- Free trial / guarantee
- GladlyNo (enterprise); 30-day trial with 100 AI interactions via Shopify only.
- Salesforce Service Cloud30-day free trial, no card.
- Price
- Gladly~$180/agent/mo (Hero, annual). · ~$210/agent/mo (Superhero, annual). · Not disclosed. Enterprise quote above Superhero.(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudStarter Suite $25/user/mo (annual; max 10 users). · Pro $75–100; Enterprise $150–175/user/mo. · Unlimited $300–350/user/mo; Agentforce 1 Service ~$500–550 (all-in).(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Gladly~10 agents (Hero); ~45 (Superhero).(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service Cloud1 (Starter); no stated minimum on higher tiers.
- Unlimited agents
- GladlyNo. Priced per agent.(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudNo seat cap on Pro/Enterprise/Unlimited; Starter caps at 10.
- Implementation fee
- GladlyNot disclosed. Custom quote; Professional Services.(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudNot disclosed in list; estimates of $50k–150k+ for mid-large.(3rd-party)source
- Transparency
- GladlyOpaque. No pricing on site; requires a demo.
- Salesforce Service CloudLow. Base tiers listed; AI, digital engagement (+$75/user), voice (+$50/user), success plans quoted separately.
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- GladlyNative
- Salesforce Service CloudNative
- Live chat
- GladlyNative
- Salesforce Service CloudNative (Messaging for In-App and Web).
- In-app messenger
- GladlyNative
- Salesforce Service CloudNative (Messaging In-App; incl. Unlimited, add-on on lower tiers).
- Voice
- GladlyNative. Built-in, enterprise-ready.
- Salesforce Service CloudNative (Service Cloud Voice; Amazon Connect or partner; add-on).
- SMS
- GladlyNative
- Salesforce Service CloudAdd-on (Digital Engagement +$75/user/mo; per-message fees).
- GladlyNative (via WhatsApp Business API).
- Salesforce Service CloudAdd-on (Digital Engagement; message credits).
- Social
- GladlyNative. Facebook Messenger, Instagram.
- Salesforce Service CloudAdd-on (FB Messenger, X, Apple Messages, LINE via Digital Engagement).
- Unified inbox
- GladlyNative. Single people-centered timeline (no tickets).
- Salesforce Service CloudNative (Omni-Channel into single console; cross-channel history needs config).
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- GladlyNative. Voice and IVR built-in, no third-party telephony needed.
- Salesforce Service CloudNative. Service Cloud Voice in console; Amazon Connect default; BYO telephony (Vonage, Talkdesk, Five9).
- Voice AI / transcription
- GladlyYes. AI voice summaries and transcription (Deepgram).
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Real-time transcription, AI case auto-creation, next-best-action on calls.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- GladlyYes. Gladly Sidekick resolves end-to-end on chat, SMS, and voice (email soon); human handoff.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Agentforce (Atlas Reasoning Engine): multi-step planning, RAG, tool execution, self-reflection; resolves cases autonomously.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- GladlyYes. Team Assist: AI-drafted responses, real-time translation, and summaries.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Agentforce Assistant (ex Einstein Copilot): reply suggestions, case summaries, next-best-action, article recs.
- Claimed automation rate
- Gladly76% of conversations fully resolved by AI (homepage); KUHL 59%.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudUp to 85% of queries without a human; 86% in a pilot; projects 50% of cases industry-wide by 2027.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- GladlyChat, SMS, and voice (Sidekick Voice); email launching soon; social not confirmed.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudChat/messaging, email, voice, web, in-app, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, SMS.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- GladlyBoth. Refunds, cancellations, and booking updates via connected commerce and logistics APIs.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudActions via API. Updates records, creates/closes cases, triggers flows, calls external APIs via topic actions.
- Knowledge sources
- GladlyBrand KB (Guides), conversation history, and integrated commerce, logistics, and order data.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Knowledge, Data Cloud, CRM data, PDFs/images/videos via Context Indexing.
- Underlying model
- GladlyNot publicly disclosed; uses Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Deepgram (voice).
- Salesforce Service CloudAtlas Reasoning Engine (proprietary orchestrator); model-agnostic. OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, Mistral, local LLMs.
- Trains on past tickets
- GladlyYes. Learns from every conversation, including human resolutions; not used to train its own models.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Uses historical case data for classification, routing, replies; clean Data Cloud data required.(claimed)source
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- GladlyNot disclosed
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Agentforce Testing Center: multi-turn simulation, tool mocking, regression/batch testing, CI/CD.
- Multilingual
- GladlyPartial. Platform translation in 70+ languages; Sidekick AI authoring English-only; IVR 30 languages.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Real-time detection, translation, localization; Conversation Mining in FR/DE/IT/ES.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- GladlyNative only. Sidekick needs Gladly as the primary helpdesk.
- Salesforce Service CloudNative only. Embedded in Service Cloud.(3rd-party)source
- AI pricing model
- GladlyUsage-based (per conversation or resolution) on top of a per-agent fee.(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudChoose: $2/conversation (customer-facing); Flex Credits $500/100k (~$0.10/action); or $125/user/mo add-on.
- AI unit price
- Gladly~$0.60/conversation (enterprise); $1.50/AI Resolution + $0.25/AI Assist (Shopify tier).(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service Cloud$2.00/conversation or $0.10/action via Flex Credits ($0.005/credit).(3rd-party)source
- Copilot / Assist price
- GladlyNot disclosed (Team Assist not broken out).
- Salesforce Service CloudAgentforce for Service $125/user/mo; Agentforce 1 Service (all-in) $550/user/mo.(3rd-party)source
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Gladly or Salesforce Service Cloudas an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- GladlySOC 2 Type II (and AI sub-processors).
- Salesforce Service CloudSOC 2 Type II.
- GDPR
- GladlyYes. DPAs with AI vendors; VeraSafe EU/UK representative.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Consent mgmt, data subject rights, EU BCRs; Hyperforce EU Operating Zone.
- HIPAA / PCI
- GladlyNot disclosed. PCI-DSS and GDPR confirmed; HIPAA not referenced.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. BAA required; needs Salesforce Shield; shared responsibility.
- SSO / SAML
- GladlyYes. SSO; SAML certificates.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. SAML SSO.
- Data residency
- GladlyPartial. 9 global regions for voice; no explicit customer-selectable residency.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes via Hyperforce. US, UK, Germany, India, Japan, UAE, EU Zone; FedRAMP High.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Gladly60+ integrations.
- Salesforce Service Cloud10,000+ apps on AgentExchange (rebranded AppExchange); 1,000+ prebuilt Agentforce agents.
- Shopify depth
- GladlyDeep native. Customer and purchase history, order management, returns (via Loop), and shipping; Shopify App Store trial.
- Salesforce Service CloudVia integration. No native connector; AppExchange connectors (eShopSync etc.) sync orders/customers/inventory.
- Open / public API
- GladlyYes. Open APIs; developer.gladly.com.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. REST (v67.0), SOAP, Bulk, Streaming, Connect APIs; OpenAPI 3.0 beta.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- GladlyYes. SDKs, sample apps, and testing; webhooks via Messaging Automation APIs.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Salesforce DX, Lightning Web Components SDK, Apex.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- GladlyRouting and entry-point config; no named workflow builder.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Flow Builder (no-code); Flow Orchestrator; Apex.
- Triggers / automations
- GladlyYes. Automated routing, proactive outreach (voice, SMS, email), and entry-point rules.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Time-based, auto-response, escalation, auto-assignment, Einstein Classification.
- Routing
- GladlyYes. People Match intelligent routing (history, skills, attributes).
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Omni-Channel (skills/capacity/priority); Unified Routing for Voice.
- Macros / canned responses
- GladlyYes. Quick Reply (button responses) and macros.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Macros and Quick Text.
- SLA management
- GladlyYes. SLA Business Hours and Entry Point SLA settings.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Entitlements and Milestones; FRT/resolution tracking; SLA pause; Agentic Milestones (Beta).
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- GladlyYes. Notes and @mentions.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Case Comments (public/private); private Chatter posts.
- Collision detection
- GladlyReferenced in comparisons; not confirmed on a Gladly page.(3rd-party)source
- Salesforce Service CloudNot disclosed. Not documented; community requests suggest it is not native.
- Side conversations
- GladlyNot disclosed
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Via Slack Swarming from a case; Chatter feed; not a dedicated thread feature.
- Shared inbox
- GladlyYes. Unified inbox; task management tied to customer threads.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Omni-Channel shared queue-based workspace.
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- GladlyYes. Answers KB for agents and AI; configured via non-developer Guides.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Salesforce Knowledge; versioning; Knowledge Maps (Spring 26).
- Help center
- GladlyYes. Customer-facing, 45+ languages.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Via Experience Cloud (separate licensing).
- Community forum
- GladlyNot offered
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Via Experience Cloud customer communities.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- GladlyYes. Sidekick serves answers from the Answers KB autonomously.(claimed)source
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Einstein article summaries; Quick Chat AI answers from articles; Article Recommendations.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- GladlyYes. Liveboards (real-time) and Insight Builder.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Real-time case/SLA/agent dashboards.
- Custom reports
- GladlyYes. Insight Builder custom reports.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Custom report builder; from Enterprise upward; Starter/Pro limited.
- Included in lowest tier
- GladlyReporting tier restrictions not published; appears standard.
- Salesforce Service CloudBasic reporting in Starter; advanced needs Enterprise+.
- CSAT surveys
- GladlyYes. Native CSAT; integrates Delighted, SimpleSat, Stella.
- Salesforce Service CloudYes. Feedback Management (Salesforce Surveys): CSAT and NPS post-case.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- GladlyDedicated implementation team; Professional Services; guided docs.
- Salesforce Service CloudTrailhead (free); in-app setup (Starter); Premier Onboarding in Premier/Signature plans; certified SI partners.(3rd-party)source
- Support channels
- GladlyGladly Support team (bugs, how-tos, config); dedicated CSM post-implementation.
- Salesforce Service CloudStandard: case + Trailhead; Premier: 24/7 phone+online; Signature: proactive + dedicated CSM pool.(3rd-party)source
- Dedicated CSM
- GladlyYes. All customers get a dedicated CSM post-implementation.
- Salesforce Service CloudSignature Success Plan. Dedicated CSM pool; pricing not disclosed.
- Implementation partners
- GladlyNot disclosed. No partner or SI page found.
- Salesforce Service CloudExtensive. Thousands of certified SIs (Accenture, Deloitte, Cognizant).(3rd-party)source