Spiceworks
An IT-media brand whose feed is journalism, not a product changelog.
Comparison · Support
Deskpro vs Richpanel
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Deskpro and Richpanel — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:helpdesk
Deskpro vs Richpanel: at a glance
| Feature | Deskpro | Richpanel |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Support | Support |
| Velocity score | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | helpdesk, accessibility, ai governance, private ai | helpdesk, voice channel, ai agent, ecommerce support |
| Last editorial update | 9h ago | 7h ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
What is Deskpro?
Deskpro 2026.5 turns to accessibility after a year of AI governance work.
Deskpro ships large releases every two to three months. From 2025.6 onward each release has focused on private and governed AI: own-infrastructure models, selective re-indexing, more model choices and server-side datasource access in 2026.4. 2026.5 in October shifts to improving screen reader and keyboard support across agent and admin interfaces, and speeding up snippets and tickets.
What is Richpanel?
Richpanel now runs its own phone line and keeps letting its AI agent act in more store apps.
Richpanel is a support helpdesk for online stores. In October it launched Richpanel Voice, built-in calling with number purchase, phone menus, live coaching and caller context such as order count and lifetime value. The rest of the month added Whop, Postscript SMS, Subscribfy, ShipHero, Judge.me and Juo integrations, most of which let agents and the AI agent take actions such as pausing subscriptions or stopping shipments.
Deskpro vs Richpanel: editorial side-by-side
Deskpro
2.5SUPPORT
Deskpro 2026.5 turns to accessibility after a year of AI governance work.
◆ Current state
Deskpro ships large releases every two to three months. From 2025.6 onward each release has focused on private and governed AI: own-infrastructure models, selective re-indexing, more model choices and server-side datasource access in 2026.4. 2026.5 in October shifts to improving screen reader and keyboard support across agent and admin interfaces, and speeding up snippets and tickets.
◆ Where it's heading
With the AI controls in place, Deskpro is now working on the core help desk experience. The release cadence has stayed steady at roughly two months.
◆ Prediction
Expect 2026.6 around December; whether it returns to AI features or continues on accessibility is unclear.
Richpanel
5.0SUPPORT
Richpanel now runs its own phone line and keeps letting its AI agent act in more store apps.
◆ Current state
Richpanel is a support helpdesk for online stores. In October it launched Richpanel Voice, built-in calling with number purchase, phone menus, live coaching and caller context such as order count and lifetime value. The rest of the month added Whop, Postscript SMS, Subscribfy, ShipHero, Judge.me and Juo integrations, most of which let agents and the AI agent take actions such as pausing subscriptions or stopping shipments.
◆ Where it's heading
Richpanel is moving from connecting phone providers to being the phone system itself, with calls in the same conversation as email and chat. The integration run has shifted from showing data next to a ticket to letting the AI agent act in the merchant's other apps. Breadth remains the strategy, with several integrations most weeks.
◆ Prediction
Expect more action-capable e-commerce integrations and voice features such as AI handling of calls. The entries do not say whether the AI agent answers calls yet.
Alternatives to Deskpro and Richpanel
Other Support products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Deskpro or Richpanel.
Ferndesk
Ferndesk moves its help-center answers into every reply box with a Chrome extension.
HelpSpot
HelpSpot is shipping steady on-prem help desk upgrades while courting Jira Data Center refugees.
Hatz AI
Hatz AI is turning a multi-model chat for MSPs into a workflow and agent platform.
DoneDone
DoneDone gives scheduled tasks a list view and calendar-style editing.
Chatway
Chatway adds smart routing and n8n after a month of plugging its inbox into other tools.
See all Deskpro alternatives → · See all Richpanel alternatives →
Recent activity from Deskpro and Richpanel
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11d agoRichpanelWhop Integration: Support Your Whop Members from Richpanel
- 13d agoRichpanel💬 Reply to Postscript SMS Conversations from Richpanel
- 19d agoRichpanelManage Subscribfy Memberships, Subscriptions and Store Credit from Richpanel
- 27d agoRichpanel📦 ShipHero Warehouse Actions in Richpanel
- 27d agoRichpanel⭐ Judge.me Reviews in Richpanel
- 27d agoRichpanel🔁 Juo Subscriptions + Richpanel
- 28d agoDeskproDeskpro Release 2026.5
- 2mo agoDeskproAI datasource access moves server-side; ticket and macro fixes
- 3mo agoDeskproGemini 3 Pro support and CJK-language AI replies
- 4mo agoDeskproSelective AI re-indexing for large help desks
- 8mo agoDeskproSnippets become an AI reply source; Berget AI for EU hosting
- 11mo agoDeskproPrivate AI: run model execution in your own infrastructure ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Deskpro and Richpanel?
Both compete on the same themes — helpdesk — within Support. Richpanel is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Deskpro better than Richpanel?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Richpanel is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Support products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Deskpro?
Top Deskpro alternatives in Support are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Deskpro alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/deskpro for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Richpanel?
Top Richpanel alternatives in Support are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Richpanel alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/richpanel for the full list with editorial commentary on each.