Shopify chat alternatives
Best Shopify Inbox alternatives in 2026
The best Shopify Inbox alternatives in 2026 are SuperBot, Gorgias, Tidio, Chatbase and Crisp. Shopify Inbox is free and its opt-in Inbox agent answers from your catalogue, policies and published pages, which is hard to beat at $0 — SuperBot's own free plan is the like-for-like comparison, at 200 conversations a month. Stores look elsewhere when they want to train the agent on content outside Shopify, show visitors the source behind an answer, capture leads into a CRM, or run the same agent on a second site. SuperBot does that from $0, and $25 a month covers 2,000 conversations.
Prices checked on vendor pages
Why teams switch
Why people look for Shopify Inbox alternatives.
Every price and plan detail below is taken from the vendor's own published pages — not from anonymous reviews.
Shopify only
Inbox works with the Shopify admin and online store. A brand with a separate blog, documentation site or a second store on another platform cannot run the same agent everywhere.
Knowledge is what Shopify holds
Shopify's manual says the Inbox agent draws on your product catalogue, policies, Knowledge Base content and published pages. Content that lives outside Shopify — a warranty PDF, a partner's help page — needs to be copied in first.
A chat tool, not a lead and booking tool
Shopify's documentation describes replying, sending product links, discount codes and images. Lead capture into a CRM and meeting booking are not part of the product description.
Be honest about fit
When staying on Shopify Inbox makes sense.
Our assessment of fit, not a measured benchmark. If one of these describes you, switching may cost more than it saves.
- Your store is your only site and the Inbox agent answers product and policy questions well enough.
- You want zero cost and a tool maintained by Shopify, with the mobile apps your staff already use.
- You do not need leads, booking or source labels on answers.
At a glance
Shopify Inbox and its alternatives, side by side.
Pricing models and entry prices as published on each vendor's pricing page in October 2026. Plans change — confirm before you buy.
| Tool | Pricing model | Starting price | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify InboxCurrent tool | Pricing modelFree app for Shopify stores; chats with visitors to the online store | Starting priceFree (listed as "Free" on the Shopify App Store); requires a Shopify account | Free planYes: listed as free | Best forWhere you are today |
| SuperBot | Pricing modelFlat per workspace, unlimited teammates | Starting priceFree (200 conversations/mo); Starter $25/mo (2,000); Pro $60/mo (unlimited) | Free planYes, free forever, no card | Best forA trainable agent for the store and every other page you own |
| Gorgias | Pricing modelTicket volume, not per agent; AI Agent billed per interaction | Starting priceStarter $10/mo for 50 tickets (monthly billing); AI Agent $0.90/interaction annual, $1.00 monthly | Free plan7-day free trial, no payment details needed | Best forStores that want a full ecommerce help desk around chat |
| Tidio | Pricing modelPlan tier plus separate quotas for conversations, Lyro AI and Flows | Starting priceStarter from $24.17/mo on the Annually option, 100 billable conversations/mo | Free planYes: 50 conversations/mo, 50 Lyro conversations once | Best forSmall stores that want live chat with visual Flows |
| Chatbase | Pricing modelPlan tier metered in message credits; branding removal is a $99-a-month add-on | Starting priceHobby $40/mo for 700 message credits (20% off yearly); remove branding $99/mo add-on | Free planYes: 50 message credits/mo, 1 agent; agents deleted after 14 days of inactivity | Best forMerchants who want to build and tune their own bot |
| Crisp | Pricing modelFlat per workspace with a set number of agents; $10 per extra agent | Starting priceMini $45/mo per workspace (4 agents) | Free planYes: 2 agents | Best forStores that need email and social in the same inbox |
Prices in USD as listed on each vendor's site on ; taxes and add-ons excluded. SuperBot's plans are on the pricing page.
The shortlist
5 Shopify Inbox alternatives worth a trial.
Ordered for a team leaving Shopify Inbox. "Best for" is our assessment; every price links to its source.
SuperBot
Best for: A trainable agent for the store and every other page you own
Native Shopify app plus the same agent on Wix, WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Square Online, Adobe Commerce or any site. Learns from URLs, pasted text, articles and Training Q&A, reads orders read-only with email verification, captures leads, and is free for 200 conversations a month.
- Pricing model
- Flat per workspace, unlimited teammates
- Starting price
- Free (200 conversations/mo); Starter $25/mo (2,000); Pro $60/mo (unlimited)
- Source
- SuperBot pricing
Gorgias
Best for: Stores that want a full ecommerce help desk around chat
Ticket-volume pricing from $10 a month for 50 tickets; each AI Agent interaction also counts as a helpdesk ticket.
- Pricing model
- Ticket volume, not per agent; AI Agent billed per interaction
- Starting price
- Starter $10/mo for 50 tickets (monthly billing); AI Agent $0.90/interaction annual, $1.00 monthly
Tidio
Best for: Small stores that want live chat with visual Flows
A free plan with 50 conversations a month; Lyro AI and Flows are metered separately.
- Pricing model
- Plan tier plus separate quotas for conversations, Lyro AI and Flows
- Starting price
- Starter from $24.17/mo on the Annually option, 100 billable conversations/mo
Chatbase
Best for: Merchants who want to build and tune their own bot
Credit-metered builder, free for 50 message credits a month; branding removal is $99 a month.
- Pricing model
- Plan tier metered in message credits; branding removal is a $99-a-month add-on
- Starting price
- Hobby $40/mo for 700 message credits (20% off yearly); remove branding $99/mo add-on
Crisp
Best for: Stores that need email and social in the same inbox
Workspace pricing with agents included; free for 2 agents, Mini $45 a month.
- Pricing model
- Flat per workspace with a set number of agents; $10 per extra agent
- Starting price
- Mini $45/mo per workspace (4 agents)
How to choose
Pick a replacement for Shopify Inbox on your own numbers.
Run the same test in every tool you shortlist. Our free 20-case evaluation scorecard gives you the questions.
List the content your answers depend on
If it all lives in Shopify, Inbox may be enough. If some lives elsewhere, you need a tool that can learn from URLs and pasted text.
Decide what a chat should produce
An answer only, or also a lead, a booking or an order lookup? That decides whether a free chat tool is the right category.
Test an order question
Ask about a specific order in each tool. Check how the customer is verified and whether the tool can change anything in the store.
Count your properties
Stores with a second site or a second platform should price one agent for all of them.
Migration
Switching from Shopify Inbox to SuperBot.
Adding SuperBot to a Shopify store takes the app install plus your policy pages; you can keep Inbox installed while you compare.
Install the SuperBot Shopify app
Products, stock and orders are read automatically, read-only. SuperBot never writes to the store.
Add the pages Inbox cannot see
Shipping, returns, sizing and warranty pages — and anything on other domains — by URL; paste in private text.
Write Training Q&A for exact answers
The replies your team sends most often become exact-match answers that SuperBot checks first.
Choose one widget
Once answers check out, turn off Inbox's chat so visitors see a single chat bubble.
What SuperBot can learn from
- Public URLs — help center, product, pricing and policy pages
- Pasted text and documents
- Store products, stock and orders, read-only, on supported platforms
- Help articles and Training Q&A you write
What does not move
SuperBot does not import Shopify Inbox conversations; it starts its own history when installed.
FAQ
Shopify Inbox alternatives, answered.
Have a setup we did not cover? Talk to a human — a real person reads every message.
Is Shopify Inbox free?
Yes. The Shopify App Store listing shows pricing as "Free" when we checked in October 2026. You need a Shopify account to install it.
What does the Shopify Inbox agent answer from?
Shopify's manual says the opt-in Inbox agent answers questions about products, shipping, returns, sizing and policies using your product catalogue, policies, Knowledge Base content and published pages.
Can SuperBot read Shopify orders?
Yes, read-only. SuperBot's Shopify app reads products, stock and orders and verifies an order lookup against the customer's email. It never changes anything in the store.
Can SuperBot run on my blog as well as my store?
Yes. The same agent works on Shopify, Wix, WordPress and WooCommerce, Webflow, Squarespace, Square Online, Adobe Commerce, or any site with one script tag.
Is SuperBot free for Shopify stores?
SuperBot's free plan covers 200 conversations a month with the full product and no card. Starter is $25 a month for 2,000 conversations and Pro $60 for unlimited.
Keep comparing
Related alternatives.
Test SuperBot on your own questions.
Train it on your site in minutes and ask the questions Shopify Inbox handles today. Free forever up to 200 conversations a month — no credit card, unlimited teammates.