ShopAI on Instagram & Facebook Alternatives for Shopify in 2026

The top ShopAI on Instagram & Facebook alternative is AeroChat. It answers Instagram and Messenger DMs from your Shopify store, replies to comments, takes payment and confirms the order inside the chat, and also runs on WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email. Other options are ManyChat, Chatty, Zipchat, Moose AI Chatbot & Live Chat, Tidio and Shopify Inbox. Each suits a different kind of business, and each is priced in a different way.

Why merchants look for a ShopAI on Instagram & Facebook alternative

ShopAI’s Shopify App Store reviews are mostly positive. The critical ones, from late 2025 and 2026, mention trouble connecting Facebook and business accounts, a bot that was easy to connect but hard to make sell, and few ways to customize it. These are the reasons a store usually starts comparing:

• Two channels. ShopAI covers Instagram Direct and Messenger. Stores whose customers also message on WhatsApp or TikTok Shop want those answered from the same place.
• Recommendations, then what? Showing products in the DM is the first step. Some stores want the customer to pay in the same chat and get the confirmation there.
• Order questions. After the sale, customers ask where their order is. Stores want the same chat to answer that from the store.
• Message limits. ShopAI’s plans are sized by AI messages a month, from 700 on Starter to 5,000 on Business, as of November 2026.

The alternatives

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows, Built for Shopify. It answers product, stock, shipping and order questions from your store, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link, detects the payment and confirms the order in the same conversation, and in Malaysia books the delivery with POS Malaysia. It runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada. Any other system with a public API connects when you describe the workflow in your own words and paste in its key.

• Suits: Shopify stores that sell in Instagram and Messenger DMs and want the payment, order questions and other channels handled in the same chat.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, admin users are not limited, and your contact list does not change the plan. See the pricing page.
• Keep in mind: payment links start on the Growth plan, and there is a 7-day free trial instead of a no-cost tier.

2. ManyChat

An automation platform for Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email, built for creators and social-first businesses. It focuses on Instagram DM automation.

• Suits: brands and creators that grow through Instagram comments, DMs and giveaways.
• Pricing model: by active contacts a month, with extra contacts charged on top. WhatsApp needs a paid plan, with Pro from US$29 a month billed annually for 2,500 contacts, as of October 2026.
• Limitation: once your number is connected, ManyChat says you can’t see or answer those chats in the WhatsApp Business app. It is built for marketing flows more than order lookups and payment. See ManyChat alternative.

3. Chatty

A Shopify chat app with an AI chatbot, live chat and FAQs, covering live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want an AI chatbot and live chat on the store with a low entry price.
• Pricing model: by AI conversations. Entry plans include 100 or 500 AI conversations a month, and each one over the plan costs US$0.40, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: a busy month moves you up a plan or onto per-conversation charges. See Chatty vs AeroChat.

4. Zipchat

An AI agent for ecommerce brands, with website chat, AI search and product page answers, plus WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email.

• Suits: online stores that want AI search and product page answers on their website, run by the same agent as the chat.
• Pricing model: by AI replies, from US$64 a month billed annually for 750 replies, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: Zipchat says TikTok Shop is not one of its channels. See Zipchat vs AeroChat.

5. Moose AI Chatbot & Live Chat

A Shopify AI chatbot and helpdesk from MooseDesk that learns from products, FAQs and past answers, tracks orders and hands over to live chat, with one inbox for chat, email and social messages.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want an AI chatbot, live chat and product page FAQs on the website at a low price.
• Pricing model: a no-cost tier with unlimited AI chatbot replies, then Starter at US$19, Growth at US$49 and Business at US$249 a month, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: its listing names live chat, email, Messenger and Instagram, and does not list WhatsApp. See Moose AI vs AeroChat.

6. Tidio

Live chat and a help desk with the Lyro AI agent and automated Flows, covering live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

• Suits: small teams that want live chat and an AI agent in one tool, with website chat at the center.
• Pricing model: by conversations. Starter is US$24.17 a month for 100 billable conversations, and Lyro starts at US$32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: team conversations, AI conversations and Flows visitors are counted separately.

7. Shopify Inbox

Shopify’s own chat app. Its Inbox agent answers product questions, makes recommendations, helps with order lookups and adds items to the cart, using your catalog, policies, pages and Knowledge Base.

• Suits: stores that want free chat on their online store with an AI agent built by Shopify.
• Pricing model: free to install, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: the Inbox agent only works in your online store’s chat widget, needs new customer accounts, and asks customers to sign in before it looks up an order.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, help center or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: ShopAI, Chatty, Zipchat, Moose AI, Tidio, Shopify Inbox. ManyChat from its own pricing and WhatsApp pages, checked 31 October 2026. Review themes from ShopAI’s Shopify App Store reviews.

How to choose

• List the channels your customers use. If buyers also message you on WhatsApp or TikTok Shop, the tool has to answer there too.
• Check where the sale ends. Decide whether the DM should send the customer to the store, or take the payment and confirm the order in the conversation.
• Test the connection first. Connect your Instagram and Facebook accounts on the trial before you build anything.
• Price your own volume. Count a month of DMs and comments, then work out the bill on each tool’s unit.
• Check comment replies. If you grow through posts and reels, see how each tool answers comments and moves the buyer into a DM.

Questions

What is the top alternative to ShopAI for Instagram DMs?

AeroChat. It answers DMs from your Shopify store, replies to comments, and takes payment and confirms the order in the chat, on Instagram, Messenger and more channels.

Does AeroChat reply to Instagram comments?

Yes. AeroChat replies to comments on Instagram and Facebook, and answers direct messages on both.

Can customers pay inside an Instagram DM?

With AeroChat, yes. It sends an Airwallex payment link in the conversation and confirms the order once it is paid.

Which alternative works on TikTok Shop?

AeroChat answers buyers in TikTok Shop buyer chat. It also supports Shopee and Lazada.

Try the top ShopAI alternative on your store

Install AeroChat, connect your store and Instagram, and send your own account a DM about a product you sell.

Install AeroChat on Shopify

7-day free trial.