Shopify AI Chatbot Prices 2026: Compare 11 Tools and Billing Models

Shopify AI chatbot prices start at free and reach several hundred dollars a month before usage charges. The range makes direct comparison impossible without a shared unit: a US$19 plan and a US$49 plan can produce the same monthly bill if one charges per conversation and the other per AI response, depending on how your customers actually use the chat.

This comparison covers 11 tools, identifies the billing unit that controls each cost, and provides a calculation method based on your store’s real support volume. Competitor prices were checked on vendor pages and Shopify App Store listings on 6 August 2026. AeroChat prices are its list prices as of October 2026.

All amounts are in US dollars. Taxes, messaging-provider charges and individually negotiated enterprise contracts are excluded. Published prices and allowances can change.

Shopify AI chatbot pricing: all 11 tools compared

The table above shows published starting points. The actual monthly cost depends on the billing unit, whether you exceed the plan allowance, and whether your store uses channels or features that carry additional charges.

Why two similarly priced plans can produce different bills

Most Shopify chatbot pricing surprises come from one misunderstanding: comparing plan prices without comparing the billing unit. A conversation on Tidio is not the same as a conversation on Chatty. An AI resolution on Gorgias is not the same as an AI response on AeroChat. Two platforms using the same word can charge for entirely different events.

AI responses

AeroChat and Relish AI charge per AI response. One customer question typically uses one response, but a conversation with three follow-up questions uses four or more. If your store handles multi-part product or returns questions, measure average responses per conversation before estimating your monthly bill. Ask whether automated welcome messages, fallback replies and test conversations count toward the allowance.

AI conversations

Chatty charges per AI conversation. A conversation is a session within a defined time window, so a long exchange may cost the same as a one-question chat. The key variable is when a new conversation begins: a returning customer who contacts you twice in 24 hours may create one billable conversation or two, depending on the platform’s rules.

Tickets and AI resolutions

Gorgias and Re:amaze separate inbound contacts (tickets) from automated outcomes (AI resolutions). You pay for tickets whether a human or the AI handles them, plus an additional charge when the AI fully resolves a case without a person. A store with 300 monthly support contacts may generate fewer than 100 AI resolutions if most enquiries still require human judgement. These two numbers must be forecast separately.

Website visitors

Rep AI charges by unique storefront visitors, not by conversations or support cases. The billing meter rises with site traffic regardless of support demand. A promotional campaign that doubles browsing traffic doubles the chatbot cost even if your support team receives the same number of questions.

Agent seats and channels

Re:amaze and Gladly include a per-seat component. The base cost grows with the number of staff who need inbox access. Several platforms also charge separately for WhatsApp messaging, SMS, or additional Shopify store connections. The absence of a seat fee does not mean every channel or team feature is included.

How to calculate what you will actually pay

You do not need a precise forecast. You need a number close enough to eliminate plans that are significantly over or under your budget.

Step 1: Export 90 days of support data

Pull the metric that matches each shortlisted billing model:

• AI responses or automated message count
• Customer conversations and session count
• Support tickets opened
• Cases fully resolved without a human
• Unique website visitors in a typical month
• Staff members who need access to the support workspace

If you are moving from a shared inbox with no AI data, tag a sample of 50 recent conversations and count how many could be fully answered without human judgement. Do not apply a generic automation rate you read elsewhere.

Step 2: Calculate average and peak separately

Your average month gives a baseline. Your busiest recent month shows whether the plan will survive a promotion, a product launch or a delivery delay that floods your inbox with order enquiries.

A store with 380, 490 and 950 relevant interactions across three months has a 607 monthly average and a 950 peak. A plan built around the average will produce large overages in the peak month.

Step 3: Apply the billing formula

Step 4: Add channels, seats and extras

Confirm whether your estimate includes WhatsApp or SMS provider fees, additional Shopify store connections, extra product or knowledge-base capacity, support for more than one team member, and any conditions tied to annual billing.

Step 5: Trial before committing to an annual plan

An annual discount only saves money if the plan matches your usage pattern. Run a trial through real product, delivery, return and order questions. Measure how fast the allowance moves and whether the AI handles the questions your customers actually send.

Shopify-focused AI agents and shopping assistants

1. AeroChat pricing

Published price: Free (100 AI responses a month); Starter US$49/month; Growth US$149/month; Advanced US$349/month. Paid yearly, the plans work out to US$39, US$119 and US$279 a month. Paid plans start with a 7-day free trial, no credit card needed.

1. What AeroChat is: AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows. You describe a workflow in your own words, and it runs it, connected to your Shopify store, so it can look up an order, recommend a product or send a payment link inside the chat.
2. A free plan and three paid plans: Free includes 100 AI responses per month. Starter includes 500. Growth includes 2,000. Advanced includes 5,000. If you use more than your plan includes, you buy a top-up of AI responses, like topping up a mobile data plan.
3. Response-based billing: AeroChat charges per AI response rather than per conversation or per visitor. A multi-part enquiry uses several responses. Compare your weekly support message volume against the plan allowance, not your order count. There is no per-ticket or per-resolution charge.
4. Features expand by plan: Tiers differ by AI responses, pages trained and agent seats. Growth adds WhatsApp broadcasts, in-chat payment links and insights. Advanced adds self-learning, auto-translation and the full API. Workflows via Skills and MCP are on every plan, Free included.
5. 7-day trial on paid plans: Enough time to connect product and policy data, run real test enquiries, and measure how many AI responses a typical support week consumes before committing to a monthly plan.

AeroChat is built for stores whose enquiries span several channels, and for chat that takes actions such as order lookups and payment links, not only answers questions. A store receiving 400 support messages per month would comfortably fit the Starter plan’s 500-response allowance. For a broader Shopify AI chatbot comparison covering product recommendations, order tracking and human handover, the feature guide covers what each tool does beyond pricing.

Best for: Shopify merchants who want order lookups, product recommendations and handover to their team running across web, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and email.

2. Relish AI pricing

Published price: Free; Starter US$9/month; Grow US$39/month; Pro US$99/month.

1. Lowest paid entry point in this comparison: The Starter plan costs US$9/month and includes 200 AI responses and 100 products.
2. Two separate ceilings: The product limit and the response allowance can each force an upgrade independently. A store with 150 products and modest chat volume may need Grow for the product limit before the response allowance becomes the constraint.
3. Overage rate: Additional responses are listed at US$0.04 each on paid plans.

Relish AI suits a smaller Shopify store where the main job is answering product questions and checking order status, and where the catalogue fits comfortably within the plan limit. Check both ceilings when choosing a tier.

3. Moose pricing

Published price: Free; Starter US$19/month; Growth US$49/month; Business US$249/month.

1. Unlimited AI replies on all plans including Free: This removes the response-overage risk that affects most competitors. The reply allowance is not a ceiling that triggers additional charges.
2. Paid tiers add scope, not reply quota: Upgrading adds channels, ticket management, team access and deeper integrations. It does not increase the reply allowance because all plans already include unlimited replies.
3. Read “unlimited” precisely: It applies to the AI reply allowance. It does not cover every feature, integration, staffing level or future plan term. Confirm that the channels and team capabilities your store needs are included in the specific plan.

If response-volume anxiety is a reason you are hesitating on other tools, Moose’s unlimited-reply structure removes that variable from the decision. Choose a paid tier based on the channels and workflow features your store needs.

4. Chatty pricing

Published price: Free; Basic US$19.99/month; Pro US$68.99/month; Plus US$199/month.

1. Conversation allowances by plan: Free: 50 AI conversations/month. Basic: 100. Pro: 500. Plus: 1,000.
2. Overage rate: US$0.40 per additional AI conversation on all paid plans.
3. Run the overage calculation before choosing the entry plan: A store expecting 250 AI conversations per month would pay US$19.99 + (150 x US$0.40) = US$79.99 on Basic, versus US$68.99 on Pro. The lower headline price is not always the lower monthly bill.

Chatty works for a smaller Shopify store that wants AI-handled product answers, order tracking and a multi-channel inbox at a low starting price. Size the plan against your actual conversation volume before committing to the entry tier.

5. Rep AI pricing

Published price: Free to install; Starter US$104/month; Basic US$209/month; Standard US$368/month.

1. Visitor-based billing: Cost follows storefront traffic, not the number of conversations or support cases. The free-install tier covers 100 visitors and 100 products.
2. Starter: 10,000 visitors and 1,000 products at US$104/month. Additional visitors: US$12 per 1,000.
3. Two limits apply simultaneously: Visitor count and product catalogue size. A store with 1,500 products needs Starter for the product limit before visitor volume becomes the constraint.
4. Model against your busiest month: A campaign that doubles browsing traffic doubles the chatbot bill even if enquiry count stays flat. Use your peak month, not the average.

Rep AI’s visitor model is well-matched to a conversion-focused sales assistant on a store where most browsers are actively looking for product guidance. It is less efficient when most contacts are existing customers asking about orders, since those visitors create cost whether or not they start a chat.

Free and Shopify-native option

6. Shopify Inbox pricing

Published price: Free.

1. No subscription required: Shopify Inbox is built into the Shopify admin with no separate app charge, usage fee or per-conversation cost.
2. AI sales associate on your storefront: Uses your product catalogue, inventory, store policies and information pages to answer shopper questions automatically.
3. Scope is limited to the Shopify storefront: Inbox is not designed for WhatsApp, Instagram, email or multi-agent support. When customers begin reaching you through those channels, you will need a separate tool.

Start with Shopify Inbox if your enquiries are primarily on-site and your support volume is modest. Move to a dedicated platform when customers are using channels Inbox does not cover, or when enquiry volume justifies a structured support operation.

Helpdesk and multi-channel customer service

7. Tidio pricing

Published price: Free; Starter from US$24.17/month; Growth from US$49.17/month; Plus from US$300/month. Prices displayed under annual billing with two months free.

1. Three separate billing meters: Human support conversations, Lyro AI conversations and visitors reached by automation flows each count independently. Quoting only the plan price gives an incomplete cost picture.
2. Starter allowances: 100 billable support conversations per month, plus 50 Lyro AI conversations as a one-off starting credit.
3. Lyro AI is also sold standalone from US$32.50/month for 50 AI conversations, if you want AI capability without the full live chat and ticketing stack.
4. Displayed prices use annual billing: Monthly billing rates are higher. Calculate the actual monthly commitment rather than dividing the annual price by twelve.

Tidio suits a team that wants live chat, ticketing and AI agent capability in one environment. The realistic cost estimate requires your own data on all three meters. Quoting only the Starter plan price against simpler chatbots compares different scopes.

8. Gorgias pricing

Published price: Starter US$10/month; Basic US$60/month; Pro US$360/month; Advanced US$900/month. AI Agent generally US$0.90 per resolved conversation.

1. Helpdesk plans scale by ticket volume: Starter covers 50 tickets and 3 agents. Basic: 300 tickets. Pro: 2,000. Advanced: 5,000. Additional tickets on Starter: US$0.40 each.
2. AI Agent is a separate usage charge: Generally US$0.90 per fully resolved conversation, charged on top of the helpdesk subscription. The US$10 starting price does not include AI resolution cost.
3. Cost moves on two axes: Total ticket volume and AI resolution rate must both be forecast to build an accurate monthly estimate.

Gorgias makes sense for an established support team that already manages volume through a helpdesk and wants to add AI resolution on top of a structured ticketing operation. A merchant who only needs a simple storefront chatbot may find the entry plan’s 50-ticket allowance runs out quickly in an active store.

9. Re:amaze pricing

Published price: Basic US$29, Pro US$49, Plus US$69 per team member per month.

1. Per-seat pricing: The base cost grows directly with the number of staff who need inbox access. Three team members on Basic costs US$87/month before any AI resolution charges.
2. AI resolutions per user: Basic: 5. Pro: 10. Plus: 20. Additional resolutions: US$0.85 each.
3. Comprehensive ecommerce support stack: Covers live chat, email, social channels, FAQs and automation in one workspace.

Re:amaze suits a multi-person support team that values a shared ecommerce inbox and can justify the per-seat cost. A one-person operation or a store that only needs a storefront chatbot will pay for seat and inbox capabilities they do not use.

10. Gladly pricing

Published price: Free 30-day trial; pay-as-you-go after that with a US$250 monthly spending cap.

1. 30-day trial includes 100 AI interactions and one team-member seat, giving genuine time to test AI resolution quality on real enquiries.
2. Three post-trial usage charges: US$1.50 per AI resolution, US$0.25 per AI assist, US$120 per team member per month.
3. The US$250 cap is a spending ceiling, not a bundle price: A two-person team handling 80 AI resolutions and 200 AI assists per month would spend (US$120 x 2) + (US$1.50 x 80) + (US$0.25 x 200) = US$410. Confirm precisely how the cap mechanism works before treating it as a predictable monthly maximum.

WhatsApp and social automation

11. Chatfuel pricing

Published price: US$59/month including a 7-day trial.

1. US$59/month includes 1,000 conversations with a 7-day trial available. Additional conversations: US$0.04 each.
2. WhatsApp-first scope: Covers product recommendations, cart recovery, order confirmations, shipping updates and live-agent handover via WhatsApp.
3. Not a multi-channel helpdesk: If your customers contact you through email, Instagram and web chat alongside WhatsApp, Chatfuel will not cover those channels. Budget separately for any WhatsApp Business API or messaging-provider fees that sit outside the subscription.

Chatfuel fits best when WhatsApp is already your primary customer channel. It focuses on WhatsApp rather than on every support channel.

Which Shopify Chatbot Plan Is Affordable for a Small Store?

For a small Shopify store, the most affordable plan is the least expensive option that can handle the actual support job without creating an unmanageable manual workload. Shopify Inbox is the sensible US$0 baseline for occasional storefront conversations. A paid AI plan becomes easier to justify when repeat questions, missed messages or several customer-service channels consume meaningful time.

Do not compare free and paid plans as though price were the only difference. A free chat tool can be economical when the owner is available to reply. It becomes expensive in time when every question still waits for that person. A paid AI plan can reduce repetitive work, but only when its allowance, data connection and handover process match the store's enquiries.

The table below uses published US-dollar prices and allowances checked on 6 August 2026. “Expected cost as usage grows” follows the vendor's billing unit, not a made-up conversion from orders to chats.

What can you expect for under US$50 a month?

At this price, most tools cover website chat and automatic answers to common product, delivery and returns questions. Product recommendations, order lookups and WhatsApp or Instagram support vary by tool and plan, so check each one against the questions your customers actually send. For many small stores with a manageable number of daily enquiries, a plan in this range is enough to start, and an upgrade can wait until support needs become more complex.

When should a small store stay on a free plan?

Stay free while all four statements are true:

• Conversation volume is low enough for the owner or team to answer reliably.
• Customers mainly contact the store through one channel.
• Public product and policy information answers most questions.
• Missed messages are not delaying purchases or creating a support backlog.

Shopify Inbox is a logical baseline because it is native and free. A limited free AI plan can also reveal whether shoppers use automated assistance, but a short allowance is a trial environment, not evidence that the paid service will fit peak volume.

When is a paid chatbot plan more economical?

Consider paying when the same product, delivery, policy or order questions appear repeatedly; messages arrive outside working hours; or the team is switching between website and social inboxes. At that point, compare the paid plan with the time and response gaps it can realistically remove.

Use these inputs:

1. Count the last 30 to 90 days of conversations and messages.
2. Mark which questions can be answered safely from current store information.
3. Count the people who need inbox access.
4. Record the busiest month, not only the average.
5. Apply each vendor's own response, conversation, ticket or resolution rules.
6. Add WhatsApp, SMS, phone, premium support and annual-billing conditions.

What hidden costs matter most for a small team?

The most common surprise is not the plan fee. It is a second meter. A small store can pay for a support subscription and still incur AI-resolution, overage, messaging-channel or agent-seat charges.

Also price the work around the chatbot. Someone must review incorrect answers, update policies, handle escalations and monitor billing. A cheaper tool that cannot transfer context to a person may create more support work than it removes.

The affordable choice therefore changes with the store. Start with free native chat when demand is modest. Move to a defined AI allowance when repetitive questions justify automation. Choose a helpdesk only when ticket management and team workflows are real requirements rather than features that may be useful someday.

Match the billing model to your store

No billing model wins in every situation. Flat subscription pricing is predictable but may charge for capacity you do not use. Usage pricing starts cheaply but grows quickly with volume. Seat pricing suits a collaborative team until headcount becomes the main cost driver.

For a full feature comparison covering product recommendations, order tracking, human handover and channel support across all 11 tools, use the Shopify AI chatbot comparison guide alongside this pricing breakdown.

Annual or monthly billing?

Annual billing lowers the monthly rate on most tools, but it locks you in for a year. Compare the two with simple arithmetic: multiply the monthly price by 12, multiply the annual plan’s monthly equivalent by 12, and the difference is what monthly billing costs you each year. For AeroChat Starter, that is US$588 a year paid monthly against US$468 paid yearly.

• Choose annual once you have 60 to 90 days of usage data, your monthly volume is steady, and the tool is clearly reducing your support queue.
• Stay monthly while you are still comparing tools, if your store is strongly seasonal, or if you are still measuring whether automation reduces your workload.
• Check the cancellation terms before you pay a year upfront. Refund policies for annual plans differ between vendors.

An annual plan that does not match your usage costs more than a monthly plan you can change. The cheaper rate only helps once the tier fits how your store actually uses the chat.

Questions to ask before paying for a plan

These questions cover the points most likely to produce an unexpected bill:

1. What exactly creates a billable unit? Ask for the precise definition of a response, conversation, ticket, resolution or visitor on that specific platform.
2. When does the billing counter reset? A reply after 24 hours may start a new conversation on one platform but not another.
3. What happens when the allowance runs out? The AI may stop responding, create automatic overages, or trigger an account upgrade.
4. Does a human handover create a separate charge? A fully automated AI resolution and a human-handled case may be billed differently.
5. Which channels cost extra? Confirm WhatsApp, SMS, phone, email and social-channel fees before comparing plan prices.
6. How many staff and stores are included? Check agent seats, brands, Shopify store connections and shared inboxes.
7. Is the advertised price conditional on annual billing? Compare the actual monthly commitment, not an annual price divided by twelve.
8. Can usage data be exported? You will need it to forecast the next plan and to calculate whether switching makes financial sense.
9. Is there a fee to remove the vendor’s branding from the chat widget? On some tools this is only included on higher tiers.
10. Can the price change during your contract? Ask how much notice you get and whether existing customers keep their rate.
11. Is migration help charged? If you are moving from another tool, ask whether moving your contacts and knowledge base costs extra.

If you are setting up a chatbot for the first time, test product, policy and order questions during the trial period before routing real customers to it. Stores preparing for a sale or seasonal peak should also model how the plan behaves when the monthly average stops being representative.

Start with your support data, not the starting price

The published price on a pricing page is a starting position. Two plans priced US$30 apart can cost the same once you apply your store’s support volume, peak-month usage and channel requirements to the relevant billing formula.

If your enquiries are on-site only and low in volume, start with Shopify Inbox or a free-tier chatbot. If you are handling customer service across WhatsApp, Instagram and web from one workspace, the relevant comparison is between multi-channel tools on a per-response or per-conversation model. If you are building a multi-person support operation, look at helpdesk tools where pricing follows ticket volume and team size.

For AeroChat, the 7-day trial gives a full week of real support conversations to measure how many AI responses your store uses before you pick a plan. The current plans and allowances are at aerochat.ai/pricing.

Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed. Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store and run a week of your real questions through it. Not on Shopify? Sign up here.

For a deeper look at how these platforms compare through actual US merchant reviews rather than pricing alone, see Shopify chatbot merchant reviews.