Klaviyo Conversations vs AeroChat: which is better for Shopify in 2026?

AeroChat is the better fit for Shopify stores that want flat monthly plans and WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger built in. Klaviyo Conversations is the better fit for stores already paying for Klaviyo Email or SMS that want their chat tied into the same customer profile and flow engine. AeroChat’s paid plans start at US$49 a month (Starter), with a 7-day free trial. Klaviyo prices Customer Agent per conversation, with a monthly base and charges for conversations over the included amount. Check Klaviyo’s pricing page for current rates.

Key Takeaways

• AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows, connected to your Shopify store, so it can check orders, stock and discounts inside the chat.

• Klaviyo’s Customer Agent is priced per conversation: a monthly base with a set number of conversations, then a charge for each one over.

• AeroChat’s plans are flat at US$49, US$149 or US$349 a month, each with a set number of AI responses. There are no per-conversation charges. If you use more than your plan includes, you buy a top-up.

• Klaviyo Conversations only makes sense if a store is already on Klaviyo for email and SMS; otherwise it adds a separate monthly cost on top of the email plan.

• AeroChat covers WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Messenger, Telegram, email, and web chat in every plan; Klaviyo’s Customer Agent currently runs on web chat, SMS, and email, with WhatsApp marked as coming soon.

• For stores migrating from manual reply on Shopify Inbox or live chat, AeroChat’s setup time is faster because it does not require integrating with the wider Klaviyo data stack.

What is Klaviyo Conversations?

Klaviyo Conversations is the umbrella name for Klaviyo’s customer service products. It includes Customer Agent (their AI chatbot), Helpdesk (ticket management), and Customer Hub (a self-service portal embedded on the storefront). Together they sit inside Klaviyo’s Service tier, which is separate from Klaviyo Email and Klaviyo SMS.

Customer Agent is the part most stores compare to AeroChat. It answers customer questions, recommends products, and resolves issues across web chat, email, and SMS. It pulls from your Klaviyo customer profiles to personalise responses based on order history, segment membership, and predicted lifetime value.

What is AeroChat?

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that lets you run your customer service and sales workflows. You describe the workflow you want automated, and the system turns it into instructions and runs it. It connects to your own data systems, so it can perform actions, not just answer questions. It covers WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Messenger, Telegram, email and website chat in one inbox, and connects to Shopify and WordPress to read live product data, order status, shipping information and discounts.

The plan price is fixed each month. Busy months only cost more if you go past your plan’s AI responses and buy a top-up.

Pricing comparison

AeroChat vs Klaviyo Customer Agent monthly costs

Klaviyo’s pricing assumes you are also paying for a Klaviyo Email plan, which is priced by the number of active profiles. Add both together to get your real monthly cost, using Klaviyo’s pricing page.

The two tools also bill different units. Klaviyo bills conversations. AeroChat bills AI responses, and one conversation usually takes several responses. Convert before you compare: estimate your monthly conversations, multiply by the typical replies per conversation, and check which AeroChat plan that fits.

AeroChat does not require any other AeroChat product to work. The plan price is the full standalone cost.

Stores comparing pricing across more than two tools can also use the Shopify chatbot pricing calculator to model their specific volume.

Klaviyo Conversations is not the only adjacent Shopify tool merchants confuse with a customer-facing chatbot. See how Shopify Sidekick compares to AeroChat for a merchant-facing admin AI that solves a different problem entirely.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Channel coverage and capabilities

Where Klaviyo Conversations fits better

Klaviyo is the stronger choice in three specific areas, and any Shopify owner already committed to Klaviyo should weigh these seriously.

1. Email marketing integration. Klaviyo’s email engine is the benchmark every other ecommerce email tool is measured against. Customer Agent connects directly to Klaviyo flows. A customer asking about a product over chat can be auto-added to a relevant email segment, trigger a follow-up flow, or get a personalised post-purchase email sequence. AeroChat passes data via webhooks but does not natively replicate Klaviyo’s flow depth.

2. Customer data and segmentation depth. Klaviyo profiles include lifetime order history, predicted next order date, predicted CLV, churn risk score, and any custom event data flowing from Shopify or 350+ integrations. Customer Agent uses this data to personalise replies. A high-CLV customer asking about returns sees a different response than a first-time browser. AeroChat reads live Shopify order data via REST API but does not maintain the same depth of behavioural profile.

3. Fit for existing Klaviyo customers. A store already paying for Klaviyo Email can add Customer Agent without setting up a new vendor relationship, learning a new dashboard, or running data sync between two systems. Same login, same support team, same billing. For Klaviyo-committed stores, this matters more than feature parity.

If your store fits all three (Klaviyo Email is your retention backbone, you use predictive analytics actively, and you don’t want a second vendor), Klaviyo Customer Agent is the more sensible choice. Read more at klaviyo.com/products/service.

Where AeroChat fits better

1. Messaging channels out of the box. AeroChat covers WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, web chat, and email in one inbox. Klaviyo Customer Agent currently runs on web chat, SMS, and email. WhatsApp is listed as coming soon. Instagram and Messenger are not on the Klaviyo Customer Agent roadmap as of April 2026. For Shopify stores that earn meaningful sales from social DMs, AeroChat is the only one of the two that handles those conversations natively. For more on this, see our guide to managing chat across channels.

2. Flat monthly plans with no per-conversation charges. AeroChat charges US$49, US$149 or US$349 a month and includes a set number of AI responses in every plan, with top-ups if you need more. Klaviyo Customer Agent charges for each conversation beyond the included amount. The difference matters most during Black Friday and other peaks, when chat volume jumps. A per-conversation bill rises with every extra chat. A flat plan stays the same until you use up its responses.

3. Faster setup for stores not already on Klaviyo. AeroChat installs from the Shopify App Store in under 30 minutes. The AI begins answering questions once it syncs your product catalogue, FAQ pages, and shipping policies. Klaviyo Customer Agent requires a working Klaviyo Email account, properly synced customer profiles, and Klaviyo Service onboarding before it functions well. For stores not already on Klaviyo, the setup overhead is significant.

4. Shopify-native order and product reads. AeroChat reads live Shopify data via REST API for every chat, including product availability, order status, and shipping tracking. The shopify chatbot can answer “where is my order” or “is this in stock” without escalating to a human. Klaviyo Customer Agent does this through the Klaviyo data layer, which works but adds an extra step in the data flow.

5. Self-learning AI on the Advanced plan. AeroChat’s self-learning reviews real chats and proposes new question-answer pairs for one-click approval, so the knowledge base improves from real conversations. Klaviyo Customer Agent uses your existing knowledge base content and updates only when you update the source documents.

Quick verdict: who should pick what

Pick AeroChat if you:

• Run a Shopify store doing meaningful volume on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger

• Want flat monthly plans with no per-conversation charges

• Are not already committed to Klaviyo

• Need a chatbot live in under 30 minutes

• Care about Black Friday and peak season cost predictability

Pick Klaviyo Customer Agent if you:

• Already pay for Klaviyo Email and use predictive segments and flows actively

• Mostly need web chat, email, and US SMS coverage

• Have low chat volume that fits Klaviyo’s included conversations

• Want chat data flowing into Klaviyo profiles for marketing automation

• Are committed to keeping vendors consolidated in the Klaviyo stack

For stores with steady chat volume that are not on Klaviyo, a flat AeroChat plan is usually easier to budget. For stores with low chat volume already on Klaviyo, Customer Agent’s entry pricing may work out cheaper. Run both against your own monthly volume.

Migration guidance

Stores moving from another chatbot to AeroChat can preserve contacts, FAQ knowledge bases, and channel connections without losing customer history. Our support team can help with the export and import by email or chat.

If you are switching from Tidio specifically, our step-by-step Tidio to AeroChat migration guide covers the full process.

If you are coming from Klaviyo Customer Agent, the migration is mostly a matter of connecting your Shopify store to AeroChat, importing your existing FAQ and policy documents into AeroChat’s knowledge base, and pointing your chat widget at AeroChat instead of Klaviyo. Customer profiles stay in Klaviyo if you continue using it for email. AeroChat does not require you to leave Klaviyo Email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Klaviyo Conversations the same as Klaviyo Customer Agent?

Conversations is the umbrella name for Klaviyo’s customer service products: Customer Agent (AI chatbot), Helpdesk (ticketing), and Customer Hub (self-service portal). Customer Agent is the specific product that compares directly to AeroChat. The other two solve different problems.

Do I need Klaviyo Email to use Klaviyo Customer Agent?

You need a Klaviyo account, and the Customer Agent is designed to work alongside Klaviyo Email and SMS. While technically you can use Customer Agent on its own, the value of the data integration disappears without an active Klaviyo Email or SMS plan.

Does AeroChat work with Klaviyo?

Yes. AeroChat does not replace Klaviyo Email or SMS. Stores commonly use Klaviyo for email marketing flows and AeroChat for live AI chat across WhatsApp, Instagram, and the website. Data passes between them via webhooks.

Which is cheaper at 1,000 chats per month?

Work it out in each tool’s own unit. On Klaviyo, take the base plan and add the charge for each conversation over the included amount, using Klaviyo’s pricing page. On AeroChat, multiply 1,000 conversations by the typical number of AI replies per conversation and pick the plan with that many responses, or add a top-up. At steady volume a flat plan is usually the more predictable cost.

Does Klaviyo Customer Agent support WhatsApp?

Klaviyo’s documentation lists WhatsApp as coming soon for Customer Agent as of April 2026. Klaviyo supports WhatsApp marketing in Klaviyo Email for international markets, but not yet for the AI chatbot. AeroChat supports WhatsApp on every plan today.

Can either handle Instagram and Messenger DMs?

AeroChat handles Instagram DMs, Instagram comments, and Facebook Messenger on the Growth plan and above. Klaviyo Customer Agent does not currently support Instagram or Messenger.

How long does each take to set up?

AeroChat typically installs in under 30 minutes from the Shopify App Store. Klaviyo Customer Agent requires an existing Klaviyo Email account with synced customer data, plus Klaviyo Service onboarding, which can take several hours to a day depending on your data setup.

Do either offer a free trial?

AeroChat offers a 7-day free trial on every paid plan, no credit card required. Klaviyo lets you test Customer Agent with a number of free conversations; check Klaviyo’s pricing page for the current allowance.

If your customers already message you on WhatsApp and Instagram, run AeroChat on those channels for a week before you decide.

Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed. Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.

Not on Shopify? Sign up for AeroChat here.