Most Shopify chatbot pricing pages quote a single number that has almost nothing to do with your real bill.
The sticker price covers the base plan. It usually doesn't include AI. It often doesn't include every channel. It rarely accounts for seasonal volume spikes, per-seat scaling, or overage fees. By the time your first invoice lands, you're paying two to five times the number you saw on the marketing page.
This page gives you a calculator that does the full math across six popular Shopify chatbot apps: AeroChat, Tidio, Gorgias, Intercom, Shopify Inbox, and Crisp. Feed it your real numbers — conversation volume, team size, channels, AI usage, and peak season multiplier — and it returns your estimated true monthly cost for each option.
Use it before you commit to any chatbot. The tool that looks cheapest on their homepage often isn't the one you'll actually pay least for.
How to use the calculator
You need four numbers and a channel list.
Monthly conversations. Check your current chat tool's dashboard for conversation count over the last 30 days. If you're starting fresh, estimate based on your store traffic. A rough benchmark: 1-2% of monthly visitors start a chat.
Agents on your team. Include everyone who answers chats. If you use seasonal or part-time support staff, include them too. Per-seat pricing punishes flexible teams.
% of chats handled by AI. The share of conversations your AI resolves without human handoff. For a mature setup with good knowledge base content, 40-60% is realistic. For a brand new setup, start at 20-30% and grow over time.
Peak season multiplier. How much does your chat volume spike at your busiest point? A 1.5x multiplier means peak weeks are 50% above average. For most Shopify stores, Black Friday through Boxing Day runs 2x to 3x.
Channels. Tick every channel you need. WhatsApp and SMS add per-message fees on top of the plan cost for most tools.
What the calculator actually calculates
The calculator pulls from published pricing as of April 2026 and layers in the hidden costs each vendor charges.
For AeroChat, the math is simple because the pricing is flat. Basic is $39 a month for up to 500 AI responses. Growth is $119 for 2,000 AI responses plus full channel coverage. Advanced is $279 for 5,000 AI responses plus WhatsApp broadcast and API access. No per-seat fees under 25 agents. No AI overage fees. The calculator picks the right tier based on your volume.
For Tidio, the calculator starts with the Growth plan at $59 a month. It adds Lyro AI as a separate charge based on your AI conversation volume, starting at $39 for 50 conversations and scaling up to $300 for 1,000+. It adds the Flows automation charge at $24 a month. It adds per-agent fees above the 3-seat included limit.
For Gorgias, the calculator selects the right plan tier based on your ticket volume (Basic at $60, Pro at $360, Advanced at $900) and then layers in Gorgias AI Agent at roughly $0.90 per resolved interaction. Peak season multiplies AI resolutions, which is where Gorgias bills get painful.
For Intercom, the calculator starts with the Advanced plan at $85 per seat per month and multiplies by your agent count. Then it adds Fin AI at $0.99 per resolved conversation, scaled by peak volume. WhatsApp and SMS are separate per-channel surcharges.
For Shopify Inbox, the answer is $0, but only if your inputs actually fit its limits. If you need WhatsApp, SMS, or serious AI automation, the calculator marks it as unsuitable for your setup.
For Crisp, the calculator uses the Basic plan ($45) for small setups and jumps to Plus ($95+) when AI usage crosses 30%. Additional seats, sub-inboxes, and channels add further costs.
Why peak season matters more than average volume
The single most common budgeting mistake we see is Shopify owners calculating their chatbot costs based on average monthly volume. Then Black Friday hits and the bill doubles.
Here's why this matters. Gorgias and Intercom bill by volume. When your traffic spikes 2x, your conversations spike 2x, and your bill follows. One Shopify brand we spoke to went from $720 a month on Gorgias Pro to $1,850 in November, then back down in January. Their annual average looked manageable. Their peak month nearly broke the quarterly budget.
Flat-fee tools (AeroChat, Shopify Inbox, Crisp base tier) don't punish peak season. You pay the same in July and in November. For stores with heavy seasonal swings, this predictability often matters more than the sticker price.
Use the peak multiplier in the calculator to see what your real peak month looks like. If the gap between tools is small at average volume but huge at peak, you've spotted your answer.
Reading your results
The calculator returns a ranked list of tools by estimated monthly cost, lowest to highest. Here's how to interpret it:
If AeroChat ranks first or second: The flat-fee model is winning for your specific inputs. The recommendation box confirms the right AeroChat tier.
If Shopify Inbox ranks first: Your volume and channel needs still fit inside the free tier. Stay on Shopify Inbox until you need more. There's no point upgrading before you have to.
If Gorgias or Intercom ranks cheapest: Possible, but rare. It usually happens with small teams and very low AI usage, where per-seat or per-ticket pricing wins over flat-fee models. Double-check your peak season multiplier — these tools often flip to most expensive during spikes.
If Tidio or Crisp sits in the middle: The calculator is probably capturing their add-on pricing correctly. These tools look cheap on their homepages but the real bill lands in the mid-range once you need AI, multi-channel, and more than three agents.
Hidden costs the calculator can't see
Even a detailed calculator misses some things. These are charges worth asking about before you sign.
Branding removal fees. Tidio charges extra to remove "Powered by Tidio" from the chat widget unless you're on the Plus tier at $749 a month.
Setup and migration fees. Gorgias and Intercom sometimes offer white-glove migration but charge for it. AeroChat's support team helps with migration at no extra cost.
Annual contract lock-ins. Intercom's annual plans are 16-20% cheaper than monthly, but you're committed for 12 months. Tidio offers similar discounts. AeroChat uses month-to-month billing, which you can cancel anytime.
Price increases mid-contract. Tidio raised prices on existing customers in late 2024 with limited notice. Always check the vendor's policy on grandfathering existing pricing.
Overage fees. Most tools soft-cap your conversation or message limits. When you exceed them, you either pay per-overage (Tidio, Gorgias) or your chat shuts off until the next billing cycle (some Crisp tiers). Ask before signing.
Data export fees. Some tools make it expensive or slow to export your data when you switch. Shouldn't matter if you stay, but worth knowing.
Questions to ask your sales rep before signing
Once the calculator narrows your shortlist, use these questions to pressure-test the real cost with each vendor.
What exactly counts as a billable conversation? Automated replies? Returning customers on the same day?
Is the AI priced per conversation, per resolution, or included in the plan?
What happens when I exceed my plan limit? Auto-upgrade, overage fee, or chat shuts off?
Are seats charged per agent? Are there limits per plan?
What channels carry extra fees? WhatsApp, SMS, voice, Instagram DMs?
Is there a fee to remove your branding from the chat widget?
Can I cancel mid-contract? Do you refund unused months?
Will my pricing change during the contract? How much notice do I get if rates change?
Is the free trial limited in features, volume, or time?
Do you charge for migration help or data import?
Get the answers in writing. Email, not a sales call.
Our take on picking the right tool
The calculator gives you numbers. The decision is yours. Here's how we'd frame it if a Shopify owner asked us privately.
For most growing stores, the biggest risk isn't picking the slightly more expensive tool. It's picking a tool whose pricing model works against you. Per-ticket and per-seat pricing silently punish you for growing. Flat-fee pricing gives you budget predictability and protects your margins when volume spikes.
AeroChat's flat-fee model is the reason it ranks well in most calculator runs. Not because the sticker price is the lowest — Shopify Inbox is always cheaper on paper. But because the real bill in month 12, after you've grown, launched on Instagram, and survived your first Black Friday, usually comes in lower than tools that bill you for every success.
Run your real numbers. Check the peak season figure. Make sure the model fits your business, not just the month you signed up in.
Ready to try AeroChat on your store?
You can install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store and start your trial without a credit card. The plan the calculator recommended is the one you'll start on. If you're migrating from Tidio, Gorgias, or Intercom, our support team handles the contact and knowledge base transfer so you don't lose history.