Shopify Chatbot Pricing Comparison: 15 Apps Ranked by True Cost (2026)

Most Shopify chatbot pricing pages lie. Not on purpose, but in effect.

The number you see on the homepage is rarely the number on your invoice. AI add-ons get billed separately. Conversations beyond your limit trigger overage fees. Per-seat charges scale with your team. Per-resolution charges scale with your success.

This guide cuts through the marketing and shows what 15 popular Shopify chatbot apps actually cost a real store. We focused on three realistic scenarios:

• A small store handling around 200 conversations a month

• A growing store handling around 1,000 conversations a month

• A larger store handling around 5,000 conversations a month

Where pricing was unclear, we said so. Where a tool was cheaper on paper but expensive in practice, we explained why. The goal is to help you pick a chatbot you can budget for, not one that looks good in a demo and ruins your margins six months in.

A quick note on transparency. AeroChat is one of the apps in this list. We've kept the comparison honest, including where competitors beat us. Pricing changes constantly, so verify each tool's current rates before you commit. The data here was checked in April 2026.

How we measured "true cost"

Sticker price is just the start. Here's what actually drives your bill:

• Plan fee. The base subscription.

• AI charges. Most tools now charge separately for AI conversations or resolutions. Some charge per message. Some per resolved ticket. A few charge nothing extra.

• Per-seat fees. Some tools charge for every agent on the team. Others don't.

• Overages. What you pay when you exceed your plan's conversation limit.

• Channel add-ons. WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, voice. Often extra.

• Hidden gotchas. Branding removal fees, lock-in contracts, sudden tier jumps.

We'll show the sticker price first, then the realistic monthly bill once these layers stack up.

The 15 apps, ranked by true cost for a growing Shopify store

This ranking is for a store doing around 1,000 conversations a month with one or two agents needing AI to handle most repetitive questions. Your numbers will differ if you're smaller or larger, so we've included the small and large scenarios under each tool.

1. AeroChat Basic - $39/month (or $39 monthly billed annually at $390/year)

AeroChat's entry plan starts at $39 a month and includes 500 AI responses, unlimited contacts, web chat, WhatsApp, and direct Shopify integration. There are no per-resolution AI fees and no per-seat charges up to 3 agents.

Note that AeroChat counts in "AI responses" rather than conversations. A typical chat uses 5 to 9 responses, so 500 responses cover roughly 60 to 100 chats a month.

The honest catch: AeroChat Basic doesn't include Instagram DMs, WhatsApp, Facebook comment automation, or email channels. If you live on Instagram, you'll need the Growth plan.

Best for: Small stores who want predictable AI pricing and Shopify plus WhatsApp coverage.

Real monthly cost: $39 for low-volume stores. $119 (Growth) once you add Instagram, Facebook comments, and richer media. $279 (Advanced) for stores doing higher volume with WhatsApp broadcasts.

2. Shopify Inbox - Free

The cheapest option exists, and it's already inside your Shopify admin.

Shopify Inbox is free on every Shopify plan. It comes with basic live chat, a chat widget, and Shopify Magic for AI-suggested replies. There are no per-conversation fees, no add-ons, no seat charges.

The honest catch: Shopify Inbox is a messaging tool, not a true AI chatbot. The AI suggests replies. It doesn't autonomously answer customer questions, recommend products based on browsing behaviour, or handle multi-turn conversations across channels. For a small store with low volume and a founder who can reply within an hour, it's enough. For most growing stores, you'll outgrow it.

Best for: New stores doing under 100 conversations a month who want zero monthly cost.

Real monthly cost: $0 at any volume.

3. Crisp - Starts free, paid plans from around $45/month

Crisp has a usable free tier with basic chat. Paid plans start around $45 a month and scale to about $295 for the Plus tier. Crisp adds extra fees for additional seats ($10 each), additional sub-inboxes ($10), and extra contact storage.

The honest catch: Crisp's AI Agent and advanced features sit on the Plus tier, which is where the price jumps. The marketing makes Crisp look cheap, but a real e-commerce setup with multi-channel and AI lands in the $150 to $300 range.

Best for: Small SMBs that want a polished interface and don't need deep ecommerce automation.

Real monthly cost: $45 to $295 depending on tier and add-ons.

4. Tidio - From $29/month sticker, $150 to $250 in practice

Tidio advertises plans starting at $29 a month. The reality is more complicated.

Tidio bills three things separately: human conversations, Lyro AI conversations, and Flow visitors. Each has its own quota. Once any quota fills, you either upgrade or your chat stops working until the next billing cycle.

For a real store needing AI, the math looks like this. The Growth plan ($59 a month) plus Lyro AI ($39 a month for 50 conversations) plus Flows automation ($24 a month) lands around $122 a month. Bigger AI volumes push Lyro to $75 to $150 a month on its own. Removing the "Powered by Tidio" branding costs extra unless you're on the Plus plan at $749 a month.

The honest catch: there's a 12x price gap between Growth ($59) and Plus ($749). Mid-sized teams get stuck either underpaying with limits or overpaying for features they don't need.

Best for: Teams that want a familiar live chat interface and can stay within Tidio's limits.

Real monthly cost: $29 sticker. $150 to $250 typical. $350+ once AI volume scales.

5. ManyChat - From $15/month sticker, $80 to $200 in practice

ManyChat is the dominant tool for Instagram and WhatsApp DM automation. Its Pro plan starts around $29 a month for 2,500 contacts.

The catch: ManyChat AI is a separate $29-a-month add-on on Pro and Business plans. WhatsApp messages add Meta's per-conversation fees on top, typically $0.02 to $0.08 per conversation. SMS is billed per message. Inbox Pro for live chat costs $99 a month.

ManyChat is genuinely cheap if you only need rule-based flows. Once you add real AI plus WhatsApp at scale, costs climb fast.

Best for: Brands running comment-to-DM Instagram campaigns or simple WhatsApp flows.

Real monthly cost: $15 to $80 for basic flows. $150 to $300 with AI plus WhatsApp at volume.

6. AeroChat Growth - $119/month

This is the plan most growing Shopify stores actually need. It includes 2,000 AI responses, social channel coverage (Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook), email, rich media, webhooks, and up to 10 agent accounts.

For a store doing roughly 250 to 400 chats a month with full Instagram and WhatsApp presence, $119 a month covers the lot. No per-resolution fees, no per-seat scaling, no overage shock.

Best for: Growing stores covering multiple channels who want one predictable bill.

Real monthly cost: $119 flat.

7. Re:amaze - From around $29/month per agent

Re:amaze charges per agent, starting around $29 a month per seat on the Basic plan and rising to about $69 per seat on higher tiers. It includes a unified inbox, basic chatbot tools, and Shopify integration.

The honest catch: per-agent pricing scales linearly. Three agents on the mid plan is around $180 a month. Five agents pushes you past $300. AI features sit on higher tiers, and the AI is less mature than what Tidio's Lyro or Gorgias offers.

Best for: Small ecommerce teams who want a clean shared inbox and don't need heavy AI automation.

Real monthly cost: $87 to $345 depending on team size.

8. Chatfuel - From $24/month sticker

Chatfuel runs from a free plan up to around $400 a month. The starter paid tier is around $24 to $59 a month.

It's strong on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp automation, with ChatGPT, Shopify, and Zapier integrations. The catch: separate setup and pricing per channel can stack up. Chatfuel doesn't compete on the depth of helpdesk features that Gorgias or Re:amaze offer.

Best for: Brands running cross-channel social automations with simple flows.

Real monthly cost: $24 to $200 depending on contacts and channels.

9. AeroChat Advanced - $279/month

AeroChat's top tier delivers 5,000 AI responses, self-learning AI, agent auto-translation, conversion tracking, WhatsApp broadcast and marketing templates, API access, and 25 agent seats. Designed for stores doing 500 to 1,000 plus chats a month or running multi-language operations.

For a Shopify Plus store running international, this is competitive against Gorgias Pro at $360 once you add Gorgias's AI Agent fees, and against Intercom for a fraction of the price.

Best for: Larger Shopify stores running multi-language, multi-channel operations.

Real monthly cost: $279 flat.

10. Gorgias - From $10/month sticker, $360 to $1,500 in practice

Gorgias is the most popular helpdesk for Shopify, with the deepest native integration of any tool on this list. It's also one of the most expensive once you factor in real usage.

Gorgias bills by ticket, not by seat. Plans run from $10 (Starter, 50 tickets, 3 seats) to $60 (Basic, 300 tickets) to $360 (Pro, 2,000 tickets) to $900 (Advanced, 5,000 tickets). Gorgias's AI Agent costs an extra $0.90 to $1.00 per resolved interaction on top of your plan, and that interaction also counts as a billable ticket. Voice and SMS are separate add-ons.

A real-world example: a brand on the Pro plan automating 30% of 2,000 tickets pays roughly $720 a month, nearly double the sticker price. During Black Friday, multiple Gorgias customers have reported bills jumping from $300 to $1,200 in a single month due to volume spikes.

The honest credit: Gorgias's Shopify integration is genuinely best in class. Agents can edit orders, process refunds, and manage subscriptions inside a ticket. If you have a dedicated support team and the volume justifies it, Gorgias is hard to beat for raw helpdesk depth.

Best for: Shopify brands doing $1M to $50M in revenue with a real support team.

Real monthly cost: $360 to $1,500 typical. $2,000+ during peak season.

11. Freshchat - From around $19/month per agent

Freshchat's paid tiers run roughly $19 to $79 per agent per month. Its Freddy AI add-on is billed separately, often at higher tiers.

The catch: per-agent pricing makes Freshchat expensive for any team beyond two or three people. Five agents on the Pro tier crosses $390 a month, and that's before AI.

Best for: Small teams wanting a clean seat-based inbox without ecommerce-specific features.

Real monthly cost: $95 to $400 depending on team size.

12. LiveChat (livechat.com) - From around $24/month per seat

LiveChat is one of the older tools in the category. Plans start around $24 per seat per month and rise to $69 for advanced features. AI features sit on the higher tiers.

The catch: per-seat pricing again. LiveChat is a clean tool but doesn't have the Shopify-specific automation that Tidio or Gorgias offer.

Best for: Small teams that want classic live chat without the AI complexity.

Real monthly cost: $72 to $345 depending on team size.

13. Drift - From around $2,500/month

Drift is built for B2B sales conversations, not Shopify support. Pricing reflects this. The advertised entry is around $2,500 a month for the Premium tier, with custom pricing above.

The honest verdict: Drift is overkill for almost any Shopify store. We've included it because comparison content often references it, but if you're running a DTC brand, this is the wrong tool.

Best for: Enterprise B2B teams. Not Shopify ecommerce.

Real monthly cost: $2,500+.

14. HubSpot Service Hub - From around $20/month sticker, $1,000+ for real use

HubSpot's Service Hub bundles ticketing, knowledge base, chatbots, and survey tools. The free tier exists but is functionally limited. Paid plans start cheap and scale with seats and contact volume.

The catch: HubSpot's pricing model is built around its full Sales and Marketing Hub stack. If you only need a chatbot, the per-seat plus per-contact model gets expensive fast. Real ecommerce setups usually land at $1,000+ a month.

Best for: Stores already running HubSpot for sales and marketing.

Real monthly cost: $0 (limited) to $1,000+ for a real setup.

15. Intercom - From $29/seat/month sticker, $500 to $5,000+ in practice

Intercom is the most expensive tool on this list, and the gap between sticker price and real cost is the biggest.

Intercom's plans run $29 (Essential), $85 (Advanced), and $132 (Expert) per seat per month, billed annually. Monthly billing adds about 16%. On top of seats, Intercom's Fin AI Agent costs $0.99 per resolved conversation. WhatsApp and SMS are separate per-message charges.

A real example. Five agents on the Advanced plan is $425 a month in seats. Add Fin handling 60% of 2,000 monthly conversations and you add $1,188 in AI costs. Total: $1,613 a month. At 10,000 conversations a month with Fin at 50% resolution, the monthly bill crosses $5,500.

The honest credit: Intercom is genuinely powerful for SaaS support and has the most polished AI agent in the category. For a Shopify store, you're almost certainly paying for capabilities you'll never use.

Best for: SaaS companies and enterprise B2C with complex support workflows.

Real monthly cost: $500 for tiny teams. $1,500 to $5,000+ for real operations.

True cost summary, side by side

Here's what a growing Shopify store doing around 1,000 conversations a month with two agents typically pays. AI included.

Which pricing model wins, and when

There's no universally cheapest tool. There's the right pricing model for your situation.

Free tools (Shopify Inbox) make sense when your volume is low and you can answer chats yourself. The hidden cost is your time.

Flat-fee tools (AeroChat, Crisp at lower tiers) make sense when you want predictable monthly bills. You know what you'll pay regardless of conversation spikes. Best for stores that want to budget cleanly and avoid surprise invoices during Black Friday.

Per-seat tools (Re:amaze, Freshchat, LiveChat, Intercom) make sense when your team is small and stable. They get expensive fast as you hire, especially during seasonal peaks where you need temporary support staff.

Per-conversation tools (Tidio, Gorgias) make sense when your conversation volume is steady and predictable. They punish growth, viral moments, and seasonal spikes. The same volume that makes you celebrate revenue also makes your support bill double.

Per-AI-resolution tools (Intercom Fin, Gorgias AI) make sense when AI resolutions clearly save you agent costs. The math only works if your loaded human cost per ticket is well above $1. Otherwise you're paying for the AI, the helpdesk seat, and getting both billed twice.

Hidden costs to watch for in any contract

Before you sign with any tool, get clear answers on these questions. Most billing surprises come from one of these:

• What counts as a billable conversation? Does an automated reply count? Does a returning customer count again?

• What happens when you exceed your monthly limit? Auto-upgrade, overage fee, or chat shuts off?

• Is AI included in the plan, or billed separately?

• Are seats charged per agent? Are there limits per plan?

• What channels cost extra? WhatsApp, SMS, voice, Instagram?

• Is there a fee to remove the vendor's branding from the chat widget?

• What's the cancellation policy mid-contract? Refunds for unused months?

• Are price changes possible mid-contract? Tidio raised prices on existing customers in late 2024 with limited notice.

Our honest pick by store size

Brand new store (under 100 conversations a month): Use Shopify Inbox. It's free and good enough until you hit volume.

Growing store (200 to 500 conversations a month): AeroChat Basic at $39 covers Shopify and WhatsApp with predictable AI included. If you live on Instagram, jump to Growth at $119. Tidio works too if you stay disciplined about Lyro limits.

Established store (500 to 2,000 conversations, one or two agents): AeroChat Growth at $119 or Advanced at $279, depending on AI volume. Gorgias Basic or Pro if you need a deeper helpdesk and can absorb the higher cost.

Larger store (2,000+ conversations, real support team): This is where the choice gets harder. Gorgias is the gold standard for Shopify-native helpdesk depth, but you'll pay $1,000+ a month. AeroChat Advanced at $279 covers most needs at a fraction of the cost if you don't need Gorgias's order-editing depth. Intercom only if you have B2B-style complexity.

Final word

Pricing pages are designed to look attractive at a glance and complicated at checkout. The tools that win on real-world cost are the ones with the fewest billing layers. Flat fees beat per-seat plus per-AI-resolution every time, unless your volumes happen to fit a vendor's specific model.

Before you commit to any chatbot, run your last 90 days of conversation data through their pricing page. Multiply by your peak month, not your average. If the math still works, you've got a tool you can scale with. If it doesn't, the cheapest sticker price often turns into the most expensive bill.

If you want to see how AeroChat handles a real Shopify store with predictable, flat-fee pricing, you can start free at aerochat.ai. No credit card required for the trial.