Best Live Chat App for Shopify in 2026: What to Look For and Seven Options

The best live chat app for Shopify is AeroChat. Your team can see every conversation and take over at any time, while the AI answers the rest from your live store data, sends a payment link and confirms the order in the chat. The same inbox covers web chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat and email. Below are the criteria that matter for a Shopify store, then AeroChat and six other options with who each one suits.

What actually matters in a Shopify live chat app

• Your team and the AI share one inbox. A person should see when the AI is talking, jump in at any time and hand the chat back. See live chat handover and shared inbox.
• Someone answers when the team is offline. Most stores cannot staff chat around the clock. The AI should answer product and order questions from your store data outside your hours, not only take a message.
• The chat reaches customers off your website. Many shoppers message on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger or TikTok Shop. Live chat that covers those channels from one inbox saves switching apps.
• It knows the order. The person or AI answering should see the customer’s order after verifying who they are. See WISMO.
• The widget stays out of the way. Check that you can place the chat button so it does not cover your add-to-cart button or cart drawer.
• The price does not punish busy months. Live chat apps charge by seats, conversations or AI usage. Price a busy month, not a quiet one.

The options

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows, Built for Shopify. Your team works every conversation from one inbox, sees when the AI is talking, can jump in at any time and can switch the AI off. When nobody is online, the AI answers from your products, stock, shipping rates and orders, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link and confirms the order in the chat. It covers web chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want a team inbox and an AI that finishes the job, on every channel.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, and admin users are not limited. 7-day free trial. See the pricing page.

2. Shopify Inbox

Shopify’s own chat app for your online store, with apps for your team on desktop, iOS and Android and an Inbox agent that answers common shopping questions.

• Suits: stores that want free chat on their online store and are happy for it to stay on the store’s chat widget.
• Pricing model: free to install, as of November 2026, on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans. See When Shopify Inbox isn’t enough.

3. Tidio

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

• Suits: small teams that want live chat and an AI agent in one tool.
• Pricing model: by conversations. A free plan covers 50 billable conversations, Starter is US$24.17 a month for 100, and Lyro starts at US$32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, as of November 2026.

4. Chatty

A Shopify AI chatbot and live chat app with a team inbox for live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. The AI hands chats to your team when a shopper asks for a person or sounds frustrated.

• Suits: small Shopify stores that want live chat with an AI chatbot at a low starting price.
• Pricing model: by AI conversations, with team members limited by plan. A free plan covers 50 AI conversations and 1 team member, Basic is US$19.99 a month for 100 and 5 members, as of November 2026. See Chatty vs AeroChat.

5. Willdesk

A Shopify live chat, AI chatbot and helpdesk app with ticketing, a help center and order tracking, and unlimited agents on every plan.

• Suits: small Shopify stores with several people on chat who want no per-seat pricing.
• Pricing model: by conversations a month, from a free plan with 20 conversations, with extra conversations and AI conversations charged in blocks of 100, as of November 2026. See Willdesk vs AeroChat.

6. Re:amaze

A customer service helpdesk with live chat, email, social channels, an FAQ center and an AI Agent, with a live view of site visitors on Pro and video calls and screen sharing on Plus.

• Suits: teams that want live chat inside a full per-seat helpdesk.
• Pricing model: per team member, from US$29 a month, with 5 to 20 AI resolutions per user included and US$0.85 for each extra one, as of November 2026. See Re:amaze vs AeroChat.

7. Zipchat

An AI agent for ecommerce brands, with website chat, AI search and product page answers, plus WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email, and unlimited team members on every plan.

• Suits: 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. See Zipchat vs AeroChat.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, help center or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: Shopify Inbox, Tidio, Chatty, Willdesk, Re:amaze, Zipchat.

How to pick for your store

• If one person runs the store: pick an app whose AI answers order and product questions properly when you are offline, so the chat is not just a message box.
• If several people share chat: check how seats are priced and how a conversation moves between the AI and a person.
• If customers message you on social apps: pick an app that puts WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in the same inbox as web chat.
• If customers buy in chat: pick an app that sends the payment link and confirms the order in the conversation.

For a longer list, see our earlier post on the best live chat apps for Shopify.

Questions

What is the best live chat app for Shopify?

AeroChat. Your team works every channel from one inbox and can take over any chat, while the AI answers from your live store data and finishes the sale in the chat.

Is there a free live chat app for Shopify?

Shopify Inbox is free to install, and Tidio, Chatty and Willdesk have free plans with low monthly limits, as of November 2026. AeroChat has a 7-day free trial.

Can I see when the AI is replying in AeroChat?

Yes. You see when the AI is talking, you can jump in at any time, and you can switch the AI off.

Does AeroChat’s live chat work on WhatsApp?

Yes. WhatsApp conversations sit in the same inbox as web chat, and your number can stay on the WhatsApp Business app on your phone at the same time.

Try the best live chat app for Shopify on your store

Install AeroChat, connect your store and WhatsApp, send your own number a question, and jump into the conversation while the AI is answering.

Install AeroChat on Shopify

7-day free trial.