HelpCenter: AI Helpdesk & Chat Alternatives for Shopify in 2026

The top HelpCenter alternative is AeroChat. It answers from your Shopify store, sends a payment link and confirms the order inside the chat, and runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email at one plan price. Other options are Willdesk, Commslayer, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Chatty and Shopify Inbox. Each suits a different kind of business, and each is priced in a different way.

Why businesses look for a HelpCenter alternative

HelpCenter’s Shopify App Store reviews are mostly positive. The critical ones mention a permission change in 2025 and features that moved from free to paid. Beyond reviews, these are the reasons a store usually starts comparing:

• Priced by tickets. Plans are sized by tickets a month, with a charge for each ticket over the plan, as of November 2026.
• The channels. The listing names email, live chat, a contact form and Messenger. Stores whose customers use WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok Shop want those answered too.
• FAQ first. HelpCenter is built around FAQ pages and a knowledge base. Stores want the chat to act on orders too.
• Payment in the chat. Stores want the customer to pay inside the conversation.

The alternatives

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows, Built for Shopify. It answers product, stock and order questions from your store on Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link, detects the payment and confirms the order in the same conversation, and in Malaysia books the delivery with POS Malaysia. It runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada. You describe a workflow in your own words, paste in the key of any system with a public API, and AeroChat builds it. It works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want customers to ask, pay and get delivery updates in one chat, on every channel they use.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, admin users are not limited, and your contact list does not change the plan. See the pricing page.
• Keep in mind: payment links start on the Growth plan, and AeroChat starts with a 7-day free trial.

2. 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 that want a helpdesk and help center in the same app as their chat.
• Pricing model: by conversations a month, from a free tier with 20 conversations, with extra conversations, tracked orders and AI conversations charged in blocks of 100, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: AI conversations are charged on top of the plan’s conversation count. See Willdesk vs AeroChat.

3. Commslayer: AI Helpdesk & Chat

A Shopify helpdesk and live chat app with an AI agent that resolves tickets, edits orders and drafts replies, covering live chat, email, WhatsApp and social DMs, plus moderation of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want a ticket-based helpdesk with unlimited seats and AI that works on orders.
• Pricing model: by billable conversations and AI messages. Free covers 300 conversations, Plus starts at US$39 a month for 700, and Scale at US$299 for 4,500. Extra conversations are US$0.15 each and extra AI messages US$0.075, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: the bill moves with two counts, conversations and AI messages. See Commslayer vs AeroChat.

4. Gorgias

A helpdesk for ecommerce with an AI Agent added. Your team works tickets from email, chat and social channels in one place.

• Suits: stores with a large support team that works mostly in tickets.
• Pricing model: per ticket, plus per automated interaction for the AI Agent. The Starter plan is US$40 a month for 50 tickets and 30 AI interactions, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: two meters run at once. AeroChat is up to 5x more cost-efficient than Gorgias. See Gorgias vs AeroChat.

5. Re:amaze

A customer service helpdesk with live chat, email, social channels, an FAQ center and an AI Agent, plus SMS and voice on higher plans.

• Suits: teams that want a per-seat helpdesk with chat and phone on one screen.
• 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.
• Limitation: WhatsApp needs a number provided by Twilio. See Re:amaze vs AeroChat.

6. Chatty AI Chatbot & Live Chat

A Shopify app with live chat, an AI shopping assistant and an FAQ page, covering live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.

• Suits: Shopify stores that want an AI assistant on their website with product answers drawn from the catalog.
• Pricing model: by AI conversations. Free includes 50 a month, Basic is US$19.99 a month for 100, Pro US$68.99 for 500 and Plus US$199 for 1,000, with US$0.40 for each one over the plan, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: a busy month moves you up a plan or onto per-conversation charges. See Chatty vs AeroChat.

7. Shopify Inbox

Shopify’s own chat app. Its Inbox agent answers product questions, makes recommendations, helps with order lookups and adds items to the cart, using your catalog, policies, pages and Knowledge Base.

• Suits: stores that want free chat on their online store with an AI agent built by Shopify.
• Pricing model: free to install, as of November 2026. Shopify’s help center says Inbox is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans.
• Limitation: the Inbox agent only works in your online store’s chat widget, needs new customer accounts, and asks customers to sign in before it looks up an order.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, website or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: HelpCenter, Willdesk, Commslayer, Gorgias, Re:amaze, Chatty, Shopify Inbox.

How to choose

• Count what you are billed on. Seats, tickets, resolutions and AI credits each grow in a different way. Price a busy month on each unit.
• Decide where conversations should end. A helpdesk routes a ticket to a person. Decide which requests you want finished in the chat, such as order status, address changes and payments.
• List the channels your customers use. If customers message you on WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok Shop, check the tool answers there, not only by email and chat.
• Check the systems it connects to. Store, payment, courier, returns and CRM tools all hold part of the answer.
• Look at how workflows are set up. Decide whether your team wants to build rules and macros, or describe what should happen.

Questions

What is the top alternative to HelpCenter?

AeroChat. It answers from your Shopify store on WhatsApp and six more channels, acts on the order, and takes the payment in the chat.

Can AeroChat work alongside my helpdesk?

Yes. AeroChat works alongside your current helpdesk, or replaces it.

Is there a free alternative to HelpCenter?

Shopify Inbox is free to install, and Willdesk, Commslayer and Chatty have free tiers, as of November 2026. AeroChat has a 7-day free trial.

How is HelpCenter priced?

By tickets a month, from a free tier with 10 tickets to Enterprise with 2,000, as of November 2026. See HelpCenter vs AeroChat.

Try the top HelpCenter alternative on your store

Install AeroChat, connect your store and a channel, and ask your own number about an order you shipped this week.

Install AeroChat on Shopify

7-day free trial.