Free chatbot for Shopify in 2026: 8 free plans and where each one stops

Last updated October 12, 2026. Every free plan, price and rating below was checked that day on the app's Shopify App Store listing and the vendor's own pages.

Most chat apps on the Shopify App Store have a free plan. So the real question is not whether a free chatbot exists. It is where each free plan stops.

Some reset an AI allowance every month. Others give AI once, cap you at a few chats, or include no AI at all. Below are eight free options, sorted by that limit, plus what a small store pays once it outgrows them.

Free chatbots for Shopify at a glance

Each row shows what the free plan includes and where it stops. Ratings come from each app's Shopify App Store listing on October 12, 2026:

What merchants run into on free chatbots

Shopify Inbox has the most reviews of any app on this list. Its reviews show what a free chatbot does well and where it frustrates. Its listing holds 4.6 stars from 5,810 reviews, and 80% are five stars.

We read all 5,810 Shopify Inbox reviews on October 12, 2026. Reviews from January to June 2026 average 4.69. Those posted since July 1, 2026 average 3.93.

We read each of the 63 one- and two-star reviews posted since July 1. Of those, 24 are about shoppers having to sign in, or merchants losing the shopper's email.

Eleven are about the AI agent giving wrong replies. Two complaints repeat:

• No way to follow up. A July 2026 reviewer said few shoppers use the sign-in: "there's no way for us to reach back out."
• Wrong replies from the AI. A September 2026 reviewer said the AI "provides WRONG information to customers" even after training, so they turned it off.

Shopify's help center explains the first one. For stores with new customer accounts, "Require sign-in to chat with staff" is on by default. If you turn it off and a shopper does not sign in, you cannot email them after they leave.

Neither problem is about price. Run two checks on any free chatbot: whether you can reach the shopper later, and whether you can review what the AI says.

What a small store pays after the free plan

Free plans fit a small store until a busy month. So we priced one store under every option, using each vendor's monthly list prices on October 12, 2026.

The store gets 150 chats a month. AI handles 100 on its own, and the owner answers the other 50. The catalog has fewer than 200 products.

Two notes keep this fair. Chatty's Free plan still works for this store: AI answers the first 50 chats and the owner answers the rest. And Tidio's Lyro price rises above 50 conversations a month, so check its calculator for your volume.

Free chatbots with AI that renews every month

These options give you AI at no cost, month after month, up to a limit:

Shopify Inbox: Shopify's own free AI agent

Shopify Inbox is Shopify's own chat app, and it now puts an AI sales associate on your storefront. It learns from your catalog, policies and store content. You set its tone and rules, and the agent is opt-in.

It is the baseline every other option on this list has to beat:

• Best for: new stores that want free chat with AI and no extra bill.
• Not a fit if: you need a shopper's email from every chat without asking them to sign in.
• Pricing: free on its Shopify App Store listing.
• Rating: 4.6 from 5,810 reviews, with 80% at five stars.
• The catch: the Inbox agent needs new customer accounts, and personalized replies need the shopper to sign in with Shop.

Chatty: 50 AI conversations a month, free

Chatty is the app we build, so weigh this section with that in mind. Its AI is trained on your store data: products, custom answers, URLs and files. It recommends products as cards with an Add to cart button, which puts the item in the shopper's real Shopify cart.

The Free plan includes 50 AI conversations a month, reset every cycle, and human chats are unlimited. Shoppers can chat as guests through a pre-chat form that asks for an email or phone number, so you can still reply. Here is how it lines up:

• Best for: small Shopify stores where shoppers ask about products before they buy.
• Not a fit if: AI needs to cover more than 50 chats a month at no cost. On Free, AI pauses at 50 and your team answers until the next cycle.
• Pricing: Free is $0 with 50 AI conversations, 200 products for AI training and 1 team member. Basic is $19.99 for 100, Pro $68.99 for 500 and Plus $199 for 1,000, and extras cost $0.40 each with a spending limit you set.
• Rating: 4.9 from 1,877 reviews, with 96% at five stars. Many reviews name the support staff who helped them.

Chatty also includes a Helpdesk for email tickets on every plan, including Free. The full plan table lists every limit per plan.

IG Facebook & Instagram Shop: free AI inside Instagram DMs

This app from DolphinSuite publishes your Shopify products to Instagram Direct and Messenger. Its AI recommends products in the chat, and an inbox lets you take over.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: small stores whose shoppers ask about products in Instagram DMs.
• Not a fit if: you want chat on your storefront.
• Pricing: Free includes 30 AI messages. Starter is $14.99 a month for 700, on its Shopify App Store listing.
• Rating: 4.9 from 388 reviews. It launched in June 2025, so the record is short.
• The catch: it counts AI messages, not conversations, so one long chat uses several.

Free plans with a one-time AI allowance

These two let you try AI for free, but the allowance does not renew like a monthly plan:

Tidio: AI, live chat and Flows to try

Tidio combines live chat, the Lyro AI agent and Flows automations in one app. Its free plan lets you try all three at a small scale.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: small teams that want to test AI and automations before paying.
• Not a fit if: you want free AI every month. Tidio's pricing page says the first 50 Lyro conversations are free for the lifetime of the account.
• Pricing: Free covers 50 human conversations and 100 Flows visitors. Customer Service is $29 a month for 100 conversations, Lyro starts at $39 and Flows at $29, on its Shopify listing.
• Rating: 4.8 from 1,354 reviews.
• The catch: at the monthly human limit, Tidio's help center says you can no longer respond to incoming messages.

Our guide to Tidio's pricing prices it for a larger store.

Gobot: a free product quiz to start

Gobot combines an AI support chatbot with guided product quizzes. It also offers a full setup and management service.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: stores that want shoppers to find a product through a quiz.
• Not a fit if: you want a public price list before you grow.
• Pricing: free to install with the first 5,000 engagements free, on its Shopify listing. Paid setup and management are priced by quote.
• Rating: 3.3 from 20 reviews, with 20% at one star.
• The catch: the listing does not say what an engagement is or what you pay after 5,000.

Free live chat without AI

These three are free or nearly free for live chat, but their free plans include no AI agent. You or your team answer every chat:

tawk.to: free live chat with no limits

tawk.to is free live chat with unlimited messaging, ticketing and agent seats. Its Shopify app lets you view Shopify orders from chats and tickets.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: owners who answer chats themselves and want no bill at all.
• Not a fit if: you want AI to reply while you are away.
• Pricing: free on its Shopify App Store listing.
• Rating: 3.6 from 89 reviews, with 21% at one star.
• The catch: its listing describes live chat, ticketing and a CRM, not an AI agent.

See our list of tawk.to rivals if you need AI.

Crisp: a free shared inbox for two

Crisp's free plan gives two seats, website chat and Shopify data sync. AI starts on paid plans.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: two-person teams that want a shared inbox now and AI later.
• Not a fit if: you want AI trained on your own content for less than $95 a month.
• Pricing: Free, Mini $45, Essentials $95 and Plus $295 a month on Crisp's pricing page. The Free plan includes no AI credits.
• Rating: 4.0 from 34 reviews, a small sample.
• The catch: its listing warns that Crisp may bill separately from your Shopify invoice.

Chatra: a short free trial of live chat

Chatra is a simple live chat app with an offline contact form bot. Its free plan is small, so treat it as a trial.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: trying live chat before you pick a paid plan.
• Not a fit if: you expect more than 5 chats a month.
• Pricing: Free covers up to 5 conversations a month. Essential is $31 per agent a month and Pro $41, on its Shopify listing.
• Rating: 4.6 from 307 reviews, with 92% at five stars.
• The catch: 5 conversations a month is the smallest free allowance on this list.

How to add a free chatbot to Shopify

Most free chat apps install in a few minutes. Follow these four steps:

1. Pick by your limit. Count last month's chats and check which free plan covers them.
2. Install from the Shopify App Store. Click Install, approve the permissions, and turn on the chat widget in your theme if the app asks you to.
3. Train it on your store. Add your shipping, returns and sizing details, and check how the app collects a shopper's email.
4. Test before you go live. Ask ten real questions from your inbox on desktop and mobile, and fix any wrong reply.

For paid options with more AI, read our guide to live chat apps for Shopify. Our free helpdesk guide covers email tickets.

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