Shopify Inbox alternatives in 2026: 7 apps compared by what they add

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

Shopify Inbox is free, built by Shopify, and now includes an AI sales associate. For a new store, it is hard to beat.

So merchants who leave are not chasing a lower price. They need something Inbox does not do: keep the shopper's contact details, steer the AI, or turn support emails into tickets.

That is how this guide compares seven alternatives: by what each one adds on top of Inbox, and what that costs.

Shopify Inbox alternatives at a glance

Each row shows what the tool bills for and its one catch. Ratings come from each app's Shopify App Store listing on October 12, 2026:

Why merchants look for a Shopify Inbox alternative

Inbox is not a weak app. Its listing shows 4.6 stars from 5,810 reviews, and 80% of them are five stars. Reviews posted in 2024 and 2025 average 4.77 and 4.75.

We read all 5,810 Inbox reviews on October 12, 2026. The picture changed in July 2026. Reviews that month average 3.84 stars across 139 reviews, and August averages 3.73.

Since July 1, 2026, merchants have left 63 one- or two-star reviews. Most describe one update that changed how a chat starts:

• Lost contact details. About 24 of the 63 say Inbox stopped collecting the shopper's name and email, or now asks shoppers to sign in. In July 2026 one merchant wrote: "Forcing customers to sign in just to ask a quick question completely destroys lead generation."
• An AI they could not steer. About 11 are about AI replies. A July 2026 reviewer wrote: "I cant even open the conversation with someone to correct the mistake ai made."
• A new design. About 13 say the new widget is harder to use, especially on mobile.

Reviewers note you can keep anonymous chats on. Then you cannot see who you are talking to or follow up by email. Ratings have started to recover: September averages 4.25.

What a Shopify Inbox alternative costs for the same store

Inbox costs nothing, so the real question is what you pay to add what it lacks. We priced one store under each tool, using monthly list prices on October 12, 2026.

The store gets 300 chat conversations a month. AI answers 200 on its own, and one teammate answers the other 100. The catalog has fewer than 500 products.

Two notes keep this fair. Re:amaze charges only when the AI resolves a chat, while Chatty and Tidio count every conversation the AI replies to. Willdesk is left out because its listing does not say how many AI conversations each plan includes.

The Tidio line comes from Tidio's own calculator, converted to a monthly price. Our Tidio alternatives guide shows the full working.

Shopify Inbox alternatives that add an AI you can train

These two keep chat on your storefront, but let you shape the AI and how a chat starts:

Chatty: AI that sells from your Shopify catalog

Chatty is the app we build, so weigh this section with that in mind. You choose how a chat starts: shoppers fill a short pre-chat form first, chat anonymously, or pick either one.

The pre-chat form always asks for an email, and name and phone are optional. That keeps a way to reach the shopper after they leave.

Its AI learns your 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.

Chatty also includes a Helpdesk on every plan, including Free. It turns support emails into tickets with a priority, an assignee and a status. Here is how it lines up:

• Best for: Shopify stores that want to keep every shopper's email and sell from the chat.
• Not a fit if: your team runs on SLA policies, macros and automation rules. Chatty's Helpdesk has none of those, so a dedicated helpdesk will serve you better.
• Pricing: Free includes 50 AI conversations a month. Basic is $19.99 for 100, Pro $68.99 for 500 and Plus $199 for 1,000. Extras cost $0.40 each, and you can set a spending limit in the app.
• Rating: 4.9 from 1,877 reviews, with 96% at five stars. Many reviews name the support staff who helped them.

For a side-by-side view, read our Chatty vs Shopify Inbox comparison. The full plan table lists every limit per plan.

Tidio: chat, AI and Flows priced as separate parts

Tidio sells three parts: Customer Service for human chats, Lyro for AI chats and Flows for automation. Lyro can take native Shopify actions, and Flows lets you build chat automations visually.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: small teams that want chat, AI and automation flows in one app.
• Not a fit if: you want one bill to forecast. Human chats and AI chats move to bigger tiers separately.
• Pricing: its Shopify listing sells Customer Service at $29 a month for 100 conversations, Flows at $29 and Lyro at $39. Tidio's own pricing page sells bundled tiers, from $24.17 a month billed yearly.
• Rating: 4.8 from 1,354 reviews.
• The catch: when the human quota runs out, Tidio's help center says you can no longer reply until you upgrade or the quota resets.

Shopify Inbox alternatives that add a helpdesk

These four put email, chat and social messages into one inbox your team can assign and track. They fit stores whose chats are mostly about orders:

Gorgias: a Shopify helpdesk built around tickets

Gorgias pulls Shopify order data into each ticket, and agents work email, chat, social, voice and SMS from one place. On Basic and up, its AI Agent can run actions such as cancelling an order or applying a discount.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: support teams with several agents who handle order questions across many channels.
• Not a fit if: most of your chats are pre-sale product questions.
• Pricing: Starter $10 a month for 50 tickets, Basic $60 for 300, Pro $360 for 2,000. The AI Agent adds $0.85 to $1.00 per automated interaction, by plan, on Gorgias's pricing page.
• Rating: 4.3 from 704 reviews, with 10% at one star.
• The catch: two meters. A busy month raises both your ticket count and your AI interactions.

Re:amaze: a helpdesk with chat and a public FAQ

Re:amaze combines email, live chat, social, SMS and calls in one inbox, with order details next to each conversation. Every plan includes a public and internal FAQ.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: small teams that want a full helpdesk with chat and an FAQ at a low seat price.
• Not a fit if: AI will handle most of your volume, since only a few resolutions are included.
• Pricing: Basic $29, Pro $49 and Plus $69 per team member a month, on Re:amaze's pricing page. Plans include 5, 10 or 20 AI resolutions per user a month, then $0.85 each.
• Rating: 4.4 from 181 reviews.
• The catch: every team member is a paid seat.

Crisp: one flat price per workspace

Crisp charges a flat monthly price per workspace, not per conversation. Seats come in bundles: 2 on Free, 4 on Mini, 10 on Essentials and 20 on Plus. Its Shopify app syncs store data into each conversation.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: small teams that want a predictable bill and many channels in one inbox.
• Not a fit if: you want AI trained on your own content on a low plan. That starts at Essentials.
• Pricing: Free, Mini $45, Essentials $95 and Plus $295 a month on Crisp's pricing page. WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS start on Essentials.
• Rating: 4.0 from 34 reviews, a small sample.
• The catch: AI runs on included credits, and Crisp describes their reach only as "around" a number of conversations.

Willdesk: AI order support on a small budget

Willdesk, by Channelwill, is a helpdesk with an AI agent for order tracking, returns, cancellations and address updates. It puts email, live chat, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp into one ticketing system.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: budget-conscious stores whose chats are mostly about orders.
• Not a fit if: you want one simple meter to forecast.
• Pricing: on its Shopify App Store listing, Free covers 20 conversations. Basic is $16.90 a month for 100 and Pro $89.90 for 1,000.
• Rating: 4.7 from 384 reviews.
• The catch: on Basic, extra conversations cost $12 per 100, tracked orders $4 per 100 and AI conversations $20 per 100.

A free Shopify Inbox alternative: tawk.to

tawk.to is free live chat with unlimited messaging, ticketing and agent seats, plus a knowledge base. Agents can view and manage Shopify orders from chats and tickets.

Here is where it fits:

• Best for: stores with several people on chat who want to pay nothing for seats.
• Not a fit if: you want AI included. AI Assist is a paid add-on above a small free tier.
• Pricing: the platform is free. On tawk.to's add-ons page, AI Assist starts at $29 a month and removing its branding costs $29.
• Rating: 3.6 from 89 reviews.
• The catch: 21% of its Shopify reviews are one star.

Which Shopify Inbox alternative fits your store

Start from what Inbox stopped doing for you:

• You need the shopper's email before or during the chat: Chatty.
• You want automation flows built visually: Tidio.
• Order problems and email tickets fill your day: Gorgias, Re:amaze or Willdesk.
• You want one flat bill for a small team: Crisp.
• You want free chat with many seats: tawk.to.
• None of the above: stay on Inbox. It is free and improving.

Before you switch, run three checks:

• Count how many Inbox chats last month ended without a name or email.
• Find out what happens at each tool's limit: a hard stop, an overage you can cap, or a forced upgrade.
• Ask the AI ten real questions from your inbox during the free trial.

For more no-cost options, see our roundup of free chatbot options for Shopify.

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