I tested 7 tools to find the best chat app for Shopify in 2026

Trying to find a good chat app on the Shopify App Store feels like looking for a needle in a haystack of over 1,100 options.

I’ve been there.

Back when my store was just starting out, a simple free chat app did the trick. But as we grew, things got messy. We were missing messages, and the constant stream of "Where is my order?" questions was starting to cost us real money. We had to find something better.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and personally tested 7 of the top chat apps for Shopify. This guide is the result of that deep dive, designed to help you find the right tool whether you're shipping your first order or your thousandth.

What is a Shopify chat app?

Let's be real, a modern chat app is way more than just that little pop-up box in the corner of a website. It’s the command center for your sales and support, plugged right into all your store's data.

These tools have come a long way from just being a place for live agents to answer questions. Now, they're often packed with AI chatbots and full ticketing systems that can seriously boost conversions.

They basically have two main jobs, as this visual shows:

• On the sales side: They can grab a visitor's attention, help recover an abandoned cart, or even suggest products straight from your catalog.

• On the support side: They give customers instant answers about their order status, handle returns, and build trust by being available 24/7.

How we picked the best chat app for Shopify

To put this list together, I zeroed in on what actually makes a difference for a growing online store. Here's what I looked for in every app I tested:

• Real Shopify integration: Does it actually connect to your store data in a useful way? I’m talking about seeing order history and product info at a glance, or even issuing a refund without leaving the chat.

• Smart automation: Is it using real AI to understand and answer questions, or is it just a glorified FAQ with buttons? The goal is to automate the boring stuff.

• How it feels for your team: Is the dashboard easy to use? Does it actually help your agents work faster instead of making them jump between ten different tabs?

• How it feels for your customers: Is the chat widget quick, mobile-friendly, and actually helpful? A bad widget is worse than no widget at all.

• The price tag: Is it worth the money? I looked for clear pricing that makes sense as you scale, not something that’s going to shock you with hidden fees.

A quick look at the top Shopify chat apps for 2026

In a hurry? Here’s the rundown of our top picks and who they're for.

• eesel AI: Best for adding smart automation to the helpdesk you already use.

• Gorgias: Best all-in-one helpdesk built from the ground up for Shopify.

• Tidio: Best for small teams who want a bit of everything on a budget.

• Shopify Inbox: Best free and simple option for new stores.

• LiveChat: Best for businesses that need a super reliable, stable chat tool.

• Richpanel: Best for stores that want to build a great self-service experience.

• Chatra: Best for proactively engaging visitors to capture more leads.

The 7 best chat apps for Shopify in 2026

Alright, let's get into the details. Here’s a closer look at the 7 best chat apps I found for Shopify, along with their pros, cons, and who I think they’re best for.

1. eesel AI

eesel AI does things differently. Instead of making you switch to a whole new helpdesk, it’s an AI layer that plugs into the tools you already have, like Gorgias, Zendesk, or even the free Shopify Inbox. It’s designed to automate support and give your agents a helping hand.

This "plug-and-play" approach is fantastic for stores that are generally happy with their helpdesk but are struggling to keep up with message volume without hiring more people. It connects to your Shopify catalog, help docs, and past conversations to give accurate answers that are specific to your store. The AI can also handle Shopify Actions, like looking up an order, processing a return, or canceling an order all on its own.

• What I liked:

  • It works with your existing tools, so you don't have to migrate your whole team to a new system.
  • The AI learns from your actual store data, which means its answers are accurate and relevant.
  • It can perform useful Shopify Actions like "shopify_get_order_by_id" and "shopify_create_return".
  • You can run simulations on your past tickets to see exactly how well it would work and what your ROI would be before you commit.

• Heads up:

  • It’s an AI platform, not a standalone inbox. It makes your current inbox smarter or gives you a chatbot you can embed on your site.

• Pricing: The Team plan is $299/month for 1,000 interactions. The Business Plan, which includes Shopify actions and automatic replies, is $799/month for 3,000 interactions. You can get a 20% discount if you pay annually.

2. Gorgias

Gorgias is a big name in the Shopify world, and for good reason. It’s a full-blown helpdesk built specifically for e-commerce. Its main selling point is how it pulls all your customer communication, email, chat, social media, into a single view.

The tight Shopify integration is where it really shines. Your support agents can see a customer's order history, issue refunds, and edit shipping details right from the chat window. No more switching tabs.

• What I liked:

  • The connection with Shopify is top-notch, letting agents handle order actions without leaving the dashboard.
  • It brings all your channels (email, chat, social, SMS, voice) into one place.
  • Its "Macros" feature is great for creating personalized template responses using Shopify data.

• Heads up:

  • Gorgias offers tiered plans based on "billable tickets," allowing your costs to scale predictably alongside your store's growth.
  • The dashboard is professional-grade and packed with advanced features, which is ideal for teams that need serious support power.

• Pricing: A "Starter" plan is available for $10/month for 50 tickets. Most growing stores will likely need the Basic plan ($50/mo for 300 tickets) or Pro plan ($300/mo for 2,000 tickets). The AI Agent costs extra per resolution.

3. Tidio

Tidio is a go-to for many new and small stores because it packs live chat, AI chatbots, and a ticketing system into one affordable tool.

It’s a breeze to set up through its Shopify app, and the free plan is pretty generous. Their AI chatbot, Lyro, can reportedly handle up to 70% of common questions by learning from your FAQ page.

• What I liked:

  • The interface is clean and the setup is super quick.
  • You get a good mix of live chat and chatbot features for the price.
  • The free plan includes 50 conversations, which is great for getting your feet wet.

• Heads up:

  • The pricing can get a bit confusing. You pay separately for more conversations, the Lyro AI, and other automation features.
  • Lyro can't perform actions like processing a return right away; that requires a more technical setup.

• Pricing: There’s a free plan for up to 50 conversations a month. Paid plans start at $24.17/month. The Lyro AI agent is an add-on that starts at $32.50/month for 50 AI-powered conversations.

4. Shopify Inbox

For anyone just starting out, Shopify Inbox is a no-brainer. It's Shopify's own live chat tool, and it's completely free.

It integrates perfectly with your Shopify admin and is easy to manage from your computer or the mobile app. It handles all the live chat basics without any fuss. According to Shopify, customers who use chat are 70% more likely to buy something.

• What I liked:

  • It’s 100% free with any Shopify plan.
  • Being a native app, it shows you customer profiles and what’s in their cart right in the chat.
  • It’s simple, clean, and even has AI-suggested replies to help you respond faster.

• Heads up:

  • It’s pretty basic. You won't find advanced ticketing, automation, or deep analytics here.
  • It's not built for teams handling hundreds of conversations a day.
  • Just a note: Shopify discontinued chat within the Shop App in early 2025, so this is just for your online storefront.

• Pricing: Free.

5. LiveChat

LiveChat has been around forever and has a reputation for being incredibly stable and fast. If you just need a chat tool that works, all the time, this is a solid bet.

It also connects with a ton of other tools beyond Shopify, like Salesforce and HubSpot, which makes it a good choice for teams that already have a well-established set of software.

• What I liked:

  • It’s a very fast and reliable platform. You don't have to worry about it crashing.
  • The reporting and analytics are excellent for keeping track of your team's performance.
  • It integrates with hundreds of other apps, so you can likely connect it to anything you're already using.

• Heads up:

  • It’s priced per agent, so it can get more expensive than some of the other options.
  • Some of the best features, like advanced reporting, are only available on the higher-tier plans.

• Pricing: Starts at $24 per agent, per month.

6. Richpanel

Richpanel is built for stores that want to help customers help themselves. It combines live chat with a slick self-service portal that customers can use to solve their own problems.

The goal here is to cut down on support tickets by giving customers an "Amazon-like" portal where they can track orders, start a return, or search the knowledge base without ever talking to an agent. Richpanel claims this can automate 40-70% of common support questions.

• What I liked:

  • The self-service features are fantastic and can seriously reduce your team's workload.
  • It still has a unified inbox for when customers do need to talk to a human.
  • It’s well-suited for larger, more structured support teams.

• Heads up:

  • Its AI, called Sidekick, is more of an assistant for your agents (drafting replies) than an autonomous chatbot for customers.
  • Pricing is based on users and your monthly store orders, so it can get pricey.

• Pricing: There's a free Help Desk plan for up to 3 users. Paid plans start at $29/user/month. The Self-Service Portal add-on starts at $99/month for up to 5,000 orders.

7. Chatra

Chatra is a simple, clean live chat app that’s really good at one thing: proactively starting conversations to capture leads and make sales.

It’s easy to use, and its behavior-based triggers are great for popping up at just the right moment, like when someone has been on the checkout page for a while or looks like they're about to leave the site. The Shopify integration also lets you see what a customer has in their cart.

• What I liked:

  • It’s affordable and has a free plan to get you started.
  • The smart triggers are great for engaging potential customers before they leave.
  • The interface is clean and simple for both your team and your shoppers.

• Heads up:

  • The free plan is very limited, allowing only 5 chats per month.
  • It doesn't have as many of the heavy-duty helpdesk features as a tool like Gorgias.

• Pricing: A free plan is available. The Essential plan starts at $31 per agent, per month.

How to choose the best chat app for Shopify for your store

Look, picking the right tool isn't about finding the one with the longest feature list. It’s about figuring out your biggest headache right now and solving that.

So, what’s the real problem?

Is your support team drowning in a chaotic mess of emails, DMs, and social media comments? If so, an all-in-one helpdesk like Gorgias could be a lifesaver. It pulls everything into one organized place.

But what if you actually like your current setup (maybe you're using Zendesk or Shopify Inbox) but you just can't keep up with the volume of repetitive questions? In that case, adding an AI layer like eesel AI makes a lot more sense. It improves what you already have, without the pain of moving everything over. This flowchart can help you decide:

Start by identifying your biggest pain point. Is it abandoned carts? Is it your team wasting hours on "where's my order?" tickets? Is it slow response times? Pick the tool that fixes that specific problem first.

And don't pay for features you don't need. A free tool like Shopify Inbox is perfect... until it isn't. Only upgrade when you feel a real pain that automation can solve.

The verdict: Fit the app to your workflow

At the end of the day, there's no single "best" chat app for every single Shopify store. The right choice for a brand new shop is going to be totally different from what a high-volume business needs.

While big helpdesks like Gorgias and Richpanel are great, they ask you to move your entire support operation into their world. For a lot of stores, the smarter move isn't to replace everything, but to make what you already have work better.

That's where eesel AI really shines. It’s not trying to be another inbox: it’s focused on providing a top-notch AI and automation engine that plugs into your current workflow. You get all the perks of automation without having to start from scratch.

If you're curious to see what that could look like for your store, you can run a free simulation with eesel AI using your past support tickets. You'll see exactly how much time and money you could save, no strings attached.