Shopify automation apps

If you're running a Shopify store, you know the drill. You're part inventory manager, part marketer, and full-time answerer of "Where's my order?". It feels like you're constantly buried in tasks that have to get done but don't really move the needle. That’s where automation is supposed to help.

The problem is, the Shopify App Store has hundreds of Shopify automation apps, and they all promise to save you a ton of time. Which ones are legit? I decided to find out for myself. I spent time testing seven of the most popular ones, from basic workflow tools to full-blown AI agents. Here’s my honest breakdown of what each one is good for, where they fall short, and who should use them. The goal is to help you get out of the weeds and back to growing your business.

What are Shopify automation apps?

Let's get on the same page. A Shopify automation app is basically a tool that takes care of repetitive jobs for you. It's like having a virtual assistant who never sleeps. These apps link up with your store and other software to kick off actions when certain things happen.

For example, when a customer places an order, an automation can tag them as a "first-time buyer," send them a welcome email, and add their order details to a Google Sheet, all without you lifting a finger. These apps usually cover a few key areas:

• Marketing: Setting up automated email flows, SMS campaigns, and ad monitoring.

• Operations & Fulfillment: Keeping inventory in sync, managing shipping rules, and processing orders.

• Customer Support: Answering common questions, sorting support tickets, and flagging tricky issues for a human.

The whole point is to make your processes smoother, cut down on manual errors, and give your team more time to think about the bigger picture.

My criteria for the best Shopify automation apps

To keep this comparison fair and grounded in reality, I judged every app on the same few things that I think matter most when you're busy running a store.

• Ease of setup: How fast could I get it working? I looked for tools I could set up myself in a few minutes without needing to call in a developer.

• AI & intelligence: Is it actually smart? I wanted to see if the app could handle tricky, nuanced questions or if it was just a simple "if this, then that" machine.

• Impact on efficiency: Did it actually save me time? My focus was on apps that tackled the biggest time-sucks, like customer support and order management.

• Pricing transparency: Could I understand the pricing? I gave extra points to apps with simple, flat-rate plans and was wary of ones that could spring a surprise bill on you.

• Integrations: Does it connect to other tools? The best apps don't just work with Shopify; they also connect smoothly to your help desk, email software, and wherever else you keep your company knowledge.

Comparison of the top 7 Shopify automation apps

App	Best For	Ease of Setup	Key AI Feature	Pricing Model
eesel AI	AI-powered customer support	Minutes (Self-serve)	Learns from past tickets	Flat-rate (by interactions)
Shopify Flow	Basic internal workflows	Very Easy (Native)	None (Rule-based)	Free with Shopify plans
Gorgias	Centralizing support channels	Easy	Basic intent detection	Per-ticket
Klaviyo	Email & SMS marketing	Moderate	Predictive analytics	Per-contact
MESA	Complex backend integrations	Difficult (Requires setup)	AI workflow builder	Per-task
Tidio	Live chat & simple chatbots	Easy	Rule-based & basic AI	Freemium / Per-seat
DSers	AliExpress dropshipping	None (Order processing)	Freemium / Tiered

7 best Shopify automation apps to save you time in 2025

Here’s a detailed look at the seven apps that stood out in my testing, starting with the one I found most impressive for automating customer support.

1. eesel AI

First up is eesel AI. This one is all about automating customer support, which, let's be honest, is a massive time-drain for any store owner. Instead of just setting up backend rules, it works like an AI agent right inside your help desk (it works with tools like Gorgias, Zendesk, or Freshdesk). It reads your past support conversations, help center articles, and even your Shopify product data to give instant, accurate answers to customers.

What really stood out to me with eesel was how simple it was to get going. You can literally sign up and get it running in a few minutes, no sales call required. The best part is its simulation mode. It lets you test the AI on your past support tickets, so you can see exactly how it would have performed and even get an ROI estimate before you flip the switch for live customers.

• Pros:

  • You can get it live in minutes. It's a genuinely self-serve tool that hooks into your help desk with a click.

  • It actually learns from your real data. The AI analyzes your past tickets and knowledge bases to match your brand's voice from day one.

  • Risk-free testing. The simulation mode lets you see the results on your historical data, which builds a lot of confidence before launch.

  • Clear pricing. No confusing per-resolution fees, just straightforward monthly or annual plans.

• Cons:

  • It's laser-focused on support and knowledge automation, so it won't handle things like inventory syncing.

  • It's a newer, AI-first platform, so it's adding features quickly.

• Pricing: eesel AI's pricing is based on a flat rate for a certain number of AI interactions (a reply or an action).

  • Team Plan: $299/month for up to 1,000 interactions.

  • Business Plan: $799/month for up to 3,000 interactions, which adds training on past tickets and AI actions.

  • You get a 20% discount if you pay annually.

• Why it's on the list: It's on this list because it's hands-down the best tool I found for tackling the most time-consuming part of ecommerce: answering customer questions. It brings some serious AI power but packages it in a way that any store owner can actually use.

2. Shopify Flow

This is Shopify's own automation tool, so it's the obvious place to start. It's built right in and uses a simple drag-and-drop builder for creating basic "if this, then that" rules. For instance, you can set up a rule like, "IF an order total is over $200, THEN add the 'VIP' tag." It’s perfect for organizing internal data and sending yourself alerts.

• Pros:

  • It's completely free with most Shopify plans.

  • It lives right inside your Shopify admin, so there's nothing new to learn.

  • Comes with a good library of templates for common tasks like fraud risk alerts.

• Cons:

  • It's not real AI; it's just a set of rules and can't handle any gray areas.

  • It can't talk to customers or understand what they're asking.

  • It’s pretty limited when it comes to connecting with tools outside of the Shopify bubble.

• Pricing: Free with Shopify's Basic ($29/mo), Shopify ($79/mo), Advanced ($299/mo), and Plus (from $2,300/mo) plans, when billed annually.

• Why it's on the list: It’s the foundation. Every Shopify merchant should be using it for simple, internal tasks before paying for another tool.

3. Gorgias

Gorgias is a name most Shopify owners know. It's a help desk built from the ground up for ecommerce. It pulls all your customer messages (email, chat, social media) into one place and connects deeply with Shopify, so you can see order details right beside a customer's question. Its automations are mostly rules and macros, like auto-replying to "Where is my order?" tickets with a tracking link.

• Pros:

  • The Shopify integration is second to none, making it easy to see customer and order data.

  • Great for getting all your support channels into one view.

  • Its rule-based automation is effective for handling the most basic, repetitive questions.

• Cons:

  • The automation is pretty basic and isn't powered by the kind of generative AI you see in other tools. It just sends pre-written replies.

  • The per-ticket pricing can get expensive as your store grows. Their AI agent is a separate add-on that charges per resolution.

  • It can't learn from knowledge you have in other places, like Google Docs or Notion. This is where a tool like eesel AI can really help by plugging that knowledge gap.

• Pricing: Gorgias's pricing can be a bit complicated. It’s based on your number of tickets, with AI resolutions costing extra.

  • Starter: $10/month for 50 tickets.

  • Basic: $50/month for 300 tickets.

  • Pro: $300/month for 2,000 tickets.

  • AI Agent Add-on: This costs between $0.90 and $1.00 for every ticket the AI fully resolves, which can make your final bill unpredictable.

• Why it's on the list: It's the standard for customer service on Shopify. While its own automation is simple, it's the perfect home base for a more advanced AI tool to operate from.

4. Klaviyo

When it comes to email and SMS marketing automation, Klaviyo is the big one. It lets you build incredibly detailed marketing campaigns based on what your customers do. Using its visual builder, you can design automated email flows for welcome messages, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase check-ins.

• Pros:

  • Connects deeply with Shopify data, allowing for powerful customer segmentation.

  • Full of proven templates for e-commerce email flows that convert.

  • Manages email, SMS, and push notifications all in one place.

• Cons:

  • It's only for outbound marketing; it doesn't help with inbound support questions.

  • The price climbs quickly as your email list gets bigger.

• Pricing: Klaviyo's pricing depends on how many contacts you have.

  • Free: Up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends.

  • Email Plan: Starts at $45/month for up to 1,500 contacts.

  • Email + SMS Plan: Starts at $60/month for up to 1,500 contacts and 1,250 SMS credits.

• Why it's on the list: For automating the kind of customer communication that directly leads to sales, it's pretty much the go-to choice.

5. MESA

If you've ever felt limited by Shopify Flow, MESA is what you're looking for. Think of it as Shopify Flow on steroids. If you need to connect your Shopify store to a separate inventory system, sync data between two niche apps, or build really complex workflows, MESA is built for it. It’s for merchants with more advanced operational needs.

• Pros:

  • Incredibly powerful and flexible, with hundreds of integrations.

  • Lets you build custom backend automations without needing a developer.

• Cons:

  • It has a much steeper learning curve than the other tools here.

  • Pricing is based on "tasks," which can be hard to predict and add up quickly.

  • It's probably overkill if your automation needs are fairly standard.

• Pricing: MESA's plans are based on how many tasks you run each month.

  • Basic: $12/month for 500 tasks.

  • Flex: $29/month for 10,000 tasks.

  • Pro: $99/month for 50,000 tasks.

  • Unlimited: $299/month for unlimited tasks.

• Why it's on the list: It’s the escape hatch for merchants who need more power than Shopify Flow can offer for their backend operations.

6. Tidio

Tidio tries to be an all-in-one tool for customer communication, bundling live chat, chatbots, and email marketing together. Its main appeal is giving you one platform to manage customer conversations on your site. The chatbot builder is easy to use and lets you set up automated flows to answer common questions or collect leads.

• Pros:

  • Has a generous free plan that's great for stores just starting out.

  • Simple to install and get the hang of.

  • Combines several tools (chat, bots, email) into one subscription.

• Cons:

  • The chatbots are mostly rule-based and don't have the deep knowledge or learning ability of a tool like eesel AI.

  • For stores that need really powerful tools in each of those areas, it might feel a bit limiting.

• Pricing: Tidio has a free plan, but you'll need paid plans for more features. The pricing is split into different modules.

  • Starter Plan: ~$24/month for 100 "billable conversations" with a human agent.

  • Lyro AI Agent Add-on: Priced per AI conversation, starting at $32.50/mo for 50 conversations.

  • Flows Add-on: Priced by visitors reached, starting at $15/mo for 2,000 visitors.

• Why it's on the list: It's a popular and easy way for newer merchants to dip their toes into chat automation with a single, simple tool.

7. DSers

If you're in the dropshipping world, you've probably heard of DSers. As the official partner for AliExpress dropshipping, it automates the most mind-numbing part of that business model: fulfilling orders. With just a few clicks, you can process hundreds of orders, find different suppliers, and get tracking information sent back to your customers automatically.

• Pros:

  • Saves an incredible amount of time on manual order processing.

  • Helps you manage multiple suppliers to find the best prices.

  • Automatically syncs order status and tracking numbers.

• Cons:

  • It’s only really useful if you're a dropshipper using AliExpress.

• Pricing: DSers has a free plan that's surprisingly good.

  • Basic: Free for up to 3 stores and 3,000 products.

  • Advanced: $19.90/month for 10 stores and 20,000 products.

  • Pro: $49.90/month for 25 stores and 75,000 products.

• Why it's on the list: It solves a huge, specific problem for a big chunk of the Shopify community. It's a perfect example of a tool that does one operational task really, really well.

How to choose the right Shopify automation apps for your store

Okay, so how do you actually pick the right tool from this list? Here’s my simple, step-by-step approach:

1. Find your biggest time-suck. Before you even look at an app, figure out where your time is going. Is it support tickets? Tagging orders? Chasing down fulfillment info? Whatever your biggest headache is, automate that first.

2. Start with the free stuff. Always, always start with Shopify Flow. It's built-in, free, and powerful enough for a lot of internal tasks. It's a great way to learn the ropes of automation without spending a dime.

3. Focus on customers first. Automating your backend is nice, but automating how you talk to customers pays off twice: you save time, and you give them a better experience. That's why I think AI support tools offer the best bang for your buck.

4. Test before you trust. The best tools today don't make you take a leap of faith. I'm a big fan of features like the simulation mode in eesel AI that let you see how the tool will work with your data before you commit.

Automate your support, not just your workflows

At the end of the day, automating your Shopify store is how you get your time back and actually scale. While tools for backend workflows like Shopify Flow and MESA are great, I really believe the biggest win comes from automating customer support. This is where you can save the most hours, reduce team burnout, and offer the instant, 24/7 help that customers now expect.

This is where the newer generation of tools like eesel AI are making a huge difference. They use AI to take on the messy, conversational stuff that simple rule-based apps can't touch. By learning from your past support tickets and knowledge bases, it can actually handle a big chunk of your support volume on its own.

Curious to see how much time you could get back?

Try eesel AI for free and run a simulation on your own tickets in just a few minutes.