Best Shopify Chatbot: Top 10 Apps Compared (2026)

The Problem:

• 85% of customers have questions before buying
• 70% abandon cart if questions aren't answered instantly
• Email/live chat can't keep up with volume

The Solution: A good Shopify chatbot:

• Responds in under 5 seconds (not hours)
• Works 24/7 (no night shifts needed)
• Scales infinitely (handles 1 or 1,000 conversations)
• Reduces support costs by 70%+
• Actually increases sales through smart recommendations

We evaluated each chatbot on:

1. Automation Level (10-90% of conversations handled autonomously)
2. Pricing ($0 to $900+/month)
3. Setup Time (60 seconds to 2+ weeks)
4. Shopify Integration (native vs. third-party)
5. Features (basic FAQ vs. consultative AI selling)
6. Support Quality (self-service vs. dedicated support)

1. 🏆 Marvyn AI - Best Overall & Best Free Shopify Chatbot

Price: FREE (unlimited conversations, no credit card required)

Automation Level: 70%+ autonomous

Best For: All Shopify stores wanting AI automation without cost

Why It's #1:

Marvyn AI is the only completely free Shopify chatbot with true AI automation. While competitors charge $60-900/month for similar features, Marvyn AI delivers:

Truly Free Forever

• $0/month with unlimited conversations
• No credit card, no trial limits, no forced upgrades
• Full AI features (not a gimped free tier)

Autonomous Operation (70%+ Automation)

• Handles product questions independently
• Provides sizing and compatibility recommendations
• Processes order tracking requests
• Recommends products consultatively
• Only escalates complex issues to humans

60-Second Setup

• Auto-imports Shopify products, policies, FAQs
• No manual training or configuration
• Live and working immediately

Consultative Selling

• Doesn't just answer questions—actively drives sales
• Asks qualifying questions before recommending
• Increases average order value 10-20%

Shopify-Native

• Built specifically for Shopify (not generic)
• Deep integration with orders, inventory, products
• Understands Shopify customer journeys

Real Results:

• Fashion store: 68% automation rate, 18% conversion increase
• Electronics store: 95% of technical questions answered autonomously
• Home goods store: $9,000/month in chatbot-driven upsells

Cons:

• Website chat only (no email/phone/social integration)
• Newer platform (less established than Gorgias/Zendesk)

Verdict: Best Shopify chatbot for 95% of stores. Free, autonomous, effective.

Try Marvyn AI Free →

2. Shopify Inbox - Free but Limited (Not Recommended)

Price: FREE

Automation Level: ~10% (basic FAQ only)

Best For: Stores just starting out with zero budget who accept constant manual monitoring

What It Offers:

• Shopify-native chat widget
• Basic product recommendations
• Order status lookup
• Mobile app for on-the-go responses
• Simple keyword-based automation

Why It's NOT the Best:

While Shopify Inbox is free, it has critical limitations:

Requires Constant Human Monitoring

• Only ~10% automation (basic FAQ matching)
• You must manually respond to 90% of messages
• No true AI understanding or autonomy
• Not suitable for growing stores

Can't Truly Sell

• No consultative selling features
• Basic product suggestions only
• No smart recommendations
• Doesn't ask qualifying questions

Limited Automation

• Keyword matching only (not AI)
• Frequently fails to understand customer intent
• Can't handle complex questions
• No learning or improvement over time

Time-Consuming

• You're essentially doing live chat manually
• No time savings vs. traditional email
• Doesn't scale beyond 50-100 conversations/day

3. Gorgias - Best for Stores with Support Teams

Price: $60-900/month + agent salaries

Automation Level: 40-60% (AI-assisted, humans required)

Best For: Mid-market to enterprise stores with existing 3-15 person support teams

What It Offers:

• Multi-channel helpdesk (email, phone, SMS, social, chat)
• AI-assisted responses (agents review before sending)
• Team collaboration tools
• Shopify deep integration
• 100+ app integrations

Pros:

Comprehensive helpdesk platform

Handles all channels (not just chat)

Good for managing large teams

Revenue attribution tracking

Cons:

Expensive ($60-900/mo + $30K-50K per agent annually)

Requires support team (not autonomous)

2-4 hours setup time

AI assists but doesn't replace humans (40-60% automation max)

Verdict: Great if you have a support team and budget. Overkill (and way too expensive) for most Shopify stores.

4. Tidio - Best Hybrid Live Chat + AI

Price: $29-285/month

Automation Level: 40-60% (Lyro AI bot + human chat)

Best For: Small teams (2-5 people) wanting hybrid approach

What It Offers:

• Live chat + Lyro AI chatbot
• Email integration
• Mobile app
• Pre-written responses
• Basic automation

Pros:

Affordable starting price ($29/mo)

Lyro AI handles common questions

Good for small teams

30-minute setup

Cons:

Not fully autonomous (still requires team)

Conversation limits on lower tiers

AI is good but not as advanced as Marvyn AI

Still costs $348-3,420/year

Verdict: Decent middle-ground, but why pay $348+/year when Marvyn AI is free with better automation?

5. Zendesk - Best for Enterprise (500+ Orders/Day)

Price: $55-220/agent/month

Automation Level: 30-50% (with expensive AI add-ons)

Best For: Large enterprises with 10-100+ support agents

What It Offers:

• Enterprise helpdesk
• Multi-channel support
• Advanced reporting
• API access for custom integrations
• AI add-ons available

Pros:

Industry-leading helpdesk

Extremely scalable

Advanced features

Enterprise-grade security

Cons:

Very expensive ($55-220 per agent per month)

2-4 week implementation

Requires large team (10-100+ agents)

Overkill for most Shopify stores

AI costs extra

Verdict: Only makes sense for large enterprises. Complete overkill for growing Shopify stores.

6. Intercom - Good for SaaS, Okay for Shopify

Price: $74-395/month

Automation Level: 40-50% (with AI features)

Best For: SaaS companies, less ideal for product-based Shopify stores

What It Offers:

• Messenger-style chat
• Product tours and onboarding
• AI-powered responses
• Team collaboration
• Customer data platform

Pros:

Beautiful interface

Good for SaaS/tech products

Decent AI capabilities

Cons:

Expensive ($888-4,740/year)

Built for SaaS, not e-commerce

Requires team (not autonomous)

Shopify integration is third-party

Verdict: Better alternatives exist for Shopify stores.

7. Re:amaze - Budget-Friendly Helpdesk

Price: $29-79/month

Automation Level: 30-50% (workflows + chatbots)

Best For: Teams managing multiple channels on a budget

What It Offers:

• Multi-channel support
• Chatbots + workflows
• Team collaboration
• FAQ builder
• Social media integration

Pros:

Affordable ($29/mo starting)

Multi-channel

Good value for teams

Cons:

Still requires team

Not as powerful as Gorgias

30-50% automation max

Still costs $348-948/year

Verdict: Good budget helpdesk, but not autonomous like Marvyn AI.

8. Chatty - AI Sales Assistant (Competitor to Marvyn AI)

Price: $19-299/month

Automation Level: 60-70% (AI-powered)

Best For: Stores wanting AI automation and willing to pay

What It Offers:

• AI-powered chatbot
• Product recommendations
• Order tracking
• Shopify integration
• Multilingual support

Pros:

Good AI capabilities

Shopify-focused

Consultative selling features

Cons:

Costs $228-3,588/year

Not free like Marvyn AI

Similar features to Marvyn AI but you pay for them

Verdict: Good product, but why pay when Marvyn AI offers similar features for free?

9. Ada - Enterprise Conversational AI

Price: Custom (typically $1,000+/month)

Automation Level: 60-80% (advanced AI)

Best For: Large enterprises with complex needs

What It Offers:

• Advanced NLP and AI
• Multi-language support
• Complex workflow automation
• Enterprise integrations
• Dedicated support

Pros:

Very powerful AI

Highly customizable

Enterprise-grade

Cons:

Extremely expensive ($12,000+/year)

Long implementation (weeks-to-months)

Overkill for Shopify stores

Requires dedicated team to manage

Verdict: Enterprise-only. Not suitable for most Shopify merchants.

10. Drift - B2B Focus (Not Ideal for Shopify)

Price: $2,500+/month

Automation Level: 40-60% (conversational marketing)

Best For: B2B SaaS companies

What It Offers:

• Conversational marketing platform
• Lead qualification
• Meeting scheduling
• Sales pipeline integration
• ABM features

Pros:

Powerful for B2B sales

Cons:

Extremely expensive ($30,000+/year)

Built for B2B, not e-commerce

Not Shopify-focused

Requires sales team

Verdict: Wrong tool for Shopify stores. Designed for enterprise B2B.

Choose Marvyn AI If:

You want the best free Shopify chatbot

You need 70%+ autonomous automation

You're tired of manually responding to Shopify Inbox messages

You want consultative AI that actually drives sales

You need 24/7 support without hiring a team

Budget is limited (who doesn't want free?)

Bottom Line: Best choice for 95% of Shopify stores.

Choose Gorgias If:

• You already have a 3-15 person support team
• You need multi-channel helpdesk (email, phone, SMS, social)
• Budget isn't a constraint ($60-900/mo is acceptable)
• You need advanced team collaboration tools

Choose Tidio If:

• You have a small team (2-5 people)
• You want hybrid live chat + AI
• You're willing to pay $29-285/month
• You don't mind 40-60% automation (vs. 70%+ with Marvyn AI)

DON'T Choose Shopify Inbox If:

You want real automation (it's only ~10%)

You're tired of manually responding all day

You need 24/7 support (it requires constant monitoring)

You want consultative selling (it can't do this)

The Shopify Inbox Problem:

It's "free" but costs you time:

• Requires you to manually respond to 90% of messages
• Can't work while you sleep
• Doesn't understand complex questions
• Essentially makes you a 24/7 customer service agent

It's automation is weak:

• Only ~10% automation (basic keyword matching)
• Can't handle "Will this fit my iPhone 14?" or "What size should I get?"
• Frequently misunderstands customer intent
• You end up manually typing the same answers repeatedly

It doesn't sell:

• No consultative product recommendations
• No qualifying questions
• No cart recovery features
• Just answers questions (if it understands them)

The Marvyn AI Advantage:

Same price (FREE) but actually automated:

• 70%+ of conversations handled autonomously
• You wake up to resolved conversations, not a backlog
• True AI understanding (not keyword matching)
• Operates independently 24/7

Actually drives sales:

• Asks qualifying questions before recommending
• Increases average order value 10-20%
• Recovers abandoned carts proactively
• Consultative selling, not just answering

Time savings:

• Shopify Inbox: Saves you 10% of time
• Marvyn AI: Saves you 70% of time

Real Example:

• With Shopify Inbox: 100 daily conversations × 90% manual = 90 conversations you handle
• With Marvyn AI: 100 daily conversations × 30% manual = 30 conversations you handle

That's 60 fewer conversations per day you need to respond to!