The best live shopping platforms for Shopify in 2026: five tools and what each bill counts
Bambuser, Firework, Videowise, Tolstoy and Idukki for live shopping on Shopify. Who streams, what the bill counts and where to start. We make Idukki.
A live show is a TV broadcast with a checkout under it. The tool decides who streams the video and what the bill counts. It also decides what happens to the recording. Four of the five tools here stream live. One, ours, does not yet, and we say so.
In this article
How we compared them
- Does it stream? Hosting the live video yourself is the hard part.
- What the bill counts. Views, streamed minutes or widget impressions.
- The entry price. As published, or "quoted" when the vendor asks you to call.
- A way to try it. A free plan or a free trial.
We left out ratings, as they move weekly. We have no commercial tie to any tool here except our own.
The five tools at a glance
| Tool | Live shopping | What the bill counts | Entry price | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambuser | Yes, its core product | Video views per month | $326 a month, billed yearly | Free plan, 250 views a month |
| Videowise | Yes, a separate module | Streamed minutes | $239 a month for 5,000 minutes | Free trial on each module |
| Firework | Yes, in Video Showroom | Quoted per brand | Quoted on request | Free Pilot plan for shoppable video |
| Tolstoy | Not on its pricing page | Shoppable video viewers | $8 a month for 5,000 viewers | Free start, 30 days uncapped |
| Idukki (ours) | No streaming; events and chat in beta | Widget impressions | Free up to 5,000; paid from $45 | Free plan |
Bambuser: live first
Bambuser sells video commerce with live shopping at its centre. Plans count video views. The free plan includes 250 views a month, 2 users and one market. Essential costs $326 a month, billed yearly at $3,917, with 2,000 views a month. Pro costs $462 a month, billed yearly at $5,549. It adds white labelling and a mobile SDK. Enterprise is quoted.
Videowise: live as one module
Videowise sells its suite as modules. Its own blog lists Live Shopping from $239 a month, for up to 5,000 streamed minutes. Shoppable Video is a separate module, also from $239 a month. Each module has a free trial. Its Shopify listing adds a free plan for Shop app video. A $9 Pro plan covers on-site video.
Firework: live for large retailers
Firework puts live shopping in its Video Showroom product. That covers scheduled live events, unlimited replays and social media simulcast. Every Video Showroom plan is quoted through its sales team. Its shoppable video product has a free Pilot plan with 10 uploads. Firework aims its higher tiers at stores with over a million monthly visitors.
Tolstoy: shoppable video, no live on the price list
Tolstoy's pricing page lists shoppable video, AI Studio and an AI sales agent. It lists no live shopping. Starter costs $8 a month for 5,000 viewers, and extra viewers cost $10 per 1,000. Plus costs $29, Pro $129 and Max $299 a month. Eligible free accounts get 30 days with uncapped on-site views. Pick it for recorded shoppable video, then add a live tool if you need one.
Idukki: recorded video now, live in beta (ours)
We make Idukki, and it does not stream live video today. It has no video ingest or producer console. What it ships is shoppable video with product pins timed to the second each product appears. A beta adds scheduled live events with chat. Idukki prices by widget impressions, free up to 5,000 a month. Pick it for recorded video, customer photos and reviews in one gallery. Do not pick it for a live show this quarter. The live commerce page has the detail.
Views
Every view of a show or clip counts.
Wins at
- A free plan to test with
- Live is the core product
Struggles with
- Yearly billing on paid plans
- Busy shows use views fast
Streamed minutes
Live is metered by minutes streamed.
Wins at
- Short shows stay cheap
- A free trial per module
Struggles with
- Shoppable video is a second module
- Long shows use minutes fast
Viewers or impressions
Recorded shoppable video, billed by reach.
Wins at
- Low entry prices
- Free ways to start
Struggles with
- No live stream on the price list
- Needs a second tool for live
From each vendor's own pricing, read 13 October 2026.
Running the show
The tool is the small part. Plan the show with how to run a live shopping event. Pick a host with choosing hosts for live shopping. Check the setup against the live shopping tech stack for Shopify. Avoid the common production mistakes. Then measure with live shopping ROI beyond concurrent viewers.
Not sure you need live at all? Read live shopping vs on-demand shoppable video first.
Questions store owners ask
Which live shopping app has a free plan?
Bambuser has a free plan with 250 views a month. Videowise offers a free trial on its Live Shopping module.
How much does Videowise Live Shopping cost?
From $239 a month for up to 5,000 streamed minutes. That is from its own blog, read 13 October 2026.
Does Tolstoy do live shopping?
Its pricing page lists no live shopping. It sells shoppable video, AI Studio and an AI sales agent.
Does Idukki do live shopping?
Not as a stream today. It has timed product pins on recorded video and a beta for scheduled events with chat.
UGC and Shoppable Video Benchmarks, 2026 (PDF)
Each benchmark labelled as Idukki data or an industry study, with its source.
Sources
- 1Bambuser: pricing · Plans and view limits. Read 13 October 2026.
- 2Videowise blog: best shoppable video platforms · Module prices. Read 13 October 2026.
- 3Videowise on the Shopify App Store · Free and Pro plans. Read 13 October 2026.
- 4Firework: pricing · Pilot plan and Video Showroom. Read 13 October 2026.
- 5Tolstoy: pricing · Plans and viewer limits. Read 13 October 2026.
- 6Idukki: live commerce · What ships and what is in beta.
Continue reading
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