# The best Shopify live chat and helpdesk apps in 2026, and what each bill counts

Gorgias, Tidio, Shopify Inbox, Zendesk, Re:amaze and Richpanel. Tickets, conversations, seats and AI resolutions: what each one bills you for.

By Rohin Aggarwal · 2026-10-12

Will this fit? Does it ship to Ireland? Is the blue one back? Shoppers ask before they order. The answer has to arrive before the shopper leaves. Six apps do it on Shopify. Each one counts something different on the bill.

**Quick answer**

- **Free chat:** Shopify Inbox, with an optional AI agent.
- **Free chat that grows into a helpdesk:** Tidio.
- **A helpdesk built around Shopify orders:** Gorgias, from $10 a month.
- **Count the AI bill separately.** Gorgias, Tidio and Zendesk each meter AI replies on their own.
- We make Idukki. We make no chat or helpdesk app.

## Chat app or helpdesk?

A chat app puts a chat box on your store. A helpdesk puts chat, email and social in one inbox. Order data sits beside each message. A store with one person answering needs chat. A team answering email and Instagram DMs needs a helpdesk.

| App | Type | What the bill counts | Free plan or trial |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shopify Inbox | Chat | Nothing: free | Free |
| Tidio | Chat and helpdesk | Conversations a human answers; AI billed apart | Free plan |
| Gorgias | Helpdesk | Tickets that get a reply; AI billed apart | 7-day trial |
| Zendesk | Helpdesk | Agents, plus AI resolutions | 14-day trial |
| Re:amaze | Helpdesk | Team members, or conversations on Starter | 14-day trial |
| Richpanel | Helpdesk | Check the live listing | 14-day trial |

_From each vendor's own pages, checked 12 October 2026._

## Shopify Inbox: free chat

Shopify Inbox is free. It adds chat to your online store. An optional AI agent answers questions on products, shipping, returns and sizing. It reads your catalogue, policies and store pages to do it. Chat through the Shop app ended on 19 February 2025. Inbox has no tickets or order actions, so it stays a chat tool.

## Tidio: free chat that grows

Tidio covers live chat, email, Messenger and Instagram in one inbox. It has a free plan. Starter costs $29 a month, or $24.17 billed yearly, for 100 conversations. A conversation counts only once a human agent replies. Replies from Flows or the Lyro AI agent do not count. Lyro has its own quota and bill, from $39 a month for 50 AI conversations.

## Gorgias: the helpdesk built on Shopify orders

Gorgias puts email, chat and social in one inbox. Agents can cancel, refund, edit or duplicate a Shopify order from the ticket. Starter costs $10 a month for 50 tickets. Basic costs $60 for 300. A ticket counts once any reply goes out. Agents, rules and the AI Agent all count. Going over adds a fee per ticket, and sending never stops.

The AI Agent bills per automated interaction. That is one where no human steps in within 72 hours. Gorgias's own pages quote different AI prices, so check the live page. Edits do not work on orders over 60 days old. You can pay through your Shopify bill or directly.

## Zendesk: per agent, for larger teams

Zendesk is a full helpdesk suite with Shopify order data in each ticket. Suite Team starts at $55 per agent a month, billed yearly. AI agents bill by automated resolutions on top. Each plan includes a few per agent. The trial lasts 14 days. Some charges may be billed outside your Shopify invoice.

## Re:amaze: per seat or per conversation

Re:amaze combines a helpdesk, live chat and an AI agent on every plan. Its pricing page shows per-seat plans at $29, $49 and $69 a month. A flat Starter plan costs $59 a month for 500 answered conversations. Starter allows unlimited team members. The trial lasts 14 days.

## Richpanel: AI-first helpdesk

Richpanel is a helpdesk built around AI agents that resolve tickets end to end. The trial lasts 14 days. Its listing and its website describe pricing in different ways. Get a live quote before you compare it with Gorgias.

### Three ways to count a support bill
_From each vendor's billing help, checked 12 October 2026._

**Per reply: Gorgias**
A ticket counts once a reply goes out.
- ✓ Unanswered messages are free
- ✓ Many messages in one ticket count once
- ✗ Rule and AI replies make a ticket billable
- ✗ AI Agent billed on top

**Per human reply: Tidio**
A conversation counts once a human answers.
- ✓ Flows and AI replies do not use the quota
- ✗ Lyro AI has its own bill

**Per seat: Zendesk, Re:amaze**
Each agent costs a monthly fee.
- ✓ Volume does not change the seat fee
- ✗ Grows with team size
- ✗ AI resolutions extra on Zendesk

**Which one to try**
Q: Who answers your customers today?
- Just me, mostly chat: **Shopify Inbox** — Free, with an optional AI agent.
  - Email and social too: Try Tidio's free plan
- A small team, many order questions: **Gorgias** — Order actions inside each ticket.
  - Low ticket volume: Starter, 50 tickets for $10
- A large team across brands: **Zendesk or Re:amaze** — Per-seat suites.
  - Volume high, team small: Compare Re:amaze Starter

## Where Idukki fits (ours)

We make Idukki. It answers some questions before anyone types them. A customer photo with height and size answers "will it fit?". A video answers "what does it look like on?". Idukki shows those on the product page, tagged to the cart. For the full set of jobs, read [the best Shopify apps to increase conversion](/blog/best-shopify-apps-to-increase-conversion-2026). For two of these head to head, read [Gorgias vs Tidio](/blog/gorgias-vs-tidio-2026).

**The takeaway:** Start with free chat. Move to a helpdesk once email and social pile up. Price the AI agent as its own bill.

### Questions store owners ask

**Q: Is there a free live chat app for Shopify?**

A: Yes. Shopify Inbox is free and has an optional AI agent. Tidio also has a free plan.

**Q: How does Gorgias count tickets?**

A: A ticket counts once any reply goes out. Agents, rules and the AI Agent all count. Unanswered tickets are free.

**Q: Does Tidio charge for AI replies?**

A: Lyro, its AI agent, has its own quota and bill. Lyro replies do not use your human conversation quota.

**Q: Can I chat through the Shop app?**

A: No. Shopify ended Shop app chat on 19 February 2025. Inbox chat on your own store still works.

### Sources
- [Shopify Inbox on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/inbox) — Free.
- [Shopify Help: Inbox](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inbox) — Inbox agent.
- [Shopify changelog: Shop app chat](https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/sunsetting-shop-inbox-on-shop-app) — Ended 19 February 2025.
- [Tidio pricing](https://www.tidio.com/pricing/) — Plans and Lyro.
- [Tidio: monthly conversations limit](https://help.tidio.com/hc/en-us/articles/11874534946460-The-monthly-conversations-limit) — What counts.
- [Gorgias: how you are billed](https://docs.gorgias.com/en-US/how-youre-billed-for-using-gorgias-199385) — Billable tickets, overage.
- [Gorgias: Shopify actions](https://docs.gorgias.com/en-US/shopify-actions-461552) — Order actions and limits.
- [Gorgias: billing and usage](https://docs.gorgias.com/en-US/articles/billing-and-usage-18375) — Pay via Shopify.
- [Zendesk pricing](https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/) — Per-agent plans.
- [Zendesk: automated resolutions](https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6931689272090-Moving-to-automated-resolutions-from-existing-pricing-plans) — AI billing.
- [Re:amaze pricing](https://www.reamaze.com/pricing) — Seats and Starter.
- [Richpanel on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/customer-support) — Trial.

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Canonical: https://idukki.io/blog/best-shopify-live-chat-and-helpdesk-apps-2026
Tags: support, live-chat, helpdesk, best-of, shopify-apps, gorgias, tidio