3CXShopify Inbox3CX vs Shopify Inbox

3CX vs Shopify Inbox: who includes WhatsApp

A business phone system with live chat against a free chat for Shopify stores: five people cost the same on both. Where 3CX and Shopify Inbox split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick 3CX if phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. Five people cost the same on 3CX and Shopify Inbox, $0 a month before AI; Sellio Mini is $45. 3CX and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox includes email, Instagram and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing 3CX against Shopify Inbox, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glance3CX3CXShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundPhone calls · a PBX with a chat widgetThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$0 · SMB Free: up to 10 users$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$0 · live chat on the free tier$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentNone for chat · call transcription launchingIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsNoneIncluded · suggested replies
Free planYes · up to 10 users, 3CX-hostedYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    3CX3CX

    As a call, or as a chat that rings the same agent queue; there is no ticket behind it. Shopify Inbox has no ticket queue either.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    As a chat on the storefront or in the Shop app, with the cart and orders beside it. 3CX has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    3CX3CX

    The licence is per system per year, sized by simultaneous calls, not per agent; the free tier covers ten users. $0 for five people, against $0 on Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    There is no seat price; staff are limited by the Shopify plan's staff accounts. $0 for five people, against $0 on 3CX.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    3CX3CX

    No AI agent for chat. Call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    The AI chat learns the catalog and policies and is included; there is nothing to meter. 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat) instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    3CX3CX

    Voice, live chat, WhatsApp, Messenger and SMS through the phone system; no email queue. WhatsApp is here and not on Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Storefront chat and the Shop app; no email, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. 3CX adds WhatsApp, which Shopify Inbox lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    3CX3CX

    The phone system itself: extensions, call queues, IVR, recordings and video meetings. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. 3CX is a business phone system with live chat instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    3CX3CX

    A day for the phone system; minutes for the chat widget once the PBX is up. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. 3CX is a day for the phone system.

Sources: 3CX pricing · Shopify Inbox pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
3CX3CX. The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side
Shopify InboxShopify Inbox. The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side

Pricing references: 3CX pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

3CX, Shopify Inbox and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

Feature3CX3CXShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per system per year, by simultaneous calls
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
Up to 10 users, hosted by 3CX
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Widget rings the agent queue
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
No email queue
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Through the phone system
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Messenger only
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Internal 3CX chat only
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
None for chat
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
No AI agent to bill
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
No AI to hand off from
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Calls and chats, no ticket queue
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Call flows, not support automations
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Call reports
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Windows and macOS apps
Admin and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick 3CX if

  • Phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents.
  • You want a free tier for a small team that already needs a PBX.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which Shopify Inbox does not include outright.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Shopify Inbox does not ship.

Pick Shopify Inbox if

  • You run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view.
  • One channel is enough and you do not need tickets.
  • Time to the first reply is minutes here and a day for the phone system on 3CX.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than 3CX's: free with a Shopify plan; staff limits follow the Shopify plan.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $0 a month on 3CX against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat), Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

3CX: $0 a month for five (five users on the free tier); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Shopify Inbox: $0 a month for five (free; five staff need the Shopify plan that allows them); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, more than 3CX's $0 and more than Shopify Inbox's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included.

Where the two agree, and where they split

3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Both have a free plan: 3CX's is up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted, Shopify Inbox's is the app is free. 3CX and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox includes email, Instagram and Telegram outright. 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat); Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only 3CX ships desktop apps. 3CX is a day for the phone system; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

3CX: No AI agent for chat; call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside 3CX's none for chat and Shopify Inbox's included, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    3CX3CXSee vendorNot quoted
    Shopify InboxShopify InboxSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    3CX3CX · Free tier, no trial clock
    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox · Not applicable; free
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

3CX vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only 3CX ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: 3CX $0 (SMB Free: up to 10 users); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: 3CX $0 (live chat on the free tier); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: one inbox for every channel: email, Instagram and Telegram, which neither 3CX nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside 3CX and Shopify Inbox on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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