Facebook ChatShopify InboxFacebook Chat vs Shopify Inbox

Facebook Chat vs Shopify Inbox: what five people pay on each

A Meta Business Suite inbox against a free chat for Shopify stores: five people cost the same on both. What decides between Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox, 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 Facebook Chat if customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. Five people cost the same on Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox, $0 a month before AI; Sellio Mini is $45. Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only Facebook Chat has Instagram; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceFacebook ChatFacebook ChatShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundMessenger and Instagram DMs · free with a PageThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$0 · with a Facebook Page$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the priceNone · the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentNone to buy · instant replies and FAQsIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsMeta AI drafts · for some businessesIncluded · suggested replies
Free planYes · the whole inbox is freeYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    As a Messenger or Instagram message in the Business Suite inbox, with the customer's profile beside 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. Facebook Chat has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    There are no seats and no price; anyone with a Page role can answer. $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 Facebook Chat.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    No AI agent to buy. Instant replies, away messages and FAQs are rules; Meta AI drafts replies for some businesses. 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. Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy) instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Messenger, Instagram DMs and comments; WhatsApp lives in its own app, and the website plugin is gone. Instagram 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. website chat is here and not on Facebook Chat.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Posting, scheduling and ads for the Page; nothing beyond Meta's own channels. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    None: it is already there when you have a Page. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. Facebook Chat is none.

Sources: Facebook Chat 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 Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list
Facebook ChatFacebook Chat. The Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list
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: Facebook Chat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Facebook Chat, 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.

FeatureFacebook ChatFacebook ChatShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Free
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
The whole product
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Website Chat Plugin retired in 2024
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Separate WhatsApp Business app
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
DMs and comments
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)
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Rules, not an AI agent
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
No AI 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
Labels and done state only
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Instant replies, away messages, FAQs
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Page insights
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Facebook Chat if

  • Customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget.
  • One or two people answer and you do not need assignment or tickets.
  • You need Instagram in the price, which Shopify Inbox does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is none here and minutes on Shopify Inbox.

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.
  • You need website chat in the price, which Facebook Chat does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is minutes here and none on Facebook Chat.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $0 a month on Facebook Chat against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy) and Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Facebook Chat: $0 a month for five (free for anyone with a Page role); 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 Facebook Chat'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

Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Both have a free plan: Facebook Chat's is the whole inbox is free, Shopify Inbox's is the app is free. Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only Facebook Chat has Instagram; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp and Telegram outright. Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy); Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. Facebook Chat is none; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

Facebook Chat: No AI agent; instant replies and FAQs are rule-based. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside Facebook Chat's none to buy 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
    Facebook ChatFacebook ChatSee 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.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat · Not applicable; free
    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

Facebook Chat vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat.

  • Entry plan: Facebook Chat $0 (with a Facebook Page); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: Facebook Chat None (the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: email, WhatsApp and Telegram, which neither Facebook Chat nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Facebook Chat and Shopify Inbox rows is on the shared inbox page.

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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