FreshdeskShopify InboxFreshdesk vs Shopify Inbox

Freshdesk vs Shopify Inbox: help desk or free chat

A help desk against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $275 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk if your support is email tickets first and you want SLAs, time tracking and field service in one help desk. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $275 a month cheaper than Freshdesk ($275 a month on Freshdesk against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. Freshdesk and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only Freshdesk has email; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Freshdesk and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceFreshdeskFreshdeskShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundEmail tickets · chat is the separate FreshchatThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Growth: email and tickets$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$55/agent/mo · Pro, with Freshchat on top$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agent$49 per 100 sessions · 500 trial sessions once per accountIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agents$29/agent/mo · Freddy CopilotIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · 14-day trialYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    As a ticket in an email queue. Chat conversations live in Freshchat and become tickets when escalated. Shopify Inbox has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    As a chat on the storefront or in the Shop app, with the cart and orders beside it. Freshdesk raises a ticket where Shopify Inbox keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    $19 buys email tickets on Growth. Chat and messaging mean adding Freshchat or an Omni bundle. $275 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 $275 on Freshdesk.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Freddy AI Agent: 500 trial sessions once per account, then $49 per 100. Freddy Copilot is $29 per agent on top. 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. Freshdesk meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Email and web forms on every plan; chat, WhatsApp and Instagram arrive with Freshchat. email 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 Freshdesk.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    Field service, time tracking, SLAs and a marketplace; the wider Freshworks suite for IT and sales. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. Freshdesk is a help desk instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    FreshdeskFreshdesk

    A day or two: connect the support address, set groups and SLAs, then add Freshchat for the widget. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. Freshdesk is a day or two.

Sources: Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk ticket view: the queue on the left, the ticket thread and the properties panel
FreshdeskFreshdesk. The Freshdesk ticket view: the queue on the left, the ticket thread and the properties 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: Freshdesk pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Freshdesk, 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.

FeatureFreshdeskFreshdeskShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI per agent and per session
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
Not on the pricing page; 14-day trial
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Via Freshchat or Omni
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Core of the product
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via Freshchat or Omni
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Via Freshchat or Omni
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not native
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams notifications
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Freddy, trained on the knowledge base
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
500 one-time trial sessions, then $49 per 100
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Escalates to agents
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Ticket-first
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automations, form-based
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and CSAT
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Freshdesk if

  • Your support is email tickets first and you want SLAs, time tracking and field service in one help desk.
  • You are already on Freshworks products and want the same admin and billing.
  • You need email in the price, which Shopify Inbox does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which Shopify Inbox does not have.

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.
  • Five people cost $275 a month less than on Freshdesk ($0 against $275), before AI.
  • You need website chat in the price, which Freshdesk does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $275 a month on Freshdesk against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Freshdesk meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats 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 Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Freshdesk on Pro: $110, $275 and $550 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. 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, $230 less than Freshdesk and more than Shopify Inbox's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $455 under Freshdesk.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Freshdesk is a help desk built around email tickets; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Only Shopify Inbox has a free plan (the app is free); Freshdesk offers 14 days of Enterprise. Freshdesk and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only Freshdesk has email; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. Freshdesk meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Freshdesk has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and neither Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. Freshdesk is a day or two; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

Freshdesk: Freddy AI Copilot $29 per agent per month yearly; 500 AI agent trial sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside Freshdesk's $49 per 100 sessions 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
    FreshdeskFreshdesk$0.49$245
    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.

    FreshdeskFreshdesk · 14 days of Enterprise
    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

Freshdesk vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

Freshdesk is a help desk built around email tickets; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Freshdesk has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and neither Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Freshdesk $19/agent/mo (Growth: email and tickets); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: Freshdesk $55/agent/mo (Pro, with Freshchat on top); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither Freshdesk nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Freshdesk 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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