HappyFoxShopify InboxHappyFox vs Shopify Inbox

HappyFox vs Shopify Inbox: $120 or $0 for five people

A help desk against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $120 a month cheaper for five people. The six differences, what five people pay on each, and a third option.

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 HappyFox if you want a classic ticket help desk with SLAs and are fine buying chat separately. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $120 a month cheaper than HappyFox ($120 a month on HappyFox against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. HappyFox and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only HappyFox has email; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither HappyFox nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what HappyFox and Shopify Inbox sell here at one price.

At a glanceHappyFoxHappyFoxShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundTickets · chat and chatbot sold separatelyThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$24/agent/mo · Help Desk, yearly$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the priceSeparate product · HappyFox Chat$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agent$0.33 per resolution · the Chatbot productIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agents$14/agent/mo · HappyFox AIIncluded · 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

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    As a ticket from email, a form or the chat product, with categories, priorities and SLAs. 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. HappyFox raises a ticket where Shopify Inbox keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    $24 buys the help desk on the entry plan, capped at five agents; higher plans lift the cap. $120 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 $120 on HappyFox.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    HappyFox AI is $14 per agent; the Chatbot is $0.33 per resolution; Autopilot actions from two cents. 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. HappyFox meters AI ($0.33 per resolution) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    Email, forms and social in the help desk; live chat is a separate product, no Telegram. 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 HappyFox.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    A contact center suite, a service desk for IT and a CRM, each priced on its own. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    HappyFoxHappyFox

    A day: connect the mailbox, set categories and SLAs. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. HappyFox is a day.

Sources: HappyFox 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 HappyFox ticket list: the queue with categories, priorities and the ticket detail
HappyFoxHappyFox. The HappyFox ticket list: the queue with categories, priorities and the ticket detail
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: HappyFox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

HappyFox, 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.

FeatureHappyFoxHappyFoxShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI per agent and per resolution
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; 14-day trial
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Separate HappyFox Chat product
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
All plans
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via integrations
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Social via integrations
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)
Slack and Teams apps
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Chatbot product
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$0.33 per resolution
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Creates a ticket
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
Smart rules; Workflows product extra
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
Admin and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick HappyFox if

  • You want a classic ticket help desk with SLAs and are fine buying chat separately.
  • You like AI priced per resolution at a low rate.
  • 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 $120 a month less than on HappyFox ($0 against $120), before AI.
  • You need website chat in the price, which HappyFox does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on HappyFox or Shopify Inbox who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $120 a month on HappyFox against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: HappyFox meters AI ($0.33 per resolution) above the seats, Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither HappyFox nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

HappyFox on Help Desk Basic: $48, $120 and $240 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, $75 less than HappyFox 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 $145 under HappyFox.

Where the two agree, and where they split

HappyFox is a help desk built around 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); HappyFox offers a 14-day trial, no card. HappyFox and Shopify Inbox share no channel in the base price; only HappyFox has email; only Shopify Inbox has website chat. Neither HappyFox nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. HappyFox meters AI ($0.33 per resolution) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. HappyFox has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and neither HappyFox nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. HappyFox is a day; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

HappyFox: HappyFox AI $14 per agent per month; Chatbot $0.33 per resolution; Autopilot from two cents per action. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside HappyFox's $0.33 per resolution 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
    HappyFoxHappyFox$0.33$158
    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.

    HappyFoxHappyFox · 14-day trial, no card
    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

HappyFox vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

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

  • Entry plan: HappyFox $24/agent/mo (Help Desk, yearly); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: HappyFox Separate product (HappyFox Chat); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither HappyFox nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the HappyFox 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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