KayakoShopify InboxKayako vs Shopify Inbox

Kayako vs Shopify Inbox: pricing, AI and channels compared

A help desk against a free chat for Shopify stores: one prints a price and one quotes. What decides between Kayako 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 Kayako if you want an AI agent billed only per resolved ticket, with no seat fee. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people it is a quote on Kayako, and $0 a month on Shopify Inbox, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Kayako and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only Kayako has email. Neither Kayako nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Kayako and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceKayakoKayakoShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundTickets and a customer journey · AI billed per resolutionThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry planQuote · Kayako One$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the priceQuote · widget included$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agent$1 per resolution · Kay AI AgentIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsIn KayIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · talk to a pricing expertYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    KayakoKayako

    As a ticket that shows the customer's journey across the site and past conversations. 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. Kayako raises a ticket where Shopify Inbox keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    KayakoKayako

    No seat price is printed for Kayako One; older plans were $15 to $60 per agent. No figure for five people here; Shopify Inbox prints $0.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    There is no seat price; staff are limited by the Shopify plan's staff accounts. $0 for five people; Kayako prints no figure to set beside it.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    KayakoKayako

    Kay, the AI agent, is $1 per resolved ticket, with no seat fee; escalations are not charged. 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. Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    KayakoKayako

    Email, live chat, Messenger and X; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. 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. Kayako adds email, which Shopify Inbox lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    KayakoKayako

    A help center, SLAs, automation rules and reporting. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    KayakoKayako

    A sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding.

Sources: Kayako 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 Kayako conversation view: the ticket with the customer journey timeline beside it
KayakoKayako. The Kayako conversation view: the ticket with the customer journey timeline beside it
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: Kayako pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13; needs verification); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Kayako, 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.

FeatureKayakoKayakoShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

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

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Kay
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$1 per resolution
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Escalates free of charge
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
Automation rules
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reporting
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Kayako if

  • You want an AI agent billed only per resolved ticket, with no seat fee.
  • A ticket view that shows the customer's journey matters to you.
  • 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.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Kayako offers no trial.
  • It prints its price ($0 a month for five) where Kayako quotes.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with a quote on Kayako, and $0 a month on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) 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 Kayako nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Kayako quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. 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, against a quote on Kayako 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

Kayako is a help desk built around tickets and a customer journey; 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); Kayako offers no trial. Kayako and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only Kayako has email. Neither Kayako nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. Kayako meters AI ($1 per resolution) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Kayako has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and neither Kayako nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. Kayako is a sales conversation, then a white-glove onboarding; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

Kayako: Kay AI Agent $1 per resolved ticket; escalations and deflections are free. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside Kayako's $1 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 these figures were read

Kayako does not print the figures above in a form a fetch can read (Seat prices are not printed; the AI agent is $1 per resolution. Older plans ran $15 to $60 per agent.), so they are marked unverified here beside Shopify Inbox's, and Kayako's pricing page should be checked before you decide.

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
    KayakoKayakoSee 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.

    KayakoKayako · None printed; book a session
    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

Kayako vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

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

  • Entry plan: Kayako Quote (Kayako One); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: Kayako Quote (widget included); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio's inbox: WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither Kayako nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Kayako 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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