LiveAgentShopify InboxLiveAgent vs Shopify Inbox

LiveAgent vs Shopify Inbox: $145 apart for five people

A help desk with live chat and calls against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $145 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between LiveAgent 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 LiveAgent if you want email, chat and a call center in one ticket queue at a low seat price. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $145 a month cheaper than LiveAgent ($145 a month on LiveAgent against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. LiveAgent and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only LiveAgent has email. Neither LiveAgent nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between LiveAgent and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceLiveAgentLiveAgentShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundA universal inbox · email, chat and callsThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$15/agent/mo · Small Business, yearly$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$15/agent/mo · chat on every plan$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentIncluded · chatbot and answer assistantIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsIncludedIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · 30-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

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    As a ticket in the universal inbox, whether it came by email, chat or a call. 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. LiveAgent raises a ticket where Shopify Inbox keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    $15 buys email and two chat buttons on Small Business; the call center starts on Medium at $29. $145 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 $145 on LiveAgent.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    The chatbot, answer assistant and triage are included in the paid plans; no per-conversation meter. Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan as well.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    The AI chat learns the catalog and policies and is included; there is nothing to meter. LiveAgent folds AI (included) into the plan as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    Email and chat on every plan; calls from Medium; WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram and Facebook on Large and up. 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. LiveAgent adds email, which Shopify Inbox lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    A call center with IVR, a knowledge base and a customer portal. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    A day: connect the mailbox, add the chat button, set the departments. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

Sources: LiveAgent 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 LiveAgent universal inbox: the ticket list with email, chat and call tickets together
LiveAgentLiveAgent. The LiveAgent universal inbox: the ticket list with email, chat and call tickets together
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: LiveAgent pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

LiveAgent, 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.

FeatureLiveAgentLiveAgentShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI included
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None; 30-day trial
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
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
Large and up
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Add-on below Large
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Viber, not Telegram
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
Chatbot included
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
In the seat
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an agent
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Universal inbox
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Rules and time rules
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)
Windows and macOS apps
Admin and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick LiveAgent if

  • You want email, chat and a call center in one ticket queue at a low seat price.
  • AI included in the seat matters more than a tunable AI meter.
  • You need email 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.
  • Five people cost $145 a month less than on LiveAgent ($0 against $145), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; LiveAgent offers a 30-day trial, no card.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $145 a month on LiveAgent against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: LiveAgent folds AI (included) into the plan and Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and WhatsApp in the base price, which neither LiveAgent nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

LiveAgent on Medium Business: $58, $145 and $290 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, $100 less than LiveAgent 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 $195 under LiveAgent.

Where the two agree, and where they split

LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls built around a universal inbox; 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); LiveAgent offers a 30-day trial, no card. LiveAgent and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price; only LiveAgent has email. Neither LiveAgent nor Shopify Inbox includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveAgent (included) and Shopify Inbox (included) both fold AI into the plan. LiveAgent has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and only LiveAgent ships desktop apps. LiveAgent is a day; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

LiveAgent: Chatbot, answer assistant, autoresponder and triage included in the paid plans. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside LiveAgent's included 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
    LiveAgentLiveAgentAssumed $0$0
    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.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent · 30-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

LiveAgent vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls built around a universal inbox; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. LiveAgent has tickets and Shopify Inbox does not, and only LiveAgent ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveAgent $15/agent/mo (Small Business, yearly); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: LiveAgent $15/agent/mo (chat on every plan); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveAgent nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the LiveAgent 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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