LiveChatShopify InboxLiveChat vs Shopify Inbox

LiveChat vs Shopify Inbox: $245 against $0 a month

A live chat software against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $245 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 LiveChat if website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $245 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. LiveChat and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what LiveChat and Shopify Inbox sell here at one price.

At a glanceLiveChatLiveChatShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separatelyThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$49/agent/mo · Team$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentChatBot from $52/mo · a separate productIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsIncluded · Text IntelligenceIncluded · 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

    LiveChatLiveChat

    As a chat in the agent console, with the visitor's page and typing shown live; tickets go to the separate HelpDesk product. 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. LiveChat has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    LiveChatLiveChat

    $19 buys the console with 60 days of history. Team at $49 keeps the history and adds reports. $245 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 $245 on LiveChat.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Text Intelligence assists are included; an AI answering customers means the separate ChatBot product from $52 a month. 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. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Website chat, Messenger, Apple Messages, WhatsApp and email in the console; SMS via integration. The same set as Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Storefront chat and the Shop app; no email, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. The same set as LiveChat.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    LiveChatLiveChat

    A large marketplace, and sibling products for chatbot, help desk and knowledge base at their own prices. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. LiveChat is an hour.

Sources: LiveChat 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 LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details
LiveChatLiveChat. The LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details
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: LiveChat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

LiveChat, 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.

FeatureLiveChatLiveChatShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
The core product.
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Via marketplace integration.
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via marketplace integration.
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Via marketplace integration.
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not listed.
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, a separate subscription.
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
ChatBot transfers to agents.
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
HelpDesk is a separate product.
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick LiveChat if

  • Website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available.
  • You need Apple Messages for Business.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Shopify Inbox does not ship.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour 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.
  • Five people cost $245 a month less than on LiveChat ($0 against $245), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; LiveChat offers 14 days, no card.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on LiveChat or Shopify Inbox who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats, Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan; Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

LiveChat on Team: $98, $245 and $490 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, $200 less than LiveChat 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 $395 under LiveChat.

Where the two agree, and where they split

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; 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); LiveChat offers 14 days, no card. LiveChat and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps. LiveChat is an hour; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo 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
    LiveChatLiveChatAssumed $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.

    LiveChatLiveChat · 14 days, 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

LiveChat vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: one inbox for every channel: email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveChat nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside LiveChat 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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