OlarkShopify InboxOlark vs Shopify Inbox

Olark vs Shopify Inbox: entry plans at $29 and $0

A live chat software against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $145 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between Olark 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 Olark if you want an AI chat agent at a flat monthly price with no usage meter. 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 Olark ($145 a month on Olark against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. Olark and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Olark and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceOlarkOlarkShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundA simple chat box · AI agent at a flat priceThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$29/agent/mo · human-only chat$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$29/agent/mo · the whole product is chat$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agent$400/mo flat · unlimited AI conversations, 1 seatIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsNoneIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · trial, no cardYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    OlarkOlark

    As a chat in the box on your site, with transcripts emailed afterwards. 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. Olark has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    OlarkOlark

    $29 buys a human agent seat; the AI Website Agent is $400 a month flat with one seat included. $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 Olark.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    OlarkOlark

    A flat $400 a month for unlimited AI conversations, with no token or per-outcome charge. 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. Olark folds AI ($400/mo flat) into the plan as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    OlarkOlark

    Website chat only; no email inbox, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram. 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 Olark.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    OlarkOlark

    Transcripts, reports and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and help desks. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    OlarkOlark

    Minutes: paste the snippet. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. Olark is minutes.

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

Olark, 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.

FeatureOlarkOlarkShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

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

Channels

Website live chat
The whole product
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Transcripts only
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
Not offered
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 notifications
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI Website Agent
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$400 a month flat
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to a human seat
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Chats only
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Chat rules only
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Chat reports
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 Olark if

  • You want an AI chat agent at a flat monthly price with no usage meter.
  • Website chat is the only channel and simplicity beats features.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Shopify Inbox's: per agent per month for human chat; a flat monthly price for the AI agent.

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 Olark ($0 against $145), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Olark offers a free trial.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $145 a month on Olark against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Olark folds AI ($400/mo flat) 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 native Windows and macOS apps, which neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Olark on Live chat: $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 Olark 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 Olark.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Olark is a live chat software built around a simple chat box; 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); Olark offers a free trial. Olark and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. Olark ($400/mo flat) and Shopify Inbox (included) both fold AI into the plan. Neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. Olark is minutes; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

Olark: AI Website Agent $400 a month flat, extra human seats $29 each. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside Olark's $400/mo flat 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
    OlarkOlarkAssumed $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.

    OlarkOlark · Free 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

Olark vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

Olark is a live chat software built around a simple chat box; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app.

  • Entry plan: Olark $29/agent/mo (human-only chat); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: Olark $29/agent/mo (the whole product is chat); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither Olark nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Olark 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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