ProProfsShopify InboxProProfs vs Shopify Inbox

ProProfs vs Shopify Inbox: five seats for $100 or $0

A live chat software against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $100 a month cheaper for five people. Where ProProfs and Shopify Inbox split, 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 ProProfs if one person answers chat and you want every feature free. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $100 a month cheaper than ProProfs ($100 a month on ProProfs against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. ProProfs and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither ProProfs nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing ProProfs against Shopify Inbox, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceProProfsProProfsShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundThe chat widget · free for one operatorThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$0 · one operator, all features$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the priceAbout $20/operator/mo · Team plan$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agent$450/year · 2,500 AI interactions a monthIncluded · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsIn the AI add-onIncluded · suggested replies
Free planYes · a single operatorYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    ProProfsProProfs

    As a chat in the widget, greeted by a rule or the AI add-on, with the visitor's page shown. 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. ProProfs has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    ProProfsProProfs

    One operator is free with every feature; a team pays per operator, about $20 a month each. $100 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 $100 on ProProfs.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    ProProfsProProfs

    AI chat automation is $450 a year for 2,500 interactions a month, a flat add-on. 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. ProProfs folds AI ($450/year) into the plan as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    ProProfsProProfs

    Website chat, with WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on the team plan; no 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 ProProfs.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    ProProfsProProfs

    A help desk, a knowledge base and surveys as sibling products; a suite from $499 a month. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    ProProfsProProfs

    Minutes: paste the widget. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

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

Sources: ProProfs 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 ProProfs Chat operator view: the chat with the visitor's page and history
ProProfsProProfs. The ProProfs Chat operator view: the chat with the visitor's page and history
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: ProProfs pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13; needs verification); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

ProProfs, 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.

FeatureProProfsProProfsShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per operator; AI flat
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
One operator
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
Separate help desk product
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Team plan
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Team plan
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)
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI add-on
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
$450 a year flat
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an operator
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Separate help desk product
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Greetings and routing
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)
Windows and macOS apps
Admin and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick ProProfs if

  • One person answers chat and you want every feature free.
  • A flat yearly AI add-on beats a per-conversation meter for you.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Shopify Inbox does not ship.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Shopify Inbox's: free for one operator; the team plan is priced per operator and shown after sign-up, so its figure is from published summaries.

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 $100 a month less than on ProProfs ($0 against $100), before AI.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than ProProfs's: free with a Shopify plan; staff limits follow the Shopify plan.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $100 a month on ProProfs against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: ProProfs folds AI ($450/year) into the plan, Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither ProProfs nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

ProProfs: $100 a month for five (5 operators × about $20); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. 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, $55 less than ProProfs 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

ProProfs is a live chat software built around the chat widget; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Both have a free plan: ProProfs's is a single operator, Shopify Inbox's is the app is free. ProProfs and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither ProProfs nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. ProProfs ($450/year) and Shopify Inbox (included) both fold AI into the plan. Neither ProProfs nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and only ProProfs ships desktop apps. ProProfs is minutes; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

ProProfs: AI Chat Automation $450 a year for 2,500 interactions a month. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside ProProfs's $450/year 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

ProProfs does not print the figures above in a form a fetch can read (Free for one operator; the team plan is priced per operator and shown after sign-up, so its figure is from published summaries.), so they are marked unverified here beside Shopify Inbox's, and ProProfs'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
    ProProfsProProfsSee 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.

    ProProfsProProfs · 15-day trial of the team plan
    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

ProProfs vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

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

  • Entry plan: ProProfs $0 (one operator, all features); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: ProProfs About $20/operator/mo (Team plan); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio: email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither ProProfs nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the ProProfs 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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