Best AI agent for Shopify (2026)

Short answer: there is no single best AI agent for Shopify, because "sales agent" and "support agent" solve different problems. Shopify Inbox is free and good at recommending products and seeing a shopper's order history. Gorgias AI Agent and Tidio's Lyro cost more but can look up and act on orders. Chatbase adds the most integrations but has no free plan. Chatbait is free up to 300 AI replies a month and answers strictly from your site's own content, but it doesn't look up orders. Pick based on what your shoppers actually ask.

Prices and features checked directly on each company's own pricing page on October 21, 2026; sources linked inline.

Sales agent vs support agent, and why it matters

A sales AI agent helps a shopper decide what to buy: it recommends products, answers "what should I get for X", and nudges toward checkout. A support AI agent answers questions after a shopper has already decided, or already bought: sizing, ingredients, shipping rules, returns, "where's my order". Some tools try to do both. Knowing which job you need solved first narrows the list fast; a tool built for sales recommendations won't necessarily be the one that answers a detailed ingredient question correctly, and vice versa.

What to look for

• What it's trained on. Your own site and policies, or a general model that can hallucinate.
• What it does when it doesn't know. Says so and hands off, or guesses.
• Order lookup. Can it see a real order's status, or only talk about orders in general?
• Cost model. Flat fee, per conversation, per resolution, or free up to a cap.
• Channels. Website only, or also WhatsApp, email, social.
• Platform. Shopify only, or any site.

Side by side

Shopify Inbox: free, and the right first step on Shopify

Shopify Inbox is a free app, rated 4.6 out of 5 from over 5,800 reviews as of October 21, 2026. Its listing describes an "AI-powered sales associate" that connects automatically to your catalog, inventory and store policies, and can recommend products. Shopify's help center confirms its AI-generated instant-answer suggestions are drawn from your store policies, with a cap of 100 instant answers shown to customers, and English-only AI suggestions as of this check, according to Shopify's instant answers documentation. If you're on Shopify and haven't turned this on, it costs nothing to try first.

Worth noting separately: Shopify also has Sidekick, an AI assistant built into the Shopify admin for merchants, not shoppers. It helps a store owner manage orders, write content and analyze data, according to Shopify's help center. It doesn't answer customer questions on your storefront, so it isn't really a competitor to the tools in this list.

Gorgias AI Agent: strong on acting, priced per interaction

Gorgias is a helpdesk with an AI Agent layered on top. The Starter plan is $10 a month for 50 tickets with 30 automated AI interactions included; each AI interaction also counts as a helpdesk ticket, and overage runs $1.00 per interaction on monthly billing or $0.90 on annual contracts. It can act on orders (refunds, cancellations, edits), not just discuss them, and covers email, chat, SMS, social and voice in one inbox. That range of channels and actions is more than Chatbait or Shopify Inbox offer.

Tidio Lyro: a genuine free trial of AI

Tidio's free plan includes 50 Lyro AI conversations as a one-time allowance, so you can actually test the AI before paying. The dedicated Lyro AI agent plan starts at $32.50 a month for 50 Lyro conversations, and Tidio says its own customers average a 75% resolution rate (Tidio's own figure, not an independent study). Lyro can check order status once connected, and Tidio also runs on WhatsApp.

Chatbase: most integrations, no free plan

Chatbase starts at $32 a month billed yearly (Hobby plan, 700 message credits), with no free plan; a 7-day trial is offered instead. It can trigger real actions during a chat, including a Shopify order-lookup action, and connects to WhatsApp, Slack, voice and several helpdesks. It's the most capable of the group for teams willing to pay from day one.

Chatbait: free, answers only from your pages

Chatbait is free for up to 300 AI replies to visitors a month. It installs from the Shopify App Store, syncs your full product catalog, and can show optional product cards in the chat. It answers strictly from your store's own content, policies and product pages, and says so when it doesn't know rather than guessing. It doesn't yet look up a specific order, capture leads, or run on channels other than your website's chat.

Where the others do more

Be clear-eyed about this before choosing: Gorgias, Tidio and Chatbase can all look up and in some cases act on a real order, something Chatbait can't do. Gorgias and Tidio also run on WhatsApp; Chatbase adds Slack, voice and several helpdesk integrations. If your store's chat volume is mostly "where's my order" or you need actions taken (refunds, cancellations), one of those three will serve you better than Chatbait today.

Who each one fits

• Shopify Inbox: Shopify stores that want free product recommendations and order visibility, as a first step.
• Gorgias: stores that want one inbox across channels and an AI agent that can act on orders, and don't mind per-interaction cost.
• Tidio: stores that want a real free trial of AI support plus order lookup, with room to grow into paid tiers.
• Chatbase: teams that want the most integrations and are ready to pay from day one.
• Chatbait: stores whose chat is mostly detailed product and policy questions already answered on the site, that want a free, simple way to surface those answers, without needing order lookup yet.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a sales AI agent and a support AI agent on Shopify?

A sales agent, like Shopify Inbox's AI, recommends products and helps a shopper decide what to buy. A support agent, like Gorgias AI Agent, Tidio's Lyro, Chatbase or Chatbait, answers questions about orders, policies or product details, usually after the shopper is already deciding or has already bought.

Is Shopify Inbox's AI free?

Yes. Shopify Inbox is a free app, and its AI-powered features (product recommendations, AI-generated instant answers) are included at no extra cost, according to its Shopify App Store listing, checked October 21, 2026.

How much does Gorgias AI Agent cost?

Gorgias's Starter plan is $10 a month and includes 50 helpdesk tickets with 30 automated AI interactions; each extra AI interaction costs $1.00 on monthly billing or $0.90 on annual plans, according to Gorgias's pricing page, checked October 21, 2026.

Does Chatbait look up a customer's order?

Not yet. Chatbait answers only from your store's own content, such as product pages and policies, and says so when it doesn't have the answer, rather than guessing.

Is Shopify Sidekick the same as an AI agent for shoppers?

No. Sidekick is built into the Shopify admin to help merchants run their store, not to chat with customers on the storefront, according to Shopify's help center.