Best free AI chatbots for small online stores in 2026
By the Chatbait team ·
Short answer: most "free" chat tools give you live chat, not AI. Among the free plans we checked, only Tidio (50 AI conversations, once) and Chatbait (free for up to 300 messages a month) actually include AI answers at no cost. Shopify Inbox is free and has an AI-powered sales associate, but only works on Shopify. The rest (Crisp, tawk.to, Zoho SalesIQ, Freshchat, HubSpot) keep AI behind a paid plan.
Facts checked on each company's own pricing page on October 18, 2026.
What "free" usually means
A free plan almost always means free live chat: a chat box where a real person on your team answers. AI is a separate add on, and most companies only unlock it once you pay. So when a tool says "free", check whether that includes AI, or just the chat box.
Free plans compared
All of these have a $0 plan. The question is what you get on it.
| Tool | AI on the free plan? | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Tidio | Yes, but only 50 chats, once | After that, AI is paid |
| Crisp | No | AI is paid only |
| Shopify Inbox | Yes | Shopify stores only |
| tawk.to | No | AI add-on from $29 a month |
| Zoho SalesIQ | No | Bots start on the paid Basic plan |
| Freshchat | No | Freddy AI is paid only |
| HubSpot | Rule-based bot only | AI agent is paid only |
| Chatbait | Yes, 300 messages a month | No order lookup yet |
Tidio: free, but the AI runs out
Tidio's free plan gives you 50 live chat conversations a month for live chat, plus 50 Lyro AI conversations as a one time allowance, not a monthly refill. That's enough to test whether AI answers help, but once those 50 are used, you're either answering by hand or paying. Lyro on its own starts at $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations if you want it to keep going. See how AI chatbot pricing works for the other pricing models.
Shopify Inbox: free, but Shopify only
If you sell on Shopify, Inbox is free and already includes an "AI-powered sales associate" that answers with product recommendations, plus FAQs and quick replies you set up. It also sees a customer's purchase history, which helps with order questions. The catch: it only works inside the Shopify ecosystem. More detail in Shopify Inbox vs a dedicated AI chatbot.
Crisp, tawk.to, Zoho, Freshchat, HubSpot: live chat free, AI paid
These five all offer a genuinely free live chat tool, which is useful on its own. But none of them give you AI for free:
- Crisp free plan has no AI credits. The cheapest plan with any AI is Mini at $45 a month, which includes $5 of AI credits (roughly 90 automated conversations).
- tawk.to keeps live chat free and sells AI Assist separately, starting at $29 a month.
- Zoho SalesIQ's free plan (3 operators, 100 sessions) has no chatbot at all. Chatbots only start on the paid Basic plan.
- Freshchat's free plan supports up to 10 agents but no AI; Freddy AI is paid only.
- HubSpot's free chatbot builder looks like it follows fixed rules (if a visitor says X, show Y) rather than reading your site and answering on its own. Its generative Customer Agent is a separate, paid product.
Chatbait: free up to 300 messages a month
Chatbait is free for up to 300 messages a month (a message is one reply Chatbait sends to a visitor), and the AI is included. Paid plans, coming soon, start at $19 a month for 2,000 messages. It works on any website, not just Shopify. What you give up: it can't look up orders, collect leads, or pass a chat to a person yet. If those matter most to you, Tidio or Shopify Inbox may suit you better.
Chatbait answering "Are you open on Mondays?" for a made up bakery, from the bakery's own hours page
- 1
Reads your pages
Products, FAQ, shipping, returns, about.
- 2
A shopper asks
“Do you ship to Ireland?”
- 3
Finds it on your site
Answers in your words, any hour.
- 4
Not on your site?
Says so, and gives your contact details.
How to pick
- Decide if you need order status. If most questions are "where's my order?", Shopify Inbox (on Shopify) or a tool with order lookup like Tidio fits better.
- Count how many AI conversations you'd actually use. Tidio's 50 free ones are a one time trial, not a monthly budget.
- Check whether "free" means AI or just chat. Crisp, tawk.to, Zoho and Freshchat are free tools, but you'll pay to turn AI on.
- If you just want answers from your own pages, a tool that learns from your own website, like Chatbait or Tidio's Lyro, may be simpler than a general help desk.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a truly free AI chatbot for a small store?
Yes, with limits. Tidio gives 50 AI conversations once, not every month. Shopify Inbox is free with AI built in, but only for Shopify stores. Chatbait is free for up to 300 messages a month on any platform.
Why do most "free" chat plans not include AI?
Live chat (a person answering) costs the company little beyond hosting. AI answers cost money to run, so most companies keep AI behind a paid tier and use the free plan to get you using their live chat first.
Does Shopify Inbox cost anything?
No. It's a free app for Shopify stores, and its AI-powered sales associate is included, not a separate paid add on.
Can I add AI to Zoho SalesIQ or Freshchat for free?
No. Both keep their AI features (Zoho's chatbots, Freshchat's Freddy AI) on paid plans only. Their free plans are live chat only.
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