Shopify Inbox is Shopify's own free chat app. Tidio is a paid live chat and helpdesk tool that works across Shopify and other platforms. Cybergine is a Shopify catalogue-aware AI assistant that answers on your storefront and, on paid plans, on WhatsApp and SMS. If you are still deciding whether you need AI at all, our guide on AI chatbot vs live chat covers where each one wins.
Pricing and features checked 28 September 2026.
It depends on where your customers talk to you and who answers them.
you only need chat on your Shopify storefront. It is free, built by Shopify, and its Inbox agent answers product and policy questions from your store data. It needs new customer accounts and does not work outside the online store chat widget.
a support team works one inbox across website chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, or you run stores on more than one platform. Plans are priced by billable conversations, and the Lyro AI agent is a separate add-on.
you want AI answers grounded in your Shopify catalogue on your storefront, WhatsApp and SMS, with the AI included in a flat monthly plan instead of sold as a separate add-on.
What each tool includes, what it costs to start, and where it stops.
| Shopify Inbox | Tidio | Cybergine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price to start | Free | Free plan (50 billable conversations); paid plans from $24.17/month billed annually | Free plan (Web Widget, 500 AI replies/month); Essentials £29/month |
| AI that replies to customers on its own | Inbox agent, included | Lyro AI add-on, from $32.50/month (Free plan: 50 Lyro conversations, one-off) | Included on every plan |
| Channels | Online store chat widget only | Website chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, email | Web Widget; WhatsApp and SMS from Essentials; Messenger and Telegram from Growth |
| Platforms | Shopify only | Shopify, WordPress, Adobe Commerce and others | Shopify-first |
| How pricing scales | Free | By billable conversations, plus AI add-on usage | Flat monthly plans by AI reply allowance |
| Hand off to a human | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Main limitation | Storefront chat only; Inbox agent needs new customer accounts | AI costs extra and grows with conversation volume | Messaging channels need a paid plan |
A shopper asks whether a 29in tube fits their road bike. Cybergine checks the bike's wheel size, valve type and tyre width in the catalogue and suggests the tube that actually fits.
For chat on your Shopify storefront only, Shopify Inbox is hard to beat: it is free and its Inbox agent answers from your catalogue and policies. Tidio is the better fit when your team handles live chat and tickets across several channels such as Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, or across stores on other platforms.
Yes. Shopify Inbox is free on Shopify plans. The Inbox agent, which replies to customers automatically, needs an active online store and new customer accounts; it does not work with legacy customer accounts.
Tidio's AI agent is called Lyro. With the Shopify integration, Lyro can sync your products and recommend them in chat, on Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email. The Free plan includes 50 Lyro conversations as a one-off allowance. After that, Lyro is a paid add-on that starts at $32.50/month for 50 Lyro conversations, on top of the Tidio plan.
No. Shopify's documentation says the Inbox agent only operates in your online store's chat widget. To answer on WhatsApp or SMS you need a separate tool such as Tidio or Cybergine.
Cybergine is a Shopify catalogue-aware AI assistant. The Free plan covers storefront web chat with 500 AI replies a month. Essentials (£29/month) adds WhatsApp and SMS, so the same catalogue-grounded answers reach customers outside your website.
See how Cybergine stacks up on the features that matter most for ecommerce.
| Feature | Cybergine | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging channels | Web, WhatsApp, SMS, Messenger, Telegram (by plan) | Web, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, email |
| AI answers from your Shopify catalogue | Included on every plan | Yes, with the paid Lyro add-on |
| Platform focus | Shopify-first | Multi-platform live chat and helpdesk |
| AI agent included | Every plan | Lyro add-on, from $32.50/month |
| Pricing model | Free plan plus flat paid tiers | Per-conversation tiers |
| Setup time | Guided Shopify setup flow | Variable: depends on integrations |
| Live agent handoff | Supported | Supported |
Free storefront web chat plus predictable paid tiers vs. conversation pricing with a separate AI add-on.
Free plan available
Start with the Web Widget at £0/month. Essentials starts at £29/month when you need Web Widget, WhatsApp, and SMS.
Free includes Web Widget and 500 AI replies/month. Paid plans add more channels and higher reply limits.
Start freeFrom $24.17/month billed annually
Tidio has a Free plan with 50 billable conversations. The entry paid plan is $24.17/month billed annually for 100 billable conversations. The Lyro AI agent is an add-on from $32.50/month, so AI costs sit on top of the plan and grow with volume.
Verify current pricing at tidio.com/pricing.
Three reasons ecommerce merchants choose Cybergine.
Cybergine starts with a storefront Web Widget on the Free plan. Paid plans add WhatsApp, SMS, and other channels when your support workflow is ready for messaging.
Cybergine retrieves answers from your synced Shopify product catalogue, content and policies, so replies are based on what you actually sell rather than generic AI knowledge.
With Tidio, the plan is priced per conversation and the AI agent is a separate add-on. Cybergine includes AI replies in every plan at a flat monthly price.
Start with a guided Shopify AI chatbot setup flow. No credit card required to request access.
Start free