Compare
SupportBot vs Shopify Inbox
Shopify Inbox says: "An AI sales associate that knows your customers"
Shopify Inbox bills not metered: the app is free. SupportBot bills a flat monthly plan that includes the AI replies.
Prices checked
Billing unit
- supportbot
- AI reply, flat plan
- shopify-inbox
- not metered: the app is free
Side by side, in words
| Feature | SupportBot | Shopify Inbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan: 100 AI replies/month. Paid plans from $9/mo when you need more replies, higher content limits, or handoff | Free, with no paid tier. On price alone Shopify Inbox is cheaper than any SupportBot paid plan, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise |
| Reaching a human | The shopper gives an email address inside the chat and the conversation is handed to the merchant by email (Starter+) or Slack (Growth+), with the full transcript and a written summary. No store account is needed | Shoppers can chat with the Inbox AI agent without signing in, but Shopify's own documentation describes a 'Require sign-in to chat with staff' setting: reaching a human staff member can require a customer account, and order lookup and order context are available only for signed-in customers |
| How answers are grounded | Answers use the merchant's synced store content and verified Shopify data; SupportBot says when it cannot verify an answer and can hand the conversation to a person. | Shopify Inbox's AI agent draws on the store's catalog and Shopify data; its exact grounding and fallback behavior on a given store is not independently verified here |
| Tone of voice | Paste writing samples on Starter and above; upload a brand-guideline PDF on Growth and Pro | Shopify Inbox does not publish a tone-of-voice or brand-guideline training feature on its App Store listing |
| What it's built for | A standalone AI answer engine for one Shopify storefront, with its own knowledge base, analytics, escalation rules and conversation history | Shopify's own first-party chat and sales-associate app, tightly bound to Shopify Admin and the Shop app: the default option, and a reasonable one for many stores |
Common questions about
switching from Shopify Inbox.
Shopify Inbox is free. Why would I pay for SupportBot?
For a lot of stores you shouldn't. Inbox is free, made by Shopify, and deeply integrated. SupportBot is worth paying for when you want answers grounded strictly in your own written content, a shopper to reach you without creating a store account, tone-of-voice matching, and a dashboard showing what the bot could not answer. If none of that is a problem for you, stay on Inbox.
Do shoppers have to sign in to use Shopify Inbox?
Not to talk to the AI agent. Shopify's documentation states customers can chat with the Inbox agent without signing in. A separate setting, 'Require sign-in to chat with staff', governs reaching a human, and order lookup and order context are available only once a customer is signed in.
Can I run both?
Technically yes, but we do not recommend two chat widgets on one storefront. Shoppers get two launchers and neither tool sees the other's conversation.
What happens when SupportBot can't answer a question?
It says so honestly and hands the conversation to a human by email (Starter+) or Slack (Growth+), with a summary. It never guesses at order status or policy details it can't verify.
See it answer from
your own store.
Install SupportBot on your Shopify store and it syncs your products, pages, and policies automatically, no manual setup.
Install free on ShopifyFree plan available · no credit card required to start