Chatbot alternatives, compared honestly

Every page below says who should stay on the tool they have and who should switch. Prices are checked against each vendor's own pricing page, with the date noted. Chatonbo is a flat $19 or $59 a month with a free plan, so the comparison is mostly about what you pay when you grow.

Helpdesks and support suites

Ticket-first tools priced per seat or per resolution. Great for support teams, heavy for a store that wants answers and sales.

Gorgias alternative

Shopify stores paying for ticket tiers

Zendesk alternative

Small teams priced per agent

Intercom alternative

Sites that do not need Fin at $0.99 per outcome

Willdesk alternative

Shopify stores hitting conversation caps

Live chat and chatbot builders

Chat widgets that need scripts, flows or agents online to be useful.

Tidio alternative

Stores tired of Lyro conversation limits

Crisp alternative

Teams that do not need a shared inbox

Tawk.to alternative

Free chat users who want AI answers

Chatbase alternative

Builders who want a finished sales assistant

ManyChat alternative

Brands that need website chat, not only Instagram

Shopify-native assistants

Tools built inside the Shopify ecosystem, compared on what they actually do in the chat.

Shopify Inbox alternative

Stores that outgrew the free inbox

Rep AI alternative

Stores priced on traffic tiers

Want the feature-by-feature tables instead?

The comparison pages go row by row on pricing, AI, Shopify features and languages. Or skip the reading and test an assistant on your own site, no signup.

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