10 Best Shopify Live Chat Apps to Add in 2026 (Paid & Free)

TL/DR Summary

As ecommerce matures, live chat has moved from “nice to have” to core infrastructure. The best Live Chat Shopify Apps help you answer questions quickly, rescue shaky checkouts, and resolve post‑purchase issues without bouncing customers between channels.

Key takeaways

• Tidio, Moose, Flyweight, and VanChat show how far AI has come, handling a large share of questions while agents step in for edge cases.

• Chatty, DelightChat, Gorgias, and Chatway focus on unified inboxes and team workflows the prevent support from becoming a tab‑hopping exercise.

• Dondy and Chaty lean into messaging habits, bringing WhatsApp and other familiar apps into the core of your service strategy.

• Most tools offer free or low‑cost entry plans, making it easy to test live chat before scaling to more automation, channels, and agents.

• The real advantage comes when chat data feeds back into how you manage stock, design campaigns, and plan fulfilment, not just how fast you close tickets.

For most Shopify merchants, the next step is not “adding chat” but upgrading the role chat plays in the business. Treat it as an always‑on feedback loop between your customers and your operations, and these apps will help you build a service experience that keeps people coming back.

Introduction

For modern ecommerce brands, the best Live Chat Shopify Apps are as crucial as inventory systems and fulfilment dashboards. When a shopper hesitates on a product page or wonders where their order is in the last mile, a fast, relevant answer can be the difference between a closed ticket and a lost shipment, a one‑time buyer and a loyal customer.

Key highlights

• Live chat is shifting from a simple support widget to a revenue- and retention-driving channel tightly linked to checkout, logistics, and the post‑purchase experience.

• AI chatbots now handle a large share of routine queries, while human agents focus on complex, high‑value conversations.

• The strongest tools unify chat, email, social DMs, and WhatsApp into a single inbox so teams don't switch tabs all day.

• Order tracking, returns, and delivery questions now flow through chat as part of the broader customer journey, not just a separate support silo.

• First‑party data collected in chat sessions informs segmentation, remarketing, and product-development decisions.

• Many apps provide free plans for early‑stage brands, then scale up pricing as ticket volume and automation needs grow.

• Merchants increasingly expect live chat tools to integrate with existing helpdesks, review platforms, and marketing automation systems rather than operate in isolation.

Best 10 Shopify Live Chat Apps in 2026

The tools below are more than floating chat bubbles. These Live Chat Shopify Apps combine automation, human support, and deep Shopify integrations so you can handle pre‑purchase questions, delivery updates, and support tickets in a single, coherent workflow.

*Pricing is indicative and may change. Always confirm the latest details in the Shopify App Store.

1. Tidio Live Chat

Tidio Live Chat is a long‑standing favourite among Shopify merchants seeking a clean blend of human chat and AI automation. It combines live chat, email, and social channels into a single interface, with a strong focus on converting support conversations into sales.

Key features

• Live chat widget with real‑time visitor monitoring and canned responses

• Lyro AI chatbot to handle FAQs and simple sales conversations automatically

• Multichannel inbox for website chat, email, Messenger, and Instagram

• Deep Shopify integration that surfaces cart contents and customer details

• Automation workflows for greetings, follow‑ups, and abandoned sessions

Tidio offers a free plan with limited conversations, plus paid tiers that add more chat volume, AI capacity, and advanced routing. In 2026, it remains a reliable, battle‑tested option for stores looking to scale from basic support to smarter, AI‑assisted service without overwhelming the team.

2. Chatty AI Chatbot & Live Chat

Chatty AI Chatbot & Live Chat is built for brands that want a 24/7 AI agent working alongside human staff. It learns your catalogue, policies, and FAQs so it can answer product questions, recommend items, and escalate only when necessary.

Key features

• An AI chatbot that ingests store content and responds in natural language

• Unified inbox for live chat, email, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram

• Built‑in FAQ centre that powers both chat answers and self‑service pages

• Behavior‑based campaigns that ping shoppers at key points in the journey

• Multi‑language support and real‑time translation for global operations

Chatty operates on a freemium model, with a free plan and higher tiers that unlock more AI usage, additional channels, and deeper analytics. For 2026, it is a strong pick if you want your first line of support to be automated but still tightly supervised by a team that can step in when the stakes are high.

3. DelightChat

DelightChat is an omnichannel console designed for D2C brands managing WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, email, and live chat. It is designed to help teams respond faster, recover more carts, and turn everyday questions into revenue opportunities.

Key features

• Unified inbox across WhatsApp, social DMs, email, and site chat

• Official WhatsApp Business API support for broadcasts and order updates

• Playbooks for abandoned carts, COD confirmation, and delivery notifications

• Collaboration tools, including internal notes, tagging, and shared views

• Lightweight help centre widget to deflect repetitive queries

DelightChat offers paid plans with a free trial, typically priced based on agent seats and message volume. In 2026, it makes sense for brands that treat WhatsApp and social media as core sales channels and want a single command centre where support, marketing, and operations can all see the same conversation history.

4. Moose: AI Chatbot & Live Chat

Moose: AI Chatbot & Live Chat, often known via MooseDesk, combines a friendly AI assistant with a full helpdesk experience. It is built for merchants who want to consolidate chat, email, and social interactions into a single workspace.

Key features

• AI chatbot trained on product data, FAQs, and policy pages

• Centralised inbox for live chat, email, and popular social channels

• Self‑service portal where customers can track orders and read FAQs

• Product‑specific FAQs are attached directly to product pages

• Smart product suggestions that surface relevant items during chat

Moose currently offers a generous free plan, with paid options unlocking more advanced automation and branding controls. In 2026, it stands out to merchants seeking an approachable, all‑in‑one support hub that addresses both pre‑purchase questions and post‑purchase logistics without adding complexity.

5. Dondy: WhatsApp Marketing + Chat

Dondy is focused on turning WhatsApp into a serious sales and support lane. It layers automation, broadcasts, and chat widgets on top of the WhatsApp Business API, enabling you to engage shoppers where they already spend time.

Key features

• WhatsApp chat widget and floating button on your storefront

• Automated flows for abandoned cart recovery and order reminders

• Bulk campaigns for product drops and seasonal offers

• AI agents that can answer common questions and route complex cases

• Integrations with reviews, email, and SMS tools for cross‑channel journeys

Dondy provides a free plan and paid tiers that scale with message volume and feature depth. For 2026, it is a compelling option for Shopify brands in WhatsApp‑heavy markets who want live chat, marketing, and basic service automation to all run through a single, familiar app on the buyer’s phone.

6. Flyweight AI Chatbot | AI Chat

Flyweight AI Chatbot leans heavily into conversational AI, bringing a brand‑aware bot to the front of your Shopify store. It is aimed at merchants who want their chatbot to feel on‑brand and context‑aware, rather than generic.

Key features

• An AI assistant that reads store pages, blog posts, and product details

• Simple builder to launch a chatbot with minimal configuration

• Multilingual support with strong compliance around privacy rules

• Options to fine‑tune tone and personality to match your brand

• Analytics tools to segment conversations by intent, sales impact, and issues

Flyweight typically offers paid plans with trials, allowing teams to test the bot in real traffic before committing. In 2026, it is worth considering whether your priority is a chat experience that understands your catalogue in depth and can hold natural conversations that feel like a knowledgeable sales associate.

7. Gorgias: Helpdesk, Chat & FAQ

Gorgias is the heavyweight helpdesk in this list, used by many fast‑growing Shopify brands that need more than a standalone chat widget. It brings together email, chat, social, and SMS into a single ticketing system that also handles orders and refunds.

Key features

• Omnichannel helpdesk with live chat embedded on your store

• Deep Shopify integration for editing, refunding, or re‑shipping orders inside tickets

• Automation rules to auto‑tag, route, and answer repetitive queries

• Knowledge base and FAQ pages that feed into chat suggestions

• Revenue reporting that links specific tickets and agents to sales

Gorgias offers tiered pricing based on ticket volume, starting with entry‑level plans for small teams and scaling up to enterprise packages. In 2026, it remains a top choice when your support operation has outgrown basic chat apps, and you need proper SLAs, macros, and order‑level actions in one place.

8. Chaty Chat Buttons & WhatsApp

Chaty takes a slightly different approach: instead of a single live chat channel, it gives shoppers a simple way to choose how they want to communicate. The app adds a multi‑channel chat button to your storefront that can link to WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, email, and more.

Key features

• Floating widget with shortcuts to 20+ messaging and call channels

• Flexible design options for icons, colours, placement, and behaviour

• Page‑level rules so that different buttons appear on different URLs

• Preset messages to speed up conversations for product and order queries

• Click tracking and analytics via Google Analytics and other tools

Chaty includes a free plan and reasonably priced paid tiers that increase impression limits and unlock targeting rules. In 2026, it is ideal for smaller teams that want to keep conversations inside the apps their customers already use, without committing to a full helpdesk migration.

9. VanChat AI Chatbot & Live Chat

VanChat AI Chatbot & Live Chat operates like a smart sales and support associate embedded into your store. It uses AI to handle the majority of customer questions, from product discovery through to order tracking.

Key features

• AI engine trained on product descriptions, images, and store policies

• Personalised recommendations based on browsing behaviour and intent

• Proactive prompts that nudge customers with offers at key funnel stages

• Live chat handoff for complex conversations or VIP customers

• Multi‑language support and built‑in order tracking tools

VanChat offers a free plan with paid options that add more usage, languages, and integrations. In 2026, it appeals to merchants who want a chatbot that does more than answer FAQs: it helps move stock, increase basket size, and deflect a large portion of “where is my order?” tickets before they hit the queue.

10. Chatway Live Chat & WhatsApp

Chatway Live Chat & WhatsApp combines a traditional live chat widget with popular messaging channels so customers can reach you however they prefer. It is designed for fast deployment and practical day‑to‑day use.

Key features

• Live chat widget plus connectors for WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, and more

• Multi‑agent support with internal notes and canned responses

• Targeting rules to control where and when the widget appears

• Built‑in translation to support international customers

• Basic helpdesk tools for email integration and visitor tracking

Chatway includes a free plan, with paid tiers that add more agents, channels, and advanced features. For 2026, it is a good fit for Shopify stores that want an uncomplicated way to centralise real‑time customer conversations and manage response times during campaigns and peak season.

Conclusion: Turning conversations into an operational advantage

Live chat is no longer a decorative widget tucked in the corner of the screen. In 2026, product discovery, checkout hesitation, and delivery anxiety all show up in real time. Choosing the right Live Chat Shopify Apps is about more than pleasing your support team; it is about building a control tower for customer conversations that touches marketing, merchandising, and logistics. 

The tools here offer multiple paths to the same outcome: faster answers, fewer abandoned carts, and more predictable, repeatable revenue from people who feel genuinely supported.