An ecommerce bot answers the same pre-sale and order questions all day, on the channels where shoppers already are. What matters is whether it connects to your store platform, whether it answers from your own policies and product content, and what unit its bill grows with.
The deciding question is where shoppers ask. On your own storefront, pick a website tool with store integrations. In Instagram and Messenger DMs, pick a social-first bot; some of those have no website widget at all.
Quick picks
- Shopify or WooCommerce store: Tidio Lyro — names both integrations and has a free plan to start.
- Selling through Instagram DMs: Manychat — comment-to-DM flows, with AI and WhatsApp from Pro at US$39 a month.
- Store with a support team: Intercom Fin — names Gorgias among its integrations and bills US$0.99 per outcome.
The ranking
Intercom Fin
Funded support teams that want an AI agent, a shared inbox and ticketing in one tool8.2- Paid plans from
- US$0.99 per resolution
- Pricing model
- Mixed
- Free plan
- No
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Email, Voice, Slack
Fin is an AI agent that answers customer-service questions from your own help content, sold inside the Intercom helpdesk (which also holds the visual Workflows bot builder) or on top of another helpdesk such as Salesforce or HubSpot. It is built for funded support teams: you pay per helpdesk seat, plus US$0.99 for each conversation that ends in a billable outcome. The vendor renamed itself from Intercom to Fin on May 12, 2026, and has been part of Salesforce since September 10, 2026.
The catch: The visual Workflows builder is not in the entry plan: the Workflows FAQ says you must be on Advanced, at US$99 per seat a month, or higher.
Landbot
Marketing teams in Europe that want lead-capture flows on a website, with prices in euros and data hosted in the EU7.5- Paid plans from
- €40 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger
Landbot is a visual, no-code chatbot builder from Barcelona for websites, WhatsApp and Messenger. It is built mainly for marketing teams that want to capture and qualify leads with button-driven flows, with an optional AI Agent block inside the flow. It charges a flat monthly plan that includes a pool of chats and a smaller, separate pool of AI chats, and it bills a published price for each chat beyond the pool.
The catch: Branding removal, webhooks, CRM integrations and WhatsApp on your own number all start at Professional, so the €40 Starter plan is narrower than its price suggests.
Tidio Lyro
Small online shops and support teams that want an AI agent, simple automations and a shared inbox from one vendor, with published self-serve prices7.5- Paid plans from
- US$29 per month
- Pricing model
- Mixed
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Email
Tidio is a live-chat and help-desk suite for small and mid-sized online businesses, with two kinds of bot: Flows, a no-code rule-based builder, and Lyro, an AI agent that answers from your own support content. It is built mainly for e-commerce and support teams that want the bot and the human inbox in one tool. It charges flat monthly fees on three separate meters: human-answered conversations, Lyro AI conversations and unique visitors reached by Flows.
The catch: The US$29 Starter plan buys human-answered conversations, not a working AI agent: its 50 Lyro conversations are a one-off allowance that never resets, and a renewing Lyro quota is a separate purchase starting at US$39 a month.
Manychat
Creators and social-first shops that sell through Instagram, TikTok or Messenger DMs6.9- Paid plans from
- US$17 per month
- Pricing model
- By number of contacts
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email
Manychat is a marketing bot: a visual flow builder that replies to comments and direct messages on Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram, with SMS and email as add-on channels. It is built for creators and social-first shops, not for website support, because it has no website chat widget. It charges a flat plan fee that includes a monthly allowance of Active Contacts, then a per-contact price above that allowance.
The catch: A broadcast makes every recipient an Active Contact for that month, so one send to a large list can use up the whole allowance and start per-contact overage unless you set a cap.
Chatfuel
Agencies and small sales teams that want an AI agent answering leads on WhatsApp and Instagram6.3- Paid plans from
- US$20 per month
- Pricing model
- Credits
- Free plan
- Partly
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok
Chatfuel is an AI agent that answers and qualifies leads on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok and a website widget. In 2026 the vendor rebuilt it around a language model called Fuely AI and aimed it at small sales teams and marketing agencies. It charges a flat subscription plus a wallet of US-dollar credits that pays for every AI reply and for Meta's WhatsApp fees.
The catch: Chatfuel does not publish what one AI reply costs, and when the wallet reaches zero the bot stops replying until you add money.
Comparison table
| Product | Score | Type of tool | Paid plans from | Free plan | What the bill grows with | EU data hosting | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | 8.2 | AI agent for support | US$0.99 per resolution | No | resolutions | Partly | Funded support teams that want an AI agent, a shared inbox and ticketing in one tool |
| Landbot | 7.5 | No-code flow builder | €40 per month | Yes | chats | Yes | Marketing teams in Europe that want lead-capture flows on a website, with prices in euros and data hosted in the EU |
| Tidio Lyro | 7.5 | AI agent for support | US$29 per month | Yes | conversations | Yes | Small online shops and support teams that want an AI agent, simple automations and a shared inbox from one vendor, with published self-serve prices |
| Manychat | 6.9 | Messaging-marketing bot | US$17 per month | Yes | contacts | Yes | Creators and social-first shops that sell through Instagram, TikTok or Messenger DMs |
| Chatfuel | 6.3 | AI agent for support | US$20 per month | Partly | credits | No | Agencies and small sales teams that want an AI agent answering leads on WhatsApp and Instagram |
What it costs at three volumes
| Product | What the bill grows with | 100 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | resolutions | US$99 | US$990 | US$4,950 |
| Landbot | chats | €0 (Free) | €65 (Starter) | €225 (Professional) |
| Tidio Lyro | conversations | US$75 (Lyro AI Agent 100) | US$700 (Lyro AI Agent 1,000) | Custom quote |
| Manychat | contacts | US$17 (Essential) | US$39 (Pro) | US$99 (Business) |
| Chatfuel | credits | Not modelled | Not modelled | Not modelled |
How to choose
If you run a Shopify or WooCommerce store with a small team, pick Tidio Lyro because it combines store integrations, live chat and an AI agent, with a free plan to start.
If your sales happen in Instagram or Messenger DMs, pick Manychat because it is built for comment-to-DM funnels. Manychat vs Chatfuel compares the two social-first options.
If you want an AI agent answering shoppers on WhatsApp and can watch a prepaid balance, pick Chatfuel because one subscription covers every Meta channel plus a website widget.
If your store has a support team with a helpdesk budget, pick Intercom Fin because it bills a defined outcome and keeps the inbox and tickets in one product. See Tidio Lyro vs Intercom Fin.
If you want a guided product or pre-sale flow without AI, pick Landbot because its button-driven builder needs no code and every extra chat has a published price.
Verdict
Tidio Lyro is the default pick for a store that sells on its own website: it names Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, runs live chat and flows on a free plan, and sells AI conversations in published tiers. Ignore it if most sales start in Instagram DMs, where Manychat is built for the job, or if you run a large support team that needs Intercom Fin's testing and ticketing tools.
For buyers in the United Kingdom
Three rules matter most when a chatbot talks to UK customers. The CMA holds you responsible for what the bot says, exactly as it would for an employee. Under PECR, a chat widget should not set cookies before the visitor opens it unless they have consented, and marketing on WhatsApp, SMS or Instagram DMs needs consent or the soft opt-in. Chat transcripts are personal data under the UK GDPR, so set a retention period and sign a data processing agreement with the vendor.
Vendors publish prices in US dollars, a few in euros, and this site never converts them, so expect your card statement in pounds to move with the exchange rate. Before you buy, check whether the vendor documents UK or EU data hosting, offers a data processing agreement and, if it is a US company, how chat data gets there lawfully. These tools are built in English first, so the interface is rarely a problem. If you also serve customers in Welsh or another language, check which languages the vendor documents for AI answers.
Chatbots and the law in the United Kingdom
Frequently asked questions
What is the best chatbot for a Shopify store?
Of the chatbots on this list, Tidio Lyro is the one whose documented integrations include Shopify and WooCommerce, and it has a free plan to start. Its Lyro AI agent is sold in tiers from US$39 a month for 50 AI conversations.
Can a chatbot sell through Instagram DMs?
Yes. Manychat and Chatfuel both automate Instagram comments and direct messages, Manychat with visual flows and Chatfuel with an AI agent. Manychat's help centre explains that Meta allows automated messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message, so both work inside that window.
How do ecommerce chatbots charge?
Each ecommerce chatbot bills a different unit. Tidio Lyro sells AI conversations in monthly tiers, Intercom Fin charges per outcome, Manychat charges by Active Contact, Landbot by chat and Chatfuel from a prepaid credit wallet. Read what counts as a conversation before comparing prices.
Is an AI agent better than a flow bot for an online store?
Not always. A flow bot with buttons handles returns steps and lead capture predictably, while an AI agent answers open questions about products and policies, but only as well as the content you give it. How to write a bot knowledge base covers the AI side.
Keep reading
- Best chatbot buildersbest list
- Best chatbot builders for small businessbest list
- Best chatbots for customer supportbest list
- Best chatbot builders for lead generationbest list
- Best chatbot builders for WhatsAppbest list
- Best chatbot builders for Instagram and Facebook Messengerbest list
- Best free chatbot buildersbest list
- Best open-source and developer chatbot platformsbest list
- What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?guide
- How is chatbot software priced?guide
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Researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. We have not built or tested bots on these platforms yet. Method: How we review