Choose Tolstoy when
Shoppers ask about fit, look and size, and the answer needs visual proof. AI Sales Agent answers from your catalog and adds virtual try-on, Find Your Size and shoppable video from AI Player in the same session.
All comparisons
Shopify apps
Best AI sales agents for Shopify in 2026, compared
Seven onsite AI sales agents and shopping assistants for Shopify, plus Shopify Inbox and Sidekick. Each row shows what the app does, where it runs, which catalog data it uses, its published price and its App Store rating. Every fact comes from the vendor listing or site, read Nov 1, 2026.
Competitor facts checked Nov 1, 2026 against public App Store listings and vendor pages.
Quick answer
Sales agent or support chatbot?
A support chatbot answers questions after the shopper decides: order status, shipping and returns. An AI sales agent works before the purchase. It reads your catalog, asks what the shopper needs, recommends products and adds them to the cart. Most apps on this page do some of both. Read AI sales assistant vs support chatbot for the full difference.
Choose a specialist when
Support tickets are the main cost (Tidio, Zipchat, Chatty), you need a free plan (Shopify Inbox, Tidio, Zipchat, Chatty), most chats happen in WhatsApp, Instagram or email, or a guided quiz answers the main question (Octane AI).
The verdict
Shopify AI sales agents, side by side
Same five questions on every row. Prices and ratings are as published on Nov 1, 2026. A cell that the vendor does not document says "Not publicly documented".
| App | What it does | Where it runs | Catalog data source | Published price | Shopify rating, read Nov 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolstoy AI Sales Agent | Answers product questions, recommends products and adds to cart from chat; virtual try-on, Find Your Size and Complete the Look. Source | Onsite chat and Top Questions on product pages, next to shoppable video from AI Player. Source | Trains on your Shopify catalog and brand rules, with real-time product data and inventory sync. Source | No free plan. Included from Plus: $29/mo billed yearly, or $44/mo billed monthly. Source | 4.6 (284 reviews) for the Tolstoy app. Source |
| Rep AI | Proactive chat that finds hesitating shoppers, recommends products and automates support (order status, returns, FAQs), with live chat handoff. Source | Storefront chat; works with Gorgias, Zendesk, Klaviyo and Tapcart. Source | Learns your catalog, policies and brand voice automatically. Source | Free to install (100 visitors/mo); Starter $104/mo or $995/yr; Basic $209/mo. Source | 4.5 (125 reviews). Source |
| Tidio Lyro | Lyro AI agent starts chats on product pages, recommends products, adds them to the cart, and answers FAQs and order status. Source | Storefront chat, plus one inbox for email, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Source | Recommends from what is in stock; website scraper on the Lyro plan. Source | Free plan; Lyro AI Chatbot $39/mo or $390/yr for up to 200 Lyro conversations. Source | 4.8 (1,356 reviews) for the Tidio app. Source |
| Manifest AI | ChatGPT-powered chat that answers questions, runs a quiz, recommends products and works on cart drop-off. Source | Storefront live chat and quiz. Source | Not publicly documented | Free to install, with a minimum 30-day free trial. Paid price: Not publicly documented. Source | 4.4 (61 reviews). Source |
| Zipchat | AI agent for sales and support: recommendations, upsells, cart recovery, discounts, order tracking and returns. Source | Live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email. Source | Self-trains on store pages (100 pages on Free, 1,000 on Starter) and checks stock. Source | Free (120 AI replies/mo); Starter $80/mo or $768/yr; Pro $300/mo. Source | 4.9 (209 reviews). Source |
| Octane AI | AI quiz builder with personalized product recommendations. A guided quiz, not a chat agent. Source | Quizzes and pop-ups on the storefront; API, webhooks and MCP. Source | Builds quizzes from your Shopify catalog and flags out-of-stock products. Source | From $50/mo (Basic); Plus from $200/mo; Enterprise from $500/mo; 14-day free trial. Source | 4.7 (210 reviews). Source |
| Chatty | AI sales agent that answers pre-sale questions, recommends products, applies discounts, sends checkout links, recovers carts and tracks orders. Source | Live chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email and help center. Source | Knows your products and inventory; the Free plan trains on up to 200 products. Source | Free (50 AI conversations/mo); Basic $19.99/mo; AI shopping assistant on Pro, $68.99/mo. Source | 4.9 (1,897 reviews). Source |
| Shopify Inbox | AI sales associate that answers buyer questions and finds products; it personalizes replies for buyers signed in with Shop. Source | Online Store chat, managed in Shopify admin. Source | Connects to your catalog, inventory and policies automatically. Source | Free. Source | 4.6 (5,808 reviews). Source |
| Shopify Sidekick | Merchant-side AI assistant that answers questions and takes actions in your admin. Source | Shopify admin, for merchants and staff. Source | Direct access to your Shopify data. Source | Included with your Shopify plan; features and limits vary by plan. Source | No App Store listing; built into Shopify admin. Source |
Shopify Inbox and Sidekick do different jobs. Sidekick is merchant-side: it works in Shopify admin for you and your staff, based on their admin permissions. Shopify Inbox now lists an AI sales associate on the storefront, so it is the free baseline for every other row. For two-way detail, see Tolstoy vs Rep AI and Tolstoy vs Tidio.
How to choose
How to choose an AI sales agent for Shopify
Start with the question shoppers ask before they leave. Then match the agent to your store size, your catalog and the proof shoppers need.
By store size
Low traffic: start with a free plan and measure. Shopify Inbox is free, and Tidio, Zipchat and Chatty have free plans with monthly AI limits. Growing traffic: compare how each vendor counts usage. Rep AI counts visitors, Zipchat counts AI replies, Chatty and Tidio count AI conversations, and Tolstoy plans include monthly AI credits per workspace.
By catalog type
Fashion, beauty and other fit-led catalogs need answers about size, look and color. Shoppers want to see the product on a person. Technical or replenishment catalogs need exact specs, stock and order status. A quiz such as Octane AI works when a few questions sort the whole catalog, for example skin type or coffee roast.
Video and try-on in the same agent
Most agents on this page answer in text and product cards. Tolstoy AI Sales Agent also gives virtual try-on and Find Your Size in the chat, and it runs next to shoppable video from AI Player. In a 50/50 A/B test, CSB added AI Sales Agent to product pages and saw a 6.0% site-wide conversion lift (CSB customer story).
When Tolstoy is not the right pick
Pick another app when support tickets are the main cost and you need a helpdesk inbox: Tidio, Zipchat and Chatty include one. Pick a free plan when you only want to test chat: Tolstoy has no free plan. Pick Zipchat, Chatty or Tidio when most conversations happen in WhatsApp, Instagram or email. Pick Octane AI when a short quiz answers the main question. Tolstoy fits best when visual proof is part of the answer.
Run a fair test
- Write down the top 20 pre-purchase questions from your support inbox and product reviews.
- Install two agents on a staging theme with the same catalog, policies and discount rules.
- Ask the same questions, including out-of-stock items, variants and policy edge cases. Check each answer against the product page.
- Run a holdout test on live traffic: show the agent to half of the sessions and compare conversion rate and average order value.
- Confirm what each vendor counts as a visitor, a conversation or an AI reply before you compare price.
Common questions
What to know before you choose
Direct answers about AI sales agents, support chatbots, Shopify Plus, catalog data and how to measure lift.
What is the difference between an AI sales agent and a support chatbot?
A support chatbot answers questions after the purchase decision, such as order status, shipping and returns. An AI sales agent helps before the purchase: it uses your catalog to recommend products, answer fit and spec questions and add items to the cart. See AI sales assistant vs support chatbot.
Do these AI sales agents work on Shopify Plus?
Every app in the table except Sidekick installs from the Shopify App Store, and Sidekick is built into Shopify admin. Plus-specific needs, such as checkout extensions or many storefronts, depend on the vendor. Ask each vendor before you sign. Tolstoy plans are priced per workspace, not by Shopify plan; see pricing.
Does an AI sales agent use my product catalog?
Most do. Tolstoy, Rep AI, Octane AI, Chatty and Shopify Inbox say that they use your catalog or inventory. Zipchat trains on store pages and checks stock. Manifest AI does not document its data source on its listing. Test with variant, stock and policy questions before you go live.
How do I measure lift from an AI sales agent?
Use a holdout test. Show the agent to half of the sessions and compare conversion rate and average order value with the other half. Chat-assisted revenue alone is not lift, because shoppers who chat already intend to buy. CSB measured a 6.0% site-wide conversion lift from Tolstoy AI Sales Agent in a 50/50 A/B test (CSB customer story).
Is Shopify Inbox enough?
It can be. Shopify Inbox is free and its listing describes an AI sales associate that uses your catalog, inventory and policies. Add a specialist when you need try-on, sizing, video, quizzes, a helpdesk or other channels.
Does Tolstoy have a free plan?
No. AI Sales Agent is included in every paid plan. Plus, Pro and Max cost $29, $129 and $299 per month billed yearly, or $44, $195 and $449 billed monthly. See pricing.
Product sources and review date
Competitor facts come from public App Store listings and vendor pages checked Nov 1, 2026. Products change — verify in a pilot.
Products change. Recheck the linked vendor pages before making a final decision.
Next step
Start with the job you actually have
If the main job is support tickets, pick a helpdesk agent. If shoppers need to see fit, size and the product in use before they buy, start with Tolstoy AI Sales Agent.