The best AI sales agents for Shopify in 2026

An AI sales agent does the job a great store associate does. It answers the shopper's question, suggests the right product, and gets them to checkout, at 2 a.m. as easily as at 2 p.m.

The tools that call themselves AI sales agents for Shopify split into two camps:

• On-site agents sit in a chat bubble on your store and talk to people who are already browsing.
• DM agents work where shoppers message you first: Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Which camp you need depends on where your buyers ask questions. If most of your traffic comes from Instagram and ads, the conversation usually starts in the DMs, long before anyone opens your site.

The quick comparison

Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often, so confirm on each vendor's page. WhatsApp message fees from Meta apply on top of any tool that uses WhatsApp.

1. Pipr

Best for: brands whose shoppers ask questions in Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook DMs.

Pipr is an AI teammate that plugs into your Shopify store and answers every DM and comment from live stock, sizes, prices and orders. It sends product and cart links, recovers abandoned carts, answers "where is my order?", and hands tricky chats to your team with the full history. Every update it sends is a two-way chat, so when the customer replies "will it arrive Friday?", Pipr answers in the same thread.

It also tracks what every conversation earned, by channel and campaign, and uses those chats to run WhatsApp campaigns and reorder your collections by what people ask for. Nothing sends or changes without your approval.

Pricing: free with 200 credits, then $35/month with 10,000 credits.

Full disclosure: this is our product. See how Pipr compares with Rep AI.

2. Rep AI

Best for: stores with lots of site traffic that want a proactive shopping assistant on the website.

Rep AI watches browsing behavior and opens a conversation when a visitor hesitates, then recommends products and rescues carts on site. It is one of the most established on-site AI agents for Shopify. Social and WhatsApp support is a newer add-on.

Pricing: free for 100 visitors, then from $104/month for 10,000 visitors.

3. Gorgias AI Agent

Best for: brands with a support team that already lives in a helpdesk.

Gorgias is the most popular helpdesk on Shopify. Its AI Agent resolves tickets automatically, with deep Shopify order data inside every ticket. It treats Instagram and WhatsApp messages as tickets, so it suits teams that think in queues and resolution times.

Pricing: helpdesk from $10/month for 50 tickets, with AI Agent billed per automated resolution, roughly $0.90 to $1 each.

Pipr vs Gorgias

4. Tidio Lyro

Best for: small stores that want live chat and an AI add-on quickly.

Tidio is easy to set up and brings Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp into one inbox next to your site chat. Lyro, its AI agent, answers common questions from your help content. Shopify actions such as order lookups sit on the Growth plan and up.

Pricing: free for 50 conversations, Starter $29/month, Lyro from $39/month for 50 AI conversations.

Pipr vs Tidio

5. ManyChat AI

Best for: creators and brands growing an audience with comment-to-DM campaigns.

ManyChat is the best-known tool for Instagram automation, with a huge template library and support for many channels. Its AI features help write and route messages, but product answers come from the flows you build, so someone has to update them when stock or prices change.

Pricing: free for 25 active contacts, Pro from $39/month, rising with contacts.

Pipr vs ManyChat

6. DashAssist AI

Best for: stores that want an AI agent on site plus simple social auto-replies.

DashAssist answers shoppers in your store chat with Shopify data and adds Facebook and Instagram auto-replies and cart recovery. It is priced per seat.

Pricing: Essential $97/month (2 seats), Pro $299/month (20 seats), with a 14-day free trial.

Pipr vs DashAssist AI

7. Shopify Inbox

Best for: new stores that want free chat on their website.

Shopify Inbox is free and native, with an AI that answers store chat from your live catalog. Instagram and Messenger messages can come into Inbox for your team to answer, and there is no WhatsApp channel.

Pricing: free with any Shopify plan.

Pipr vs Shopify Inbox

How to choose

1. Where do your buyers ask questions? If they DM you on Instagram or WhatsApp, you need an agent that works in DMs. If they browse your site first, an on-site agent fits.
2. Does it answer from your live store? Stock, sizes, prices and order status change daily. Agents that read Shopify directly stay right. Flows and FAQ bots go stale.
3. Can you see what it earned? Look for revenue tracked to each conversation, not only chats handled.
4. How does the price grow? Per visitor, per ticket, per contact and per seat pricing all scale differently. Work out your cost at two to three times today's volume.
5. Do you approve what it sends? Campaigns and store changes should wait for your yes.

Many brands run two together: an on-site agent for website visitors and a DM agent for social and WhatsApp.

FAQ

What is an AI sales agent for Shopify?

An AI sales agent is software that talks to shoppers for you. It answers product questions, recommends items, sends cart or checkout links and handles order questions, using your store's live data.

Which AI sales agent is best for Instagram DMs?

For selling inside Instagram DMs from live Shopify data, Pipr is built for that job. ManyChat is strong for comment-to-DM campaigns built from flows. Most on-site agents, like Rep AI and Shopify Inbox, focus on your website chat.

Is there a free AI sales agent for Shopify?

Yes. Pipr has a free plan with 200 credits, Tidio and ManyChat have free tiers, and Shopify Inbox is free with any Shopify plan.

Can I use an on-site agent and a DM agent together?

Yes. Many brands keep an on-site assistant for website visitors and use a DM agent like Pipr for Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, so every conversation gets answered wherever it starts.

Do AI sales agents work with WhatsApp?

Some do. Pipr sells and supports on WhatsApp, including cart recovery and order updates. Tidio brings WhatsApp into its inbox, and Rep AI offers it as a beta add-on. Shopify Inbox has no WhatsApp channel. Meta charges its own WhatsApp message fees on every tool.