Free helpdesk for Shopify: where each free plan runs out (2026)

Yes, eight helpdesk apps for Shopify have a free plan: Chatty, Tidio, Commslayer, Willdesk, MooseDesk, Chatway, Zoho Desk and Help Scout. Shopify Inbox is free too, but it has no email tickets. Freshdesk, Re:amaze and Gorgias offer only a trial.

The real difference between the free plans is where each one runs out. Some count the conversations your team answers, and some count only the ones the AI answers. Others cap the number of people, the channels, or the days.

That is why the headline number misleads. A generous-looking free plan can stop working the week you hire your first part-time agent. A plan with a small number can last for years if it meters something you rarely use.

We checked twelve apps on their own pricing pages and Shopify App Store listings on 7 October 2026. Below are the summary table, the five meters, a short entry per app, two cost examples and a fit guide.

Free helpdesk apps for Shopify compared (verified 7 October 2026)

Read the "Where free runs out" column first, because that is the line you will hit. Prices are monthly in USD unless marked. Sources are each vendor's pricing page or Shopify App Store listing, read on 7 October 2026.

App	What the free plan includes	Where free runs out	Next step up	Email tickets on free?
Chatty Free	AI agent on live chat, Helpdesk tickets, 1 support email, unlimited human conversations	50 AI conversations a month, then the AI stops and your team replies by hand. 1 team member	Basic $19.99: 100 AI conversations, 5 members, $0.40 per extra AI conversation	Yes (1 email address)
Shopify Inbox	Live chat, Inbox AI agent, assign chats to staff	No paid tier. No email inbox and no tickets	None	No
Tidio Free	Live chat and ticketing, 10 seats, email and social integrations	50 human-answered conversations a month. 50 Lyro AI conversations once, for life	Starter $29 (100 conversations), or $24.17 billed annually. Lyro AI from $39	Yes
Commslayer Free	Email, chat, WhatsApp, social DMs, macros, automations, unlimited seats	300 conversations a month and 300 AI agent messages	Plus 800: $39	Yes
Willdesk Free	Live chat, email and social, macros, help center, unlimited agents	20 conversations a month, 1 store	Basic $16.90 (100 conversations), then $12 per extra 100	Yes
MooseDesk Free	Unlimited AI chatbot replies, live chat, FAQ	1 team member, no email channel	Starter $19: 3 members, 1 email channel. A ticket quota is listed from Growth, $49	No
Chatway Free	Live chat, FAQ, canned responses	50 live chat conversations a month, 1 seat, 30-day history	Business $39: 2 seats, adds email	No
Zoho Desk Free	Email ticketing, 2 macros	3 users, 1 email channel, no live chat, no workflow rules	Express $9 per user ($7 annually). Live chat starts at Standard, $20 per user	Yes
Help Scout Free	1 shared inbox, 1 Docs site, 5 users	100 contacts a month, no AI tools	Standard $25 per user billed annually ($30 monthly on the App Store). AI Answers $0.75 per resolution	Yes (1 inbox)
Freshdesk	No free plan	14-day trial, then the account is suspended	Growth $19 per agent, billed annually	Trial only
Re:amaze	No free plan	14-day trial	Basic $29 per user	Trial only
Gorgias	No free plan	7-day trial on the App Store	Starter $10 for 50 tickets, $0.40 per extra ticket ($40 with AI Agent)	Trial only

What does "free" actually measure in a helpdesk plan?

A free helpdesk plan measures one of five things: conversations your team answers, conversations the AI answers, seats, channels, or days. The meter decides when you start paying, so it matters more than the headline number. Here is how each meter works:

• Human-answered conversations. Tidio Free counts a conversation once a human agent replies, and replies from Lyro AI or Flows do not count. Willdesk (20), Chatway (50) and Commslayer (300) also count conversations. Help Scout counts contacts instead, so one customer with three emails is one contact.
• AI conversations. Chatty Free counts only the conversations the AI agent handles, 50 a month, and your team's conversations are unlimited. Once the 50 are used, the AI pauses until the next cycle while your team keeps replying by hand. Tidio's 50 Lyro AI conversations come once per account, not each month.
• Seats. Chatty Free, MooseDesk Free and Chatway Free allow one person. Zoho Desk Free allows 3 users, Help Scout Free 5 and Tidio Free 10. Commslayer and Willdesk allow unlimited agents.
• Channels. Shopify Inbox, MooseDesk Free and Chatway Free have no email channel. Zoho Desk Free has email but no live chat. Chatty Free connects one support email address.
• Days. Freshdesk, Re:amaze and Gorgias give you a trial, and when it ends you pay or you stop. Freshdesk states that if you do not continue, "your account will be suspended".

So the useful question is which meter your store will hit first, rather than which plan is free. A solo founder hits the conversation limit first and the seat limit last. A store with three part-time agents hits the seat limit on day one.

What does each free helpdesk plan include?

Each free plan includes a different mix of channels, seats and conversations, and each stops at a different line. Below, each of the 12 apps we checked gets a short entry. Chatty comes first, followed by the seven other free plans, Shopify Inbox and the three trial-only apps.

Chatty

Chatty Free puts an AI agent on your live chat, trained on up to 200 of your products. Your team gets unlimited human-answered conversations, 90 days of chat history and a Helpdesk that turns one support email into tickets. It suits a solo founder who wants AI chat and email tickets in one app.

Commslayer

Commslayer Free covers 300 conversations and 300 AI agent messages a month, with unlimited seats. Email, chat, WhatsApp and social DMs share one inbox, with macros, automations and a help center on your domain. For a team under 300 conversations a month, it is the largest free plan we found, and Plus 800 costs $39.

Tidio

Tidio Free includes live chat, ticketing and email for 10 seats, and counts 50 human-answered conversations a month. Lyro AI adds 50 conversations once per account, and Starter costs $29 a month for 100 conversations. It fits a store where several people share support but volume stays low.

Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk Free covers email ticketing for 3 users on 1 email channel, with 2 macros. It has no live chat and no workflow rules, and Express costs $9 per user a month, or $7 billed annually. It fits a store whose support happens entirely by email.

Help Scout

Help Scout Free gives up to 5 users one shared inbox and one Docs site. It stops at 100 contacts a month and has no AI tools, and Standard is $25 per user billed annually. It fits a small team that helps fewer than 100 customers a month by email.

Willdesk

Willdesk Free includes live chat, email, social channels, macros and a help center, with unlimited agents on one store. It covers 20 conversations a month, then Basic costs $16.90 for 100 conversations plus $12 per extra 100. It fits a store with very low volume that wants several agents and macros from day one.

MooseDesk

MooseDesk Free gives one team member unlimited AI chatbot replies, live chat and FAQ templates. It has no email channel, so the next step is Starter at $19 a month with 3 members and 1 email channel. It fits a solo founder who needs an AI chatbot on the storefront and no email inbox yet.

Chatway

Chatway Free includes live chat, FAQs and canned responses for one seat, with 30 days of chat history. It stops at 50 live chat conversations a month, and email arrives only on Business at $39 with 2 seats. It fits a solo store that handles support through chat alone.

Shopify Inbox

Shopify Inbox is free with no paid tier, and gives you live chat, an AI agent and chat assignment to staff. It has no email inbox and no tickets, so customer email stays in your normal mailbox. It fits a store where live chat is the only support channel.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk has no free plan, and new accounts get the Enterprise plan for 14 days. After the trial, the account is suspended unless you pick a plan, and Growth starts at $19 per agent billed annually. It fits a team that plans to pay per agent and wants to test the top plan first.

Re:amaze

Re:amaze has no free plan, and its 14-day trial includes every Plus plan feature. Basic then costs $29 per team member a month, or $26.10 billed annually. It fits a team that wants live chat, email and macros and accepts per-user pricing.

Gorgias

Gorgias has no free plan and offers a 7-day trial on the Shopify App Store. Starter costs $10 a month for 50 tickets plus $0.40 per extra ticket, or $40 with AI Agent. It fits a store that wants pricing based on tickets rather than on the number of agents.

Which free helpdesk plans include email tickets?

Six of the nine free plans turn customer email into tickets: Chatty, Tidio, Commslayer, Willdesk, Zoho Desk and Help Scout. Shopify Inbox, MooseDesk Free and Chatway Free do not.

This matters because post-purchase questions often arrive by email. Shoppers ask "where is my order", "I need to return this" or "the size is wrong" after they have left the store. A support ticket gives each of those emails an owner and a status, so it does not get lost under newer mail.

Shopify Inbox is the most common case. It is free, made by Shopify, and good at live chat, including assigning chats to staff. It has no email inbox, though.

Shopify's help center says that without staff handoff, the customer gets your store's email address (help.shopify.com, read 7 October 2026). That email then lands in your normal mailbox rather than in Inbox.

If chat is all you need, Inbox is enough. If email is where your support work piles up, you need one of the six. We compare the options in more depth in Shopify Inbox alternatives.

Zoho Desk Free is the reverse: it has email ticketing for 3 users but no live chat. Live chat starts on the Standard plan at $20 per user per month, or $14 billed annually.

How much does each helpdesk cost once free runs out?

With 150 conversations a month, a small store pays $0 to $60, depending on which meter it hits first. We priced two small stores against that volume, by email and chat, with email tickets required. Store A is a solo founder who answers everything, and Store B has two people on support.

For Chatty we assume the AI handles up to 100 of the 150, which Basic includes. For every app we took the cheapest plan that covers the store.

Prices are monthly rates from each vendor's pricing page or App Store listing, read on 7 October 2026. Freshdesk is shown at the annual rate, which its pricing page displays by default.

App	Store A: 1 person, 150 conversations	Store B: 2 people, 150 conversations	What decides the price
Commslayer	$0 (Free)	$0 (Free)	300 conversations and unlimited seats on Free
Zoho Desk	$0 (Free, email only)	$0 (Free, email only)	3 users on Free, but no live chat
Chatty	$0 (Free)	$19.99 (Basic)	1 team member on Free. Human conversations are not counted
MooseDesk	$19 (Starter)	$19 (Starter)	Free has no email channel. Starter adds 1 email channel; the pricing page lists a ticket quota only from Growth ($49)
Freshdesk	$19, billed annually, email only	$38, billed annually, email only	No free plan. Live chat is not listed on the Freshdesk pricing page
Willdesk	$28.90 (Basic + one 100-conversation pack)	$28.90 (Basic + one 100-conversation pack)	20 conversations on Free, then $12 per extra 100 on Basic
Re:amaze	$29 (Basic)	$58 (Basic x 2)	Priced per user
Help Scout	$30 (Standard)	$60 (Standard x 2)	100 contacts on Free, then priced per user
Chatway	$39 (Business)	$39 (Business)	Free has no email and 1 seat
Gorgias	$50 (Starter + 100 tickets)	$50 (Starter + 100 tickets)	$0.40 per ticket after 50
Tidio	$59	$59	50 human-answered conversations on Free. 150 needs the 250-conversation tier
Shopify Inbox	$0, but no email tickets	$0, but no email tickets	Does not meet the email requirement

Three things stand out.

First, Commslayer has the largest free plan for a team. Its Free plan pairs 300 conversations a month with unlimited seats, macros and automations. If your volume stays under 300 a month and you have a team, start there.

Second, the meter changes the ranking between Store A and Store B. Chatty is $0 for the solo founder because it counts AI conversations, not the ones you answer yourself. Add a second person and it becomes $19.99.

Tidio goes the other way. It allows 10 seats on Free, but 150 human-answered conversations push it to the $59 tier in both cases.

Third, per-user pricing grows faster than per-volume pricing for small teams. Help Scout, Re:amaze and Freshdesk double when the second person joins. Zoho Desk, Commslayer, Willdesk, MooseDesk, Chatway, Gorgias and Tidio stay the same, and Chatty moves from Free to Basic.

Where does Chatty Free run out?

Chatty Free runs out at 50 AI conversations a month and one team member. After the 50th AI conversation, the AI agent stops until the next cycle and your team keeps replying by hand. There is no overage charge on Free, so the bill stays at $0.

The Chatty Helpdesk is on every plan, including Free. Turn on Helpdesk ticket mode for your connected email address and incoming emails become tickets (how email tickets work). From the desktop app you can also turn any chat in the Inbox into a ticket (converting a chat to a ticket).

Each ticket has a subject, the customer's email, a priority from Low to Critical and an assignee. Tickets move through Open, Pending, Snoozed and Resolved. You can reply, send and close, send and snooze, forward, or leave an internal note.

Chatty Free has two hard limits: 1 team member and 1 support email address. The Helpdesk itself is a ticket inbox without macros, automation rules, SLA timers or helpdesk reports.

If your team already runs on macros and rules, other plans fit better. Commslayer Free includes macros and automations, and Willdesk Free includes macros. Gorgias, Re:amaze and Help Scout go much further on paid plans.

When you outgrow Free, Basic is $19.99 a month for 100 AI conversations and 5 team members. Extra AI conversations cost $0.40 each, and you can cap spending in the app (chatty.net/pricing). Paid plans are priced per store, not per user.

Which free helpdesk fits your store?

Match the plan to the meter you are least likely to hit. Here is the short version:

• Choose Chatty Free if you run support alone and want an AI agent on your live chat. Customer email becomes tickets in the same app, and human-answered conversations are not counted, so a busy solo store stays at $0.
• Choose Commslayer Free if you have a team, handle under 300 conversations a month, and want macros and automations without paying.
• Choose Tidio Free if several people share support and the volume is low, under 50 human-answered conversations a month. You get 10 seats, but the AI allowance is a one-off 50.
• Choose Zoho Desk Free if your support is email only and up to 3 people answer it. You will not get live chat on Free.
• Choose Help Scout Free if up to 5 people share one email inbox and you help fewer than 100 customers a month.
• Choose Shopify Inbox if live chat is all you need and email can stay in your normal mailbox. If you only need a free AI chat widget, see our guide to free chatbots for Shopify.

If you can already see that you will pay soon, compare the paid tiers instead. Our guide to the best helpdesk for Shopify covers Gorgias, Re:amaze, Zendesk and the rest on paid plans.

Is a free trial the same as a free helpdesk?

No. A free trial ends on a date whether you are ready or not. A free plan ends when your store crosses a limit, and you can see that limit coming.

Freshdesk is the clearest case, because some older listicles still describe a Freshdesk free plan. On 7 October 2026, the Freshdesk pricing page listed no free plan.

Signing up gives you the Enterprise plan for 14 days. After that, you pick a paid plan or the account is suspended. The cheapest plan is Growth at $19 per agent per month, billed annually.

If you are moving off Freshdesk for cost reasons, see Freshdesk alternatives.

Re:amaze and Gorgias work the same way. Re:amaze gives 14 days with all Plus plan features, then Basic costs $29 per user per month.

Gorgias offers a 7-day trial on the App Store and no free plan. Its Starter plan is $10 a month for 50 tickets, plus $0.40 per extra ticket.

A trial is still the right way to test a paid helpdesk before you commit. Just do not build your support process on it if you expect to stay at $0.

Pick the meter, not the price tag

Every free helpdesk for Shopify is free up to a line. The vendor sets that line by choosing what to count. It can be the conversations you answer, the ones the AI answers, your team size, the channels or the calendar.

Before you install anything, write down three numbers. Count the conversations you handle a month, the people who answer them, and the share that arrives by email. Read the "Where free runs out" column against those numbers, and the plan whose meter you hit last is your free helpdesk.