Cart Intercept AI vs Relay: AI SMS Cart Recovery
Two Shopify apps, side by side: detected stores, momentum, reviews, plans, listed features and who runs each. Store counts as of Oct 13, 2026 for Cart Intercept AI, Oct 19, 2026 for Relay.
The short answer
- Paid plans start at $99/month for Cart Intercept AI and $29/month for Relay.
- Relay lists 8 features Cart Intercept AI’s listing doesn’t mention, including Automated workflows, Behavior tracking, Conversion tracking.
Head to head
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Starter
- · 5,000 interventions / cycle
- · AI checkout tips
- · Discount guardrail
- · One-time RESCUE- discounts
- · Revenue dashboard
Spark
- · 400 credits per month ($0.1 overage)
- · AI two-way conversations, zero setup
- · Automatic discounts
- · Conversation logs (read-only)
- · Multi-currency support
- · Product sync every 7 days
Engage
- · 1,300 credits per month ($0.085 overage)
- · Everything in Spark, plus:
- · Product sync every 3 days
- · Up to 5 knowledge base documents
Convert
- · 3,850 credits per month ($0.075 overage)
- · Daily product sync
- · Everything in Engage, plus:
- · Priority support
- · Up to 15 knowledge base documents
Scale
- · 11.3K credits per month ($0.065 overage)
- · Everything in Convert, plus:
- · Founder-led onboarding
- · Product sync every 6 hours
- · Up to 50 knowledge base documents
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureRequires Shopify Plus. Cart Intercept AI recovers revenue in checkout, while shoppers still decide—not later via abandoned-cart email. Shows AI cart-aware tips plus an optional one-time RESCUE- discount you cap with a maximum percent. Native Checkout UI extension; no theme edits. Complements email and SMS. Install, then Settings > Checkout > Customize, add Cart Intercept AI, and save.
When a customer leaves items at checkout, Relay sends them an SMS and starts a real two-way conversation. The AI knows your products, pricing, shipping, and policies. If a customer asks "does this come in blue?" or "how fast is delivery?", it answers with real data from your store. Relay tries to close at full price first. It only offers a discount if the customer genuinely needs a nudge.
- AI checkout tips that encourage shoppers to complete their purchase
- One-time RESCUE- discount codes with a merchant-set maximum
- Discount guardrail so you control the maximum discount allowed
- Dashboard tracking recovered revenue and intervention usage
- AI sales agent trained to close, not just chat. Recovers carts through SMS.
- Auto-syncs products, pricing, policies, and inventory for real-time answers
- Margin-protecting discounts that only trigger as a last resort, not a default
- Multi-currency support that auto-detects the customer's local currency
All the numbers
Every figure, side by side
A green dot marks the app ahead on a measured figure. Estimates, gaps and apps that leave no storefront trace never take the lead.
Adoption
| Measure |  Cart Intercept AI |  Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | Not published | Not published |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | 0 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Top store categories | Not published | Not published |
| Top store countries | Not published | Not published |
Reviews
| Measure | Cart Intercept AI | Relay |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | Not published | 5.0 ★ |
| App Store reviews | Not published | 1 |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Cart Intercept AI | Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not listed | Not listed |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $99/month | $29/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 7 days | 14 days |
| Plans listed | 1 | 4 |
Listing
| Measure | Cart Intercept AI | Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #353 | #209(ahead) |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Jul 29, 2026 | May 13, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | CartIntercept AI | Relay |
FAQ
Cart Intercept AI and Relay: common questions
- Is Cart Intercept AI or Relay cheaper?
- Paid plans start at $99/month for Cart Intercept AI and $29/month for Relay. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Cart Intercept AI lists 1 the others don’t mention, such as Exit pop-ups. Relay lists 8 the others don’t mention, such as Automated workflows, Behavior tracking, Conversion tracking, Custom branding. A feature missing from a listing may still be supported; this compares what each App Store listing says.
- Where does this comparison’s data come from?
- Shoplist crawls Shopify storefronts to detect which apps each store runs, and reads each app’s Shopify App Store listing for reviews, pricing, features and integrations. Store counts are as of Oct 13, 2026 for Cart Intercept AI, Oct 19, 2026 for Relay; estimated figures are labeled.
How Shoplist compares apps
Store counts come from Shoplist’s crawl of Shopify storefronts, which detects the apps each store runs; they are as of Oct 13, 2026 for Cart Intercept AI, Oct 19, 2026 for Relay. Reviews, ratings, plans, features and integrations come from each app’s Shopify App Store listing. 28-day figures are labeled when estimated, and a figure that is missing or estimated never decides who leads. Read the methodology.