HelpLane vs ShieldDesk ‑ AI Support Inbox
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 HelpLane, Oct 27, 2026 for ShieldDesk.
The short answer
- Only ShieldDesk lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $49/month for HelpLane and $9/month for ShieldDesk.
- HelpLane lists 19 features ShieldDesk’s listing doesn’t mention, including AI summaries, Analytics, Auto-assign.
Head to head
Momentum
New reviews each month
Review pace is the clearest public read on how fast an app is winning new merchants.
Free
Standard
Growth
Pro
Free
- · 50 messages per month
- · AI drafts from live order data
- · All channels in one inbox
- · All features included
- · Spam filtered automatically
Starter
- · 1,000 messages per month
- · All features included
- · Auto-answers order status
- · Cancel, refund or reroute orders
- · Reports, saved replies, team inbox
Pro
- · 5,000 messages per month
- · All features included
- · Auto-answers order status
- · Priority support
- · Reports, saved replies, team inbox
Business
- · 20,000 messages per month
- · All features included
- · Dedicated onboarding
- · Priority support
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureHelpLane brings customer conversations and order data together in one inbox. Your support team sees order history, fulfillment status, and customer details alongside every message. Process refunds and cancellations without leaving the conversation. Add an embeddable chat widget to your storefront that automatically links visitors to their order history.
ShieldDesk brings messages from your contact form, support email, WhatsApp and customer account pages into one inbox. It filters spam, reads the matching order and your policies, and drafts a reply in your store's voice. "Where is my order?" is answered automatically from live tracking, with a countdown you can stop.
- Manage conversations from email, chat, and other channels in one place
- View customer order history, fulfillment status, and tracking details
- Process full or partial refunds with line-item selection directly from the inbox
- Cancel orders with inventory restock and customer notification options
- AI classifies every message by intent automatically
- Draft replies generated using real order history
- Order status queries auto-resolved with live tracking
- Spam and abuse messages detected and filtered out
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 |  HelpLane |  ShieldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | HelpLane | ShieldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | HelpLane | ShieldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not listed | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $49/month | $9/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 14 days | 7 days |
| Plans listed | 4 | 4 |
Listing
| Measure | HelpLane | ShieldDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #248 | #125(ahead) |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | Jan 14, 2026 | May 18, 2026 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | HelpLane | Approid Tech |
FAQ
HelpLane and ShieldDesk: common questions
- Is HelpLane or ShieldDesk cheaper?
- Only ShieldDesk lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $49/month for HelpLane and $9/month for ShieldDesk. 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?
- HelpLane lists 19 the others don’t mention, such as AI summaries, Analytics, Auto-assign, Chatbot. ShieldDesk lists 2 the others don’t mention, such as Contact form, Spam detection. 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 HelpLane, Oct 27, 2026 for ShieldDesk; 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 HelpLane, Oct 27, 2026 for ShieldDesk. 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.