HelpLane vs Willdesk: Live Chat&AI Chatbot
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, Nov 9, 2026 for Willdesk.
The short answer
- Only Willdesk lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $49/month for HelpLane and $16.90/month for Willdesk.
- Willdesk lists 31 features HelpLane’s listing doesn’t mention, including Agent analytics, Agent avatar, AI chatbots.
Head to head
Helpcenter,LiveChat,Helpdesk,Inbox,Customer Service,Whatsapp
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Hong Kong
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
- · 1 store
- · 1000 Products AI learning
- · 20 conversations
- · 24/7 customer service
- · Email & Social media Integration
- · Live Chat, Contact form, Order tracking
Basic
- · 100 conversations
- · 100 limited free order tracking quota
- · 3 store
- · Automation bot
- · Custom FAQ domain
- · FAQ premium templates
Pro
- · 1000 conversations
- · 1000 limited free order tracking quota
- · Custom plan & more
- · Customer success manager
- · Multiple stores
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.
Willdesk by Channelwill powers e-commerce support with AI automation (GPT-4): Order tracking, returns, cancellations, address updates via smart AI agent. Unifies email, livechat & social (Instagram/Messenger/WhatsApp) in a ticketing system. Smart Workflow Builder: Auto-cart recovery, product recommendations, ticket routing & instant FAQ responses.
- 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
- Branded Self-service widget, integrate with Order Tracking, FAQs, Contact form.
- Increase sales with live chat, boost efficiency with a preset Help center.
- Manage the inbox tickets from multiple social media, Email in one platform.
- Get complete customer index, Integrate with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Privy, SMSBump
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 |  Willdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Detected stores | Not published | 1,126 |
| Net store change, 28 days | 0 | −9 |
| Stores added, 28 days | Not enough data | 2 |
| Big-brand share | Not enough data | 12% |
| Top store categories | Not published | Apparel & Accessories, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden |
| Top store countries | Not published | United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong |
Reviews
| Measure | HelpLane | Willdesk |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | Not published | 4.7 ★ |
| App Store reviews | Not published | 377 |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | 0 |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | 41% |
FAQ
HelpLane and Willdesk: common questions
- Is HelpLane or Willdesk cheaper?
- Only Willdesk lists a free plan. Paid plans start at $49/month for HelpLane and $16.90/month for Willdesk. 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 7 the others don’t mention, such as AI summaries, Analytics, Customer notifications, Escalation. Willdesk lists 31 the others don’t mention, such as Agent analytics, Agent avatar, AI chatbots, Behavior tracking. 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, Nov 9, 2026 for Willdesk; 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, Nov 9, 2026 for Willdesk. 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.