Merchant AI: Chatbots & Agents vs ShopAI Assistant
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 Merchant AI, Oct 14, 2026 for ShopAI Assistant.
The short answer
- On the Shopify App Store: Merchant AI 5.0 from 1 reviews and ShopAI Assistant 5.0 from 2 reviews.
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $25/month for Merchant AI and $9/month for ShopAI Assistant.
- Merchant AI lists 11 features ShopAI Assistant’s listing doesn’t mention, including Agent analytics, Agent avatar, Behavior 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.
Free Plan
- · 1 AI agent
- · 1 MB knowledge base
- · 1 team seat
- · 20 messages / month
- · Website & file sources
Starter Plan
- · 1 AI agent
- · 15 MB knowledge base
- · 2 team seats
- · 400 messages / month
- · Advanced analytics
- · All source types
Pro Plan
- · 2,500 messages / month
- · 3 AI agents
- · 30 MB knowledge base
- · 5 team seats
- · Advanced analytics
- · All source types
Business Plan
- · 10 team seats
- · 5 AI agents
- · 60 MB knowledge base
- · 9,000 messages / month
- · Advanced analytics
- · All source types
Free
- · 100 AI messages/month
- · Add to cart & checkout in chat
- · Basic analytics
- · Multi-language support
- · Product search & variant selection
- · Real-time inventory tracking
Starter
- · 500 AI messages/month
- · All free features included
- · Live chat support
- · Order tracking in chat
- · Up to 20 FAQs
- · Up to 500 products
Growth
- · 2,000 AI messages/month
- · All starter features included
- · Lead generation support
- · Smart reorder suggestions
- · Up to 1,000 products
- · Up to 50 FAQs
Pro
- · 5,000 AI messages/month
- · AI-driven rules and workflows
- · Advanced AI conversations
- · All growth features included
- · Priority support
- · Trigger-based automations
Coverage counts what each App Store listing names. Every feature, checked off app by app, is in Shoplist.
See every featureMerchant AI installs on your Shopify store and indexes your products, collections, policies, and content, refreshing whenever your catalog changes. Shoppers ask questions and get answers grounded in your store data. They can see product recommendations, add to cart, look up an order, or start a return inside the chat. You set the agent's tone, refund posture, and escalation rules in plain English.
ShopAI Assistant transforms e-commerce with intelligent automation. Shoppers get 24/7 AI support to search products, select variants, and checkout instantly. Live agent chat stands by for complex queries. Beyond sales, it captures leads and automates workflows with AI-driven rules.
- Auto-syncs your products, collections, policies, and blog posts on install
- Recommends products and adds to cart inside the conversation
- Looks up orders, tracking, and starts returns without leaving chat
- Set your tone, refund posture, and escalation rules in plain English
- Natural product search using customer-friendly chat
- Easily select size, color, and variants in chat
- Send pre-filled Shopify checkout links instantly
- Add or remove products from cart through chat
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 |  Merchant AI |  ShopAI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Merchant AI | ShopAI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 5.0 ★ | 5.0 ★ |
| App Store reviews | 1 | 2(ahead) |
| New reviews, 28 days | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Reviewers a year or more in | Not enough data | Not enough data |
Pricing
| Measure | Merchant AI | ShopAI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lowest paid monthly plan | $25/month | $9/month(ahead) |
| Longest free trial | 14 days | Not listed |
| Plans listed | 4 | 4 |
Listing
| Measure | Merchant AI | ShopAI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify category rank | #674 | #477(ahead) |
| Shopify App Charts | Not on this week’s charts | Not on this week’s charts |
| Built for Shopify | No | No |
| Launched | May 21, 2026 | Jul 24, 2025 |
| Languages | 1 | 1 |
| Developer | Cross Digital Ltd | Webewox |
FAQ
Merchant AI and ShopAI Assistant: common questions
- Is Merchant AI or ShopAI Assistant cheaper?
- Both list a free plan. Paid plans start at $25/month for Merchant AI and $9/month for ShopAI Assistant. Shoplist compares base prices only between monthly plans in the same currency; usage charges and annual plans vary, so check each plan’s limits.
- Which has better reviews, Merchant AI or ShopAI Assistant?
- On the Shopify App Store: Merchant AI 5.0 from 1 reviews and ShopAI Assistant 5.0 from 2 reviews.
- What features does each app list that the other doesn’t?
- Merchant AI lists 11 the others don’t mention, such as Agent analytics, Agent avatar, Behavior tracking, Cart recovery. ShopAI Assistant lists 2 the others don’t mention, such as Color and font, Multi-language. 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 Merchant AI, Oct 14, 2026 for ShopAI Assistant; 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 Merchant AI, Oct 14, 2026 for ShopAI Assistant. 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.