Buyer guide
Best AI chat for Shopify: how to choose
Updated by the SayMaya team
The short answer
The best AI chat for a Shopify store answers from your live store data, hands hard chats to a person, and bills in a way you can predict. SayMaya fits stores that want storefront AI chat with the AI and team inbox in one flat price and no overage charges. Gorgias and Commslayer fit stores that need a full multichannel helpdesk. Tidio fits stores that want chatbot flows and more languages.
What should an AI chat for Shopify answer from?
Your live store data: products, prices, stock, policies, active discounts and, after the shopper proves who they are, their orders. Answers written once in a static FAQ go stale as soon as a price or stock level changes. SayMaya reads these from your Shopify store and lets you switch each source on or off in Settings.
How do Shopify AI chat apps charge for AI?
Three models are common. Check which one you are buying, and what happens in a busy month.
- AI included in a flat plan price, counted per conversation: SayMaya
- AI billed per message or per resolved conversation on top of the plan: Commslayer, Gorgias
- AI sold as its own plan tier, next to live chat and flows: Tidio (Lyro)
SayMaya never charges overage. Past the AI limit, new chats go to your team inbox until next month or until you upgrade.
When should the AI hand off to a person?
When the shopper asks for one, when the AI is unsure, and for anything that moves money or changes an order. SayMaya moves those chats to your team inbox and emails your team, so nobody has to watch the inbox all day.
Should the AI be allowed to refund or edit orders?
It depends on how much you trust automation with money. Commslayer lists AI that cancels, edits and refunds orders, and Gorgias says its AI Agent takes actions you control. SayMaya keeps refunds, cancellations and order edits with your team; the AI answers and hands off.
Will an AI chat widget slow down my store?
It can, if the full chat loads with every page. Ask each vendor what loads before a shopper opens the chat. With SayMaya, the page carries only a small deferred launcher, and the chat window loads when the shopper taps it.
How do you keep order lookups private?
Require proof before sharing order details. SayMaya shares order status only after the shopper gives an order number and the email that matches it. No match, no order details.
