In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Start with Shopify Inbox: it is free and its AI agent answers product and policy questions. Add a WhatsApp button to the free Business app for customers who prefer it. Move to a live chat app or the WhatsApp API once you need several staff, automation or order notifications.
The three options at a glance
Prices are as of October 2026 and exclude GST. Third-party prices are approximate and in US dollars where the vendor lists them that way.
Shopify Inbox
Start hereFree
- Chat widget on your Shopify online store
- Opt-in AI Inbox agent answers from your catalogue and policies
- Desktop, iOS and Android apps for staff
- No WhatsApp, Instagram or email in the same inbox
Best for: Most small Shopify stores starting out.
App free; API per message
- Customers already use it daily
- Business app: free, manual, no order data
- API: automation and Shopify order messages via a provider
- Conversation continues after the customer leaves the site
Best for: Stores whose customers ask before buying, or need order updates.
Live chat app
From about US$24/mo
- Website chat plus email, Instagram and often WhatsApp in one inbox
- AI add-ons priced per conversation or outcome
- Shopify order lookup in most e-commerce plans
- Another subscription and script on your store
Best for: Stores with two or more people answering.
Shopify Inbox: free and order-aware
Shopify Inbox is Shopify's own chat app, listed as free on the Shopify App Store. Staff can reply, send product links, discount codes and images, and set availability hours. The Inbox agent, which you switch on yourself, answers questions about products, shipping, returns, sizing and store policies using your catalogue, policies, Knowledge Base and published pages.
Its strength is that it lives inside Shopify: no extra script vendor, no extra bill, and the agent knows your catalogue and stock. Its limit is that it only covers chat on your storefront. If customers also message you on WhatsApp or Instagram, staff work in separate apps. Our comparison of AI chatbots for Shopify covers the Inbox agent against paid alternatives in more detail.
WhatsApp: Business app vs API
WhatsApp is familiar to most Singapore customers, and the conversation continues on their phone after they close your site. There are two very different ways to use it.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free app | Per delivered message plus provider fees |
| Who replies | You or staff, manually | Staff in a shared inbox, chatbot or AI |
| Shopify order data | None; staff look it up | Order confirmations, shipping updates and lookups via an app |
| Setup | Install on a phone, add catalogue and away message | Meta business verification, provider, approved templates |
| Fits | Low volume, one or two people | Order notifications, several staff, automation |
API costs changed on 1 October 2026. Meta's pricing page now charges for service replies after the first 1,000 per business number each month, and our WhatsApp Business API cost guide puts the Singapore list rate at about S$0.0205 per service message after that. Customer messages to you are never charged. Marketing templates cost more, and promotional messages to Singapore numbers also fall under Do Not Call rules.
For a simple start, a WhatsApp chat button on your website linking to the Business app costs nothing.
Live chat apps: when one inbox matters
Third-party live chat apps make sense when two or more people answer customers across several channels. Our Tidio vs Crisp vs Intercom comparison has the full detail; in short, as of October 2026, Tidio's Starter plan is listed at US$24.17 a month billed annually, Crisp's flat plans run from Mini at US$45 to Essentials at US$95 a month, and Intercom is US$29 per seat a month plus US$0.99 per AI outcome.
What you pay for: one inbox for website chat, email, Instagram and often WhatsApp; Shopify order lookups inside the chat; assignment and reporting; and AI agents with more control than Shopify Inbox. What it costs beyond the subscription: another script that can slow your store, and per-conversation AI charges that grow with traffic.
Response time: what customers expect
A chat button sets an expectation of a quick answer. An unanswered chat is worse than a clear contact form, because the customer waited and then left.
Chat habits that work
Which suits your store?
Most stores end up combining two: Shopify Inbox on the site, plus WhatsApp for customers who prefer it.
| Your situation | Suggested setup |
|---|---|
| New store, owner answers everything | Shopify Inbox with the agent on, plus a WhatsApp button to the Business app |
| Many pre-sale questions on sizing or customisation | Shopify Inbox agent trained on sizing pages, WhatsApp for photos and custom requests |
| Need order confirmations and shipping updates on WhatsApp | WhatsApp API via a Shopify-integrated provider |
| Two to five staff, several channels | Live chat app with a shared inbox, WhatsApp connected |
| Customers abandoning carts | Recovery messages by email first; WhatsApp only with consent, see our abandoned cart guide |
If WhatsApp cart recovery is on your list, read abandoned cart recovery on WhatsApp for Shopify before buying an app, because consent and template rules apply.
Do it yourself or get help?
Installing Shopify Inbox and adding a WhatsApp button are quick, do-it-yourself jobs. The WhatsApp API needs Meta business verification, a provider, approved templates and a link to Shopify orders, which is where help saves weeks.
Our WhatsApp Notifications package (S$590) sets up the WhatsApp Business Platform with order and booking messages; Meta's message fees are paid directly by you. Building a new store? Our Shopify Store package (S$1,890) includes chat set up from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The Shopify App Store lists Shopify Inbox as free, and it includes an opt-in Inbox agent that answers questions about products, shipping, returns and policies using your store's catalogue and content. You can also run it with staff only. It covers chat on your online store, not WhatsApp, Instagram or email.
Shopify's help pages describe Inbox as chat for customers visiting your online store and do not list WhatsApp as a connected channel. To use WhatsApp alongside Shopify, either link a chat button to the WhatsApp Business app or use a WhatsApp API provider app from the Shopify App Store that connects orders.
The WhatsApp Business app is free. The API charges per delivered message: from 1 October 2026 Meta charges for service replies after 1,000 free per business number each month, at about S$0.0205 each for Singapore numbers on its list rates. Marketing and utility templates are charged separately, and providers add their own fees.
Use both if your customers ask a lot before buying. Live chat or Shopify Inbox catches visitors while they are on the product page. WhatsApp keeps the conversation going after they leave and suits photos, custom orders and delivery questions. If only one person answers, start with Shopify Inbox plus a WhatsApp button.
Shopify's Inbox agent can personalise replies when buyers sign in with Shop, and most e-commerce live chat apps offer order lookup with verification. Avoid any setup that reveals order details from an order number alone, because order numbers are easy to guess and that would expose other customers' personal data.