For do-it-yourself flows, Manychat leads on Instagram and WATI on WhatsApp, and for a staffed team that wants one inbox, Respond.io is the usual pick. Support Fabric is a done-for-you AI customer support service for Shopify and WooCommerce brands. It deploys a custom AI agent across WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Messenger, website chat and email that answers customers in seconds, tracks orders, recommends products and closes sales in chat, with a 48-hour go-live. What decides it is who does the setup and whether the AI can see your orders.
At 11:47 PM, Nuvia, a demo store, gets two messages. An Instagram DM asks where order 1042 is. A WhatsApp message asks whether the linen dress runs small. A size flow can answer the second. The first needs the order itself, and order tracking is about half of all questions our stores get.
Key facts
- Prices read from each vendor's own pricing page on 2026-10-29.
- Manychat, Respond.io, WATI, Chatfuel and Gorgias are self-serve: you build the flows or train the AI.
- Gorgias says its AI Agent answers "where is my order" from Shopify data. Respond.io routes order sync through Make, n8n or Zapier. WATI and Chatfuel send order and shipping notifications.
- Meta's WhatsApp fees come on top of the Respond.io and WATI plans; Chatfuel takes them from the plan's credits.
- Support Fabric builds, trains and launches the AI agent for you in 48 hours.
What to compare before you pick
Who does the setup. Someone writes the flows, loads the catalog and fixes answers when policies change. If that is you, count the hours.
Channels. Instagram DMs and WhatsApp first, then Messenger, web chat and email.
Order data. An AI that cannot read the order can only say "check your email".
Cost. Plan price, plus AI usage, plus Meta's WhatsApp fees, plus your time.
Fit. Marketing campaigns and support are different jobs.
Count last week's DMs that asked "where is my order". If it is close to half, check order data first.
The six tools, one by one
Manychat
You build it. Manychat is a chat marketing platform. WhatsApp starts on Pro, which connects up to three channels such as Instagram, WhatsApp and email, includes AI replies for FAQs, and integrates with commerce tools. As of October 2026, Pro is $39 a month, or $29 billed yearly, for up to 2,500 active contacts. Pick it for comment-to-DM growth campaigns on Instagram.
Respond.io
You build it. Respond.io is a team inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and more. For syncing Shopify orders it points you to Make, n8n or Zapier. As of October 2026, Starter is $79 a month billed yearly or $99 monthly, and AI Agents start on Growth at $159 yearly or $199 monthly, with WhatsApp fees billed by Meta. Pick it if a support team builds its own workflows.
WATI
You build it. WATI is WhatsApp first, with Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in the same inbox. Its Shopify app sends order confirmations, tracking links and cash-on-delivery confirmations. As of October 2026, plans start at $39 a month billed yearly plus message charges, and Astra AI Agents are a separately priced add-on on Pro. Pick it for WhatsApp broadcasts and a WhatsApp team inbox.
Chatfuel
You build it. Chatfuel runs AI on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp and sends payment links in chat. As of October 2026, Business S is US$18 a month billed yearly, including US$20 of AI credits, and WhatsApp fees come out of those credits. Pick it for the lowest entry price.
Gorgias
You build it. Gorgias is a Shopify helpdesk, with WhatsApp added as an app. Gorgias says its AI Agent works across email, chat and text messages and answers "where is my order" from Shopify data. As of October 2026, Basic is $50 a month billed yearly for 300 tickets, and AI Agent is $0.90 to $1.00 per automated interaction. Pick it for an email-heavy Shopify support team.
Support Fabric
We build it: one 15-minute demo call, one 45-minute onboarding call, live in 48 hours on all five channels in one inbox your team shares. It tracks Shopify and WooCommerce orders, understands voice notes and photos, sends checkout links and takes cash-on-delivery orders. ByMishi moved 800 orders and $228K in a three-day sale with 20% chat-to-order conversion. Pricing is one plan quoted on a call (see pricing), with AI usage at cost, under 3 cents a conversation. No free trial, because setup needs you engaged. We are the wrong pick if you want to build flows yourself for a few dollars a month, run comment-to-DM campaigns, need enterprise integrations or handle 10,000+ questions a month.
Which one fits your store
Growth campaigns and comment-to-DM on Instagram: Manychat. A staffed team building its own flows in one inbox: Respond.io. WhatsApp broadcasts and a WhatsApp team inbox: WATI. Lowest price: Chatfuel. An email-heavy Shopify helpdesk: Gorgias. An owner with no time who wants orders, sizing and sales in DMs handled: Support Fabric. Here is how it works.
Common questions
Can one AI chatbot answer both Instagram DMs and WhatsApp? Yes. Manychat, Respond.io, WATI, Chatfuel, Gorgias and Support Fabric all cover both channels. The difference is what the AI can answer once connected: product questions need your catalog, and order questions need live order data. Ask any vendor whether its AI reads your Shopify or WooCommerce orders before you pick.
Which AI agent works with WooCommerce, WhatsApp and Instagram? Support Fabric does. We build a custom AI agent for Shopify and WooCommerce stores and run it on WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Messenger, website chat and email from one inbox. It answers product questions, tracks orders, sends checkout links and takes cash-on-delivery orders in chat. You install an app, with no store admin access needed, and it goes live in 48 hours.
Do I need a developer to set up an Instagram or WhatsApp chatbot? For basic flows, no. Manychat, WATI and Chatfuel offer no-code builders. Live order data takes more work: Respond.io, for one, routes order sync through Make, n8n or Zapier. A done-for-you service like Support Fabric does the setup and training, so you install an app and take two calls.
Can a chatbot tell customers where their order is? Only if it can read your orders. Gorgias says its AI Agent answers from Shopify data. Support Fabric's AI agent looks up Shopify and WooCommerce orders inside the conversation and replies with the status, which covers about half of all questions our stores get.
What is the cheapest way to automate Instagram and WhatsApp messages? On list price as of October 2026, Chatfuel Business S at US$18 a month and Manychat Pro at $29 a month (the first Manychat plan with WhatsApp), both billed yearly, are the lowest paid entry points here. Add Meta's WhatsApp fees and the hours you will spend building flows.
Is Manychat good for customer support? For marketing, yes: comment-to-DM funnels, lead capture and broadcasts on Instagram and WhatsApp. Pro includes AI replies for FAQs you write. For support that depends on a specific order, plan to connect store data yourself or pair it with a tool built for order lookups.
Manychat, Respond.io, WATI, Chatfuel and Gorgias hand you a builder or an AI to train yourself. For an AI agent built for you, answering orders and selling on Instagram DMs and WhatsApp within 48 hours, pick Support Fabric.
