Choosing customer support
What are the best Re:amaze alternatives for a very small online store?
By Minnas · Published
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Publisher disclosure: Minnas publishes this page and offers Minnas, one of the options below. This is our product-owned editorial selection based on current primary sources and Minnas product code. It is not an independent review or a hands-on test of competing products.
The short answer
Our shortlist is Shopify Inbox for Shopify storefront chat, tawk.to for free website chat, Help Scout for low-volume shared email, Crisp for chat and email with a small included team, and Minnas for email, Messenger, and store context. The best fit depends on which part of Re:amaze you actually need to replace. A chat tool alone may be enough if you keep answering email elsewhere.
Who this shortlist is for
An owner-led online store with roughly one to five people answering customers, modest support volume, and a need for chat, shared email, or both. We prioritize an entry plan useful today, clear team and usage limits, the required channels, and relevant store context. We do not assume you need a call center or advanced automation.
We considered Minnas, Shopify Inbox, tawk.to, Help Scout, Tidio, Crisp, Gorgias, and Chatwoot. The five selections cover distinct everyday needs; the other candidates are discussed below. The order moves from storefront chat to shared support workflows. It is not a ranking, and “best for” labels are editorial judgments, not measured performance scores.
Compare the plan you would actually use
Prices are in USD. Paid figures in this table use monthly billing. Free app pricing does not include your store subscription. Different products count people, contacts, and conversations differently; these are not equivalent allowances.
Swipe the table to see plan limits and tradeoffs.
| Option / fit | Useful starting plan | Tradeoff to check |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Inbox Shopify storefront chat | Free app | Evaluate it for store conversations; test your separate support-email needs. |
| tawk.to Website chat on a tight budget | Free core chat | Removing branding costs $29/month; answering chats still takes your time. |
| Help Scout Low-volume shared email | Free: 1 inbox, up to 5 users, 100 contacts/month | Replies stop at the contact limit until the next cycle or an upgrade. |
| Crisp Chat + email for up to 4 people | Mini: $45/workspace/month, 4 people included | Shared email starts on Mini; the free chat plan includes 2 people. |
| Minnas Email, Messenger + store context | Free: 1 Teammate; Core: $49/month, unlimited Teammates | Free has 30-day history. Outbound email requires Workspace approval. |
Primary sources for each row are linked in the corresponding detail below.
Shopify Inbox — for Shopify storefront chat
Start here if you sell on Shopify and mainly need to answer visitors while they shop. Staff can manage conversations, send product links and discount codes, and reply on desktop or mobile. Shopify lists the app as free. Shopify’s app listing; Shopify Inbox documentation.
Tradeoff: This recommendation is for Shopify store chat. If replacing Re:amaze means consolidating an existing support mailbox or supporting a different store platform, do not treat a successful chat test as proof that the whole workflow is covered.
tawk.to — for free website chat
Consider tawk.to when adding a staffed chat channel is the immediate job and subscription cost matters more than removing vendor branding. Its core chat software is free; optional branding removal is $29/month. AI Assist and hired answering services are separate offerings. tawk.to’s explanation of its pricing.
Tradeoff: Free software does not supply your time to answer. We selected it for chat, not as proof of a like-for-like Re:amaze store workflow. Before moving, test any order lookup and support-email requirements that matter to you.
Help Scout — for a few people sharing low-volume email
Help Scout Free is worth checking if several people help customers but monthly volume is small: one shared inbox, up to five users, and 100 contacts per month. It also includes a small knowledge base and a Beacon contact form. A contact is a person helped during the cycle, rather than each individual message. Help Scout Free plan documentation.
Tradeoff: At the contact limit, incoming email still arrives but you cannot reply until the cycle resets or you upgrade. Free outgoing email carries Help Scout branding. Budget for the paid plan before a busy season; paid plans charge per user. Help Scout pricing.
Crisp — for chat and email with four people included
Crisp Mini is a useful candidate for two to four people who need website chat and shared email. It costs $45 per workspace per month and includes four people, private notes, and reply shortcuts. Crisp’s free plan includes website chat and two people; shared email begins on Mini. Crisp’s plan comparison.
Tradeoff: Mini’s team allowance stops at four. If a fifth person needs access, or you need a knowledge base and routing rules, compare Essentials at $95/month with ten people included. Do not budget from the free chat plan when email is essential.
Minnas — for a shared Inbox with store context
Minnas brings forwarded customer email and Messenger into one Inbox, with optional Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce customer and order context. Free includes one Teammate and unlimited human conversations; Core is $49/month with unlimited Teammates. Minnas pricing; store connection guide.
Tradeoff: Free has 30-day history. Outbound email needs Workspace approval and uses Minnas’s verified sending domain; forwarding your support address does not make replies come from that exact address. Check this before switching. How Minnas email and Messenger work. We offer Minnas, so treat this fit recommendation as the publisher’s perspective.
When to widen the shortlist
These three candidates can suit small stores too. We left them out of the core five to keep this everyday-support shortlist focused, not because they are universally worse:
- Tidio: Reconsider it if chat automation is central. Its plans distinguish human billable conversations, Lyro AI conversations, and Flows visitors reached. We favored fewer usage decisions for the basic workflow here. Tidio pricing and allowances.
- Gorgias: Reconsider it when broader ecommerce integrations, Voice, or SMS are specific requirements. We did not prioritize that breadth for an owner mainly answering email and website questions. Gorgias product overview.
- Chatwoot: Its hosted Hacker plan offers two people and 500 monthly chat conversations, with 30-day retention; email requires a paid plan. Startups is $19 per person per month billed annually. It remains relevant if that channel and per-person cost model suits you; we selected other entry plans for the five needs above. Chatwoot Cloud pricing.
You may not need to leave Re:amaze
Re:amaze Basic is $29 per team member per month on monthly billing. Its Starter plan is $59/month for unlimited team members and up to 500 responded conversations. If it already covers your work, changing plans may be less disruptive than migrating. Re:amaze pricing. For a direct two-product comparison, see Minnas vs Re:amaze.
Before moving, try one real email thread, one after-hours website question, and one order lookup in your candidate tool. Check reply identity, teammate access, history, required channels, and your busiest month’s cost. Confirm what can be exported or imported before retiring your old inbox. This article does not promise automatic migration or feature parity.
Try the workflow with your own store
If Minnas fits your shortlist, start with a free Workspace and test the messages you answer every day.
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