# Start free. No $500 monthly minimum.

Manifest AI bills $0.05 per AI reply with a 10,000-reply monthly minimum, and its team builds your agents over about two weeks. Aide starts free, you set it up yourself, and it acts on Shopify orders once connected.

Aide is a Manifest AI alternative for Shopify stores under Manifest's $500 monthly minimum, or teams that set up AI themselves. It also bills per AI reply, starts free with 150 a month, and cancels, refunds and changes addresses, with refunds waiting for your team by default.

Source: https://aide.app/compare/manifest-ai · Updated 2026-11-03 · By Ziyad Basheer

| | |
|---|---|
| Pricing unit | Both per AI reply. Manifest: $0.05 each. Aide: plan allowance, then $0.15 to $0.07. |
| Monthly minimum | Manifest: 10,000 replies, $500. Aide: none, and Free costs $0. |
| Setup | Manifest's team builds your agents, live in about 2 weeks. Aide: self-serve. |
| Helpdesk fit | Manifest hands off to Gorgias and Zendesk. Aide drafts and answers inside them. |
| App Store reviews | Manifest AI 4.3 from 62 reviews. Aide 5.0 from 3. |
| Checked | November 3, 2026, using Manifest's pricing post, website and App Store listing. |

## Two boxes, two carriers, one answer.

Aide reads every shipment of a split order with its own carrier and contents, and checks UPS and FedEx tracking directly.

Manifest AI lists order tracking among its support agents as well. Its team builds those agents during onboarding, and most brands go live in about two weeks.

> Customer: Where's the rest of #1081? I only got the mugs.
>
> Aide: Your order shipped in two boxes. The mugs were delivered Tuesday. The teapot left separately with UPS and is due Friday, November 6.
>
> Order #1081 verified · 2 shipments · UPS tracking checked

## Side by side

| | Aide | Manifest AI |
|---|---|---|
| Price per AI reply | Included in the plan, then $0.15, $0.10 or $0.07 | $0.05 |
| Monthly minimum | None | 10,000 replies, $500 |
| Annual billing | About 20% off, same allowance | One fixed price, unlimited AI replies for 12 months |
| Who builds the agent | You, self-serve; a setup call on Pro | Manifest's team, during onboarding and after |
| Order actions | Cancel, refund, change address, remove an item, start a return | Order tracking, returns and cancellations listed |
| Helpdesk | Inside Zendesk, Gorgias, Front, or Aide Helpdesk | Free BIK helpdesk, or handoff to Gorgias, Zendesk, Freshdesk |
| Channels | Chat and email | Website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, email and voice |

*Checked November 3, 2026 against Manifest AI's public pages. Sources below.*

## Where the two prices meet

Both bills follow AI replies, so the gap depends on volume.

- 1,000 replies a month: Aide Starter at $39. Manifest's $500 minimum.
- 10,000 replies: Aide Scale at $499, with 15,000 included. Manifest at $500.
- 20,000 replies: Aide Scale at $499 plus 5,000 × $0.07, so $849. Manifest at $1,000 monthly, or its fixed annual price.

Aide counts each customer message it replied to or drafted for, handoffs included. Manifest counts each message its agent sends. Neither bills your team's replies.

## Sources

Manifest AI facts come from its [pricing post](https://blog.getmanifest.ai/manifest-ai-pricing/), [website](https://getmanifest.ai/) and [Shopify App Store listing](https://apps.shopify.com/manifest-ai-shopping-assistant), read November 3, 2026. Aide's facts come from its shipped product, [pricing](https://aide.app/pricing) and [App Store listing](https://apps.shopify.com/aide). We make Aide and wrote this comparison; if a Manifest AI detail has moved on, let us know at support@aide.app.

## Frequently asked questions

### How is Manifest AI priced?

Per its pricing post, updated October 2026, Manifest AI charges $0.05 per AI reply with a minimum of 10,000 replies, or $500, a month. An annual contract fixes one price for 12 months with unlimited AI replies. It offers a 30-day free trial or a 90-day paid pilot, and bills BIK marketing features separately.

### Can Manifest AI cancel a Shopify order?

Manifest lists order tracking, returns and cancellations among the support agents its team builds for you. Aide cancels, refunds and changes addresses for shoppers who prove the order is theirs as soon as Shopify is connected, with refunds waiting for a teammate by default.

### When is Manifest AI the better fit?

At high volume, where an annual contract with unlimited AI replies pays off, or when you need voice, WhatsApp or Instagram today, a BigCommerce store, or a team that builds and keeps building your agents. It also writes an automation guarantee into its contracts.

### When is Aide not the right fit?

When you need voice or phone support, which Aide does not handle today, or need to change WooCommerce orders. Aide reads WooCommerce orders, products and customers; order actions are Shopify only.

### Can we keep Gorgias or Zendesk with Aide?

Yes. Aide connects to Zendesk, Gorgias and Front on every plan, Free included. It drafts on every ticket and replies itself once you take an inbox live, while your team keeps its helpdesk, macros and reports.

### How does setting up Aide work?

Sign up with email or Google on the Free plan, with no card. Connect Shopify, import your website and help center, and add Aide Chat from the theme editor. Home shows one setup checklist, and Pro adds a setup call with our team.

## Related
- [Aide vs Rep AI](https://aide.app/compare/rep-ai)
- [Cancel and refund without writing a skill.](https://aide.app/compare/zipchat)
- [A free Shopify chatbot that can act on orders.](https://aide.app/guides/free-ai-chatbot-for-shopify)

Start free: https://my.aide.app/register