The short answer
Same category, different jobs
AskSpot and Alhena are both AI shopping-and-support agents for online stores – that is Alhena’s core product, and where the two compete head-to-head. Alhena is Shopify-first and English-first, and now bundles a newer AI-search-visibility (AEO/GEO) branch on top – tracking how your catalogue surfaces in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. AskSpot is a catalog-aware sales and support agent: it searches your products (including by photo), helps shoppers check out inside the chat, and answers order questions across the storefront and marketplace inboxes in 200+ languages – at a flat per-conversation price.
Choose AskSpot if…
You sell across many platforms, languages and marketplaces (Allegro, Amazon), want photo search and in-chat checkout, and want a flat per-conversation price that stays predictable as you grow.
Choose Alhena if…
You are Shopify-first and English-first, and want a shopping-and-support agent that also bundles AI-search-visibility tracking (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) in the same plan.
Feature comparison
AskSpot vs Alhena, capability by capability
The same 16-point rubric we score every tool on. A tick means the vendor documents it; a tilde means limited or partial; a dash means it isn’t advertised.
| Capability | AskSpot | Alhena |
|---|---|---|
| Selling | ||
| Product search & recommendationThe shopper describes what they want and the agent finds and recommends products from your live catalogue. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visual search by photoThe shopper uploads a photo and the agent finds matching or similar products. | ✓ | – |
| In-chat product cards + add-to-cartReal product cards inside the chat, with add-to-cart – no leaving the conversation. | ✓ | ~ |
| Agentic checkout / copilotThe agent can browse, choose options and take the shopper through checkout. | ✓ | ~ |
| Proactive messages & cart recoveryThe agent reaches out at the right moment and wins back abandoned carts. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virtual fitting room / visualizationThe shopper sees how a product looks on them or in their space before buying – a virtual try-on. | ✓ | ~ |
| Revenue / conversion analyticsReporting that ties chat activity to carts, orders and revenue. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support & reach | ||
| Order tracking (WISMO), cancels & returnsThe agent reads order data to answer ‘where is my order?’ and handle returns. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Helpdesk / inbox agentAn AI agent that also answers support emails in your helpdesk inbox, not just live chat. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full helpdesk suite (macros, SLAs, seats)A complete seat-based helpdesk – macros, SLAs and agent seats for a support team. | – | ~ |
| Social / messaging channelsAnswering on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and other messaging channels. | soon | ✓ |
| Marketplace inbox (Allegro, Amazon)The agent answers buyer messages inside Allegro and Amazon marketplace inboxes. | ✓ | – |
| General | ||
| Grounded / low-hallucination answersAnswers stay tied to your real data, so the agent does not make things up. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Knowledge baseCurate your own Q&A and point the agent at your site, so it answers on-brand. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Onboarding & human supportA dedicated team helps you set up – including done-for-you agent configuration – and supports you after. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tierA permanent free plan, not just a trial or demo. | ~ | ✓ |
| Capabilities documented (of 16) | 13 | 10 |
✓ documented~ limited / partial– not advertisedsoon on the roadmap
How AskSpot works: one agent across two channels – its own storefront chat and your existing helpdesk inbox. It plugs into the helpdesk you already run (Freshdesk, Thulium, Zendesk, Allegro, Amazon) rather than replacing it.
Scored against each vendor’s public product, pricing and documentation pages, September 2026. AskSpot is scored on the same rubric. Where AskSpot trails: Alhena ships a permanent free plan, social channels today, deep helpdesk integrations (Zendesk, Gorgias, Freshdesk) and an AI-search-visibility (AEO/GEO) module.
Pricing
What each one costs
Both price per conversation, so compare the all-in cost at the same volume – not the sticker. Figures from each vendor’s pricing page, September 2026.
AskSpot
€250 / month
at ~1,000 conversations – flat rate, 1,250 included, everything in.
- Includes 1,250 conversations a month
- Then €0.18 per extra conversation
- Every capability included – no AI add-on to buy
- One flat rate that doesn’t step up as you grow
Alhena
≈ €1,110 / month
at ~1,000 conversations – Scale plan (monthly).
- Free plan (25 conv/mo) · Essentials €221/mo (200 conv) · Growth €555/mo (550) · Scale €1,110/mo (1,200)
- Annual billing is cheaper: €184 / €462 / €925 per month
- Overage €0.77–1.11 per conversation – around four times AskSpot’s rate
- Also bundled: AI-search visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews)
| All-in cost / month | AskSpot | Alhena |
|---|---|---|
| ~1,000 conversations | €250 (1,250 included, everything in) | ≈ €1,110 (Scale plan) |
| ~2,000 conversations | €385 | ≈ €1,725 (Scale + overage) |
Alhena prices per conversation with no seat fees, and its free tier is real. Every paid tier bundles the AI-search-visibility (AEO/GEO) tool together with the shopping-and-support concierge, so you pay for both even if you only need the shopping agent. And the rate is around four times AskSpot’s: overage runs €0.77–1.11 per conversation and the plans step from €221 to €1,110 a month. AskSpot folds every capability into one flat rate, with 1,250 conversations included and €0.18 per extra, so the bill stays predictable as you grow. Alhena figures are monthly billing, from its pricing page, September 2026.
The honest split
Where each tool is stronger
AskSpot is stronger at
- Selling from the catalog – text and photo product search
- No cap on your catalogue or knowledge-base URLs
- Helping the shopper check out inside the chat (agentic copilot)
- Virtual fitting room and product visualization
- Answering in the Allegro and Amazon marketplace inboxes
- Answering in 200+ languages on the same catalogue and order data
- Flat pricing that stays affordable at volume – €0.18 per extra conversation
Alhena is stronger at
- An AI-search-visibility module (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews)
- A permanent free plan (25 conversations a month)
- Social and messaging channels live today
- Deep helpdesk integrations (Zendesk, Gorgias, Freshdesk)
- A one-click Shopify install
- Revenue attribution and upsell for Shopify / DTC stores
See AskSpot on your own catalogue
A 20-minute demo on your own products and order data – no rip-and-replace, live in days.
One platform, two agents
The AI Chat & Inbox Agents
AskSpot is two agents on one platform – the on-site AI Chat Agent that sells from your live catalogue, and the AI Inbox Agent that answers across your helpdesk and marketplace inboxes, in 200+ languages.
spotBy industry
Which industry are you in?
Every vertical asks different questions – see how AskSpot answers them from your store’s own catalogue.
Proof
Stores already running AskSpot
How Morele.net cut customer service costs by 90%
Morele.net cut support costs 90%, from 50 agents to 5. AskSpot resolves 65% of its 37,600 monthly chats with no human and answers Allegro questions too.
Read the story →
How Militaria resolves 72% of chats in 8 languages
Militaria.pl runs AskSpot across three domains in eight languages: 61% recommendation click-through, 26% add-to-cart after a chat, 72% resolved with no human.
Read the story →
How 4FIZJO resolves 61% of customer chats with AI
AskSpot's AI Chat resolves 61% of 4FIZJO's 21,360 monthly chats with no human across 6 markets; its Inbox Agent auto-resolves 25% of email tickets.
Read the story →
GadziSklep: 81% of exotic-pet chats resolved by AI
GadziSklep's AskSpot chat helps hobbyists build a whole terrarium setup – enclosure, UVB, heating, feeders and supplements – resolving 81% of chats, sending 30.6% to the cart at a 48% recommendation click-through, 69% of it after hours.
Read the story →
How Carmager resolves 72% of chats across 12 markets
Carmager sells made-to-measure car accessories across 12 storefronts. AskSpot answers fitment in the shopper's language – 72% resolved, 19.6% to cart, 11.3% buy.
Read the story →
How chat advice puts €1.9M of garden furniture in baskets a month
Meblobranie's AskSpot agent answers the questions garden furniture is bought on – size, colour, anchoring, spare nets. Chat advice puts €1.9M into the cart a month, 20% of chats fill a basket, 70% resolved.
Read the story →
See every story
Every merchant we have measured – what shoppers asked, what the agent did, and the numbers it moved.
Browse them all →
Testimonials
What our customers say
“AskSpot enables us to provide superior support for Ariston customers at every stage – from pre-purchase advice to post-sale and service assistance. Equally important, Ariston benefits from the valuable insights AskSpot delivers about customer preferences, which help us continuously improve the customer experience.”
“AskSpot is a revolutionary solution for us. We provide our customers with the key information they need instantly while simultaneously reducing the workload of customer service.”
“AskSpot has significantly improved customer service in our stores. The assistant not only searches the product catalog and helps customers choose the right hardware, but also automatically checks the status of orders and complaints – relieving the team and shortening response times.
The greatest value for us is the scalability of the solution and the ease of integration with additional stores and markets. We treat AskSpot as a strategic component of our customer experience development and sales automation.”
“We have been impressed by how AskSpot delivers a seamless experience for our customers while remaining incredibly intuitive for our own team to manage.
Beyond the ease of use, the detailed analytics and reports are of enormous value – they help us make better decisions around customer satisfaction. Behind AskSpot stands a team that puts innovation first and keeps developing the product to match changing business needs.”
“At GadziSklep, customers often need more than product information – they’re looking for specific advice on keeping their animal. AskSpot helps them choose the right products for a given species, answers their questions and guides them through the range even when our team is already off. That lets us stay available to customers almost around the clock, without losing service quality. It’s a solution that brings knowledge, advice and sales together in one place.”
“The rollout took less time than we expected and did not require rebuilding our processes. The AskSpot team fit the solution to the way we work, not the other way around. We saw that flexibility at every stage, including when we raised feedback.
Before going live we tested the assistant on our own hardest questions and decided which cases it starts with. We are widening its scope step by step and still see room to grow. Repetitive questions no longer take up our advisors’ time, so they can spend it on the conversations that call for judgement and a human touch. Customers get accurate answers in the evenings and at weekends too, while our team’s working hours have stayed the same.”
See every testimonial
Read what the e-commerce teams who put AskSpot live say about working with it.
Check all the testimonials →
FAQ
AskSpot vs Alhena – common questions
Is AskSpot better than Alhena?
It depends on the job. For catalog-aware selling – product search (including by photo) and in-chat checkout – answering across marketplace inboxes, and 200+ languages, AskSpot does more. Alhena’s shopping-and-support concierge is the head-to-head competitor; its newer AI-search-visibility branch (how you surface in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews) is a genuine differentiator AskSpot doesn’t match, bundled into the same plan. The capability table and pricing above lay out the trade.
How much does Alhena cost?
Alhena prices per conversation, with no seat or AI-add-on fees. Monthly plans are Essentials €221/month (200 conversations), Growth €555/month (550) and Scale €1,110/month (1,200); annual billing is cheaper at €184 / €462 / €925 a month. Overage runs €0.77–1.11 per conversation and there is a free tier of 25 conversations a month. Checked September 2026 – see Alhena’s pricing page for current rates.
Does Alhena have photo search or marketplace inboxes?
Not as advertised on its public pages as of September 2026. Alhena is a Shopify-first storefront and social agent – it recommends and upsells, but visual (photo) product search and Allegro / Amazon marketplace inboxes are not documented features, and true in-chat checkout is unconfirmed. AskSpot offers photo search, in-chat checkout and the marketplace inboxes.
Can AskSpot handle support like Alhena?
Yes – AskSpot answers order-status, cancellation and return questions, runs an inbox / email agent, and additionally covers the Allegro and Amazon marketplace inboxes. It is not a full seat-based helpdesk with macros, SLAs and agent seats; Alhena isn’t one either – it integrates into Zendesk, Gorgias and Freshdesk rather than replacing them.
What is the best Alhena alternative for e-commerce?
If you sell beyond Shopify and the US – across many platforms, languages and marketplaces – AskSpot is a strong Alhena alternative. It reads your live catalogue and order data, works on every major e-commerce platform (including Shoper, IdoSell and AtomStore), answers in 200+ languages, and prices flat with €0.18 per extra conversation rather than a rate that scales steeply with volume.