What is Shopify Email called now?

Shopify now calls it Shopify Messaging. Its help center says Shopify Messaging, formerly known as Shopify Email, lets merchants create and send email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing campaigns from the Shopify admin.

Is Shopify Email free?

Shopify's help center says the first 10,000 emails each month are free, then $1 per 1,000 up to 300,000, as of October 2026. SMS and WhatsApp are billed per message, and you need a paid Shopify plan. Check Shopify's pricing pages for current rates.

Is Tranthor a Shopify Email alternative?

For brands that want retention run for them rather than built by them, yes. Shopify Messaging is the option already inside the admin. Tranthor does not claim feature parity, and the right choice depends on who will operate retention day to day.

Does Shopify Messaging support WhatsApp?

Yes, for campaigns, since July 2026. It needs a WhatsApp Business Account connected through Meta and Meta-approved templates. We did not find WhatsApp automations in the help pages we read. Tranthor runs WhatsApp in journeys.

Tranthor vs Shopify Email (Shopify Messaging)

Shopify Email is now called Shopify Messaging. Shopify's help center describes it as a way to create and send email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing campaigns, and to build email and SMS automations, from the Shopify admin. Tranthor is an autonomous CRM for ecommerce retention: it finds the customer moment, drafts the campaign, and sends within limits you approve.

Shopify Messaging is the option already inside the admin, so it is the natural first thing to compare against. This comparison uses Shopify's public help center, changelog, and pricing pages as read in October 2026, plus what Tranthor ships today.

Tranthor vs Shopify Email at a glance

Dimension	Tranthor	Shopify Email (Shopify Messaging)
Where it lives	A separate CRM that connects to your store (Shopify, Segment)	Built into the Shopify admin
Primary job	Finds retention moments and drafts campaigns from order data	Email, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns, plus email and SMS automations
Who starts the work	Tranthor finds the moment and drafts the play	You choose templates and campaigns; Sidekick helps with copy, images, and segments
Autonomy	Review, auto-send, or autonomous per playbook, with approved limits enforced at send time	Campaign Autopilot announced June 2026 as early access; help pages differ on whether tactics can run without approval
Channels	Email and SMS in autonomous sends; WhatsApp in journeys	Email; SMS in ten countries (none in the Middle East); WhatsApp campaigns
Measurement	Lift against a holdout where you configure one	Last non-direct click by default; holdout testing not documented
Arabic and RTL emails	Language variants with an RTL flag; the email agent writes RTL variants	Emails send in the language you write; RTL support not documented
Pricing model	Plans by contacts and AI units, with a free plan	First 10,000 emails a month free, then $1 per 1,000 up to 300,000 (October 2026); SMS and WhatsApp billed per message; a paid Shopify plan is required
Store platforms	Shopify and Segment (HubSpot as a destination)	Shopify only

Where Shopify Messaging is strong

For a Shopify store with straightforward needs, Shopify Messaging has real advantages. Its documentation supports these.

It lives inside the Shopify admin, so there is no extra tool to connect.
The first 10,000 emails each month are free, then $1 per 1,000 up to 300,000 (as of October 2026). Abandoned-checkout recovery automations are always free.
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns from one admin. WhatsApp campaigns launched in July 2026.
Prebuilt automation templates for abandoned browse, cart, and checkout, welcome, thank you, upsell after a first purchase, win back, birthday, and VIP welcome.
Shopify customer segments include filters such as predicted spend tier and RFM group.
Sidekick helps write email copy, edit design, and recommend or create segments.

Where Tranthor works differently

Shopify Messaging is a sending and automation tool: you or your team pick the templates and campaigns, and Sidekick helps with text, images, and segments. Tranthor starts from the customer moment instead. It watches orders, repeat-purchase timing, lapse risk, and customer value, drafts the audience, message, timing, and offer, and sends within limits you approve.

Shopify announced Campaign Autopilot in June 2026 as an early-access feature. Its help pages describe approval for email tactics, but they are not consistent about whether tactics can run without approval, so check the current status before comparing autonomy directly.

Every Tranthor playbook starts in review, and the first run always drafts for approval. After one approved run you can switch it to auto-send within limits you approve, and later to fully autonomous. Limits you approve are enforced at send time: contact frequency, spacing, a daily send cap, a discount cap, and allowlists for channels, senders, and segments.

Channels by region

Shopify's SMS covers ten countries: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, the UK, and the US. None are in the Middle East. Its WhatsApp pricing page lists rates for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the rest of the Middle East, and WhatsApp needs a WhatsApp Business Account and Meta-approved templates.

Tranthor runs WhatsApp in journeys, and autonomous sends use email and SMS today.

How each tool measures results

Shopify Messaging reports opens, clicks, orders, total sales, and average order value for each campaign, with attribution set to last non-direct click by default. Holdout testing is not documented.

Tranthor reports lift where you configure a holdout. A random group is held back and compared with the group that received the campaign, and it needs 100 customers in each group before it shows a result. Holdouts are opt-in, so lift is not measured on every send.

When Shopify Messaging is the better fit

Your store is on Shopify, your needs are straightforward, and someone on your team will pick and maintain what runs.
You want to start with a free sending allowance and add channels from the same admin.
You prefer to stay inside Shopify's own tools as its AI features, including Campaign Autopilot, mature.

When Tranthor is the better fit

Nobody has time to design, schedule, and maintain retention flows.
You want approval-first autonomy, with approved limits enforced at send time.
You want lift reported against a holdout where you configure one.
You send in Arabic and want the email agent to write the right-to-left variants for you.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Facts about other products come from their public pages below. Tranthor details describe what the product ships today.

How does Tranthor compare to Shopify Email (Shopify Messaging)?