Comparison

idea89 vs Alhena AI.

Alhena is the closest thing here to a direct competitor: an AI shopping assistant rather than a helpdesk with AI attached. The differences are entry price, how usage is billed, and which platforms each one runs on.

Alhena AI figures on this page were taken from alhena.ai/pricing and last checked in September 2026. Pricing changes; check their site before you decide. idea89 prices are in GBP and Alhena AI’s are as published, so the columns are not a like-for-like currency conversion.

Side by side

	idea89	Alhena AI
Pricing	£49 / £149 / £349 per month, flat	Free; Essentials $199/mo; Growth $499/mo; Scale $999/mo (billed annually); Enterprise on request
Entry price	£49/mo	$199/mo for the first paid tier
AI pricing	Included in the plan	Credit-based: one credit per resolved or assisted interaction
Overages	Alerts before limits; shoppers are never cut off mid-conversation	Overage credits charged at $1.20 each
Volume included	1,000 / 10,000 / 50,000 conversations per month	Credit allowance by tier
Platforms	Magento 2 & Adobe Commerce, Magento 1 & OpenMage LTS, WooCommerce	Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud — their integrations page does not list Magento
Seats	No per-seat charge; team size is irrelevant to the bill	Not per-seat
Trial	Free trial, no card required	Free tier available

Where they actually differ

Magento

This is the clearest difference. Alhena’s published integrations list covers Shopify, WooCommerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and does not include Magento or Adobe Commerce, as of September 2026. idea89 ships modules for Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Magento 1 and OpenMage LTS.

Where the entry price sits

Alhena’s first paid tier is $199/mo; idea89’s is £49/mo. That gap matters most to smaller merchants, and matters less as volume grows — compare the tier that fits your actual traffic, not the entry one.

Credits versus allowances

Alhena bills credits per resolved or assisted interaction with overage at $1.20 each. idea89 includes a conversation allowance in the tier and alerts you as you approach it rather than charging through it.

Breadth versus focus

Alhena spans more surfaces — social commerce, reviews, voice, agent assist. idea89 does the storefront assistant and the things directly attached to it. Breadth is an advantage if you need those surfaces and a cost if you do not.

Which one fits

Choose Alhena AI if…

You are on Shopify or Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
You want social commerce, review management or voice alongside the assistant.
You have the volume to make a $199/mo entry tier straightforward.
You want a broad AI customer-experience suite rather than one focused tool.

Choose idea89 if…

You are on Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Magento 1 or OpenMage.
You want to start at £49/mo rather than $199/mo.
You would rather have an allowance with alerts than per-credit overages.
You want one tool that does the storefront assistant properly.

Questions about idea89 and Alhena AI

Does Alhena work with Magento?

As of September 2026, Alhena's published integrations page lists Shopify, WooCommerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud among others, and does not list Magento or Adobe Commerce. If you are on Magento, check with them directly before assuming either way.

Which is cheaper?

idea89 starts lower, at £49/mo against $199/mo for Alhena's first paid tier. At higher volumes you should compare the specific tier that matches your traffic, plus any overage, rather than the entry price.

Are these the same kind of product?

Closer than most on this list. Both are AI shopping assistants grounded in a merchant catalogue rather than helpdesks with AI bolted on. Alhena covers more surfaces; idea89 covers more Magento.

How current are these figures?

Alhena's tiers, credit model and integrations list were taken from their own site and checked in September 2026. Check alhena.ai/pricing before deciding.

Judge it on your own catalogue.

Run idea89 against your real products in about two minutes and see how it answers. No install, no code, no card.

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