Can I use Simple Chat on a development store?

Yes. Shopify development stores can use Simple Chat for free with full functionality, which makes it straightforward to set up, test, and train your team before you go live on a production store.

Development stores are the right place to validate theme embed placement, AI instructions, tools, and email workflows without risking customer-facing mistakes on a live shop.

Full functionality on dev stores

Simple Chat does not ship a stripped-down dev-store mode. You get the same core capabilities you would use in production—storefront widget, dashboard inbox, AI behavior, tools, and optional email support—so your testing reflects real operational workflows.

That lets you answer practical questions before launch: Does the widget look right on your theme? Do order lookup tools behave as expected? Are escalation rules clear enough for your staff?

Recommended testing workflow

1. Install Simple Chat on your development store from the Shopify App Store.
2. Enable the app embed in your theme and preview the widget on key templates (home, product, cart).
3. Configure merchant instructions, FAQs, and the tools you plan to enable at launch.
4. Run test conversations—including handoffs to staff—and review them in the dashboard.
5. If you use email support, connect and test inbound mail on the dev store before copying settings to production.

Moving to production

When you are ready to go live, install or migrate configuration to your production store using the same onboarding checklist. Because dev testing used full functionality, there should be no surprise feature gaps on launch day—only the normal step of validating theme-specific styling and traffic scale on your live shop.