Best Tidio Alternatives of 2026
Seven AI chatbots and support tools to consider instead of Tidio and Lyro, ranked on published price, AI billing, channels and fit for teams leaving it.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Crisp is the best Tidio alternative for small teams that want a predictable bill: one flat price per workspace, no cap on human conversations and bundled AI credits from $45 a month. If AI quality matters more than price, Intercom Fin bills $0.99 only for outcomes, and Chatbase is the best pick for a custom AI agent trained on your content.
Our top picks
Why people look for Tidio alternatives
Tidio is the easiest low cost start in this category, with a free plan, $29 Starter and Lyro from $39. The reasons buyers look elsewhere come from its pricing page and public reviews:
- Two meters. Human billable conversations and Lyro AI conversations are separate quotas, and a handed over chat uses both.
- Lyro bills replies, not results. Any conversation with at least one Lyro reply counts, resolved or not, at $0.70 to $0.78.
- The 10 seat ceiling. Free, Starter and Growth include 10 seats; more needs Plus from $300 a month plus usage.
- Vendor experience. Tidio scores 3.6 on Trustpilot from 226 reviews, with complaints about account suspensions and billing, against 4.8 on the Shopify App Store from 1,357.
If none of these bite, read the Tidio review and Tidio pricing before switching.
How to choose
- Want one flat bill: Crisp.
- Want to pay only for AI results: Intercom Fin or HubSpot Customer Agent.
- Want your own AI agent with model choice: Chatbase.
- Shopify store with order heavy tickets: Gorgias.
- More than 10 agents and several channels: Zendesk AI agents.
- Email led team on a budget: Freshdesk Freddy AI.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $45 per month
- Pricing model
- flat per workspace
- Price per resolution
- None; bundled credits, Crisp estimates $0.05 to $0.10 per AI handled conversation
- Channels
- Web chat, email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Line, Viber
Crisp charges per workspace, not per conversation: Mini is $45 a month for 4 seats and $5 of AI credits, Essentials $95 for 10 seats, the omnichannel inbox and $25 of credits that Crisp estimates at about 450 automated conversations. There is no per conversation cap on human chats, which is Tidio's main meter. A free plan and 14 day trial are included.
Pros
- Flat workspace price with 4 to 20 seats included
- Free plan and 14 day trial with no card
- AI credits bundled; Crisp estimates $0.05 to $0.10 per AI conversation
- Choice of OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or Crisp hosted models, with EU processing options
- 4.5 on G2 from 205 reviews
Cons
- Credit to conversation ratio is an estimate, not a contract rate
- Tool connected AI agent, ticketing and 100+ integrations only on the $295 Plus plan
- Trustpilot score is 2.0 from 55 reviews, 70% one star, citing support delays and account suspensions
- Hugo stops answering when credits run out unless pay as you go is on
Skip it if vendor reliability is your top concern; Crisp scores 2.0 on Trustpilot from 55 reviews, with account suspension complaints.
- Starting price
- $0.99 per outcome
- Pricing model
- per resolution
- Price per resolution
- $0.99 per outcome
- Channels
- Chat, email, WhatsApp, SMS, Slack, Instagram, Facebook Messenger; voice at $1.99 per outcome
Fin charges $0.99 per outcome, so unresolved chats and requests for a human cost nothing, where Lyro bills every conversation it replies to. It covers chat, email, WhatsApp, SMS and social in 60+ languages, has a 14 day trial with unlimited outcomes, and holds 4.5 on G2 from 3,925 reviews.
Pros
- Billed per outcome at $0.99, and requests for a human are not charged
- Runs standalone on Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshworks, Front, Zoho, Gorgias and others with no seat fees
- 14 day trial with unlimited outcomes and no credit card
- Largest review base in this list: 4.5 on G2 from 3,925 reviews
Cons
- Assumed resolutions count: a customer who leaves without replying after Fin answers is billed
- Monthly seat prices are $10 to $14 higher than annual
- Voice costs double at $1.99 per outcome and is sold through sales
- Qualification outcomes cost $9.99 each
Skip it if you are a very small shop; Intercom seats start at $29 a month each billed annually.
- Starting price
- $40 per month
- Pricing model
- per credit
- Price per resolution
- Not published; billed by message credits ($40 per 1,000 extra)
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Slack, Meta apps, email, voice
Chatbase trains an agent on your files and site and lets you pick the model, from 1 credit per request on Chatbase Auto or Claude 5.5 Haiku to 5 on Claude 5.5 Opus. Hobby is $40 a month for 700 credits ($32 yearly), and Standard adds a helpdesk inbox, voice and an API. Chatbase says it never trains models on customer data.
Pros
- Train on docs and sites without code
- Multiple model choices, per its site
- SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and HIPAA listed; does not train on customer data
- 4.8 on G2 from 46 reviews
Cons
- Credit use varies from 1 to 5 per request by model and multiplies when actions run
- One agent per plan, $300 per year for each extra
- Removing Chatbase branding costs $1,188 per year
- Voice and the helpdesk inbox are not on Hobby
Skip it if you want a mature live chat and ticketing tool; Chatbase is AI first with a lighter inbox.
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Pricing model
- per ticket plus per automated interaction
- Price per resolution
- $0.85 to $1.00 per automated interaction, plus a helpdesk ticket
- Channels
- Email, chat, SMS, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp; voice as an add on
Gorgias reads Shopify orders in every ticket, and its AI Agent cancels orders, processes returns and recommends products. It bills by ticket with 500 seats from Basic up, so a store with more than 10 agents avoids Tidio's Plus jump to $300. AI interactions cost $0.85 to $1.00 plus a ticket.
Pros
- AI Agent takes real order actions (cancel, return, address change) on Basic and up
- Priced by ticket, not by seat: Basic and up include 500 seats
- One AI Agent covers support and pre sale shopping assistant work, with product recommendations and discount codes
- SOC 2 Type II since 2020, HIPAA report available, and no training of third party LLMs on your data
Cons
- A resolved ticket is billed twice, once as a ticket and once as an automated interaction
- Starter has no AI actions, no BigCommerce and only 3 seats
- Requires a connected Shopify store for AI Agent setup
- Trustpilot score is 2.0 from 153 reviews, with complaints about support and billing
Skip it if you are under 300 tickets a month; Tidio is cheaper at small volume.
- Starting price
- $100 per seat per month
- Pricing model
- per seat plus per resolution
- Price per resolution
- $0.50 (50 HubSpot credits); voice $0.50 per minute
- Channels
- Chat, email, forms, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, inbound voice
HubSpot's Customer Agent costs $0.50 per resolved conversation and nothing when it hands off to a human within 72 hours. It reads CRM records and past conversations, which Lyro cannot, and covers chat, email, WhatsApp, Messenger and inbound voice. Service Hub Professional is $100 per seat per month.
Pros
- $0.50 per resolution is among the lowest published rates in the category
- Reads CRM records, past conversations and files, so answers use customer context
- Covers chat, email, forms, WhatsApp, Messenger and inbound voice in all HubSpot languages
- Third party AI providers are contractually barred from training on your data; SOC 2 Type 2
Cons
- Needs Service Hub Professional or Enterprise, not available on Starter
- $1,500 to $3,500 one time onboarding fee
- Credits are shared with other HubSpot AI features and do not roll over
- Pricing page and product catalog show different seat figures, so confirm your quote
Skip it if you do not want HubSpot CRM; seats and onboarding make it expensive as a chat widget.
- Starting price
- $25 per agent per month
- Pricing model
- per seat plus per resolution
- Price per resolution
- $1.50 committed, $2.00 pay as you go
- Channels
- Web and in-app messaging, social, email, voice
Zendesk Suite Team at $55 per agent billed annually gives you messaging, email, voice and AI agents in 80+ languages, with billing only for LLM verified resolutions at $1.50 committed. It handles routing, SLAs, QA and workforce tools that Tidio's Growth plan lacks.
Pros
- AI agents included on every Suite plan, with a resolution allowance
- 80 languages, according to Zendesk
- Mature ticketing, QA and workforce add-ons in one platform
- A resolution is only billed if the request is never escalated to a human
Cons
- $2.00 pay as you go per resolution is about twice Fin's $0.99
- Seat fees run $25 to $149 per agent per month before AI usage
- Copilot for human agents is a separate $50 per agent add-on
- Resolution billing rules changed on May 18, 2026; older accounts stay on the previous platform until they move
Skip it if you have fewer than five agents; seat costs plus $1.50 per resolution outrun Tidio quickly.
- Starting price
- $19 per agent per month billed annually
- Pricing model
- per seat plus per session
- Price per resolution
- Not per resolution: $0.49 per AI Agent session after a one time 500 free sessions
- Channels
- Email AI Agent listed on Freshdesk plans
Freshdesk Growth is $19 per agent billed annually with a one time 500 free Freddy AI sessions, then $49 per 100, about $0.49 each, cheaper than Lyro's $0.70 floor. It suits email led teams that need ticketing, SLAs and routing more than a chat widget.
Pros
- $19 per agent entry price billed annually
- 500 free AI Agent sessions to start, then $0.49 per session, cheap for the category
- Day passes from $2 cover seasonal spikes without full licenses
- Freshdesk rates 4.4 on G2 from 3,818 reviews
Cons
- The 500 free sessions are a one time allowance per account, not monthly
- Sessions are billed whether or not the AI resolves the issue
- Monthly prices are not shown on the pricing page
- The plan table lists an Email AI Agent; chat bots sit in Freshchat or the Customer Service Suite
Skip it if chat is your main channel; Freshdesk's plan table lists an Email AI Agent.
Price comparison at a glance
| Product | AI price | Platform fee |
|---|---|---|
| Tidio | $0.70 to $0.78 per Lyro conversation | Free, $29 Starter, $59 to $349 Growth |
| Crisp | AI credits bundled (about 90 to 1,350 conversations by plan) | $45 to $295 per workspace, free plan |
| Intercom Fin | $0.99 per outcome | $29 to $132 per seat annual, none standalone |
| Chatbase | 1 to 5 credits per request, $40 per 1,000 extra | $40 to $500 per month |
| Gorgias | $0.85 to $1.00 plus a ticket | $10 to $900 by tickets |
| HubSpot Customer Agent | $0.50 per resolution | $100 per seat Professional |
| Zendesk AI agents | $1.50 committed, $2.00 pay as you go | $19 to $115 per agent annual |
| Freshdesk Freddy AI | $0.49 per session after a one time 500 | $19 to $89 per agent annual |
A worked comparison for a small store with 3 agents, 300 human conversations and 300 AI conversations a month. Tidio Growth 400 plus Lyro 300 billed monthly is $299. Crisp Essentials is $95, and its $25 of credits covers about 450 automated conversations by Crisp's estimate. Intercom Essential seats at $29 annual for 3 agents are $87, plus Fin outcomes; if 200 of the 300 AI chats resolve, $198, total $285. Chatbase Standard at $120 yearly covers 4,000 credits, enough for 300 conversations at a few requests each on 1 credit models, but you would still need a human inbox. All tracked prices are on the AI Price Index.
Who should stay on Tidio
Stay if you have fewer than 10 agents, most chats are simple pre sale and order questions, and Lyro resolves a high share of them. Tidio's generous free plan, Shopify reviews and small Lyro steps are hard to beat at that size. Compare directly on Tidio vs Crisp and Tidio vs Chatbase.
How we picked
We started from Tidio's published plans and the reasons customers leave, then ranked the chatbot and support tools in our database on four questions: is the price published and predictable, does the AI bill on results or on activity, how many channels and seats do you get, and how strong are verified ratings and security credentials. Every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked in October 2026. Nobody paid for placement. See how we score.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Tidio?
Crisp for small teams that want one flat monthly price, Intercom Fin for the best AI agent with $0.99 per outcome billing, and Chatbase for a custom AI chatbot trained on your content. Shopify stores outgrowing Tidio should look at Gorgias.
Is there a free alternative to Tidio?
Crisp has a free plan with 2 seats and a chat widget but no AI credits. Tidio's own Free plan includes 50 conversations a month and 10 seats, which is more generous than most rivals.
Is Crisp better than Tidio?
Crisp is more predictable on price because it does not meter human conversations, and its AI credits cost far less per conversation by Crisp's estimate. Tidio has stronger reviews on G2 and Shopify and a more generous free plan. See Tidio vs Crisp.
What is the best Lyro alternative?
Intercom Fin, which bills $0.99 only for outcomes rather than every conversation, and HubSpot's Customer Agent at $0.50 per resolution. Both can also run on top of other helpdesks.
Why do people leave Tidio?
Public reviews cite two meters (human and AI conversations), Lyro billing for unresolved chats, the jump to Plus at $300 a month for larger teams, and on Trustpilot, account suspensions and billing disputes. Tidio holds 3.6 there from 226 reviews.
Is Chatbase better than Tidio?
For a custom AI agent with model choice and actions, yes. For live chat, ticketing and Shopify features with a human team, Tidio is better. See Tidio vs Chatbase.