Alternatives

Tidio alternatives for small businesses, compared side by side

People leave Tidio for two different reasons, and they need different tools. Some want cheaper live chat staffed by people. Others mostly used Tidio for its Lyro AI and found the AI billed on top of the chat plan. Here are four options for both, with prices read on each vendor's own page on September 25, 2026.

Try it free

The short answer

If you want live chat answered by your team, stay with Tidio or look at tawk.to (free live chat) and Crisp (a shared inbox). We don't do team live chat.

If you mostly want AI to answer your website for you, choose AI Chat Bot: every plan's allowance is AI answers from your own pages, with no separate AI meter, and it hands anything else to you by text and email. Chatbase is the pick if you need WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger as well.

How we compared

We make AI Chat Bot, so weigh what we say about ourselves accordingly. Every fact about another tool comes from that vendor's own pricing page, linked below and read on September 25, 2026. Review quotes come from public review pages, also linked. We say where each option beats ours.

Why people look elsewhere

Why people look for a Tidio alternative

Tidio

Quick picks

ToolBest forStarts atWatch out for
AI Chat BotAI answering your website, with leads sent to your phoneFree, then $29/moNo team live chat inbox
tawk.toFree live chat staffed by your teamFree; AI Assist from $29/moAI answers come from a knowledge base and FAQs you write
CrispA shared inbox for a small teamFree for 2 seats; AI from $45/moNo AI on the free plan
ChatbaseAI across website, WhatsApp, Instagram and MessengerFree, then $40/moCredits vary by model; $99/mo to remove the badge

Prices and plan details read on each vendor's own page on September 25, 2026.

Tidio

The options, one by one

AI Chat Bot

Owner-run businesses that want visitors answered from their own website, day and night, and every lead texted and emailed to them.

Good

  • Every plan's allowance is AI answers. Starter is $29 a month for 1,000 customer messages; a conversation is usually a few messages.
  • It answers only from your pages and the facts you confirm, and hands anything else to you with the visitor's contact details.
  • At your limit it keeps answering in shorter form. It never goes offline and never charges overage.
  • Free is 100 messages a month, every month.

Not so good

  • No shared inbox for a team to answer chats live. Questions it can't answer come to you by text and email.
  • No order lookup for online stores. Tidio's Shopify tools go further.
  • Website and hosted chat page only; no WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger yet.

Pricing: Free: 100 messages a month. Starter $29 ($23 yearly) for 1,000 messages; Growth $69 ($55) for 4,000; Pro $149 ($119) for 12,000.

tawk.to

Pricing page

Businesses whose team answers chats themselves and wants that to cost nothing.

Good

  • Live chat, ticketing and a knowledge base, free.
  • Hired chat agents from $1 an hour if nobody's free to answer.

Not so good

  • AI Assist is an add-on, from $29 per month, answering from its knowledge base and shortcut FAQs.
  • Removing the badge is $29 per month.

Pricing: Free; AI Assist from $29 per month; badge removal $29 per month.

Crisp

Pricing page

Small teams that want one inbox for chat, email and other channels.

Good

  • Free for 2 seats with a chat widget and shared inbox.
  • Paid plans include AI credits: around 90 automated conversations on Mini, around 450 on Essentials.

Not so good

  • No AI on the free plan.
  • The AI chatbot builder is on Essentials, $95 a month.

Pricing: Free (2 seats); Mini $45 a month; Essentials $95; Plus $295.

Chatbase

Pricing page

Businesses that want one AI agent across the website and messaging apps.

Good

  • WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Slack and voice channels.
  • A choice of AI models, and an API.

Not so good

  • Message credits vary by model; extra credits are $40 per 1,000.
  • Removing the badge is $99 a month.

Pricing: Free 50 credits a month; Hobby $40 ($32 yearly) for 700 credits; Standard $150 for 4,000.

Tidio

How to choose

Questions

Questions buyers ask

How much does Tidio cost with AI?

As of September 25, 2026, Tidio Starter is from $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 conversations your team answers, and the Lyro AI Agent is priced separately, from $32.50 a month billed yearly for 50 AI conversations.

Is Tidio free?

Tidio has a free plan with 10 seats and 50 team-answered conversations a month. Its 50 AI conversations are one-off, not monthly. Ours is 100 AI-answered messages a month, every month.

Is there a free Tidio alternative?

For live chat answered by people, tawk.to is free. For AI answers, our Free plan gives 100 customer messages a month, and Chatbase's gives 50 credits a month.

Can I switch from Tidio without losing anything?

Your chat history stays in Tidio. Setting ours up means pasting your website address, which it reads in about a minute, then swapping Tidio's code on your site for ours, or using our WordPress plugin.

Does it work with Shopify?

Yes. It answers from your store's pages, such as shipping and returns. It can't look up an order, so order questions come to you.

Try it on your own website

Your customers are asking right now

Paste your website and hear your assistant answer as your business. It takes about a minute.

  • No account needed
  • No card
  • Free plan forever

Want the details first? See pricing