AI take on LiveChat
August 2026: LiveChat remains a focused, capable choice for revenue-minded web chat, though meaningful scale and automation push buyers into higher per-seat plans and add-ons.
Customer Support comparison · 2026
LiveChat vs Tidio
Compare LiveChat and Tidio as Customer Support tools on fit, pricing, and the capabilities that actually overlap in 2026. Pick LiveChat for teams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing. Pick Tidio for shopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat..
Updated Aug 23, 2026
Real-time website chat with Copilot AI assistance and sales-linked reporting
Starts at $25/month·Customer Support
Live chat, help desk, and the Lyro AI agent in one customer service platform
Starts at $0/month·Customer Support
At a glance
LiveChatTidio
CategoryCustomer SupportCustomer Support
PricingStarts at $25/monthStarts at $0/month
Free tierYesYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows desktop app, macOS desktop app, iOS, Android, REST API, Webhooks, Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Suitable forTeams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routingShopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat.
CompanyText, Inc.Tidio LLC
Founded20232013
How they differ
Shared Customer Support rubric, filled from each listing. Not a score.
Channels
LiveChatTidio
Shared inboxYesYes
Live chat widgetYesYes
EmailYesYes
Phone / voiceNot publishedNot published
Social channelsYesYes
WhatsApp / SMSNot publishedYes
Self-serve
LiveChatTidio
Knowledge baseLimitedLimited
In-app help centerNot publishedNot published
AI answer agentYesYes
Bot flowsLimitedYes
Community forumNot publishedNot published
Customer portalNot publishedNot published
Agent tools
LiveChatTidio
TicketingNot publishedYes
Macros / saved repliesLimitedYes
Collision detectionNot publishedNot published
Internal notesNot publishedYes
AI draft repliesYesYes
Side conversationsNot publishedNot published
Ops
LiveChatTidio
SLA policiesNot publishedNot published
Routing rulesYesYes
CSAT / surveysYesYes
ReportingYesYes
Multi-brandNot publishedNot published
Access
LiveChatTidio
Public APIYesYes
Official SDKNot publishedNot published
Self-serve signupYesYes
Free trialYesYes
Team workspaceYesYes
SSO / SAMLNot publishedNot published
Mobile appsYesYes
Browser extensionNot publishedNot published
Self-host / on-premNot publishedNot published
Commercial
LiveChatTidio
Commercial licenseYesYes
Usage-based pricingNoNot published
Invoice / PONot publishedNot published
SOC 2Not publishedLimited
GDPR / DPANot publishedNot published
Audit logNot publishedNot published
Role-based accessNot publishedYes
Features
These listings describe different capabilities. What each one ships:
Only LiveChat
- Customizable website chat widget with themes, custom logo, CSS, and multiple languages
- Agent apps for web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
- Copilot AI Assistant trained on LiveChat and Text product knowledge
- AI reply suggestions from imported knowledge sources
- AI chat summary, tag suggestions, and text enhancement (rephrase, summarize, grammar, expand)
- Insights that surface the most frequent chat topics
- Sentiment analysis (marked early access)
- Traffic tracking with per-plan visitor limits of 100, 400, 1000, or custom
Only Tidio
- Lyro AI agent trained on FAQ uploads, FAQ scraper, website scraper, or imported Zendesk articles
- Live chat widget with proactive messaging and basic widget customization
- Help desk with ticketing, tags, notes, and intent-based organization
- Shared inbox unifying live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp
- No-code Flows builder for rule-based chatbot and conversion paths
- Automatic chat assignment, macros, and user permissions
- Live visitors list, viewed pages history, and live typing preview
- Basic and advanced analytics dashboards
Use cases
These listings describe different use cases. What each one ships:
Only LiveChat
- Answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart
- Capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing
- Running proactive campaigns and pre-set greeting messages toward high-intent visitors
- Tying chat conversations to orders and revenue through the LiveChat sales tracker and achieved goals reports
- Consolidating Facebook Messenger, Apple
Only Tidio
- Answering repetitive ecommerce questions about orders, shipping, and returns with Lyro
- Running one shared inbox for website chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp
- Converting website visitors with proactive Flows triggered at checkout or on pricing pages
- Deflecting first-line tickets before they reach a small support team
- Adding an AI agent on top of an existing Zendesk or Salesforce desk via the standalone Lyro plan
- Qualifying and routing leads to sales during and after business hours
- Tracking CSAT and resolution trends across chat and ticket channels
Integrations
These listings describe different integrations. What each one ships:
Only LiveChat
Nothing exclusive in this list.
Only Tidio
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- WordPress
- Wix
- Squarespace
- PrestaShop
- Shopware
- BigCommerce
Plans
LiveChat
Starter $25/mo or $228/yr
Text Intelligence · Track up to 100 visitors · Recurring campaign · 60-day chat history · Basic widget customization · 24/7/365 Support
Team $59/mo or $588/yr
Everything in Starter, plus · Text Intelligence · Track up to 400 visitors · Unlimited campaigns · Unlimited chat history · Full widget customization · Basic reporting · Unlimited users
Business $89/mo or $948/yr
Everything in Team, plus · Text Intelligence · Track up to 1000 visitors · Work scheduler · Staffing prediction · On-demand reporting · Advanced reporting · Agent performance · SMS and Apple Messages for Business
Enterprise Custom/mo or Custom/yr
Everything in Business, plus · Text Intelligence · Customize tracking limit · Support from Expert · Dedicated onboarding · White label chat widget · Software engineer support · Single Sign-on (SSO) · HIPAA Compliance · Alternative payment terms · Professional services · Service level agreements (SLAs)
Tidio
Free $0/mo or $0/yr
50 billable conversations · 10 seats · Live chat and ticketing · First 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations free (lifetime) · First 100 Flows visitors reached free · Basic analytics · Basic widget customization · Desktop and mobile app
Starter $32.5/mo or $290.04/yr
100 billable conversations · 7-day free trial · 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations (one-off) · 100 Flows visitors reached · Live chat · Ticketing · Live visitors list · Operating hours · Basic analytics · Live chat channels
Growth $66/mo or $590.04/yr
From 250 billable conversations · 7-day free trial · Everything in Starter · Advanced analytics · User permissions · Automatic chat assignment · Automatic reply · Live typing preview · Viewed pages history · Macros
Plus $360.99/mo or $3600/yr
Starts at $300/mo. + monthly usage · Custom billable conversations · Everything in Growth · Premium support · Dedicated Success Manager · Discounted usage rates · Departments · Multiproject · Custom branding · Ticketing automations · Live chat support · Open API
Premium Contact sales/mo or Contact sales/yr
Custom billable conversations · Everything in Plus · Guaranteed 50% Lyro AI resolution rate · Pay-per-resolution billing · Mobile SDK · AI insights · CSAT · Super admin role · Custom analytics · Advanced Copilot · Security services · Lyro AI as managed service
Lyro AI Agent (add-on) $49.17/mo or $390/yr
Starts at $32.50/mo. from 50 Lyro AI conversations · 7-day free trial · Human handoff · Customizable communication style · Knowledge-based responses · Available as stand-alone
Flows (add-on) $32.5/mo or $290.04/yr
Starts at $24.17/mo. · 7-day free trial · Collect data · Quote request · Handle missed conversations · Available as stand-alone
LiveChat strengths
- Customizable website chat widget with themes, custom logo, CSS, and multiple languages
- Agent apps for web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
- Copilot AI Assistant trained on LiveChat and Text product knowledge
- AI reply suggestions from imported knowledge sources
- AI chat summary, tag suggestions, and text enhancement (rephrase, summarize, grammar, expand)
- Insights that surface the most frequent chat topics
- Sentiment analysis (marked early access)
- Traffic tracking with per-plan visitor limits of 100, 400, 1000, or custom
Watch-outs
- LiveChat plan limits come from the published pricing table.
- LiveChat packaging is recorded from the vendor pages available at analysis time.
Tidio strengths
- Conversation-based metering means all self-serve Tidio plans include 10 seats, so adding agents does not raise the bill
- Tidio does not count Flows or Lyro replies as billable conversations, only human agent replies
- A permanent Free plan and a 7-day trial with no credit card let teams evaluate Tidio before paying
- Lyro, Flows, and the Customer Service plans can be bought individually or bundled in any configuration
- Native Shopify actions and no-code installs for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and PrestaShop suit non-technical store owners
- Published per-step upgrade pricing for Lyro conversations and Flows visitors makes volume costs easy to model
Watch-outs
- Vendor contradiction: the Tidio pricing page shows Plus at "Starts at $300/mo. + monthly usage" while Tidio llms.txt lists Plus at "Starts at 749 USD/mo." and Premium at "Starts at 2999 USD/mo." against a contact-sales listing on the pricing page
- Vendor contradiction on Lyro ceilings: llms.txt caps upgrades at 300 Lyro conversations per month while the Tidio pricing table says the monthly limit can be raised to 50,000 and cites paid quotas of 50 to 1,000
- The 50 Lyro conversations included with every Tidio account are a one-off lifetime allowance and only refresh monthly on a paid Lyro AI Agent or Plus plan
- The Tidio Free plan caps usage at 50 billable conversations and 100 Flows visitors per month
- Removing Tidio branding on the Growth plan costs an extra $16.67/mo. as an add-on rather than being included
- Open API, departments, multiproject, multilanguage, and custom branding are gated to Plus and above
- One Tidio widget shares appearance, DND hours, and offline messages across every site it is installed on unless you talk to Tidio about custom behavior
- Homepage claims such as "the highest resolution rate on the market" and "#1 AI agent for SMBs" are vendor marketing statements without published methodology
LiveChat vs Tidio verdict
Who each product is for, then labeled AI takes. Not a generic winner.
Bottom line
Pick LiveChat for teams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing. Pick Tidio for shopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat..
Who LiveChat is for
Teams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing
Real-time website chat with Copilot AI assistance and sales-linked reporting
Who Tidio is for
Shopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat.
Live chat, help desk, and the Lyro AI agent in one customer service platform
AI take on Tidio
As of August 2026, Tidio stands out for lean ecommerce support, though buyers should get usage limits and Plus pricing confirmed in writing.
LiveChat vs Tidio FAQ
Common questions when choosing between LiveChat and Tidio.
Is LiveChat or Tidio the better Customer Support tool?
Pick LiveChat for teams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing. Pick Tidio for shopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat..
Which is cheaper, LiveChat or Tidio?
LiveChat starts at $25/month. Tidio starts at $0/month. Confirm current pricing on each vendor site.
Who should choose LiveChat?
Teams answering pre-purchase product questions on an ecommerce storefront before the visitor abandons the cart and capturing and qualifying B2B leads from pricing and demo pages using URL-based routing
Who should choose Tidio?
Shopify and small-business support teams that want an AI agent deflecting FAQ traffic while paying by human-answered conversation instead of per agent seat.
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