Tidio
FreemiumAI chatbot and live chat platform built for Shopify and ecommerce
Quick verdict
SMB ecommerce, Shopify stores, support teams of 1-10 agents
Enterprise contact centres, voice channels, deep CRM-driven support
Free · Starter $29/mo · Growth $59/mo · Plus from $749/mo
Yes — 50 conversations/mo
Lyro AI bot plus deep Shopify integration
Steep jump from Growth to Plus pricing
Bottom line: Tidio scores 4.5/5 — the right pick for Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want one platform for live chat, ticketing, and AI-driven self-service without standing up an enterprise help desk.
What is Tidio?
Tidio is an AI-powered live chat and chatbot platform that combines a multichannel inbox, an automation flow builder, and the Lyro AI bot in one workspace tailored to SMB ecommerce. The Tidio widget unifies website chat, email, Messenger, and Instagram conversations so a small team can answer everything from a single screen, while Lyro deflects routine questions about shipping, returns, sizing, and stock automatically. Native Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integrations let agents pull order details and recommend products inline, and a visual flow builder triggers automations on cart abandonment, page exit, or specific URLs. Tidio scales from a free starter tier of 50 conversations a month up to enterprise volumes on Plus and Premium plans, and is used by more than 300,000 ecommerce brands. For most Shopify and WooCommerce stores under roughly 50K monthly visitors, Tidio is the most balanced live-chat-plus-AI bundle on the market in 2026.
Tidio pricing
Verified May 2026 from tidio.com/pricing. Prices in USD; annual billing reduces each tier by roughly 17%.
| Plan | Price (monthly) | Conversations | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50/mo · 50 Lyro lifetime | Solo founders testing live chat |
| Starter | $29/mo | 100/mo | Single-agent stores wanting visitor list and chat page |
| Growth | $59/mo | From 250/mo | Growing Shopify or WooCommerce shops |
| Plus | From $749/mo | Custom | Multi-store brands needing departments and OpenAPI |
| Premium | Custom | From 3,000 Lyro/mo | High-volume merchants needing managed Lyro and SLAs |
Key features
- Lyro AI bot — resolves up to 70% of routine support questions, with conversation limits per plan
- Multichannel inbox — website chat, email, Messenger, Instagram in one view
- Native Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce integrations with order data inside chats
- Visual automation flow builder for cart abandonment, exit intent, and page-specific triggers
- Ticketing and macros for repeat issues
- Live visitor list and live typing preview
- iOS and Android mobile apps for on-the-go support
- Departments, user permissions, and OpenAPI on higher tiers
Pros and cons
Pros
- Genuinely usable free plan with 50 conversations and Lyro
- Deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
- Lyro AI handles routine ecommerce questions reliably
- Clean, modern dashboard with low learning curve for live chat
- Strong mobile apps for solo founders and small teams
Cons
- Plus tier jump to $749/mo is steep after $59 Growth
- Advanced flow builder has a learning curve
- Limited widget and branding customization on lower tiers
- No built-in voice or SMS channel
- Conversation-based pricing can spike on viral campaigns
Best for
SMB ecommerce brands, Shopify and WooCommerce stores, and customer support teams of one to ten agents. If your support volume sits between 100 and 5,000 conversations a month and you want one tool for live chat, AI deflection, and basic ticketing, Tidio is the most efficient choice in 2026 — especially for stores already running on Shopify.
Good to know
Free and Starter include 50 lifetime Lyro conversations to evaluate the bot. Paid Lyro volume is sold separately or bundled into Plus and Premium plans, with Premium starting at 3,000 Lyro conversations a month.
15-minute install for most stores — paste a JS snippet or use the Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, or Squarespace app. Lyro learns from your help centre, FAQs, and product catalogue automatically.
GDPR and CCPA compliant. Conversation data is retained according to plan defaults, with data export and deletion available to admins. Premium adds SSO and custom data residency options.
Move from Free to Starter once you cross 50 conversations a month. Move to Growth when you need 250+ conversations, advanced analytics, and chat assignment. Plus and Premium make sense only above roughly 1,500 conversations a month or when you need departments and OpenAPI access.
Tidio alternatives by use case
Explore more
Bottom line
Tidio is the most pragmatic AI chat platform for SMB ecommerce in 2026. The free plan is genuine, paid tiers stay reasonable up to Growth, and the Lyro AI bot does the unglamorous work of deflecting shipping, sizing, and stock questions while your team focuses on revenue conversations. If you run a Shopify or WooCommerce store under roughly 50,000 monthly visitors, you should start here before evaluating Intercom, Drift, or Zendesk. The two real watch-outs are the Plus pricing jump and conversation-based billing during traffic spikes — both manageable with annual billing and a clear automation strategy.
Tidio FAQ
Is Tidio free?
Yes. Tidio's free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month, 50 lifetime Lyro AI conversations, and up to 10 operator seats. It includes live chat, ticketing, and basic analytics — enough for a solo founder or small store to validate AI chat before committing. Paid plans start at $29/mo on Starter when you outgrow the free conversation cap.
How does Tidio compare with Intercom?
Tidio is built for SMB ecommerce — cheap to start, deep Shopify integration, and Lyro AI for routine deflection. Intercom is the enterprise standard with Fin AI agent, advanced reporting, and a much larger product surface, at a much higher price. Pick Tidio if you run a store under roughly 50K monthly visitors. Pick Intercom if you need help desk plus product tours plus a marketing engine, and have the budget to match.
What is Lyro AI in Tidio?
Lyro is Tidio's built-in AI agent. It reads your help centre, FAQs, and product catalogue, then answers customer questions in natural language — including order status, shipping policies, returns, sizing, and stock availability. Tidio reports Lyro can resolve up to 70% of routine support questions automatically, and Premium plans guarantee a 50% resolution rate with SLAs. Lyro escalates anything ambiguous to a human agent, with the chat transcript preserved.
Is Tidio good for Shopify?
Tidio is one of the highest-rated apps in the Shopify App Store for live chat and AI support. The native Shopify integration pulls order data into the inbox so agents and Lyro can answer "where is my order" without context switching, recommend products inline, and trigger flows on cart abandonment. For most Shopify stores under 50K monthly visitors, Tidio is the recommended starting point in 2026.
How much does Tidio's AI chatbot cost?
Lyro AI is included with Tidio plans, but conversation volume is metered. Free and Starter include 50 lifetime Lyro conversations to test the bot. Beyond that, you either purchase Lyro conversation packs as an add-on or upgrade to Plus (from $749/mo) or Premium (custom, from 3,000 Lyro conversations a month). Compared with standalone AI agents, Tidio's bundled live-chat-plus-Lyro pricing is competitive for SMB volumes.
Tidio vs Crisp — which should you choose?
Tidio leans toward ecommerce with deeper Shopify and WooCommerce integrations and stronger AI deflection via Lyro. Crisp leans toward SaaS and B2B with a co-browsing toolkit, knowledge base, and CRM. If you run a store, pick Tidio. If you run a SaaS product or B2B service, evaluate Crisp first.
Does Tidio support GDPR and data privacy?
Yes. Tidio is GDPR and CCPA compliant, hosts data in EU and US regions, and gives admins data export and deletion controls. Premium adds SSO, custom retention policies, and signed data processing agreements. For most ecommerce use cases, Tidio's defaults are sufficient out of the box.
Compare Tidio with alternatives
| Tool | Score | Free plan | Starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio ★ | 4.5/5 | Yes | $29/mo | SMB ecommerce, Shopify |
| Intercom | 4.6/5 | No | $39/seat/mo | Mid-market and enterprise |
| Drift | 4.4/5 | No | Custom | B2B sales conversations |
| Zendesk Chat | 4.5/5 | 14-day trial | $55/agent/mo | Enterprise help desk |
| LiveChat | 4.4/5 | 14-day trial | $24/agent/mo | Mid-market support teams |
| Crisp | 4.3/5 | Yes | $45/mo | SaaS and B2B |
| Olark | 4.2/5 | Free trial | $29/seat/mo | Live-chat-only teams |
| HubSpot Chat | 4.5/5 | Yes | $0 (CRM-tied) | HubSpot CRM users |
| Freshchat | 4.3/5 | Yes | $19/agent/mo | Freshworks ecosystem |
| Helpcrunch | 4.2/5 | 14-day trial | $12/agent/mo | Budget SMB support |
★ Editor's pick. Pricing verified May 2026 from each vendor's site.
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Report incorrect info about Tidio
Is Tidio Lyro AI good for Shopify ecommerce?
Yes. Tidio Lyro AI is one of the strongest fits for Shopify ecommerce because it ships with order-lookup, abandoned-cart recovery, and product-catalog integration out of the box. The free tier covers small stores; paid tiers scale with conversation volume. For high-volume Shopify stores with deep order-context needs, Gorgias is the next-best alternative to evaluate.