# Tidio Alternative: One Bill for AI and Team, $39/mo · Communicate > Honest Communicate vs Tidio comparison: 3,000 AI replies and 3 seats for $39/mo vs a conversation-capped plan plus Lyro from $39 for 50 AI chats. Where Tidio wins, too. - **URL:** https://communicate.so/alternatives/tidio --- Tidio alternative # The Tidio alternative with one bill for AI and people. Tidio meters you twice: a plan sized by how many chats your team handles, then Lyro AI from $39 a month for 50 AI conversations. Communicate is one price: $39 a month covers 3,000 AI replies and 3 teammates, and teammate replies never use credits. Try it for a one-time $1. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so)[Book Demo](https://cal.com/team/tinycheque/communicate) One-time $1 activation · 100 credits included · No automatic subscription Starter3,000 3,000 AI replies on the $39 Plan. Tidio Lyro: 50 AI chats for $39. AI volumePeopleActions Pause autoplay Your help center. Your inbox. Your team. [Compare Communicate and Tidio row by row](#compare) Communicate vs Tidio ## Every row, at monthly list price. Tidio wins on its free plan, 10 seats on every plan, visual Flows, deep Shopify tools, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and mobile apps. Communicate wins on AI volume per dollar, one meter instead of two, and Actions on every Plan. All of it is below. ### How you try it Communicate$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renews TidioFree plan: 50 billable conversations a month; 7-day trial of paid plans ### Entry price with AI CommunicateStarter: $39/mo, 3,000 AI replies TidioStarter $29 plus Lyro from $39 for 50 AI conversations ### What is metered CommunicateAI replies only TidioTeam conversations by plan, and Lyro conversations separately ### Seats Communicate1, 3, or 10 by Plan Tidio10 seats on Free, Starter, and Growth ### AI billed per conversation, not per reply CommunicateNo: every AI reply uses a credit TidioYes: Lyro counts conversations ### Human takeover and Shared Inbox CommunicateEvery Plan TidioEvery plan ### Agent takes actions CommunicateLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rules TidioFirst Action free; more with a paid Lyro quota ### Visual chatbot Flows CommunicateNot offered; plain-word handoff rules instead TidioFlows builder on every plan ### API, MCP, and CLI access CommunicateAll three on every Plan TidioOpenAPI on Plus, from $300/mo ### Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp CommunicateWhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram coming soon TidioConnected channels ### Mobile apps CommunicateMobile and Mac apps coming soon TidioiOS and Android ### Security proof CommunicateEncrypted at rest, two-factor login, isolated Workspaces, DPA on request; no SOC 2 yet TidioCompliance and SSO on Plus and Premium DecisionCommunicateTidio How you try it$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renewsFree plan: 50 billable conversations a month; 7-day trial of paid plans Entry price with AIStarter: $39/mo, 3,000 AI repliesStarter $29 plus Lyro from $39 for 50 AI conversations What is meteredAI replies onlyTeam conversations by plan, and Lyro conversations separately Seats1, 3, or 10 by Plan10 seats on Free, Starter, and Growth AI billed per conversation, not per replyNo: every AI reply uses a creditYes: Lyro counts conversations Human takeover and Shared InboxEvery PlanEvery plan Agent takes actionsLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rulesFirst Action free; more with a paid Lyro quota Visual chatbot FlowsNot offered; plain-word handoff rules insteadFlows builder on every plan API, MCP, and CLI accessAll three on every PlanOpenAPI on Plus, from $300/mo Messenger, Instagram, WhatsAppWhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram coming soonConnected channels Mobile appsMobile and Mac apps coming sooniOS and Android Security proofEncrypted at rest, two-factor login, isolated Workspaces, DPA on request; no SOC 2 yetCompliance and SSO on Plus and Premium Tidio figures come from tidio.com/pricing and its Lyro page, checked on 3 October 2026. Tidio shows $24.17 (Starter) and $49.17 (Growth) a month on annual billing; the monthly prices above remove the 2 free months. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so) Yearly totals, checked ## What AI support costs a small store over a year. Monthly list prices times 12, from tidio.com/pricing and our Plans, checked on 3 October 2026. Tidio annual billing gives 2 months free; ours charges 10 months for 12. - 01 · $348 a year ### Starter plan plus the smallest AI quota Tidio Starter $29 plus Lyro $39 for 50 AI conversations is $68/mo. Communicate Starter is $39/mo with 3,000 AI replies. That is $468 vs $816 a year. - 02 · $708 a year ### A store that outgrew 100 conversations Tidio Growth from $59 plus Lyro $39 is $98/mo. Communicate Starter stays $39/mo, because your team’s chats do not count against credits. That is $468 vs $1,176. - 03 · 10x the AI chats ### For the same $39 Lyro’s $39 tier covers 50 AI conversations. Communicate’s $39 Plan covers 3,000 AI replies, which is 500 chats even at 6 AI replies each. What changes ## Tidio-style live chat and AI, without two meters running. Tidio is a well-made tool for online stores. The catch is the bill: your team’s chats and Lyro’s chats are counted and sold separately. - 01 ### Far more AI in the base price Starter includes 3,000 AI replies for $39. On Tidio, $39 a month buys Lyro 50 AI conversations on top of your plan. A chat that takes 6 AI replies still means 500 chats on Communicate. - 02 ### Your team’s chats are not a quota Tidio plans are sized by billable conversations: 100 on Starter, from 250 on Growth. On Communicate, credits count AI replies only, so a busy week for your team does not push you up a plan. - 03 ### Actions without a separate builder Tidio gives one free Action, then more with a paid Lyro quota. Every Communicate Plan lets the Agent call your API or look up an order, with approval rules for risky steps. ++++ Used in production ## Already answering customer questions. - Teams building software - Teams making content - Teams running everyday tools - Autoposting - Vrid - Niyam - FAAD Network - Nimblocity - Pure Digital - QCall - Serri - The Medical Insurance Exchange How it works ## Run the AI on your busiest questions before you cancel Lyro. Setup takes about 5 minutes. Tidio keeps answering your visitors until you swap the script. - 01 Train Give the Agent what Lyro reads today Lyro learns from your website and Q&A. Add the same pages, files, and answers to Communicate. There is no import from Tidio, so each source is added by hand and shows when it is ready. Knowledge Connected Shipping page Ready for answers - Returns policy Ready for answers - Size guide PDF Ready for answers - 02 Route Rebuild your handoff Flow as rules Where a Tidio Flow sends a chat to an operator, write a plain rule instead: order problems, refunds, angry customers. Those chats land in the Shared Inbox, assigned to the right person. Handoff rules Saved Damaged item Hand off - Refund request Member required - Opening hours Agent answers - 03 Compare Ask both bots the same ten questions Paste the questions Lyro handles most into the preview and check the source behind each answer. When the answers match or beat Lyro, replace the Tidio script with ours. Preview Grounded Question Where is my order? - Action Order lookup - Result Ready to publish ++++Knowledge Connected - Shipping page Ready for answers - Returns policy Ready for answers - Size guide PDF Ready for answers Handoff rules Saved - Damaged item Hand off - Refund request Member required - Opening hours Agent answers Preview Grounded - Question Where is my order? - Action Order lookup - Result Ready to publish 01 / 03 Designed for the edge cases ## What replaces Lyro, Flows, and the operator inbox. Each Plan includes all of it. Plans differ only in credits, seats, and Agents. 01 ### An AI Agent per store or brand Starter includes 3 Agents and Growth includes 10, each with its own sources and rules. Removespaying a separate AI quota per project. 02 ### Handoff rules in plain words Say when a chat needs a person. The Agent hands it over with the full history. Removesdrawing a Flow just to reach an operator. 03 ### Credits you can predict One AI reply is one credit, every time. Unused credits on the $1 activation never expire. Removesguessing which quota will run out first. 04 ### API, MCP, and CLI Read and act on Conversations from your code, an AI assistant, or the terminal. Removesa Plus plan before you can use the OpenAPI. ++++ An AI Agent per store or brand Handoff rules in plain words Credits you can predict API, MCP, and CLI Every feature here runsthrough the same Agent. ## Ask how Communicate compares to Tidio. This page runs on Communicate. Type a question below and the assistant on this page answers it. Where is my order #4821? It left the warehouse on Tuesday. Tracking says it arrives Thursday.From: Shipping times That helped Choose what it can read - Help center articles - Refund policy PDF - Past support replies - Product pages Tasks it may run Check order status Update a delivery address Issue a refund Refunds wait for a teammate to approve. Sam joined the chat Handed over with the full thread S Reply style FriendlyFormalShort Drop a help PDF anywhere Answered from your help pages Question askedTeammate if needed Ask our support assistant a question FAQ ## What Tidio users ask before they switch. Including the cases where Tidio is the better fit. ### 01What is a billable conversation on Tidio? ### 02How does Lyro pricing compare to Communicate credits? ### 03Can I keep my Tidio Flows? ### 04Does Communicate work with Shopify? ### 05Tidio gives 10 seats. Why does Communicate give fewer? ### 06Can I try it without a trial running out? ### 07When is Tidio the better choice? READY WHEN YOU ARE ## One price for AI and your team. No second meter. Open the Workspace for $1, add the pages Lyro reads, and see how far 3,000 AI replies go. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so)[Or book a demo](https://cal.com/team/tinycheque/communicate)[Back to the top](#home) One-time $1 activation · Grounded answers · Human takeover · Cancel anytime