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If you’ve been researching live chat tools, you’ve probably come across Tidio. It’s one of the most talked-about platforms for small businesses that want to chat with customers in real time and automate simple queries.
It promises an easy setup, AI chatbots that handle FAQs, and a clean dashboard that keeps everything in one place. But does it actually deliver when your support volume grows, or when you need deeper automation and insights?
Here is a comprehensive breakdown to help you make an informed decision.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Tidio is a live chat and AI chatbot platform that helps businesses talk to website visitors in real time, automate FAQs, and manage conversations across chat, email, and social channels.
- Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses and eCommerce stores that want fast setup, simple automation, and affordable live chat without complex workflows.
- Pricing: Starts free for 50 conversations. Paid plans begin at $24.17 per month, but costs rise quickly due to conversation-based billing and AI usage limits.
- Pros: Easy setup, intuitive chatbot builder, strong Shopify integration, and helpful customer support.
- Cons: Pricing increases as conversations grow, limited advanced integrations, daily AI caps, and a dashboard that isn’t ideal for multi-project teams.
Table of Contents
What Is Tidio?
Tidio is a live chat and AI-powered customer communication tool that enables teams to respond to website visitors in real-time. It blends human chat with automation, making it possible to offer 24/7 answers without a large support team.
The platform focuses on simplicity. Setup takes minutes, and teams can start managing conversations across chat, email, and social channels from a shared inbox.
Key Features of Tidio
To see whether Tidio fits your support needs, you need a clear view of what it can and cannot do. Below is a breakdown of its key features.
1. Live Chat Functionality
Tidio’s live chat widget lets teams respond to website visitors instantly. Agents receive real-time notifications, can preview messages as customers type, and can use canned replies to speed things up.
The AI Reply Assistant (powered by GPT-4) helps polish responses, improving reply speed and accuracy.
“We’ve been using Tidio at AOK Events for over three years now, primarily for its live chat functionality.” – G2 user
2. AI-Powered Chatbot (Lyro)
Lyro is Tidio’s AI chatbot built to handle common questions across chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. It pulls answers from your help articles to deliver consistent responses.
Lyro can recommend products, provide order updates, and qualify leads. When a complex question comes in, it hands the conversation over to an agent without friction.
A user noted, “Lyro, their AI bot, takes care of most common questions, and I especially like how I can build custom flows for keyword search optimization, it’s helped customers find answers faster and improved my support process.” – G2 user
3. Automated Workflows
Tidio’s Flows feature allows teams to build automation paths without coding. Workflows can handle abandoned carts, lead collection, scheduling, and follow-ups.
A G2 reviewer shared, “The Flow feature is especially useful, as it streamlines the process for potential clients by guiding them to our specific services and providing them with relevant information.” – G2 user
4. Ticketing System
Tidio converts incoming emails into organized tickets. Agents can assign, prioritize, and track issues from a shared dashboard.
5. Visitor Tracking and Analytics
Tidio records visitor details like time on site, location, and pages viewed. Agents can use these insights to personalize conversations.
The platform includes chat volume trends, satisfaction ratings, and basic performance reports. Analytics are helpful, but not as detailed as tools built for enterprise support.
6. Shopify Order Management
Tidio’s Shopify integration stands out for eCommerce users. Agents can view carts, issue refunds, check shipping details, and manage orders directly within chat.
A G2 reviewer wrote, “I like that Shopify POS seamlessly integrates online and offline sales, making inventory management and customer data centralized. It’s easy to use, supports various payment methods, and works offline.” – G2 user
Tidio Customer Feedback: What Users Like and Dislike
Below is a summary from recent G2 reviews.
Pros
1. Easy setup
Teams can install Tidio and get live chat running in under 30 minutes.
“Setup was quick, and the chatbot builder is very simple to use.” – G2 user
2. Customization options
The widget is easy to style, and multilingual support helps global teams.
“It only took a few minutes to install and match our branding.” – G2 user
3. Responsive customer support
Tidio’s support team receives strong praise.
One user noted, “Tidio’s customer support is responsive, friendly, and genuinely helpful, often resolving issues quickly.” – G2 user
Cons
1. Limited advanced integrations
Tidio integrates with many tools, but users want deeper connections to CRM and marketing.
“It would be even better with more CRM and marketing tool integrations.” – G2 user
2. AI chatbot limits
Lyro stops responding once its daily cap is reached, which affects consistency.
3. Dashboard management
Multi-project visibility is limited. Agencies and multi-brand teams face extra friction.
A G2 reviewer shared, “One limitation we’ve encountered is the inability to view all projects or conversations in a single unified dashboard.” – G2 user
Tidio Pricing (2025)
Tidio charges based on billable conversations, not users. This works for small teams but becomes expensive for high-traffic sites.
Plan overview
| Plan | Price | Conversations | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 | Live chat, ticketing, basic analytics, 10 seats, 50 free Lyro conversations |
| Starter | $24.17 | 100 | Everything is Free, plus social integrations |
| Growth | $49.17 | 250 to 2000 | Advanced analytics, permissions, live typing, canned responses, and automatic assignment |
| Plus | $749 | Custom | 300+ Lyro conversations, departments, multilingual, multiproject, success manager |
| Premium | Custom | Custom | Managed service with Lyro AI, mobile SDK, and dedicated support |
Hiver: A Tidio Alternative for Your Team
Tidio serves small chat-focused teams well. But as teams expand and move beyond live chat into multichannel support, Tidio’s limitations become clear.
Hiver helps fill those gaps. It is an AI-powered customer service platform designed to unify all channels, including email, live chat, WhatsApp, voice, SMS, and social media, within a single interface. Pricing follows a predictable per-user model without visitor limits.
Teams also benefit from built-in AI tools:
- AI Copilot drafts and summarizes replies across channels
- AI Agents respond to FAQs and route queries by topic or sentiment
- AI Insights flags churn risks and recurring issues
Setup takes hours, not weeks, and teams get complete visibility into performance.
Tidio vs Hiver: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Tidio | Hiver |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free, then $24.17 per month | Free, paid plans start at $35 per month (Growth) |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email Support | ✓ | ✓ |
| WhatsApp Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-Powered Agents | Lyro (limited) | Included in all paid plans |
| Workflow Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing Model | Per conversation | Per user |
| Setup Time | Under 30 minutes | Within minutes |
Tidio is ideal for you if:
- Your team focuses on live chat and eCommerce
- You need fast setup and simple AI automation
Hiver is a better fit if:
- You want predictable per-user pricing
- You want AI automation across all channels
- You manage multi-team or multi-channel operations
Unlike Tidio, Hiver handles email, chat, voice, WhatsApp, SMS, and social from one place. Teams can automate repetitive tasks, speed up responses with AI Copilot, and triage conversations with AI Agents.
Hiver starts with a free plan; paid plans begin at $35 per user per month for Growth and $55 per user per month for Pro, with an optional AI add-on available for $20 per user per month.
Recommended reading
Making the Right Choice
Tidio is a great fit for small businesses that need simple chat workflows. However, when support expands across channels or becomes more complex, Tidio’s AI limitations, conversation-based pricing, and basic automation can hinder teams.
Hiver offers more flexibility, deeper automation, and clear per-user pricing. It is designed for teams that require an AI-powered customer service platform that scales effortlessly.
Want to see how Hiver performs in action? Schedule a personalized demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does it take to set up Tidio?
Most teams complete basic setup in 15 to 30 minutes. More advanced customizations take longer.
2. What happens when you exceed Tidio’s visitor limits?
You may need to upgrade your plan or pay overage fees. Some features may also pause until limits are reset.
3. Can Tidio handle complex customer service workflows?
Tidio supports basic ticketing and automation. Larger teams needing advanced workflows may prefer a platform like Hiver.
4. How does Tidio’s AI compare to other platforms?
Lyro is helpful for simple automation, but users report limits on complex conversations and daily usage caps.
5. Is there a better option for growing customer service teams?
Teams that expect growth often choose platforms like Hiver for their multichannel support, advanced AI capabilities, and predictable pricing.
Start using Hiver today
- Collaborate with ease
- Manage high email volume
- Leverage AI for stellar service
