Tidio vs Intercom: Lyro or Fin, and which helpdesk fits a small business?
Tidio and Intercom both sell a live chat helpdesk with an AI agent bolted to the front: Lyro on Tidio, Fin on Intercom. Tidio is aimed at small online stores and charges by conversation volume; Intercom is aimed at growing software and e-commerce companies and charges by seat plus AI outcomes. Here is what each costs at small-business volumes and where each one is stronger.
Quick answer
Tidio is the cheaper starting point: free for 50 conversations, $29 a month for Starter, and Lyro AI from $39 a month for 50 AI conversations. Intercom starts at $29 to $39 a seat for Essential plus $0.99 per Fin outcome, and offers a deeper helpdesk. At a few hundred AI conversations a month the totals often end up close.
Who each tool is aimed at
Tidio is built for small businesses, especially online stores, that want chat, simple automation and an affordable AI. Intercom is built for support teams that need a full helpdesk with tickets, a help center and reporting.
Tidio
Live chat, ticketing, Flows automation and the Lyro AI agent. Strong Shopify and WordPress following. Priced by billable conversations, with Lyro and Flows as separate meters. Up to 10 seats on self-serve plans.
Intercom
Messenger, shared inbox, tickets, help center, workflows and the Fin AI agent. Priced per seat, with Fin charged per outcome and add-ons for Copilot and outbound messages. More configuration, more depth.
We build ReplyKit, a WhatsApp and website AI agent, and mention it once near the end. Neither Tidio nor Intercom is affiliated with us.
Tidio's plans and meters
Tidio charges for three separate things: human conversations, AI conversations and automated Flows visitors. Each is cheap alone; together they make the bill.
| Tidio plan | Monthly | Billed annually, per month | Billable conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 50 |
| Starter | $29 | $24.17 | 100 |
| Growth | From $59 | From $49.17 | 250 up to 2,000 |
| Plus | From $300 plus usage | Custom | Custom |
| Premium | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom, from 3,000 Lyro conversations |
A billable conversation is one where a person on your team replies. Lyro is priced on its own: from $39 a month ($32.50 billed annually) for 50 Lyro conversations, with tiers up to 1,000 a month, and every account gets 50 Lyro conversations once for free. Flows start at $24.17 a month billed annually for 2,000 visitors reached. Checked October 2026 on Tidio's pricing page, which offers a 7-day trial with no card. Our Tidio pricing guide lists every Growth and Lyro step.
Intercom's seats and Fin
Intercom charges per seat for anyone who replies, plus $0.99 each time Fin resolves or completes a conversation.
| Intercom plan | Per seat, billed annually | Per seat, monthly | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29 | $39 | Messenger, shared inbox, tickets, help center |
| Advanced | $85 | $99 | Workflows, multiple inboxes, 20 free Lite seats |
| Expert | $132 | $139 | SSO, SLAs, multibrand, 50 Lite seats |
Seat prices from Intercom's plans help article. Intercom's pricing page, checked October 2026, also showed a $19 Essential price for new customers, so check your checkout. Copilot is $29 an agent a month on annual billing, and the trial is 14 days with no card.
What one AI conversation costs
Lyro costs about $0.70 to $0.78 per AI conversation on monthly tiers; Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. The difference is smaller than it looks because they count differently.
| Question | Tidio Lyro | Intercom Fin |
|---|---|---|
| What is charged | Any conversation where Lyro replies at least once | A conversation Fin resolves, where the customer stops asking, or where Fin completes a workflow, including handoffs |
| Unit price | About $0.78 at 50 a month, about $0.70 from 200 up | $0.99 |
| If AI fails and a person takes over | Still a Lyro conversation | Charged only if a Fin workflow completed the handoff |
| Pricing style | Prepaid monthly tier | Pay per outcome |
Lyro per-conversation prices come from Tidio's calculator as recorded in our pricing guide. In short: Lyro is cheaper per unit, but you pay for attempts; Fin is dearer per unit, but you pay mostly for results. If your AI resolves most of what it touches, Lyro wins on price. If many chats need a person anyway, the gap narrows.
WhatsApp on Tidio and Intercom
Both connect WhatsApp through the official API and let their AI reply there. Tidio is more open about the cost.
- Tidio includes WhatsApp on every plan, with 1,000 free support messages per connected number a month. Beyond that, messages are billed at the local WhatsApp rate for the customer's country, with no Tidio markup and a spending cap you can set, according to Tidio's WhatsApp page. Lyro and Flows replies count toward the allowance.
- Intercom lists WhatsApp as a pay-as-you-go channel available on every plan, without a published rate.
Both reflect Meta's own model: since 1 October 2026, service replies are charged after 1,000 free per business number each month. Our WhatsApp Business API pricing guide explains the categories.
A two-person store's monthly bill
A hypothetical online store has 2 people answering, about 400 chats a month that need a human and 500 that the AI handles. Monthly billing, before any WhatsApp overage.
| Line | Tidio | Intercom Essential |
|---|---|---|
| Helpdesk | Growth at 400 conversations, about $89 | 2 seats × $39 = $78 |
| AI | Lyro, 500 conversations, about $350 | Fin, if 400 of 500 count as outcomes: $396 |
| Total | About $439 | About $474 |
Close enough that price should not decide it. Choose on fit: Tidio for a lighter tool your team learns in an afternoon, Intercom for a help center, ticket workflows and reporting you will grow into. If the store had only 50 AI conversations, Tidio would come to about $128 (Growth plus the smallest Lyro tier) and Intercom to at most about $128 (two seats plus up to 50 outcomes), so the tie holds at small volume too. The real decider is how much of your support happens outside chat: Intercom handles email and self-service articles in the same place, while Tidio keeps things simple.
Fit by business type
| Business | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify or WooCommerce store under 1,000 chats a month | Tidio | Free and Starter tiers, simple setup, store-focused flows |
| Software company with in-app support | Intercom | In-app Messenger, help center, ticket workflows |
| Team that needs tickets, SLAs and reporting | Intercom | Deeper helpdesk on Advanced and Expert |
| Owner answering chats alone on a budget | Tidio | Free plan, then $29 |
| Business where most customers write on WhatsApp | Either, or a WhatsApp-first tool | Both treat WhatsApp as an extra channel |
If neither fits, see our Tidio alternatives and Intercom alternatives.
Another route for WhatsApp-first businesses
We build ReplyKit, so treat this as our view. Tidio and Intercom are website-first; if your customers mostly message on WhatsApp, a WhatsApp-first agent may fit better. ReplyKit answers WhatsApp and website chat from your own content, books appointments and flags hot leads, for $29, $49 or $99 a month with AI replies included and no per-conversation or Meta fees.
Its limits are real. ReplyKit links WhatsApp by QR code as a linked device, an unofficial connection Meta does not sanction, so a number can be restricted; we recommend a dedicated number. It has no email channel, help center, ticketing, Shopify app or integrations beyond CSV export. For a helpdesk, choose Tidio or Intercom. For WhatsApp enquiries, try ReplyKit free for 7 days.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tidio cheaper than Intercom?
For very small teams, yes: Tidio has a free plan and Starter at $29 a month. Once you add Lyro AI at a few hundred conversations a month, the total is often close to Intercom Essential with Fin.
Is Lyro better than Fin?
They are priced differently rather than one being clearly better. Lyro costs about $0.70 to $0.78 per AI conversation whether or not it resolves the issue, while Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. Test both on your own questions during the free trials.
Do Tidio and Intercom support WhatsApp?
Yes. Tidio includes WhatsApp on every plan with 1,000 free support messages per number a month, then local rates with no markup. Intercom offers WhatsApp as a pay-as-you-go channel on every plan.
Does Tidio have a help center like Intercom?
Tidio focuses on live chat, ticketing and automation. Intercom includes a help center on every plan, which suits businesses that want customers to find answers in articles before they chat.
Can I use Lyro without a paid Tidio plan?
Yes. Tidio sells Lyro on its own, so you can stay on the free helpdesk plan and pay only for Lyro conversations. Every account also gets 50 Lyro conversations once for free.
Which has the longer free trial?
Intercom offers 14 days with no card, including Fin. Tidio offers 7 days with no card, then moves you to the free plan if you do not upgrade.
Most of your customers on WhatsApp?
ReplyKit answers WhatsApp and website chat with AI included in a flat plan. Start a 7-day free trial, no credit card.
Sources and further reading
- Tidio, Pricing · plans, billable conversations, Lyro and Flows starting prices, seats, 7-day trial, checked October 2026
- Tidio, WhatsApp integration · 1,000 free support messages per number, local rates with no markup, spending cap
- Intercom, Pricing · Fin at $0.99 per outcome, Copilot and add-ons, trial, checked October 2026
- Intercom, Plans explained · seat prices billed annually and monthly
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing · service message charges after 1,000 free per number from 1 October 2026
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. Prices and features for other vendors are taken from their public pages as checked in October 2026 and may change. This article is general guidance, not financial or legal advice.