Tidio vs LiveChat: which live chat costs less as your team grows?
LiveChat and Tidio are both polished website chat tools with ticketing, integrations for online stores and an AI agent. LiveChat is the older, sales-focused product priced per user; Tidio is the small-business favourite priced by conversations. Which is cheaper depends almost entirely on how many people answer chats and how many chats they answer. This guide does that maths for you.
Quick answer
LiveChat costs $19 to $79 per user a month billed annually ($25 to $99 monthly), with AI resolutions included: 10 a month on Essential and 200 on Growth. Tidio costs $29 for 100 conversations or from $59 for 250, with up to 10 seats included and Lyro AI from $39 for 50. Bigger teams with few chats favour Tidio; one or two people with many chats favour LiveChat.
At a glance
| LiveChat | Tidio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing unit | Per user | Per conversation, seats included |
| Entry price | $19 a user (annual) or $25 (monthly) | Free, then $29 a month |
| AI | AI agent with resolutions included: 10 or 200 a month | Lyro sold separately, from $39 for 50 |
| Chat history | 60 days on Essential, unlimited on Growth | Not limited on the plan cards |
| Trial | 14 days, no card | 7 days, no card |
Both are strong for online stores and sales teams. We build ReplyKit, a WhatsApp-first agent, and we keep it to one short section at the end.
LiveChat's per-user plans
LiveChat has two self-serve plans: Essential at $19 a user a month billed annually ($25 monthly) and Growth at $79 a user ($99 monthly). Enterprise is custom.
| LiveChat plan | Annual, per user a month | Monthly, per user | AI agents | AI resolutions a month | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $19 | $25 | 1 | 10 | 60 days |
| Growth | $79 | $99 | 10 | 200 | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Unlimited |
Extra AI resolutions are sold in packs of 50 for $49.50, about 99 cents each. Copilot reply suggestions are limited per user: 5 a month on Essential, 50 on Growth. Checked October 2026 on LiveChat's pricing page. Our LiveChat pricing guide has the full breakdown.
Tidio's conversation-based plans
Tidio's price follows how many conversations a person on your team answers, with up to 10 seats included on self-serve plans.
- Free: 50 conversations a month.
- Starter: $29 a month ($24.17 annually) for 100.
- Growth: from $59 ($49.17 annually) for 250, up to 2,000 at about $349 a month.
- Lyro AI: from $39 a month for 50 AI conversations, about $0.70 each from 200 up.
From Tidio's pricing page, October 2026; per-tier steps from Tidio's calculator as recorded in our Tidio pricing guide.
Which is cheaper by team size
LiveChat's cost scales with people; Tidio's scales with chats. Here is the plan cost alone on monthly billing, before AI, for a business answering about 250 human chats a month.
| People answering chats | LiveChat Essential | LiveChat Growth | Tidio Growth (250 chats) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25 | $99 | $59 |
| 2 | $50 | $198 | $59 |
| 4 | $100 | $396 | $59 |
| 8 | $200 | $792 | $59 |
At 1,000 chats a month, Tidio Growth is about $179 whatever the team size, so LiveChat Essential stays cheaper up to about 7 users. The lesson is simple: count both your people and your chats before you choose. A single owner with a busy widget leans LiveChat; a team of six sharing a quiet one leans Tidio.
AI resolutions against Lyro
LiveChat bundles AI resolutions into each plan and sells more at about 99 cents each. Tidio sells Lyro conversations at about 70 to 78 cents each, whether or not the issue is resolved.
The difference in counting matters. A Lyro conversation is any chat where Lyro replies at least once. LiveChat's unit is a resolution, which should only count when the AI actually closes the chat. If your AI resolves most of what it touches, Lyro is cheaper per chat; if it often hands over, LiveChat's resolution pricing narrows the gap. LiveChat Growth's 200 included resolutions per account are a meaningful allowance for a small store, and they come with the plan rather than as a separate bill.
Connecting WhatsApp
Both can bring WhatsApp into the inbox. Tidio states its message allowance on its site; LiveChat handles WhatsApp through an app in its marketplace.
- Tidio: WhatsApp on every plan, 1,000 free support messages per number a month including Lyro replies, then the local WhatsApp rate with no markup and a spending cap, per Tidio's WhatsApp page.
- LiveChat: the WhatsApp Business app in LiveChat's marketplace says it is already installed on every paid plan and trial, that each connected number is free, and that setup goes through a Meta Business portfolio. It does not mention message fees.
Under both, Meta's rules apply: since 1 October 2026, service replies are charged after 1,000 free per business number a month, and templates are charged per message by market.
A two-person shop, both bills
A hypothetical gift shop has 2 people on chat, about 300 chats a month that need a person, and an AI that replies in about 200 chats and resolves 150. Monthly billing.
| Line | LiveChat Essential | LiveChat Growth | Tidio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | 2 × $25 = $50 | 2 × $99 = $198 | Growth at 400 chats, about $89 |
| AI | 10 included, 140 more in 3 packs = $148.50 | 150 of 200 included | Lyro at 200, about $140 |
| Chat history | 60 days | Unlimited | Not limited on the card |
| Total | $198.50 | $198 | About $229 |
LiveChat Growth wins narrowly here, with unlimited history thrown in. Add a third person and LiveChat Growth rises to $297 while Tidio stays about $229. Remove the AI and Tidio drops to about $89 while LiveChat Essential is $50. Small changes in team size or AI use swing the answer, so rerun this table with your own numbers before committing to an annual plan.
Lean towards Tidio or LiveChat?
Lean Tidio if
- Three or more people share the chat.
- Chat volume is modest or seasonal.
- You want a free plan to start.
- You want a clear, published WhatsApp allowance.
Lean LiveChat if
- One or two people handle a busy widget.
- You want AI resolutions bundled into the plan.
- You care about long chat history and sales-focused tools.
- You want a longer, 14-day trial.
Still undecided? Our lists of LiveChat alternatives and live chat software for small businesses cover more options.
Beyond the website widget
We build ReplyKit, so this part reflects our interest. If your customers write more on WhatsApp than on your website, ReplyKit answers both channels from your own content, books appointments and flags hot leads, for $29, $49 or $99 a month with no per-seat fees, AI replies included and no Meta fees.
It connects WhatsApp by QR code as a linked device, an unofficial method that Meta does not sanction, so a number can be restricted; use a dedicated number. It has no Shopify app, ticketing, SMS or Messenger, so for a website-first sales team LiveChat or Tidio is the better choice. To test the WhatsApp side, start a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is LiveChat more expensive than Tidio?
It depends on team size. LiveChat charges $19 to $79 per user a month on annual billing, while Tidio charges by conversation with up to 10 seats included. One or two users often pay less on LiveChat; larger teams with modest chat volume pay less on Tidio.
Does LiveChat include AI?
Yes. LiveChat's Essential plan includes 1 AI agent and 10 AI resolutions a month, and Growth includes 10 AI agents and 200 resolutions. Extra resolutions cost $49.50 per pack of 50.
Is Lyro cheaper than LiveChat's AI?
Per unit, yes: Lyro costs about 70 to 78 cents per AI conversation against about 99 cents per extra LiveChat resolution. But Lyro counts every conversation it replies in, while LiveChat counts resolutions, and LiveChat includes some in the plan.
Do Tidio and LiveChat support WhatsApp?
Yes. Tidio includes WhatsApp on every plan with 1,000 free support messages per number a month. LiveChat offers a WhatsApp Business app in its marketplace that it says is installed on every paid plan and trial.
Which has a free plan?
Tidio has a permanent free plan for 50 human-answered conversations a month. LiveChat has no free plan but offers a 14-day trial with no credit card.
Does LiveChat keep chat history?
Essential keeps 60 days of chat history; Growth and Enterprise keep unlimited history. If you need to look back over months of conversations, budget for Growth.
Customers writing on WhatsApp, not your website?
ReplyKit answers both from your own content, with AI included and no per-seat fees. Try it free for 7 days, no credit card.
Sources and further reading
- LiveChat, Pricing · per-user prices, AI agents and resolutions, $49.50 per 50 extra, Copilot limits, history, trial, checked October 2026
- LiveChat Marketplace, WhatsApp Business · installed on every paid plan and trial, numbers free to connect, Meta setup
- Tidio, Pricing · plans, seats, Lyro starting price, trial
- Tidio, WhatsApp integration · 1,000 free support messages per number, local rates with no markup
- 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.