Tidio vs Intercom: which is better?
Tidio is better for small businesses on a budget. Intercom is better for growing SaaS or support teams that need depth.
Tidio gets a chat widget and chatbot live quickly at low cost. Intercom does far more, including helpdesk, in-app messaging, reporting and a mature AI agent, and costs more as a result.
How do Tidio and Intercom compare side by side?
| Feature | Tidio | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small online stores and SMBs that want cheap live chat with a chatbot | SaaS and product-led teams that want in-app messaging and a mature AI agent |
| Pricing model | Priced by billable conversations, with seats included | Per seat plus AI outcomes |
| Entry price | Free plan; Starter from about $24/mo | Essential $29/seat/mo (annual) |
| AI agent | Lyro add-on from $32.50/mo for 50 conversations | Fin $0.99 per outcome |
| Automation | Flows add-on from about $24/mo | Workflows included by plan |
| Channels | Live chat, email, social messaging | Chat, in-app, email; SMS, WhatsApp and phone are usage-based |
| Helpdesk depth | Basic | Full inbox, reporting, in-app |
| Scale | SMB; Plus and Premium for larger | Startups to enterprise |
Checked September 2026. Confirm current prices on each vendor's site.
What are the main differences between Tidio and Intercom?
Pricing unit
Tidio counts billable conversations and includes seats; Intercom counts seats and AI outcomes. For a tiny team with many chats, Tidio is cheaper; for large teams, compare carefully.
AI
Lyro is sold in conversation bundles; Tidio's Premium tier advertises a guaranteed 50% Lyro resolution rate. Fin is pay per outcome at $0.99.
Depth
Intercom adds in-app messaging, product tours, richer reporting and a fuller helpdesk. Tidio focuses on chat, email and a chatbot.
Is Tidio or Intercom cheaper?
- Tidio: Free (50 billable conversations), Starter from about $24/mo (100 conversations), Growth from about $49/mo (up to 2,000), Plus from $300/mo plus usage, Premium custom. Annual billing gives 2 months free. Lyro from $32.50/mo; Flows from about $24/mo.
- Intercom: Essential $29, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat/month (annual). Fin $0.99 per outcome.
Worked example, 3 agents: Tidio Growth plus Lyro starts around $82/month before extra Lyro volume. Intercom Essential is 3 x $29 = $87/month before Fin outcomes. The gap widens with seats and AI volume.
Should your team pick Tidio or Intercom?
- Solo founder or small store: Tidio.
- SaaS with in-app users: Intercom.
- Growing ecommerce team that wants AI actions on orders: consider the third option below.
Is there a third option?
If neither fits cleanly, Aftersales is a third option built around AI resolution rather than seats or ticket volume. Agent resolves conversations end to end and takes actions, such as verifying a Shopify order, issuing a replacement or a Stripe refund, while Copilot drafts replies for your team and Inbox handles everything that needs a human.
| Feature | Aftersales |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Per seat: Free $0, Starter $24, Growth $69, Scale $109 per seat/month billed annually |
| AI pricing | Agent $0.99 per resolution, counted once per conversation; unresolved conversations free |
| Channels | Email, live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, social; phone on Growth+ |
| Actions | Shopify, Stripe refunds, Salesforce actions under spend guardrails |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA-ready (BAA on Scale), SSO/SAML/SCIM on Scale |
Checked September 2026. Confirm current prices on each vendor's site.
Aftersales is the newer platform, so its ecosystem is smaller than Tidio's or Intercom's. Confirm niche integrations on a call. Median resolution is 71% after 90 days, and Northwind Outdoors cut cost per conversation by 41%. See pricing or customer stories.
Test it on your own conversations.Start a 14-day free trial; the Free plan includes 50 Agent resolutions.