Tidio looks affordable until you need AI: Lyro costs extra on every plan, and there's a massive gap between Growth and Tidio+. Here's every tier, add-on, and hidden cost explained.
Tidio pricing in 2026 attracts small businesses with a generous free plan and affordable entry tiers. But the moment you need AI capabilities, specifically Lyro, their AI chatbot: the costs start stacking in ways that are not immediately obvious.
This guide breaks down every Tidio pricing tier, the Lyro AI add-on cost structure, the massive price jump between Growth and Tidio+, and what the platform really costs for teams at different stages. We also compare with Chatsy pricing for equivalent features so you can see the full picture.
Disclosure: We built Chatsy, which is used as an example in this guide.
Tidio publishes more pricing detail than most competitors, but Lyro overage and Tidio+ contract pricing are still partially private. We compiled this guide from three sources:
Where Tidio's listed Lyro rate did not match user-reported overage charges, we documented the discrepancy. Where Tidio+ pricing required a sales conversation, we used the published $749 starting point as the effective floor for buyers without leverage. Last verified March 2026.
Tidio offers four plans. Monthly pricing is straightforward, but conversation limits and the Lyro add-on create complexity.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Conversations Included | Operators Included | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 live chat | 3 | Basic chatbot, live chat widget, email channel |
| Starter | $29 | 100 live chat | 3 | Live typing preview, basic analytics, chat history |
| Growth | $59 | Up to 2,000 live chat | 5 | Advanced analytics, permissions, operating hours, Tidio branding removal |
| Tidio+ | $749 | Custom | Custom | Dedicated success manager, custom integrations, Lyro included, premium support |
Operators are team members who can use Tidio. The Free and Starter plans include 3, Growth includes 5, and additional operators cost $10/month each.
The conversation limits apply to live chat conversations where an operator participates. Chatbot-only interactions (where a visitor interacts with a flow but no human joins) are tracked separately.
Lyro is Tidio's AI chatbot that can answer customer questions using your knowledge base content. It is not included in any plan except Tidio+.
| Lyro AI Tier | Monthly Price | AI Conversations | Cost per Conversation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyro AI | $39 | 50 | $0.78 |
| Additional conversations | ~$39 per 50 | 50 per block | $0.78 |
| Lyro AI (200 convos) | ~$140 | 200 | $0.70 |
| Lyro AI (500 convos) | ~$290 | 500 | $0.58 |
| Included in Tidio+ | $0 (part of $749) | Custom | Varies |
Why this matters: A team on the Growth plan ($59/month) that wants AI chatbot needs Lyro at $39/month minimum, bringing the real cost to $98/month for just 50 AI conversations. If you need 200 AI conversations, the Lyro add-on alone costs more than the base plan.
Lyro conversations are counted when the AI handles a customer query. If the conversation gets handed off to a human, it counts as both a Lyro conversation and a live chat conversation. This double-counting can eat through both allotments faster than expected.
The most significant pricing issue with Tidio is the massive jump between Growth ($59/month) and Tidio+ ($749/month). There is no plan in between.
| What You Get at $59/mo | What You Need to Pay $749/mo For |
|---|---|
| 2,000 live chat conversations | Custom conversation limits |
| 5 operators | Custom operator count |
| Advanced analytics | Custom integrations |
| No Lyro included | Lyro AI included |
| Standard support | Dedicated success manager |
| Tidio branding removable | Premium support and SLA |
For teams that outgrow Growth, maybe they need 10 operators, 5,000 conversations, and Lyro AI: the jump to $749/month is steep. Many mid-market teams end up stacking Growth ($59) + extra operators ($10 each) + Lyro ($39-$290), which can total $200-$400/month but still lacks the custom integrations and premium support of Tidio+.
This pricing gap effectively forces mid-size teams to choose between paying $749/month or cobbling together a plan that still has limitations.
Beyond the base plan and Lyro, Tidio has additional costs:
| Add-On / Cost | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Extra operators | $10/operator/mo | Beyond plan limit |
| Lyro AI | $39-$290+/mo | 50-500 AI conversations |
| Email marketing | Starting at $10/mo | Email campaigns (separate feature) |
| Chatbot templates | Free with plans | But custom flows require higher plans |
| Integrations | Free (basic) | Custom integrations require Tidio+ |
| Branding removal | Growth+ plans | Free/Starter show Tidio branding |
Here is what Tidio actually costs for three common scenarios.
| Cost Component | Calculation | Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0 | $0 |
| Lyro AI (50 convos) | $39 | $39 |
| Total without AI | $0/mo | |
| Total with AI | $39/mo |
The free plan is solid if you do not need AI. The moment you want Lyro, even on the free plan, you pay $39/month.
| Cost Component | Calculation | Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|
| Growth plan (5 operators included) | $59 | $59 |
| Lyro AI (200 convos) | $140 | $140 |
| Total without AI | $59/mo | |
| Total with AI | $199/mo |
| Cost Component | Calculation | Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|
| Growth plan | $59 | $59 |
| Extra operators (5 beyond the 5 included) | 5 x $10 | $50 |
| Lyro AI (500 convos) | $290 | $290 |
| Total without AI | $109/mo | |
| Total with AI | $399/mo |
At this point, you are paying $399/month but still lack custom integrations, a dedicated success manager, and premium support. The next tier up is $749/month.
Chatsy uses conversation-based pricing, you pay for message credits, not per operator. AI is included. Here is the comparison:
| Scenario | Tidio (Growth + Lyro) | Chatsy (Equivalent) | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 operators, 500 convos | $98/mo ($1,176/yr) | Standard $150/mo ($1,800/yr) | Tidio cheaper at low volume |
| 5 operators, 1,000 convos | $199/mo ($2,388/yr) | Standard $150/mo ($1,800/yr) | ~$588 |
| 10 operators, 3,000 convos | $399/mo ($4,788/yr) | Pro $500/mo ($6,000/yr) | Tidio cheaper |
| 10+ operators, 5,000+ convos | $749/mo ($8,988/yr) | Pro $500/mo ($6,000/yr) | ~$2,988 |
At very low volumes, Tidio can be cheaper than Chatsy. But once you need meaningful AI (200+ conversations) and a growing team, the costs converge. At the Tidio+ tier, Chatsy is significantly more affordable.
Chatsy's Standard plan includes 3,500 message credits, 3 team seats, live chat, AI chatbot, knowledge base, and ticketing. The Pro plan includes 12,000 credits and 5 seats. AI is bundled, no separate Lyro-style add-on.
For a detailed comparison, see Chatsy vs Tidio.
Unlike competitors who include AI in base plans, Tidio charges for Lyro separately on Free, Starter, and Growth. Only Tidio+ ($749/month) includes Lyro. This makes the advertised plan prices misleading for anyone who wants AI features.
When Lyro handles a conversation and then hands off to a human, it counts against both your Lyro allotment and your live chat allotment. One customer interaction can consume two conversation credits.
At $10/operator/month, a 15-person team on Growth pays $100/month just for the extra 10 operators. Combined with Lyro, the Growth plan can easily exceed $350/month while still having mid-tier limitations.
The 12x price jump from Growth ($59) to Tidio+ ($749) means mid-market teams must either over-pay for features they may not need or under-buy and work around limitations.
Tidio's email marketing features are a separate subscription. Teams that want unified customer communication (chat + email) pay for both, adding $10-$30/month depending on list size.
How does Tidio stack up against other live chat and chatbot tools at the same team sizes?
| Scenario | Tidio (Growth + Lyro 200) | Intercom (Essential) | Crisp (Pro) | Chatsy (Standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 operators | $199/mo | $87/mo | $95/mo | $150/mo |
| 5 operators | $199/mo | $145/mo | $95/mo | $150/mo |
| 10 operators | $249/mo | $290/mo | $95/mo | $150/mo |
| 15 operators | $299/mo | $435/mo | $95/mo | $500/mo (Pro) |
At small team sizes (3-5 operators), Tidio with Lyro is more expensive than Intercom Essential and Crisp Pro. At larger team sizes, Tidio's per-operator add-on fee is lower than Intercom's per-seat cost, but the Lyro add-on keeps total costs high.
Crisp stands out as cheaper across the board for teams that do not need AI, while Chatsy offers AI included at every tier without per-operator fees.
How does Lyro compare to other AI chatbot offerings in terms of both features and pricing?
| AI Feature | Tidio (Lyro) | Intercom (Fin) | Freshdesk (Freddy) | Chatsy AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per conversation | Per resolution | Per agent | Included |
| Base cost | $39/mo (50 convos) | $0.99/resolution | $29/agent/mo | $0 (included) |
| 200 AI interactions/mo | ~$140/mo | $198/mo | $290/mo (10 agents) | $0 |
| 500 AI interactions/mo | ~$290/mo | $495/mo | $290/mo (10 agents) | $0 |
| Knowledge base training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Human handoff | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom persona | Limited | Yes | Limited | Yes |
Lyro is mid-range on cost but has a notable limitation: it charges per AI conversation regardless of how simple the query is. A customer asking "what are your hours?" costs the same as a complex multi-turn troubleshooting conversation. Platforms with included AI (like Chatsy) eliminate this per-interaction cost calculation entirely.
Tidio offers discounts for annual billing on all paid plans.
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing (per month) | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | $24.17/mo ($290/yr) | $58/yr (17%) |
| Growth | $59/mo | $49.17/mo ($590/yr) | $118/yr (17%) |
| Tidio+ | $749/mo | Negotiable | Varies |
Lyro AI add-on pricing also benefits from annual commitment, though the discount varies. For teams confident in their usage, annual billing saves roughly two months of cost per year.
The savings are modest compared to the Lyro add-on cost. A team paying $59/month for Growth and $140/month for Lyro saves about $118/year on the base plan, less than one month of Lyro fees.
Switching to Tidio from another platform involves several considerations:
For teams considering a move to Tidio, start with a parallel run on a low-traffic page to test Lyro accuracy and chatbot flows before rolling out site-wide.
Best for: Personal websites, side projects, or businesses just exploring live chat. The 50-conversation limit is tight but enough to test the platform. Best used without Lyro, adding the AI add-on at $39/month defeats the purpose of a free plan for most budgets.
Best for: Small businesses that want live typing preview and basic analytics. The jump from Free gets you 100 conversations and chat history. However, the conversation limit is still low for any active website.
Best for: Small to mid-size teams of 3-5 operators with moderate traffic. This is the sweet spot before the massive jump to Tidio+. Best for teams that primarily need live chat with optional AI.
Best for: Companies that need Lyro AI included, custom integrations, a dedicated success manager, and premium support. Only worth it if you are handling 5,000+ conversations/month and need the full platform. At this price, evaluate competitors carefully before committing.
Scenario: A 7-operator e-commerce team on Growth with Lyro AI for 300 AI conversations/month.
| Item | Calculation | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Growth plan | $59 | $59 |
| Extra operators (2 beyond the 5 included) | 2 x $10 | $20 |
| Lyro AI (~300 convos) | ~$200 | $200 |
| Total | $279/mo | |
| Annual total | $3,348/yr |
Same team on Chatsy: Standard plan at $150/month ($1,800/year) covers AI chatbot, live chat, knowledge base, and ticketing with no per-operator fees and AI included. Annual savings: approximately $1,548.
Use our support cost calculator to model your specific scenario.
Tidio nails the small-business segment, but the model breaks down in a few cases:
If your monthly Lyro volume crosses roughly 500 conversations, run the math against flat-rate AI competitors before renewing.
Yes, Tidio has a genuinely free plan with 50 live chat conversations per month, 3 operators, and basic chatbot flows. However, it does not include Lyro AI, and the conversation limit is very low. Most active websites outgrow it within weeks.
Lyro AI starts at $39/month for 50 AI conversations. Additional conversations are purchased in blocks, roughly $39 per 50 conversations. Larger blocks (200 or 500 conversations) offer slightly better per-conversation rates. Lyro is included only in Tidio+ ($749/month).
Tidio positions Growth ($59/month) for small teams and Tidio+ ($749/month) for enterprises. There is no mid-market plan. Teams that outgrow Growth must either stack add-ons (extra operators + Lyro) or jump to Tidio+. This is one of the most common complaints about Tidio pricing.
Absolutely. Tidio works as a live chat and chatbot-flow platform without Lyro. The rule-based chatbot builder is included in all plans and can handle common scenarios like FAQ responses and lead capture without AI. Lyro adds natural language understanding for more complex queries.
Tidio charges per live chat conversation (when an operator participates) and per Lyro AI conversation (when the AI responds). Individual messages within a conversation do not have separate charges. The conversation starts when a visitor initiates contact and ends when the chat is closed.
Yes. Chatsy includes AI chatbot capabilities in every plan with no separate add-on required. Conversation-based pricing means no per-operator fees and no separate AI charges. See our Tidio alternative guide for a full comparison.
Freshdesk's per-agent pricing looks affordable at first: until Freddy AI, marketplace apps, and agent scaling kick in. Here's every tier, add-on, and hidden cost for teams of 5, 15, and 50 agents.
