Tidio alternative
Verdesk vs Tidio: honest comparison (September 2026)
Tidio is a customer-service platform — live chat, ticketing and automation flows — with its Lyro AI agent sold as an add-on. Verdesk is an AI assistant for small-business websites: it learns your site, answers in your customer's language and hands over to your team when it can't. Here's how they compare, including when Tidio is the better choice.
Side by side
| Verdesk | Tidio | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter, $29/mo — 2,000 messages | Starter, $24.17/mo billed annually — 100 human conversations; AI extra |
| Free option | Free plan, 300 messages/mo, no card | Free plan (50 conversations) and a 7-day trial |
| How usage is counted | 1 AI reply = 1 message, whatever the model. Top-ups: 1,000 for $25 | Human-answered conversations per plan; AI (Lyro) conversations bought separately |
| AI replies included in the plan | Yes — no separate AI add-on or API key | No — Lyro AI is an add-on, from $32.50/mo |
| Replies in the customer's language | Automatic, in the language the customer writes | “Multilanguage” on all plans |
| Correct an answer so it sticks | “Fix this answer” — your correction is used first from then on | Not described; Lyro lists FAQ upload and “Guidance” |
| Hand over to a person | Console inbox on every plan; email and Telegram alerts on paid plans | Yes — live chat and ticketing; Lyro hands over to humans |
| Reply to customers from Telegram | Yes, from Starter | Telegram as a customer messaging channel (integrations page) |
| Remove the vendor's branding | From Growth ($99/mo) | Add-on on Growth; custom branding from Plus |
| API | Not yet — on the Business-plan roadmap | OpenAPI from Plus |
Tidio facts as of September 2026, from Tidio's pricing page. Prices change — check there before you decide. Verdesk prices are current.
Pricing
Verdesk
- Free · $0300 messages/mo · 1 chatbot · 1 seat
- Starter · $29/mo2,000 messages/mo · 1 chatbot · 2 seats
- Growth · $99/mo7,500 messages/mo · 3 chatbots · 5 seats
- Business · $299/mo25,000 messages/mo · 10 chatbots · 15 seats
Tidio as of September 2026
- Free · $050 billable conversations · 50 Lyro conversations (lifetime)
- Starter · $24.17/mo100 billable conversations · 50 Lyro conversations (one-off)
- Growth · From $49.17/moFrom 250 billable conversations
- Plus · From $300/mo + usageCustom billable conversations
- Premium · Contact salesFrom 3,000 Lyro AI conversations
- Lyro AI Agent (add-on) · From $32.50/moFrom 50 Lyro AI conversations
Prices as shown with annual billing (“2 months free”). A billable conversation is one that includes a reply from a human agent; Lyro AI replies are bought separately, per conversation.
Where Verdesk is different
The AI is the plan, not an add-on
Tidio sells its Lyro AI agent separately, from $32.50/mo. Every Verdesk plan includes the AI, starting with 300 AI replies a month on the free plan.
One number to watch
Tidio counts human-answered conversations on the plan and AI conversations on the Lyro add-on. Verdesk counts one thing: each AI reply is one message.
Built to answer from your website
Verdesk reads your site, answers in the customer's language, and passes anything it can't answer to your team — with email and Telegram alerts from Starter ($29/mo).
When Tidio is the better choice
- You want a full helpdesk — live chat, ticketing and automation flows — with AI as one part of it.
- You run a Shopify store and want native Shopify actions (Growth and up).
- You answer customers on Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email from one inbox.
- You need many agent seats — Tidio lists 10 seats even on its free plan.
- You want AI priced per resolution at high volume (Tidio Premium).
Try Verdesk on your own website
Free plan, no card. Most owners are answering customers within ten minutes.
Start freeQuestions
Does Tidio include AI replies?
Tidio's Lyro AI agent is an add-on, from $32.50/mo for 50 conversations as of September 2026. Verdesk includes AI replies in every plan, starting with 300 a month free.
Does Verdesk charge more for better AI models?
No. Every AI reply counts as exactly one message, whatever model answers it, and the model is included in the plan. Extra messages on paid plans are 1,000 for $25.
Can I switch from Tidio to Verdesk?
Yes. There's no import from Tidio: add your website address in Verdesk and it reads your pages itself, then add any files or notes. Most people are testing answers within ten minutes, on the free plan.