Head-to-head · facts checked 26 Sept 2026
Chatling vs Tidio
Tidio uniquely has 15 features · Chatling uniquely has 5 features.
The verdict
Chatling or Tidio?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Chatling
Free
Free
100 AI credits/mo, 2 AI agents, 500K KB characters, 1 seat, limited customization
Standard
$40/mo · $384/yr
3,000 AI credits/mo, 3 AI agents, 30M KB characters, 2 seats, API access, analytics, 34 AI models
Plus
$140/mo · $1,344/yr
15,000 AI credits/mo, 5 AI agents, 100M KB characters, 3 seats, daily auto-sync, CSAT survey, no branding
Tidio
Starter
$29/mo · $290/yr
100 Billable conversations, 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations (one-off)
Growth
$59/mo · $590/yr
From 250 Billable conversations, includes advanced analytics and automation
Plus
$300/mo · $3,600/yr
Custom Billable conversations, + monthly usage, premium support and dedicated success manager
Premium
Custom
Custom Billable conversations, guaranteed 50% Lyro AI resolution rate, managed service
Section 02
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Chatling
Pros
- Genuinely functional free plan includes 200 AI credits per month, one AI agent, and live chat with no credit card required.
- No-code AI chatbot builder allows small teams to deploy bots without writing a single line of code.
- Chatbots can be trained on existing docs by syncing a website, uploading documents, or connecting a help center.
- Human handoff includes an AI-generated conversation summary so agents don't have to start from scratch.
- Plus plan supports up to 100 million knowledge base characters, which is more than sufficient for most small support teams.
- Live chat is built in with team inbox, canned responses, and file attachments on paid plans.
- Deploys across both website and major social messaging channels from a single platform.
Cons
- No ticket management or SLA controls, making it unsuitable for teams migrating from Zendesk or Freshdesk.
- Company founding date and headquarters are not disclosed anywhere on the website or public sources.
- Claims of serving 'global brands' appear to be marketing language unsupported by review volume or customer evidence.
- The product is limited in scope and does not function as a full helpdesk platform.
- Customer base appears small-to-mid-sized, raising questions about scalability for larger enterprise rollouts.
- Paid plans start at $25 per month, which may be a commitment hurdle for teams unsatisfied with the limited free tier.
Tidio
Pros
- Lyro AI agent performs better than expected, handling repetitive queries like order status, return policies, and FAQs without human intervention.
- Available across web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Chrome, giving small teams the flexibility to run support on the go.
- The ticketing system includes email management, automated replies, macros, and auto-assignment for a complete helpdesk experience.
- The Flows builder allows teams to set up rule-based automations without any coding knowledge required.
- Lyro can be trained on custom data via FAQ uploads, website scraping, FAQ scraping, or direct Zendesk article imports.
- Built-in human handover means Lyro passes unresolved conversations to agents with a reportedly clean transition.
- With 300,000+ users and over a decade of development since 2013, Tidio is a proven and mature platform.
Cons
- Pricing structure is likely to frustrate buyers who don't fit the specific use case Tidio is optimized for.
- The product is often underestimated as just a live chat tool, leading to mismatched expectations at the evaluation stage.
- Lyro's AI layer is built on top of Claude and OpenAI foundations rather than a fully proprietary model, raising questions about differentiation.
- Whether the human handover and copilot assistance works as cleanly in practice as Tidio claims is unclear from research alone.
- The platform is primarily aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, making it potentially underpowered for enterprise-level needs.
- Review is based on aggregate research rather than hands-on testing, meaning real-world edge cases may not be fully represented.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | — | 2013 |
| HQ | — | San Francisco, USA |
| AI model | GPT-5.6, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.6 Flash, Grok 4.2, DeepSeek V3.2, Mistral, and 27+ others (34 total) | Lyro (Proprietary, built on Claude/OpenAI foundation) |
| User base | 1,000+ teams | 300K+ |
| Platforms | Web, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Chrome |
| Languages | 80+ languages | 25+ |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | No — free plan available indefinitely | Yes |
| Starting price | $25/mo | $29/mo |
| Enterprise | — | Contact for pricing |
| All plans | Free — Free Standard — $40/mo Plus — $140/mo | Starter — $29/mo Growth — $59/mo Plus — $300/mo Premium — Custom |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Small to mid-sized businesses wanting no-code AI chatbot support across web and social channels | Small to mid-sized businesses needing live chat with AI automation |
| Differentiator | Publishes full roster of 34 AI models directly on pricing page, making model availability unusually transparent | Combines live chat, AI agent (Lyro), and proactive flow automation in one platform with transparent usage-based pricing |
| Competitors | Tidio, Intercom, Freshdesk, Zendesk, Crisp, Drift | Intercom, Zendesk, Gorgias, LiveChat, Freshdesk |
| Features | ||
| AI Agent Conversations | — | ✓ |
| AI Chatbot (Lyro) | — | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | — |
| Advanced Analytics | — | ✓ |
| Annual Billing Discount | — | ✓ |
| Automatic Chat Assignment | — | ✓ |
| Chatbot Analytics | ✓ | — |
| Knowledge Base Sync | ✓ | — |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live Chat & Ticketing | — | ✓ |
| Live Typing Preview | — | ✓ |
| Macros | — | ✓ |
| Proactive Chat Flows | — | ✓ |
| Ticketing System | — | ✓ |
| Usage Based Pricing Calculator | — | ✓ |
| Visual Builder | ✓ | — |
| Voice Input | ✓ | — |
| AI Chatbot | ✓ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom Training | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Human Handover | ✓ | ✓ |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multilingual | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✕ | ✓ |
| Ticket Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| White Label | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hubspot | ✓ | ✓ |
| Key Integrations | WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, website embed; see integrations page for full list | Shopify, Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Email, WordPress, Magento, Squarespace, Zapier, and 120+ total integrations |
| Salesforce | — | ✓ |
| Shopify | — | ✓ |
| Slack | — | ✓ |
| Zapier | ✓ | ✓ |
Section 03
Chatling vs Tidio: common questions
Is Chatling or Tidio cheaper?
Chatling's cheapest paid plan is $25/mo and Tidio's is $29/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
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