Roundup · 8 tools

The 8 Best Tidio Alternatives in 2026

Tidio is a solid, low-cost start, especially on Shopify. People usually look elsewhere when they want AI that is included rather than bought as the Lyro add-on, more channels, or chat that actively sells. Here are the alternatives, with real prices. We make Sukar, so it is listed first.

Last checked October 2026

Quick answer

AI included in the price? Sukar or Crisp. Completely free? tawk.to. Shopify support tickets? Gorgias. Big support team? Intercom.

Tidio alternatives at a glance

Tool	Free plan	Starting price	AI pricing
Tidio (for reference)	Yes	~$24.17/mo (annual)	Lyro add-on
Sukar	Yes, 50 AI conversations/mo	$29/mo flat (3 agents)	Included in plan
Crisp	Yes	$45/mo per workspace	AI credits included
tawk.to	Yes	Free + add-ons	Paid add-on
Gorgias	No	$10/mo (50 tickets)	$0.90–$1.00 per interaction
Intercom	No	$39/seat/mo	$0.99 per resolution
LiveChat	No (trial)	$19/agent/mo (annual)	Separate ChatBot product
Freshchat	Up to 10 agents	$19/agent/mo (annual)	$49 per 100 sessions
HubSpot	Yes	Paid hubs	Varies by tier

Prices from each vendor’s public pricing page, October 2026. They change often, so check before you buy.

Why people switch from Tidio

Tidio’s headline price is low, but its Lyro AI agent is billed on top, so the real cost depends on how many conversations the AI handles. Many stores also want chat that does more than answer FAQs: show the right product, offer a discount at the right moment, and flag the visitors who are about to buy.

The best Tidio alternatives, reviewed

1. Sukar

Best for turning visitors into sales

Price:: Free; Starter $29/mo (3 agents); Pro $79/mo (10 agents)
AI:: Included on every plan: 50 / 300 / 3,000 AI conversations a month

Live chat with an AI agent that learns your website automatically and answers like a salesperson: product questions, pricing, discount codes and checkout links. On Pro it scores every visitor’s buying intent (0–100) and switches into a closer mode for hot leads, then alerts your team.

Good

+ AI included in the plan price, no per-resolution fees
+ Trains itself by crawling your site, no help center needed
+ Shopify, WooCommerce and YouCan: product search and discount codes in chat
+ Widget in English and Arabic (right-to-left)

Watch out for

− Visitor scoring, closer mode, team inbox and WhatsApp/Messenger/Instagram are Pro ($79/mo)
− Newer product: no ticketing suite or knowledge-base builder

Start free

2. Crisp

Best for multichannel inbox on a budget

Price:: Free plan; paid $45 / $95 / $295 per month per workspace
AI:: AI credits included on all plans

A popular all-in-one inbox with chat, email and social channels, priced per workspace instead of per seat. A good fit for small teams that want many channels in one place.

Good

+ Workspace pricing, not per seat
+ Many channels in one inbox
+ Free plan with AI credits

Watch out for

− First paid plan is $45/mo
− No visitor intent scoring or sales closer mode listed

Sukar vs Crisp Crisp pricing

3. tawk.to

Best for free live chat with human agents

Price:: Free; paid add-ons (e.g. branding removal $29/mo)
AI:: AI Assist, paid add-on

Free live chat with unlimited agents, funded by paid add-ons. Hard to beat if you only need humans answering chats; AI and white-labelling cost extra.

Good

+ Free with unlimited agents
+ Mobile and desktop apps
+ Large user base

Watch out for

− AI is a paid add-on
− Branding removal is a paid add-on

Sukar vs tawk.to tawk.to pricing

4. Gorgias

Best for e-commerce support helpdesks

Price:: From $10/mo (50 tickets), scales with ticket volume
AI:: AI Agent, $0.90–$1.00 per interaction

A helpdesk built for online stores, with deep Shopify order actions. Strong for post-purchase support; pricing grows with ticket volume and AI interactions.

Good

+ Deep Shopify order actions
+ Built for e-commerce support
+ Low entry price

Watch out for

− Per-ticket and per-AI-interaction pricing
− Helpdesk-first rather than pre-sale selling

Sukar vs Gorgias Gorgias pricing

5. Intercom

Best for large support teams

Price:: Essential from $39/seat/mo; no free plan
AI:: Fin AI agent, $0.99 per resolution

A mature customer-service platform with a strong AI agent (Fin), help center, workflows and reporting. Excellent for support organisations; costs climb with seats and with every conversation Fin resolves.

Good

+ Deep support workflows and reporting
+ Fin is a capable AI agent
+ Large integration ecosystem

Watch out for

− Per-seat pricing plus per-resolution AI fees
− No free plan
− More setup to get full value

Sukar vs Intercom Intercom pricing

6. LiveChat

Best for dedicated human chat teams

Price:: From $19/agent/mo (billed annually); 14-day trial
AI:: ChatBot is a separate product

A polished agent app built for teams that answer chats all day, with a big marketplace of integrations. Pricing is per agent, and its chatbot is sold as a separate product.

Good

+ Polished agent experience
+ Large integration marketplace
+ Strong reporting

Watch out for

− No free plan
− Per-agent pricing
− Chatbot sold separately

Sukar vs LiveChat LiveChat pricing

7. Freshchat

Best for teams already on Freshworks

Price:: Free up to 10 agents; Growth $19/agent/mo (annual)
AI:: Freddy AI Agent, $49 per 100 sessions

Messaging from the Freshworks suite with a generous free tier. Natural choice if you already use Freshdesk; AI is bought in session packs.

Good

+ Free for up to 10 agents
+ Fits the Freshworks suite
+ Omnichannel messaging

Watch out for

− AI billed per session pack
− Per-agent pricing on paid plans

Sukar vs Freshchat Freshchat pricing

8. HubSpot

Best for teams living in the HubSpot CRM

Price:: Free chat; AI and automation on paid hubs
AI:: Chatbots / Breeze, varies by tier

Free live chat connected to the HubSpot CRM. Great if HubSpot is already your system of record; advanced bots, lead scoring and branding removal sit in paid tiers.

Good

+ Free chat tied to a free CRM
+ Strong marketing and sales suite

Watch out for

− Best features need paid hub seats
− HubSpot branding on free

Sukar vs HubSpot HubSpot pricing

Switch from Tidio in minutes

Paste one script tag. Sukar’s AI reads your store, answers shoppers and sends discount codes, with AI included in your plan.

Start free See pricing

Free plan, no credit card. One script tag to install.

Head to head

More roundups

For stores

Tidio, Lyro, Crisp, tawk.to, Gorgias, Intercom, LiveChat, Freshchat and HubSpot are trademarks of their owners. This page is for informational comparison only.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good free alternative to Tidio?+

tawk.to is free with unlimited human agents. If you want AI on a free plan, Sukar’s free plan includes 50 AI conversations a month trained on your website, and Crisp’s free plan includes AI credits.

Is there a Tidio alternative with AI included instead of a Lyro add-on?+

Yes. Sukar includes AI conversations in every plan (50 on Free, 300 on Starter at $29/mo, 3,000 on Pro at $79/mo), and Crisp includes AI credits on its plans.

What is the best Tidio alternative for Shopify?+

For pre-sale chat that sells, Sukar: the AI searches your Shopify catalog, recommends products and can send discount codes. For order-related support tickets, Gorgias has deeper post-purchase actions.

Is Tidio cheaper than Sukar?+

At entry level, yes: Tidio Starter is about $24.17/mo billed annually versus Sukar Starter at $29/mo. The difference is AI: Lyro is billed separately on Tidio, while Sukar Starter includes 300 AI conversations.