Tidio Alternatives: 10 Live Chat and AI Agent Tools (2026)

The best Tidio alternative depends on where your customers start the conversation. If they message you on WhatsApp, our pick is Kanal: a chat widget, a shared inbox and a WhatsApp AI agent that know your store's orders. Kanal goes furthest on Shopify, where it installs as a native app, and it also connects PrestaShop stores.

The nine other tools below range from a free storefront chat to full helpdesks with email tickets, each with its own pricing model. We compared 10 tools on their AI features, their channels, their Shopify fit and the starting price shown on their own pricing page.

Why merchants look at Tidio alternatives

Tidio's pricing is built on usage, so it is worth modeling before you grow. Its pricing page lists three separate meters:

• Billable conversations: any live chat, ticket, email or social conversation that includes a reply from a human agent. Replies from Flows and Lyro don't count as agent replies.
• Lyro AI conversations: every account starts with 50 Lyro conversations, once. A monthly Lyro quota is a paid plan, from $32.50/month billed annually for 50 conversations.
• Visitors reached with Flows: the free plan covers 100 visitors a month, and higher quotas are paid.

Native Shopify actions start on the Growth plan, and self-serve plans go up to 10 agents. Your bill therefore depends on how many conversations your team and Lyro handle each month.

When you compare alternatives, three questions help:

• Where do conversations start? On your website, by email, or on WhatsApp.
• How is the AI billed? Per conversation, per resolution or outcome, or through credits included in a flat plan.
• What can the tool do with orders? Show them next to the chat, edit them, or refund them.

What Tidio does well

Screenshot of the Tidio website.

Tidio has real strengths for small teams. There is a free plan, and its pricing page lists WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email integrations on every plan. On Shopify, where it is rated 4.8 stars from 1,339 reviews, Lyro can act within your rules on order status, refunds, cancellations and order edits, start conversations on product pages, compare products and add them to the cart. When a human steps in, the team sees the orders and the live cart. Its listing also says Lyro pauses at your usage limit, so AI spend stays capped. If your volume fits its quotas, Tidio remains a sensible choice.

How we compared the tools

We read each tool's website and pricing page, and its Shopify App Store listing when it has one, on September 11, 2026. Each tool was checked on four points:

• AI: whether there is an AI agent, and how it is billed.
• Channels: live chat, email, social and WhatsApp, as the vendor lists them.
• Shopify fit: the app or integration the vendor documents, and what agents can see or do with orders.
• Starting price: the first paid plan on the vendor's pricing page, in US dollars as displayed. Some tools charge per agent or per seat, others per workspace or by ticket volume.

We did not score or rank the tools ourselves. Prices change often, so check the vendor's page before you buy.

Tidio alternatives compared

The 10 best Tidio alternatives

1. Kanal, the WhatsApp AI agent, chat widget and inbox for online stores

The Kanal app: home dashboard.

The Kanal app: automations.

Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing and automation platform for e-commerce brands. Tidio starts from a website chat and a help desk, with WhatsApp as one of its integrations. Kanal is built around WhatsApp, where the conversation continues after the shopper leaves your site. Kanal goes furthest on Shopify, where it installs from the Shopify App Store, and it also connects PrestaShop stores through its store API, with setup done by a Kanal expert.

• AI agent on WhatsApp: it recommends products, handles objections and guides shoppers to checkout inside WhatsApp. It also answers order tracking, return and product questions 24/7, and escalates to your team with the full context. It acts on real order and subscription data from Shopify, Klaviyo, Recharge, Crisp and Gorgias, and answers in more than 96 languages. The AI agent is not part of the entry plan.
• Chat widget and shared inbox: the entry Pro plan includes the chat widget and inbox. Your team assigns conversations, adds internal notes and uses quick replies, with order history, total spend and tags next to each customer.
• Automations from store events: abandoned cart recovery, order and shipping updates, back-in-stock alerts and post-purchase follow-ups on WhatsApp.
• Keeps your helpdesk: Kanal routes WhatsApp conversations into Gorgias and Zendesk as tickets, or into Crisp, with the customer's Shopify context.
• Pricing: from $89/month with no commitment. Meta's WhatsApp fees are passed through at cost.

Choose it if your customers already message you on WhatsApp and you want support and sales there, with your store data. The AI chatbot page details what the assistant answers.

2. Gorgias, a helpdesk priced by tickets

Screenshot of the Gorgias website.

Gorgias is a helpdesk built for e-commerce and Shopify, with an AI Agent available on every plan.

• Channels: email, chat, social and a help center, with voice and SMS as add-ons. WhatsApp can be added as a channel at no extra cost, and the WhatsApp tickets you reply to count toward your ticket usage.
• AI: AI Agent resolves support questions and automates actions such as returns and order tracking. Each plan includes a number of automated interactions, then charges per interaction.
• Shopify: it works with Shopify and Shopify Plus, and it recognizes Shopify profiles from WhatsApp numbers.
• Pricing: Starter is $10/month for the helpdesk with 50 tickets (monthly billing only), or $40/month with AI Agent and 30 automated interactions. Helpdesk plans scale from 50 to 5,000 tickets a month and are never priced per agent.

Worth a look if you want a full e-commerce helpdesk and prefer paying by ticket volume rather than by seat.

3. Zendesk, customer service suites priced per agent

Screenshot of the Zendesk website.

Zendesk is a customer service suite that brings ticketing, messaging, live chat, a help center and voice together, with AI agents included.

• Channels: email, messaging, phone and social in one ticketing tool. Messaging supports WhatsApp, with additional fees.
• AI: AI agents come with every Suite and Support plan and are billed per automated resolution, meaning a request solved without a human agent.
• Shopify: its Shopify app shows customer data next to tickets and lets agents process refunds and cancellations from the sidebar.
• Pricing: per agent. Support Team is $19 per agent/month paid yearly, for email and ticketing. Suite Team, which adds messaging, live chat and telephony, is $55 per agent/month paid yearly. There is a 14-day trial.

Worth a look if your support team has outgrown a shared inbox and needs routing across many channels.

4. Intercom, an AI agent priced per outcome

Screenshot of the Intercom website.

Intercom is a customer service platform built around Fin, its AI agent, with a shared inbox and ticketing.

• AI: Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. An outcome is counted when a customer confirms the issue is resolved, doesn't ask for more help, or when Fin completes a workflow. Fin can also run on another helpdesk, with a minimum monthly commitment.
• Channels: live chat, support email and in-app chats are included. Email campaigns, SMS, WhatsApp and phone are pay-as-you-go.
• Shopify: its Shopify app lets agents edit shipping information, issue refunds and create orders without leaving Intercom, and connects several stores to one workspace.
• Pricing: per seat, from $29 per seat/month billed annually on Essential ($39 on monthly billing, per its Shopify listing), plus Fin outcomes. There is a 14-day free trial.

Worth a look if you want AI billed on results and one inbox for a growing support team.

5. Crisp, a flat price per workspace

Screenshot of the Crisp website.

Crisp is a customer support suite from Nantes, France, priced per workspace instead of per conversation.

• Channels: website chat on every plan and a shared email inbox from Mini. WhatsApp Business, Instagram DMs and SMS join the inbox from Essentials.
• AI: paid plans include AI credits ($5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials, $75 on Plus), with a custom-trained AI agent from Essentials.
• Shopify: its Shopify app syncs store data into conversations. Crisp also lists WooCommerce and PrestaShop among its e-commerce integrations.
• Pricing: a free plan with 2 seats, then Mini at $45/month (4 seats), Essentials at $95/month (10 seats) and Plus at $295/month (20 seats), per workspace. Any plan can be tried for 14 days.

Worth a look if you want a price that doesn't move with your conversation volume. Kanal also integrates with Crisp, so WhatsApp conversations reach your Crisp inbox with the customer's Shopify context.

6. LiveChat, live chat with cart visibility

Screenshot of the LiveChat website.

LiveChat, made by Text, is a live chat tool with a built-in helpdesk and knowledge base.

• Shopify: agents see what is in a shopper's cart and their past orders inside LiveChat, send product cards and help buyers during checkout.
• Channels: website chat, with WhatsApp and Messenger through marketplace integrations. SMS and Apple Messages for Business come with the Business plan.
• AI: Text AI Agent answers routine questions from your approved knowledge and hands conversations to your team with the full context, from $19 per user/month.
• Pricing: Starter $19, Team $49 and Business $79 per person/month billed annually, or $25, $59 and $89 on monthly billing. There is a 14-day free trial.

Worth a look if your team sells in chat while shoppers browse and wants to see their cart.

7. Re:amaze, a helpdesk that edits Shopify orders

Screenshot of the Re:amaze website.

Re:amaze is an AI-powered helpdesk with live chat, chatbots and a FAQ center.

• Channels: email, live chat and social in one inbox, with SMS and voice from Pro. WhatsApp connects through Twilio, with a number provided by Twilio.
• Shopify: agents can manage, modify and create Shopify orders from support conversations and chats.
• AI: the Re:amaze AI Agent includes 5, 10 or 20 resolutions per user a month depending on the plan, then $0.85 per additional resolution.
• Pricing: Basic $29, Pro $49 and Plus $69 per team member/month, with 10% off on annual billing. Starter is a flat $59/month for unlimited team members and 500 responded conversations. There is a 14-day free trial and no contract.

Worth a look if you want per-user pricing, a flat option for small teams, and order editing from the inbox.

8. Shopify Inbox, Shopify's own chat with an AI agent

Screenshot of the Shopify Inbox website.

Shopify Inbox is Shopify's chat app for your online store, free on the Shopify App Store.

• AI: an optional Inbox agent answers questions about products, shipping, returns, sizing and store policies, using your catalog, policies and store content. When customers sign in with Shop, it can personalize recommendations with their purchase history.
• Team: staff reply from desktop, iOS or Android apps, and can send product links, discount codes and images.
• Channels: chat with visitors on your online store.

Worth a look if your conversations happen on your storefront and you want to start at no cost.

9. Freshchat, a free plan for up to 10 agents

Screenshot of the Freshchat website.

Freshchat is the messaging and live chat product of Freshworks, the company behind the Freshdesk helpdesk.

• Channels: a chat widget for websites and mobile apps and an email inbox on the free plan. Social messengers and text messaging, including SMS and WhatsApp, come with Growth.
• AI: Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions, with the first 500 sessions included. Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent/month.
• Shopify: Freshworks lists a Shopify integration in its marketplace, and Freshchat offers Shopify bot templates for order tracking, cancellations and refunds, including one built for WhatsApp. These templates require Shopify to be connected to Freshmarketer or Freshsales Suite.
• Pricing: free for up to 10 agents, then Growth at $19, Pro at $49 and Enterprise at $79 per agent/month billed annually.

Worth a look if you want several agents on a free plan now and the option to add WhatsApp and AI later.

10. Richpanel, AI agents for e-commerce tickets

Screenshot of the Richpanel website.

Richpanel describes itself as an AI-native helpdesk for Shopify brands.

• AI: AI agents resolve order status, return, refund, cancellation and subscription tickets end to end, within guardrails you set: refund limits, approval rules and when to escalate. AI conversations start at $0.20 each, on the AI model you choose.
• Channels: email, phone, chat, Facebook and Instagram, with SMS on Pro Max. Its pricing page also lists a WhatsApp channel and WhatsApp templates.
• Pricing: Pro is $69 per agent/month billed annually ($89 on monthly billing, per its Shopify listing), and Pro Max $99 per agent/month billed annually. There is a 14-day free trial.

Worth a look if you want AI to close order tickets end to end, with your team handling the exceptions.

How to choose a Tidio alternative

Start from where your customers write to you, then from how you want the AI to be billed.

• Your customers message you on WhatsApp: Kanal, with the AI agent, the inbox and store automations in one tool.
• You want a full e-commerce helpdesk priced by tickets: Gorgias.
• You want a support suite priced per agent: Zendesk, or Freshchat if you want a free plan to start.
• You want AI billed on results: Intercom (per outcome), Zendesk (per automated resolution) or Re:amaze (per resolution beyond the included amount).
• You want a flat price: Crisp (per workspace) or Re:amaze Starter.
• Your team sells in live chat while shoppers browse: LiveChat.
• You want AI to resolve order tickets end to end: Richpanel.
• You want to start at no cost: Shopify Inbox, or the free plans of Crisp and Freshchat.

Before you sign, check three things:

1. Where conversations start: a website widget only reaches shoppers while they are on your site.
2. How AI usage is billed: per conversation, per resolution or per outcome, and what happens when you hit the limit.
3. What agents can do with orders: see them, edit them, or refund them without leaving the inbox.

For more options, see our guides to the best Shopify live chat apps, the best Shopify chatbot apps and the best Shopify customer service apps. If support on WhatsApp is your next step, read our guide to WhatsApp customer support on Shopify, then book a Kanal demo or compare Kanal's plans.