Text by LiveChat vs Tidio
Pricing
Text by LiveChat: From $19/user/mo (billed annually)
Tidio: Free tier (50 conversations/mo), paid from $29/mo
Description
Text by LiveChat: Dedicated live chat tool (formerly LiveChat) with a fast widget, 200+ integrations, and an AI Agent included
Tidio: Live chat and AI chatbot combo aimed at small e-commerce stores and service businesses
Pros
- Chat widget loads fast and looks clean, one of the best-designed widgets on the market
- Works with 200+ eCommerce and CMS platforms, including Shopify and WordPress, plus WhatsApp and Messenger
- AI Agent included: Essential has 1 agent and 10 AI resolutions a month, Growth has 10 agents and 200
- Free plan includes 50 conversations per month, enough to test with real traffic
- Visual chatbot builder (Flows) lets you set up automated responses without code
- Lyro AI chatbot can answer FAQs by learning from your content, no training needed
Cons
- No free plan: Essential is $19/user/mo (annual) or $25/month-to-month
- Essential plan only keeps 60 days of chat history, then it is gone
- AI resolutions beyond the monthly allowance cost $49.50 per pack of 50
- Real-world cost is higher than advertised: Lyro AI ($39+), Flows ($29+), and branding removal ($20) are separate add-ons
- All plans cap at 10 agents; unlimited seats only on the $2,999/mo Premium tier
- Free plan branding on the widget cannot be removed without paying for a higher plan
Details
Text by LiveChat is the current name of LiveChat, made by Text, Inc., the team behind LiveChat.com, HelpDesk.com and ChatBot.com. It is a focused live chat tool, not a full helpdesk: it puts a fast, good-looking chat widget on your site and lets you talk to visitors in real time. The Essential plan is $19 per user per month billed annually ($25 monthly), and the Growth plan is $79 per user per month billed annually ($99 monthly). Both have a 14-day free trial, and existing LiveChat customers keep their current plans.
The widget itself is genuinely one of the best: fast to load, easy to customize, and does not slow your site down. An AI Agent comes with every plan and answers customer questions when you are busy or offline, though Essential covers only 10 AI resolutions a month. The downside is cost: there is no free tier, Essential limits chat history to 60 days, and extra AI resolutions are sold in packs. For a solo founder who wants live chat specifically and can justify the spend, it is polished. If you need a free option, look at tawk.to or Tidio instead.
Tidio combines live chat with an AI chatbot (Lyro) in a package built for small online stores and service businesses. The free plan gives you 50 conversations per month and a 7-day trial of premium features. Paid plans start at $29/mo (Starter), jump to $59/mo (Growth), $749/mo (Plus), and $2,999/mo (Premium). It integrates with Shopify, WordPress, and Wix out of the box.
The visual chatbot builder is genuinely useful: you can create automated flows for common questions like shipping status or return policies without writing any code. The catch is the add-on pricing. That $29 or $59 base plan balloons once you add Lyro AI for automated answers ($39+/mo), extra Flows capacity ($29+/mo), and branding removal ($20/mo on Growth). A solo founder could easily hit $150/mo for what looked like a $59 plan. If you mostly need live chat without the AI extras, Crisp or tawk.to will cost less. If the AI chatbot is what you want, budget for the real price, not the sticker price.
Text by LiveChat verified
Tidio verified
