ChatwootTidioChatwoot vs Tidio

Chatwoot vs Tidio: $46 apart for five people

An open-source customer support platform against a live chat and AI for small business: Tidio is $46 a month cheaper for five people. Where Chatwoot and Tidio split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Chatwoot if you want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it. Pick Tidio if you run a Shopify or WordPress store and want a bot answering FAQs by tonight. For five people, Tidio is $46 a month cheaper than Chatwoot ($95 a month on Chatwoot against $49 or more on Tidio), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $4 below Tidio. Chatwoot and Tidio both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price; only Chatwoot has Telegram. Between them Chatwoot and Tidio cover every channel Sellio ships. For a team of two to ten weighing Chatwoot against Tidio, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceChatwootChatwootTidioTidio
Built aroundOne inbox, self-hostable · open sourceThe chat widget and Lyro · billed by conversations, not seats
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Startups, yearly$24.17/mo · Starter: 100 conversations
Chat in the price$0 · Hacker: 2 agents, website onlyFrom $49.17/mo · Growth: 250+ conversations
AI agent$20 per 1,000 credits · Captain, after the plan's allowanceLyro from $32.50/mo · 50 conversations
Copilot for agentsIn Captain · creditsIncluded · reply assistant
Free planYes · 2 agents, 500 conversationsYes · 50 conversations a month

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    ChatwootChatwoot

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel, with labels and assignment rather than a ticket. Tidio has no ticket queue either.

    TidioTidio

    As a chat in the widget, often answered first by the Lyro bot; a busy month counts against the conversation cap. Chatwoot has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    ChatwootChatwoot

    $19 buys every channel on Startups; the Hacker plan is free for two agents on website chat only. $95 for five people, against $49 on Tidio.

    TidioTidio

    Ten seats are included; what you pay for is conversations, from 100 on Starter to 250 or more on Growth. $49 for five people, against $95 on Chatwoot.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Captain, the AI agent, runs on credits: 300 a month on Startups, 500 on Business, then $20 per 1,000. Tidio meters AI (Lyro from $32.50/mo) above the seats as well.

    TidioTidio

    Lyro is bought in packs: from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, on top of the plan. Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Website, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Messenger, TikTok and Line on the paid plans. Telegram is here and not on Tidio.

    TidioTidio

    Website chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, with native Shopify and WordPress apps. Chatwoot adds Telegram, which Tidio lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Self-hosting on your own servers, an open API and a help center; no campaigns or contact center. Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business instead.

    TidioTidio

    Flows, the visual bot builder, and email campaigns for small ecommerce teams. Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    ChatwootChatwoot

    An afternoon on the cloud; a day or two self-hosted. Tidio is an hour.

    TidioTidio

    An hour: install the app on Shopify or WordPress and switch on Lyro. Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud.

Sources: Chatwoot pricing · Tidio pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel
ChatwootChatwoot. The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel
The Tidio inbox: the conversation list, the chat and Lyro's suggested answers
TidioTidio. The Tidio inbox: the conversation list, the chat and Lyro's suggested answers

Pricing references: Chatwoot pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Tidio pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Chatwoot, Tidio and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureChatwootChatwootTidioTidioSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI by credits
By billable conversations; AI by conversation packs.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 agents, 500 conversations, website chat
50 conversations a month, 10 seats.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
Yes.
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Startups and up
Paid plans.
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Startups and up
Paid plans.
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Startups and up
Paid plans.
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Startups and up
Not a channel.
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack integration
Not offered.
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Captain, on credits
Lyro, trained on your site and FAQs.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Credits by plan, then $20 per 1,000
From $32.50/mo for 50 conversations.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an agent
Lyro hands to an operator.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Conversations with statuses
Ticketing on paid plans, email-style.
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automation rules
Flows, visitor-count limited.
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and CSAT
Analytics on Growth and up.
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile
Desktop apps available.
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Chatwoot if

  • You want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it.
  • Telegram and WhatsApp must be native, at a per-agent price.
  • You need Telegram in the price, which Tidio does not include outright.
  • Time to the first reply is an afternoon on the cloud here and an hour on Tidio.

Pick Tidio if

  • You run a Shopify or WordPress store and want a bot answering FAQs by tonight.
  • Conversation volume is small enough that paying by conversation is cheaper than seats.
  • Five people cost $46 a month less than on Chatwoot ($49 against $95), before AI.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Chatwoot does not ship.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $95 a month on Chatwoot against $49 or more on Tidio for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats, Tidio meters AI (Lyro from $32.50/mo) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need tickets raised from a chat, which neither Chatwoot nor Tidio includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Chatwoot on Startups: $38, $95 and $190 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Tidio: $49+ a month for five (from $49.17 for 250 conversations; seats are not the limit); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $50 less than Chatwoot and $4 less than Tidio for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $95 under Chatwoot.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable; Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro. Both have a free plan: Chatwoot's is 2 agents, 500 conversations, Tidio's is 50 conversations a month. Chatwoot and Tidio both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price; only Chatwoot has Telegram. Between them Chatwoot and Tidio cover every channel Sellio ships. Chatwoot ($20 per 1,000 credits) and Tidio (Lyro from $32.50/mo) both meter AI above the seats. Neither Chatwoot nor Tidio has a ticket queue, and only Tidio ships desktop apps. Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud; Tidio is an hour.

What each price leaves out

Chatwoot: Captain AI credits included by plan (300, 500, 800), then $20 per 1,000 credits. Tidio: Lyro AI from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, sold separately or bundled. Beside Chatwoot's $20 per 1,000 credits and Tidio's Lyro from $32.50/mo, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    ChatwootChatwoot$0.02$4
    TidioTidioSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    ChatwootChatwoot · 15-day trial
    TidioTidio · 7-day trial
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Chatwoot vs Tidio: the questions people ask

Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable; Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro. Neither Chatwoot nor Tidio has a ticket queue, and only Tidio ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Chatwoot $19/agent/mo (Startups, yearly); Tidio $24.17/mo (Starter: 100 conversations).
  • Chat in the price: Chatwoot $0 (Hacker: 2 agents, website only); Tidio From $49.17/mo (Growth: 250+ conversations).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: all five channels on every paid plan, where Chatwoot and Tidio each include only some.

Sellio's side of the Chatwoot and Tidio rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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