CrispTidioCrisp vs Tidio

Crisp vs Tidio: $55 against $49 a month

A customer messaging platform against a live chat and AI for small business: Tidio is $6 a month cheaper for five people. Where Crisp 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 Crisp if you need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone. Pick Tidio if you run a Shopify or WordPress store and want a bot answering FAQs by tonight. For five people, Tidio is $6 a month cheaper than Crisp ($55 a month on Crisp against $49 or more on Tidio), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $4 below Tidio. Crisp and Tidio both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price; only Crisp has Telegram. Between them Crisp and Tidio cover every channel Sellio ships. For a team of two to ten weighing Crisp against Tidio, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceCrispCrispTidioTidio
Built aroundOne inbox, many channels · priced per workspaceThe chat widget and Lyro · billed by conversations, not seats
Entry plan$45/mo · Mini: 4 seats$24.17/mo · Starter: 100 conversations
Chat in the price$45/mo · chat on every plan, Free includedFrom $49.17/mo · Growth: 250+ conversations
AI agentAI credit included · $5 on Mini, $25 on EssentialsLyro from $32.50/mo · 50 conversations
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI drafts and summariesIncluded · reply assistant
Free planYes · 2 seats, 100 profilesYes · 50 conversations a month

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    CrispCrisp

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel; there is no ticket object, only states and assignment. 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. Crisp has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    CrispCrisp

    $45 buys the workspace with four seats; a fifth seat is $10, and Essentials at $95 includes ten. $55 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 $55 on Crisp.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    CrispCrisp

    An AI credit is included in each paid plan ($5, $25, $75) and metered per message; top-ups after that. Tidio meters AI (Lyro from $32.50/mo) above the seats instead.

    TidioTidio

    Lyro is bought in packs: from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, on top of the plan. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    CrispCrisp

    Chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone 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. Crisp adds Telegram, which Tidio lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    CrispCrisp

    Campaigns, a knowledge base, co-browsing, a status page and mobile apps. Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business instead.

    TidioTidio

    Flows, the visual bot builder, and email campaigns for small ecommerce teams. Crisp is a customer messaging platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    CrispCrisp

    An afternoon: paste the script, connect the channels, invite the team. Tidio is an hour.

    TidioTidio

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

Sources: Crisp 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 Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
CrispCrisp. The Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
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: Crisp pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Tidio pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Crisp, 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.

FeatureCrispCrispTidioTidioSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per workspace, seats included per plan.
By billable conversations; AI by conversation packs.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 seats, 100 profiles.
50 conversations a month, 10 seats.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Yes.
Yes.
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Yes.
Paid plans.
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Yes.
Paid plans.
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Yes.
Paid plans.
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Yes.
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
AI agent on Plus; MagicReply on lower plans.
Lyro, trained on your site and FAQs.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Included credits, same amounts as Sellio.
From $32.50/mo for 50 conversations.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Yes.
Lyro hands to an operator.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

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

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

Pick Crisp if

  • You need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone.
  • You want co-browsing, campaigns and a status page in the same subscription.
  • You need Telegram in the price, which Tidio does not include outright.
  • You want the AI in the seat price (AI credit included) rather than Tidio's meter at Lyro from $32.50/mo.

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 $6 a month less than on Crisp ($49 against $55), before AI.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour here and an afternoon on Crisp.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $55 a month on Crisp against $49 or more on Tidio for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan, 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 Crisp nor Tidio includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Crisp: $55 a month for five ($45 for 4 seats + $10 for the fifth); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. 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, $10 less than Crisp and $4 less than Tidio for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro. Both have a free plan: Crisp's is 2 seats, 100 profiles, Tidio's is 50 conversations a month. Crisp and Tidio both include website chat, email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price; only Crisp has Telegram. Between them Crisp and Tidio cover every channel Sellio ships. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan; Tidio meters AI (Lyro from $32.50/mo) above the seats. Neither Crisp nor Tidio has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps. Crisp is an afternoon; Tidio is an hour.

What each price leaves out

Crisp: AI credits included: $5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials, $75 on Plus. Tidio: Lyro AI from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, sold separately or bundled. Beside Crisp's AI credit included 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
    CrispCrispSee vendorNot quoted
    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.

    CrispCrisp · 14 days, no card
    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

Crisp vs Tidio: the questions people ask

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro. Neither Crisp nor Tidio has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Crisp $45/mo (Mini: 4 seats); Tidio $24.17/mo (Starter: 100 conversations).
  • Chat in the price: Crisp $45/mo (chat on every plan, Free included); Tidio From $49.17/mo (Growth: 250+ conversations).
  • Sellio: all five channels on every paid plan, where Crisp and Tidio each include only some.

Sellio's side of the Crisp 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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