TidioHelpshiftTidio vs Helpshift

Tidio vs Helpshift: live chat and AI or in-app support

A live chat and AI for small business against an in-app support for games and apps: one prints a price and one quotes. Where Tidio and Helpshift 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 Tidio if you run a Shopify or WordPress store and want a bot answering FAQs by tonight. Pick Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $49 or more a month on Tidio, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. Tidio and Helpshift both include website chat, email and WhatsApp in the price; only Tidio has Instagram. Neither Tidio nor Helpshift includes Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing Tidio against Helpshift, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceTidioTidioHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundThe chat widget and Lyro · billed by conversations, not seatsIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$24.17/mo · Starter: 100 conversationsQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the priceFrom $49.17/mo · Growth: 250+ conversationsQuote · in-app and web
AI agentLyro from $32.50/mo · 50 conversationsIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agentsIncluded · reply assistantIn the quote
Free planYes · 50 conversations a monthNone · request pricing

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    TidioTidio

    As a chat in the widget, often answered first by the Lyro bot; a busy month counts against the conversation cap. Helpshift raises a ticket where Tidio keeps a conversation.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. Tidio has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    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; Helpshift prints no figure to set beside it.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. No figure for five people here; Tidio prints $49.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    TidioTidio

    Lyro is bought in packs: from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, on top of the plan. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats as well.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. Tidio meters AI (Lyro from $32.50/mo) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    TidioTidio

    Website chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, with native Shopify and WordPress apps. Instagram is here and not on Helpshift.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. Tidio adds Instagram, which Helpshift lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    TidioTidio

    Flows, the visual bot builder, and email campaigns for small ecommerce teams. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    TidioTidio

    An hour: install the app on Shopify or WordPress and switch on Lyro. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. Tidio is an hour.

Sources: Tidio pricing · Helpshift 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 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
The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data

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

Tidio, Helpshift 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.

FeatureTidioTidioHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
By billable conversations; AI by conversation packs.
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
50 conversations a month, 10 seats.
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Lyro, trained on your site and FAQs.
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $32.50/mo for 50 conversations.
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Lyro hands to an operator.
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

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

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

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.
  • You need Instagram in the price, which Helpshift does not include outright.
  • You want a free plan to start on; Helpshift offers no trial.

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need a ticket queue, which Tidio does not have.
  • Time to the first reply is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers here and an hour on Tidio.

The third option: Sellio

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

What two, five and ten people pay

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. Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $4 less than Tidio and against a quote on Helpshift for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Only Tidio has a free plan (50 conversations a month); Helpshift offers no trial. Tidio and Helpshift both include website chat, email and WhatsApp in the price; only Tidio has Instagram. Neither Tidio nor Helpshift includes Telegram outright. Tidio (Lyro from $32.50/mo) and Helpshift (in the quote) both meter AI above the seats. Helpshift has tickets and Tidio does not, and only Tidio ships desktop apps. Tidio is an hour; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

Tidio: Lyro AI from $32.50 a month for 50 conversations, sold separately or bundled. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside Tidio's Lyro from $32.50/mo and Helpshift's in the quote, 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
    TidioTidioSee vendorNot quoted
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee 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.

    TidioTidio · 7-day trial
    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

Tidio vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

Tidio is a live chat and AI for small business built around the chat widget and Lyro; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Helpshift has tickets and Tidio does not, and only Tidio ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Tidio $24.17/mo (Starter: 100 conversations); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: Tidio From $49.17/mo (Growth: 250+ conversations); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: Telegram, which neither Tidio nor Helpshift has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Tidio and Helpshift 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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