Chatbase vs Tidio (2026)
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Verdict
- Pick Chatbase if, in the Chatbase vs Tidio choice, you want a no-code AI agent for chat, email, WhatsApp and Slack with guardrails and scenario tests, and can pay from $32 per month billed yearly.
- Pick Tidio if you want to start on a free plan with no time limit and need live chat, tickets and the Lyro AI agent from one vendor, with prices from $24.17 per month on the Starter page.
- Price: Chatbase Hobby is $32 per month billed yearly (no free plan, 7-day trial); Tidio is free to start, Starter shows $24.17/mo, Plus starts at $300/mo plus usage.
Chatbase
AI agents for customer support, sales and product help across chat, email and voice
From Custom (contact sales) · Free trial
Try Chatbase free
Tidio
AI agent, live chat, help desk and automations for support and sales teams
From $300/mo · Free trial
Try Tidio freeSide by side
| Feature | Chatbase | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Customer Support | AI Customer Support |
| Price from (monthly billing) | Custom (contact sales) | $300/mo |
| Lowest annual-billing price | $32/mo | not published |
| Plans | Hobby, Basic, Business, Enterprise | Free, Starter, Growth, Plus, Premium |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 7-day trial on Hobby, Basic and Business plans | 7-day free trial |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, slack | Web, Chrome extension |
| Key limits | Hobby: 700 message credits/month, 2 members, 1 agent, 40 MB training content · Basic: 4,000 message credits/month, 3 members, 1 agent, 10 concurrent calls | Free: First 50 Lyro AI conversations free (lifetime); first 100 visitors reached via Flows free · Starter: 100 billable conversations; 7-day free trial; 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations (one-off); 100 Flows visitors reached. The page shows one price ($ 24.17 / mo.) and does not say whether it is the monthly or the yearly-billed price. |
| Pricing page | Official pricing page checked 2026-10-26 | Official pricing page checked 2026-10-20 |
Cost for Entry / Mid / Top self-serve plan tier
Chatbase: Hobby, Basic and Business at $32, $120 and $400 per month billed yearly, one agent each. Tidio: Starter $24.17, Growth from $49.17, Plus from $300 plus monthly usage, all per month.
| plan tier | Chatbase | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | $32/mo billed yearly (Hobby: 700 credits, 2 members) | $0 (Free) or $24.17/mo (Starter: 100 billable conversations) |
| Mid | $120/mo billed yearly (Basic: 4,000 credits, voice and API) | From $49.17/mo (Growth: from 250 billable conversations) |
| Top self-serve | $400/mo billed yearly (Business: 15,000 credits, 5 members) | From $300/mo plus monthly usage (Plus) |
The two cards price different things. Chatbase counts message credits and seats; Tidio counts billable conversations, meaning those where a human agent replied. Tidio does not say whether its Starter and Growth prices are monthly or yearly-billed, so confirm that before budgeting. Chatbase shows no monthly-billing price.
Which one to choose
Choose Chatbase if…
- You want one agent trained on your data sources and guided by plain-language procedures and guardrails.
- You plan to publish to WhatsApp, email and Slack as well as a website widget.
- You want to run realistic customer scenarios against the agent before it goes live.
Choose Tidio if…
- You want to try the product without paying: the Free plan has no time limit.
- Your team needs a shared inbox with live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp plus tickets.
- You want drag-and-drop Flows for cart recovery and lead capture next to the AI agent.
Pros and cons
Chatbase: Pros
- Agents built without code and published to chat, WhatsApp, email and Slack
- Built-in helpdesk where AI and human staff share conversations
- Interactive widgets such as carts and booking cards inside replies
- 7-day trial on Hobby, Basic and Business
Chatbase: Cons
- No free plan is stated and no monthly-billing price is shown
- Each priced plan includes one agent; an extra agent costs $300 per year
- Voice and API access start at Basic, not Hobby
- Removing the Chatbase branding is a $1188 per year add-on
Tidio: Pros
- Free plan without a time limit, plus a 7-day trial of all features
- Lyro AI agent, live chat, ticketing and Flows in one platform
- OpenAPI, Zapier and a large integrations catalog
- Lyro and Flows can be bought as standalone products
Tidio: Cons
- Free plan is small: 50 Lyro conversations (lifetime) and 100 Flows visitors
- Premium has no public price
- Plus adds monthly usage on top of its $300 starting price
- Lyro product recommendations need a paid Lyro quota
Head to head
Free access and trials
Tidio is the only one of the two with a free plan, which has no time limit but caps Lyro at the first 50 conversations (lifetime) and Flows at the first 100 visitors. Its 7-day trial opens every feature and then drops the account to Free. Chatbase states no free plan; its 7-day trial applies to Hobby, Basic and Business.
What each plan meters
Chatbase sells fixed tiers by message credits and seats: 700 credits and 2 members on Hobby, 4,000 and 3 on Basic, 15,000 and 5 on Business. Tidio bills on billable conversations, where a human agent replied, and sells Lyro AI conversations and Flows visitors on top. Estimate which number is easier for you to forecast: credits or conversations.
Scope of the product
Chatbase presents itself as an agent platform for support, sales and product guidance, with scenario testing, a choice of models from several providers, analytics on topics and sentiment, and a helpdesk. Tidio is framed as a customer service suite: Lyro, live chat widget, ticketing help desk and automation flows. A team replacing a help desk fits Tidio's description; a team that mainly wants a configurable agent fits Chatbase's.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatbase cheaper than Tidio?
Not at the entry level. Tidio has a Free plan and a Starter price of $24.17 per month, while Chatbase Hobby is $32 per month billed yearly. At the top, Chatbase Business is $400 per month billed yearly, while Tidio Plus starts at $300 per month plus usage. The billing basis for Tidio's Starter is not stated.
Does Chatbase have a free plan?
No free plan is stated on the Chatbase pages. It offers a 7-day trial on Hobby, Basic and Business, and the cheapest paid tier is Hobby at $32 per month billed yearly. Tidio, by contrast, lists a Free plan with no time limit and a 7-day trial of all features.
Which is better for a small online store, Tidio or Chatbase?
Tidio describes abandoned cart messages, a product catalog connection and a shared inbox, and it starts free, which suits a small shop testing demand. Chatbase fits a store that wants one agent across WhatsApp, email and Slack and accepts $32 per month billed yearly. Neither claim is independently tested here.
How many seats and agents do the plans include?
Chatbase lists 2 members on Hobby, 3 on Basic and 5 on Business, each with 1 agent; extra agents cost $300 per AI agent per year. Tidio's cards do not list seat counts, and Tidio prices around billable conversations instead, such as 100 on Starter and from 250 on Growth.
Can both tools run voice or API integrations?
Chatbase adds voice agents and API access from the Basic plan at $120 per month billed yearly; Hobby excludes both. Tidio's card lists an OpenAPI, Zapier and an integrations catalog, but does not state voice calling. Check the vendor pages if phone support is a requirement.
Explore further
How we check
Plans, prices, trials and limits in the table are copied from each tool's card, which is built from the vendor's official pages and dated. The page is only as fresh as the older of the two checks above. How we review.
Sources: Chatbase official site, Tidio official site.
Data is collected and checked by AI agents from official vendor pages; the owner is responsible for the project.
Partner link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our order or verdicts. Affiliate disclosure