Tidio vs Gorgias: which is better for a small store in 2026?
Tidio is the better pick for a small store where the owner or one helper answers chat and wants a low entry price on any platform: the free plan covers 50 conversations a month with 10 seats, Starter is $24.17/mo, and the Lyro AI Agent is a separate add-on from $32.50/mo. Gorgias is the better pick when the store already has a support team working tickets from email, chat and social in one Shopify-native inbox: plans start at $40/mo for 50 tickets, scale by ticket volume up to $1,430/mo for 5,000, and the AI Agent is metered at $1.50 per automated interaction past the allowance. Solo owner and a modest chat volume: Tidio. Support team and multichannel tickets: Gorgias.
Chatonbo is the third option when the real job is an AI assistant that answers shoppers from your own store content and helps them buy: Free, Pro $19/mo for 5,000 conversations or Business $59/mo for 10,000, AI included, no seat or per-interaction fees, with product cards, add to cart and order tracking through the official Shopify app.
Tidio vs Gorgias vs Chatonbo at a glance
Prices are as listed on each vendor's own pricing page on the dates in the note below. Where a page does not state something, we say so instead of guessing.
| Tidio | Gorgias | Chatonbo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Base plan metered by billable conversations (Free, Starter $24.17/mo, Growth from $49.17/mo, Plus from $300/mo plus usage) with Lyro AI Agent and Flows sold as separate add-ons* | Tiered by ticket volume: Starter $40/mo (50 tickets), Basic $90/mo (300), Pro $550/mo (2,000), Advanced $1,430/mo (5,000); never priced per agent* | Flat monthly: Free, Pro $19/mo, Business $59/mo. No per-seat or per-resolution fees |
| Entry price | Free (50 conversations/mo); Starter $24.17/mo for 100 billable conversations; Lyro AI Agent add-on from $32.50/mo for 50 AI conversations* | Starter $40/mo: 50 tickets, 30 automated interactions, 3 seats* | Free plan; Pro $19/mo with AI included |
| At 5,000 conversations a month | Above the Growth cap of 2,000 billable conversations, so Plus (from $300/mo plus monthly usage). Lyro AI is billed separately and a 5,000 AI-conversation price is not listed on the pricing page* | Advanced, $1,430/mo for 5,000 tickets and 530 automated interactions; AI Agent $1.50 per automated interaction past that* | Pro $19/mo covers 5,000 conversations a month; Business $59/mo covers 10,000. A busy month costs the same as a quiet one |
| AI answers from your own content | Lyro AI Agent add-on. Every account starts with 50 Lyro conversations; you upgrade to the Lyro plan to refresh them monthly* | AI Agent on every plan, metered per automated interaction (30 included on Starter and Basic, then $1.50 each)* | Yes, drafted from your website URL, documents and product catalog; AI included on every plan |
| Shopify add to cart in chat | Native Shopify actions on Growth and higher; add to cart inside the chat is not detailed on the pricing page* | Not listed on the pricing page | Yes: product cards with pictures and add to cart inside the chat (official Shopify app) |
| Order tracking | Not detailed on the pricing page (Shopify actions are on Growth and higher)* | Order data in the agent inbox; AI order handling counts as automated interactions | Yes, shoppers get order status inside the chat (official Shopify app) |
| Languages | Multilanguage on all plans; the number of languages is not stated on the pricing page* | Multilingual support available; not itemized on the pricing page | 50+ languages |
| Setup time | Widget install, then Lyro training and Flows setup | Helpdesk onboarding: channels, rules, macros | About 2 minutes from a website URL; official Shopify and Wix apps, WordPress/WooCommerce plugin |
| Free plan | Yes: 50 conversations/mo, 10 seats, 50 Lyro conversations one-off; 7-day free trial on paid plans, no card* | No permanent free plan; free trial without a credit card* | Yes, plus a 30-day free trial on paid plans |
| Human handoff | Live chat and ticketing on every plan; 10 seats on self-serve plans* | Full helpdesk inbox for a team: email, chat, social, SMS and voice; not priced per agent* | Yes, human handoff and lead capture with a simple inbox; not a multichannel ticketing helpdesk |
*Tidio: tidio.com/pricing as viewed on September 12, 2026, monthly billing toggle. Gorgias: gorgias.com/pricing as viewed on September 11, 2026, monthly billing. Both vendors may change pricing; check their sites for current terms.
Two-way breakdowns: Chatonbo vs Tidio and Chatonbo vs Gorgias.
When to pick Tidio
You want live chat first and AI second
Tidio bundles live chat, ticketing and 10 seats into every self-serve plan, including Free. If a person will answer most chats and the AI is a nice-to-have, the base plan does the job and Lyro can be added later.
Your chat volume fits 100 to 2,000 conversations a month
Starter at $24.17/mo covers 100 billable conversations and Growth (from $49.17/mo) covers up to 2,000. That range fits many small stores, and Shopify actions arrive on Growth.
You are not on Shopify
Tidio is a general website chat tool. If you sell on WooCommerce, Wix or a custom site, it works the same way, whereas Gorgias is built around the Shopify support workflow.
You want to try before paying
The Free plan is permanent and the paid plans have a 7-day trial without a card, so you can see how Lyro answers your visitors before committing.
Thinking of leaving Tidio? Read the honest Tidio alternative page.
When to pick Gorgias
A support team works tickets all day
Gorgias is a full helpdesk: email, chat, social, SMS and voice in one inbox with macros, rules and SLAs, and it is never priced per agent. If two or more people answer customers full time, that tooling earns its price.
You want Shopify order data next to every ticket
Gorgias surfaces the order beside the conversation so an agent can refund, edit or answer without leaving the inbox. That is the core of the product, not an add-on.
You measure support in tickets
Plans are sized by monthly tickets (50, 300, 2,000, 5,000). If you already track ticket volume and want budget predictability per tier, the model maps to how you work.
You want AI resolutions inside the helpdesk
The AI Agent runs on every Gorgias plan and hands unresolved tickets to your team in the same inbox. You pay $1.50 per automated interaction past the allowance, which is fine if the team handles the bulk.
Thinking of leaving Gorgias? Read the honest Gorgias alternative page.
When Chatonbo is the better fit
Chatonbo is an AI assistant that answers from your own website, documents and catalog at a flat price: Free, Pro $19/month or Business $59/month, with no per-seat or per-resolution fees and a 30-day free trial on paid plans.
You want the chat to sell, not only support
With the official Shopify app the assistant shows product cards with pictures, adds items to the cart inside the chat and tracks orders. One US massage chair store saw $107,725 in orders over seven weeks from shoppers who chatted first.
One flat bill with AI included
Pro is $19/mo for 5,000 AI conversations and Business is $59/mo for 10,000. No Lyro add-on, no ticket tier to outgrow, no per-interaction fee. A busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
You do not want to configure a helpdesk
Paste your website URL and Chatonbo drafts the assistant from your pages, policies and catalog in about 2 minutes. Install the Shopify or Wix app, or the WordPress/WooCommerce plugin, and it is live.
Your visitors write in many languages
The assistant answers in 50+ languages. Tidio lists multilanguage without a count and Gorgias does not itemize languages on its pricing page.
When Chatonbo is not the fit
We would rather you pick the right tool than sign up and leave. These are the cases where Tidio or Gorgias is the better choice.
You need full helpdesk ticketing
Chatonbo has a simple inbox with human handoff and lead capture. It is not a multichannel ticketing system with email, social, SMS, macros and SLAs. For that, Gorgias is the stronger product, and Tidio includes ticketing on every plan.
You automate Instagram or Messenger
Chatonbo lives on your website (and WhatsApp as a fallback). If most of your conversations start in Instagram DMs, look at a social automation tool instead; our alternatives page covers ManyChat.
A large support team lives in the inbox
If five or more agents work conversations full time and you need assignment rules, reporting and SLAs, Gorgias is built for that and Chatonbo is not.
You want a visual flow builder
Tidio Flows lets you design step-by-step automations by hand. Chatonbo relies on the AI to run the conversation from your content rather than a drag-and-drop builder.
Comparing more tools? See every comparison on the alternatives page or the head-to-head index.
Tidio vs Gorgias FAQ
Is Tidio or Gorgias cheaper for a small store?
Tidio is cheaper to start. Its free plan covers 50 conversations a month with 10 seats, Starter is $24.17/mo, and the Lyro AI Agent is a separate add-on from $32.50/mo. Gorgias starts at $40/mo for 50 tickets and 30 automated interactions, with $0.40 per extra ticket on Starter and Basic. At higher volume the gap widens: Gorgias Advanced is $1,430/mo for 5,000 tickets, while Tidio moves you to Plus (from $300/mo plus usage) above 2,000 conversations. Chatonbo covers 5,000 conversations for a flat $19/mo.
Does Tidio have an AI agent like Gorgias?
Yes. Tidio sells the Lyro AI Agent as an add-on from $32.50/mo for 50 conversations; every account starts with 50 Lyro conversations and you upgrade to the Lyro plan to refresh them monthly. Gorgias includes its AI Agent on every plan and meters it at $1.50 per automated interaction past the included allowance (30 on Starter and Basic, 530 on Advanced).
Which one is better for Shopify?
Gorgias was built for Shopify support teams and shows order data beside every ticket. Tidio offers native Shopify actions on Growth and higher. If the goal is selling in chat rather than working tickets, Chatonbo adds product cards with pictures, add to cart and order tracking through its official Shopify app on flat plans.
Can I use Chatonbo alongside Tidio or Gorgias?
Yes. Many stores keep their helpdesk for email and social and let Chatonbo answer on the storefront. When a conversation needs a person, Chatonbo hands off and can email the transcript, so nothing is lost. Paid plans have a 30-day free trial, so you can run both while you decide.
Do Tidio and Gorgias have free plans?
Tidio has a permanent free plan (50 conversations a month, 10 seats, 50 Lyro conversations one-off) and a 7-day trial on paid plans. Gorgias has no permanent free plan, only a free trial without a credit card. Chatonbo has a free plan and a 30-day free trial on Pro and Business.
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