Tidio Alternative: Transparent Pricing, No Surprise Upgrades

Tidio markets itself as an affordable live chat and AI solution for small businesses. The advertised pricing looks reasonable—until you discover the add-ons. Lyro AI is separate. Flows automation is separate. Branding removal is separate. Many users find their actual cost is 2-3x the advertised price.

If you're looking for a Tidio alternative, you've likely experienced the frustration of pricing that doesn't match reality. Support Station offers transparent, all-inclusive pricing: AI included, no surprise add-ons.

Quick Pricing Comparison

What You Need	Support Station	Tidio (Real Cost)
Base + AI (100 conversations)	$60/month	$63-79/month
Base + AI (500 conversations)	$175/month	$128-178/month
Base + AI + No branding	$175/month	$145-195/month

Tidio pricing includes Lyro AI add-on. Support Station includes AI in base plans.

Tidio's Advertised Pricing vs Reality

Tidio's marketing highlights affordable starting prices, but the footnotes tell a different story.

“The real-world cost for most teams ends up 2–3x higher than the advertised price once add-ons and chat volume are factored in.”

Here's how the costs actually stack up:

Item	Monthly Cost
Tidio Growth plan	$49/month
Lyro AI (100 conversations)	$32.50-39/month
Flows automation	$24/month
Branding removal	$17-20/month
Actual total	$122-132/month

Support Station Standard: $175/month with 10,000 AI credits, unlimited conversations, and no branding removal fee needed.

The Lyro AI Trap

Tidio's AI chatbot (Lyro) is sold separately with conversation-based pricing that can balloon quickly.

“Lyro AI and Flows are billed separately, starting at $39/mo and $29/mo respectively—often doubling the total cost.”

Lyro pricing tiers:

AI Conversations	Monthly Cost
50 (one-time free)	$0 (non-renewable)
50/month	$32.50-39
100/month	~$39
500/month	~$79-99
1,000+/month	Contact sales

The free 50 conversations are a lifetime allocation, not monthly—once used, they're gone forever unless you pay.

Support Station includes 2,000 AI credits on Starter ($60/month) and 10,000 on Standard ($175/month). No separate purchase, no conversation caps.

Automatic Plan Upgrades

Multiple Tidio users report being upgraded to higher-priced plans without consent.

“Our package suddenly went from €11.25 to €50 per month. We never agreed to this and filed a complaint. They admitted it was a mistake. But one year later, the exact same thing happened again.”

“Tidio... upgrade your plan, without permission. When we told them we never upgraded anything, they responded with generic sales talk about how great their product is.”

Users describe:

• Plans upgraded without authorization
• Difficulty getting refunds for unauthorized charges
• Repeated billing "mistakes" that always favor Tidio

Support Station bills exactly what you sign up for. No automatic upgrades, no authorization-free changes to your plan.

Fragmented Experience

Tidio's product is split into separate systems that don't always work well together.

“Tidio reviews often describe a fragmented experience because the Live Chat, Flows, and Lyro AI are separate systems. This means you cannot seamlessly combine simple, rule-based bot interactions with more intelligent AI-driven conversations within a single workflow.”

Want a chatbot that uses AI for complex questions but rule-based flows for simple ones? You'll need to configure and pay for multiple separate systems.

Support Station provides a unified platform where AI chat, ticketing, and knowledge base work together seamlessly.

The Conversation Billing Model

Tidio's base plans are billed by "conversations"—but what counts as a conversation can be confusing.

“Users find Tidio to be expensive, with high costs and limited scalability impacting their overall experience negatively.”

Conversation-based billing creates:

• Unpredictable monthly costs
• Incentives to limit customer interactions
• Overages during busy periods

Support Station offers unlimited conversations on all paid plans. Help as many customers as you need without watching a meter.

Feature Comparison

What You Might Miss

Here's where Tidio has advantages:

• Free tier: Tidio offers a free tier with 50 lifetime AI conversations. Support Station's free tier doesn't include AI.
• Visual chatbot builder: Tidio's Flows builder is visual and easy for non-technical users.
• WhatsApp integration: Direct WhatsApp support is available in Tidio.
• E-commerce focus: Tidio has Shopify-specific features for e-commerce stores.

For e-commerce stores with simple chatbot needs, Tidio's visual builder may be easier to use. For teams needing comprehensive support tools, the add-on costs make Tidio less attractive.

Who Should Switch

Support Station is ideal for:

• Teams frustrated by add-on pricing that doubles their expected cost
• Companies who need AI included, not sold separately
• Businesses wanting predictable billing without surprise upgrades
• Teams needing a full helpdesk, not just live chat

Consider staying with Tidio if:

• You only need basic live chat without AI
• You're an e-commerce store heavily using their Shopify integration
• You're comfortable with conversation-based billing
• Your AI needs fit within their free 50 conversations

Making the Switch

Migrating from Tidio to Support Station:

1. Export any conversation history you want to keep
2. Set up your knowledge base in Support Station
3. Install the Support Station widget (replaces Tidio widget)
4. Configure email routing to Support Station
5. Remove Tidio widget from your site

Most teams complete migration in under a day.

The Bottom Line

Tidio's advertised pricing looks affordable until you add what you actually need. Separate AI charges, automation add-ons, and branding fees push real costs to 2-3x the headline price.

Support Station offers honest, all-inclusive pricing. AI is included. Automation is included. Your bill is predictable.

For teams who need AI chat, the real cost comparison favors Support Station by $30-50+ per month—with significantly more AI capacity included.

Ready for transparent pricing? Start your free trial and experience the difference.