Tidio is a solid live chat with an AI agent and messengers in one inbox. Most people who look for an alternative do it for one reason: the bill grows with every conversation. Here is how Tidio’s pricing works, what tawk.to and Sitecog do differently, and which one fits which kind of site. Prices below were checked on October 7, 2026.
Why people look for a Tidio alternative
You pay per conversation
Tidio counts billable conversations — every chat, email or social message that a person on your team answers. According to its pricing page, the Free plan includes 50 a month, Starter ($24.17 a month with yearly billing) 100, and Growth starts at 250. When the limit is reached, Tidio’s help center says you cannot reply to new conversations until you upgrade or the quota resets.
AI is a separate meter
The Lyro AI agent is an add-on from $32.50 a month (yearly billing), charged by Lyro conversations; Free and Starter get 50 Lyro conversations once, not every month. Removing Tidio’s branding below the Plus plan is another add-on, and more than 10 seats require Plus, from $300 a month plus usage.
What Tidio does well
- One inbox for website chat, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.
- An AI agent (Lyro) and automated flows.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android, integrations with Shopify, WordPress and Wix.
- Data stored in the European Economic Area, SOC 2.
If these are exactly what you need and the volume is predictable, Tidio may still be the right choice.
tawk.to: free, with paid add-ons
tawk.to is free with no limit on agents, chats or sites; ticketing and a knowledge base are included, and there are apps for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows. It earns on add-ons: removing the branding costs $29 a month with yearly billing ($39 monthly) for each site, AI Assist starts at $29 a month for 1,000 AI messages, and you can hire agents by the hour.
Worth knowing: tawk.to says it stores data on Google Cloud in data centers in the United States.
Sitecog: website chat with a flat price
Sitecog’s live chat is part of a plan, not a meter: conversations and messages are not limited. Chat is on the Basic plan ($29 per 30 days, up to 5 team members) and on Pro ($79, up to 20). It comes with the same script that runs the rest of Sitecog on your site:
- real-time chat with typing indicators, read receipts and file sharing;
- Telegram alerts when a message stays unread, with quiet hours for each person;
- offline mode: the visitor leaves an email and gets your reply by email;
- each chat shows the visitor’s UTM source, landing page and location;
- on the same site — on-page content editing and leads from forms (Pro).
Tidio, tawk.to and Sitecog side by side
| Tidio | tawk.to | Sitecog | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 50 conversations a month | Yes, no limits | No (chat from Basic) |
| How you pay | Plan + billable conversations | Free + add-ons | Flat plan, conversations not limited |
| Paid entry point | $24.17/mo (yearly), 100 conversations | Branding removal $29/mo per site (yearly) | $29 per 30 days, up to 5 people |
| AI agent | Lyro, from $32.50/mo | AI Assist, from $29/mo | No, auto-reply only |
| Messengers | Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS | No, website chat |
| Mobile app | iOS, Android | iOS, Android, desktop | No, browser |
| Data location | European Economic Area | United States | EU |
| Also on the site | — | Ticketing, knowledge base | CMS with on-page editing, leads, analytics |
Prices of Tidio and tawk.to from their official pages on October 7, 2026, before tax. They change — check before you decide.
How to choose
- Want it free and do not mind the badge? tawk.to.
- Need messengers and an AI agent in one inbox? Tidio, if the conversation-based price works for your volume.
- Want a predictable price and your site, chat and leads in one place? Sitecog.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Tidio?
Yes: tawk.to is free with no limit on agents, chats or sites; it earns on paid add-ons such as removing its branding. Sitecog has no free chat — live chat starts on the Basic plan.
Which Tidio alternative has no per-conversation pricing?
tawk.to does not charge for conversations at all, and Sitecog has a flat plan price with conversations and messages not limited. Tidio counts billable conversations on every plan.
Do I need WhatsApp and Instagram in the same inbox?
If yes, look at Tidio or tawk.to: both connect messengers. Sitecog’s chat lives on your website only.
Do I need an AI agent?
Tidio has Lyro and tawk.to has AI Assist, both paid by usage. Sitecog has no AI agent — only an auto-reply to the first message, then a person answers.
Where is chat data stored?
According to their own pages, Tidio stores data in the European Economic Area, tawk.to in the United States on Google Cloud. Sitecog keeps conversations on servers in the EU.