Manychat vs Tidio
Manychat: Automates social DMs and comment replies on Instagram, WhatsApp and more. Tidio: Live chat, ticketing and an AI agent (Lyro) for customer service. Here is how they compare on price, free plan, platforms and the jobs each does best, from each vendor's own pages.
| Manychat | Tidio | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Automates social DMs and comment replies on Instagram, WhatsApp and more | Live chat, ticketing and an AI agent (Lyro) for customer service |
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $14/mo billed annually (Essential)Manychat pricing | $24.17/mo billed annually (Starter)Tidio pricing |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Essential or Pro (none on Business or Advanced); a saved card is required and the plan renews unless you cancel | 7-day free trial of all features and plans, no credit card needed; the account moves to the Free plan at the end unless you upgrade |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Integrations (vendor's figure) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Open source | No | No |
| Made by | Manychat, Inc. | Tidio |
Choose Manychat if…
- Price matters: its cheapest paid plan is $14/mo against $24.17/mo.
- The job is replying automatically to Instagram comments and direct messages.
- The job is collecting email addresses from social media followers.
Choose Tidio if…
- The job is adding live chat and an AI agent to a small online shop's website.
- The job is answering repetitive customer questions automatically.
Still weighing it up?
If neither is quite right, Manychat and Tidio are also compared with their other rivals: Tidio vs Chatbase, Manychat vs Chatbase and Intercom vs Zendesk.
What Manychat does
- Automated replies to comments and direct messages
- Channels: Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram, SMS and email
- Broadcasts and AI-powered conversations from the Pro plan
- Shared team inbox and assignments on Business and Advanced
- Official Meta Business Partner and TikTok partner
Watch out for
- Free plan: 25 active contacts a month, 2 channels and up to 4 active automations, with Manychat branding
- Each plan includes a set number of active contacts; contacts above that cost $0.004 to $0.10 each, by plan
- WhatsApp, SMS and email start on Pro; unlimited channels start on Business
What Tidio does
- Live chat and ticketing in one inbox
- Lyro AI Agent answers from uploaded FAQs, website content or imported Zendesk articles
- Flows: no-code automations for lead capture, quote requests and missed conversations
- Growth adds advanced analytics, user permissions, automatic chat assignment and macros
- Lyro is also sold as a standalone AI agent for other help desks
Watch out for
- Free plan is limited to 50 billable conversations a month and 100 Flows visitors
- Lyro's free allowance is a one-off 50 conversations; more needs a paid Lyro quota (from $39 a month, or $32.50 billed annually, for 50 conversations)
- Starter includes 100 billable conversations a month; Growth starts at 250
Questions
Is Manychat or Tidio cheaper?
On published entry prices, Manychat is cheaper: $14/mo billed annually (Essential) for Manychat against $24.17/mo billed annually (Starter) for Tidio. What each plan includes differs, so compare the limits too.
Do Manychat and Tidio have free plans?
Both do. Manychat: 25 Active Contacts per month, 1 user, up to 4 live automations, any 2 channels from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger and Telegram (no WhatsApp, SMS or email), Manychat branding; no credit card required. Tidio: 50 billable conversations a month, 10 seats, live chat and ticketing, 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations (one-off, lifetime), 100 visitors reached by Flows a month.