Softwr

Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Freshchat vs Tidio

Freshchat logo

Freshchat

Live Chat & Chatbots

Modern messaging for customer engagement

From
Free
Rated
-
Tidio logo

Tidio

Live Chat & Chatbots

Customer service platform driven by live chat

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting; Tidio free tier limited to 50 billable conversations per month; exceeding this requires paid plan upgrade
  • They diverge on capability: Freshchat covers Campaigns, Tidio covers Visitor tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshchat and Tidio actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshchat and Tidio differ
AttributeFreshchatTidio
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud-based SaaS
Founded20102013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat & Chatbots).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Freshchat

  • Campaigns
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Apple Business Chat
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales
  • Slack
  • Zendesk

Only in Tidio

  • Visitor tracking
  • Email marketing
  • Mobile apps
  • Canned responses
  • WordPress
  • Wix
  • BigCommerce
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Live chat
  • Chatbots
  • Shopify
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Freshchat

  • Live chat on a website or in an appnot Tidio
  • Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Tidio
  • Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Tidio
  • Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Tidio

Tidio

  • E-commerce businesses deploying chatbots to handle customer inquiriesnot Freshchat
  • Customer service teams seeking to automate 50%+ of routine support ticketsnot Freshchat

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Freshchat

  • The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
  • Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
  • Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
  • Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
  • Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot

Tidio

  • Free tier limited to 50 billable conversations per month; exceeding this requires paid plan upgrade
  • Advanced analytics, user permissions, and macros excluded from Free and Starter tiers
  • Custom branding, multiproject, and department features only available in Plus tier ($300+/month)
  • Guaranteed AI resolution rates (50% minimum) only in Premium tier; Premium pricing requires contacting sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 contacts
    • Chatbot
    • Inbox views
  • Growth$19/month
    • 2000 contacts
    • WhatsApp
    • Instagram
  • Pro$49/month
    • 5000 contacts
    • Auto-resolve
    • Advanced routing
  • Enterprise$79/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • Custom bots
    • User authentication

Tidio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Tidio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshchat if

  • You need campaigns.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want whatsapp.

Choose Tidio if

  • You need visitor tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want email marketing.

Questions people ask

Is Freshchat or Tidio better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshchat starts at Free and Tidio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshchat or Tidio?
Freshchat starts at Free and Tidio at Free.
Does Freshchat or Tidio run on more platforms?
Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Tidio runs on Cloud-based SaaS.
Can I use Freshchat for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Freshchat best used for?
Freshchat is most often used for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Of those, live chat on a website or in an app and shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers are not what Tidio is typically brought in for.
What can Freshchat do that Tidio cannot?
Freshchat covers Campaigns, WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat. Tidio covers Visitor tracking, Email marketing, Mobile apps, Canned responses. Both handle Live chat, Chatbots, Shopify, GDPR.

Related pages

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