Tidio started as a live-chat and marketing-automation tool and added an AI layer, Lyro, on top. Askvo started from the opposite direction: an AI chatbot trained on your content, with human hand-off built in rather than bolted on. That order-of-operations shows up directly in how each one is priced.
The core difference: AI as an add-on vs AI as the product
Tidio's Core plans (Free, Starter at $29/mo, Growth at $59/mo) cover human conversations and live-chat tooling. Lyro AI is priced separately, starting at $39/month for just 100 AI conversations, with usage scaling steeply from there (500–1,000 AI chats can run $79–$149/month on top of your Core plan). Run Lyro standalone without the help-desk features and it's billed per conversation, around $0.58 each.
That means a small business that wants both a proper live-chat setup and a working AI chatbot on Tidio is realistically looking at Starter ($29) plus Lyro ($39) as a starting point, before conversation volume grows past what either tier includes. Askvo's AI chatbot is available from the Free plan (50 messages/month) with no separate add-on to unlock it, and Pro at €29/month includes 2,000 messages flat.
Pricing side by side
| What you need | Tidio | Askvo |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Live chat only, AI not included | Live chat + AI chatbot, 1 bot, 50 AI messages/mo |
| Entry AI-capable setup | Starter ($29) + Lyro ($39) ≈ $68/mo minimum | Pro, €29/mo flat, AI included |
| AI usage billing | Metered per conversation past the included quota | Flat monthly message pool, no per-conversation charge |
| Mid-market plan | Growth, $59/mo (+ Lyro usage) | Business, €79/mo, 10,000 messages/mo, lead capture |
| Big usage jump | Plus, from $749/mo (12x leap from Growth) | Agency, €199/mo, 40,000 messages/mo |
Where Tidio has an edge
- Multi-channel out of the box: Tidio connects live chat to Messenger, Instagram, and email in one inbox, which matters if your support already happens across several channels, not just your website. Askvo is a website widget; it doesn't cover other channels.
- Marketing automation: Tidio's Flows builder and broader marketing toolset go beyond support into proactive campaigns, which Askvo doesn't attempt to do.
- Mature live-chat feature set for teams that primarily want a human-staffed inbox with AI as a supplement, not the main event.
Where Askvo has an edge
- AI included from the free tier, with no separate product to configure and pay for on top of a base plan.
- Flat, predictable AI cost: a monthly message pool instead of per-conversation metering that can surprise you in a high-traffic month. Compare plans on pricing.
- Same-window human hand-off: when the AI can't help, "Talk to a human" moves the conversation to your Askvo dashboard without the visitor leaving the chat they started.
- Honest fallback by design: strict mode keeps the bot answering only from your content, and logs what it couldn't answer instead of guessing. See how Askvo avoids hallucinations.
- No mid-tier cliff: Askvo's plans scale €29 to €79 to €199; Tidio's jump from Growth to Plus is a 12x price increase with nothing in between.
Switching from Tidio to Askvo
- Create a free Askvo account. No card required.
- Paste your website URL so the crawler builds a knowledge base straight from your live pages, rather than exporting anything from Tidio.
- Re-add manual content, anything you'd fed to Lyro as documents or Q&A. See how to train a chatbot on your own data.
- Swap the embed snippet on your site for Askvo's: one script tag and a custom element. If you're on WordPress or Shopify, see our WordPress or Shopify guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Tidio's Core plan to use Lyro?
You can run Lyro on its own, billed per AI conversation, but most small businesses end up paying for a Core plan too if they also want a shared human inbox, which is what pushes the realistic starting cost up.
Is Askvo a live-chat tool or an AI chatbot?
Primarily an AI chatbot trained on your content, with human hand-off built in for when it can't help. If your priority is a full multi-channel human inbox with AI as a secondary feature, Tidio's breadth may fit better; if AI-first support is the priority, Askvo's the more direct fit.
Does Askvo support Messenger or Instagram like Tidio?
No. Askvo is a website chat widget. If multi-channel support is a requirement, that's a real reason to stay with or choose Tidio.
What happens when the AI doesn't know an answer?
It says so with a fallback message you control, and logs the question in your Unanswered Questions report so you know what to add next.