Ansa vs Tidio (Lyro): which AI support chatbot suits a small business?

Short answer: Tidio is a live chat and helpdesk tool with an AI agent, Lyro, that you add on. It's a good fit if you want your team to chat with customers across your website, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, with AI taking some of the load. Ansa is an AI assistant first: it answers customers from your own information at a fixed monthly price, with no separate AI add-on to buy. If you want a human live chat inbox, choose Tidio. If you mainly want questions answered automatically for a predictable price, Ansa is simpler.

Tidio's prices and features below were checked on its official pricing page on 20 October 2026. Prices change often, so treat them as correct at the time of writing and check the sources before you decide.

Quick comparison

How much does Tidio cost compared with Ansa?

Tidio sells three things separately or together: Customer Service (live chat and helpdesk), Lyro AI Agent, and Flows (automation). At the time of writing, Tidio's pricing page lists:

• Free: $0, 50 billable conversations a month, and 50 Lyro AI conversations one-off.
• Starter: $29 a month, or $24.17 a month billed annually. 100 billable conversations, plus the same one-off 50 Lyro conversations.
• Growth: from $59 a month, or $49.17 a month billed annually, for 250 billable conversations, rising in steps up to 2,000.
• Plus: from $300 a month plus usage, with custom limits and seats.
• Premium: contact Tidio for pricing.

Lyro AI Agent is priced on its own, from $39 a month ($32.50 billed annually) for 50 Lyro conversations a month. The page's calculator lists higher tiers, for example 100 conversations at $75 and 200 at $140 on monthly billing.

The important detail is how Tidio counts. A "billable conversation" is one where a human on your team replies. Replies from Lyro and Flows don't count towards it. Lyro has its own count: any conversation with at least one Lyro reply is one Lyro conversation, however many messages it takes.

So the cost of AI answers on Tidio is mostly the Lyro plan, on top of whichever Customer Service plan you choose.

Ansa is one price for the AI assistant, with no separate add-on:

• Free ($0): 20 answers a month, 1 MB of knowledge, up to 20 website pages per read, 5 documents, just you, 1 assistant.
• Starter ($25 a month): 500 answers a month, 5 MB of knowledge, up to 100 website pages per read, 20 documents, 3 team seats, 1 assistant.
• Pro ($89 a month): 2,000 answers a month, 20 MB of knowledge, up to 500 website pages per read, 50 documents, 10 team seats, 3 assistants, and you can remove “Powered by Ansa”.
• Business ($199 a month): 5,000 answers a month, 50 MB of knowledge, up to 1,000 website pages per read, 200 documents, 25 team seats, 10 assistants, and you can remove “Powered by Ansa”.

Each reply Ansa sends counts as one answer, wherever it's sent. Prices are in US dollars, and there are no contracts. See Pricing.

Is there a free plan?

Both have one, with different shapes.

Ansa's free plan gives you 20 AI answers every month, for one assistant, with no card needed.

Tidio's Free plan includes 50 billable (human) conversations a month and 10 seats, which is generous for live chat. Its AI allowance is different: every account starts with 50 Lyro conversations, and Tidio's FAQ says you need a Lyro plan to refresh that monthly.

Which is easier to set up?

Both are made for non-technical owners, and both put a chat widget on your website.

With Ansa, you sign up, type your website address and Ansa reads your pages, usually within a minute or two. You test a few questions and paste one line into your site, or share your chat link. Most businesses are answering customers within ten minutes. See Set up Ansa in 10 minutes and the guides for WordPress, Shopify and Wix.

Tidio has more to set up because it does more: operators, operating hours, channels, Flows and Lyro. That's worth it if you'll use them.

What happens when you hit the limit?

On Ansa, you get a warning at 80% of your monthly answers. At 100%, the assistant pauses politely: the chat bubble is hidden from new visitors, anyone already chatting is asked to contact you directly, and your knowledge and settings are kept. It comes back at the start of next month, or straight away if you upgrade. You're never charged extra. See What happens at your monthly limit.

On Tidio, you pick quotas for billable conversations, Lyro conversations and Flows visitors, and limits refresh every 30 days from your payment date. The pricing page doesn't say exactly what customers see when a Starter or Growth quota runs out, so ask Tidio if that matters to you.

Which handles conversations the AI can't answer?

Tidio is stronger here. It's a live chat tool at heart, so when Lyro can't help, a person on your team can pick up the conversation in Tidio's inbox. If you have staff watching chats during opening hours, that's a real advantage.

Ansa doesn't have a live chat inbox, so nobody on your team can take over a chat. On Starter, Pro and Business, when it can't help or a customer asks for a person, Ansa takes their email address (and phone number, if you like) and emails you their details with a short summary of the chat; you reply from your own inbox. See When Ansa can't help. With hand-off off, it shows your own "don't know" message with a button to reach you. It also saves the question under Unanswered questions, so you can teach it the answer in one step. For answers that must be exact, like deposits or cancellation rules, a Q&A pair makes Ansa reply with your words.

Which works on more channels?

Tidio does, at the time of writing: live chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email in one inbox.

Ansa covers your website, a shareable chat link you can put in your Instagram bio or on a QR code, and your own WhatsApp number on Starter, Pro and Business. Ansa doesn't charge extra for it; Meta bills you directly for WhatsApp messages after its free monthly allowance. See Connect your WhatsApp number.

Running more than one website or brand

Tidio's FAQ says you can add it to several websites, but the widget shares the same appearance and behaviour settings across them unless you talk to Tidio about it.

On Ansa, Pro and Business let you run several assistants in one workspace, each with its own knowledge, look, chat link and WhatsApp number, on one bill. See Run several assistants.

Who should choose Tidio?

• Businesses that want people and AI in one inbox, with staff ready to take over chats.
• Shops that want Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email handled in the same place.
• Teams that want Flows for proactive messages, lead capture and sales prompts.
• Businesses happy to choose and manage separate quotas for human and AI conversations.

Who should choose Ansa?

• Small businesses that want AI answers without a separate AI add-on and without staffing a chat inbox.
• Owners who want a fixed bill, a hard limit and no surprise charges.
• Anyone who wants the assistant to say "I don't know" and point to you rather than guess.
• Businesses with several brands or locations that each need their own answers.
• Businesses with no website, who can share a chat link instead.
• Salons, clinics and shops that want the assistant to take bookings or answer "where is my order?" from Shopify or Stripe (Pro and Business).

FAQ

Is Lyro included in Tidio's free plan?

Partly. At the time of writing, every Tidio account gets 50 Lyro conversations one-off; to get a monthly allowance you buy a Lyro AI Agent plan, from $39 a month or $32.50 billed annually.

Is Ansa cheaper than Tidio?

For AI answers, usually. Ansa's paid plans start at $25 a month including the AI. On Tidio, the AI is a separate Lyro plan on top of any Customer Service plan.

Can my staff reply to customers in Ansa?

Not inside Ansa. Ansa answers automatically. When it can't help, it emails you the customer's details and a chat summary on Starter, Pro and Business, and you reply from your own email. If you need a shared live chat inbox, Tidio is the better choice.

Does Ansa work on Instagram and Messenger?

Not as a direct integration. You can put your Ansa chat link in your Instagram bio or on your Facebook page, so customers open a full-page chat.

Which is better for a busy online shop?

If your team handles lots of live chats across social channels, Tidio covers more. If you want common questions, including order status from Shopify or Stripe on Pro and Business, answered automatically for a fixed price, Ansa is simpler. You can try both for free.

Related comparisons

• The best AI customer support chatbots for small businesses
• Ansa vs Chatbase
• Ansa vs Intercom Fin

Want to try it on your own site? Start free, no card needed.

Sources

Competitor details were checked on 20 October 2026 and may have changed since.

• Tidio pricing, plans and FAQ: tidio.com/pricing (checked on 2026-10-20)
• Ansa plans and limits: Plans and limits and Pricing