Tidio is live chat with an AI agent, Lyro, in front, billed per conversation with Lyro conversations on top. If you're looking elsewhere, the deciding questions are usually how the AI is billed and whether people or the AI work the front line. Here are six, with figures from each vendor's own pricing page.
Figures last checked 9 November 2026 on each vendor's own pages
It depends on who works the front line and how you want to pay. For a low-cost shared inbox for a human team, Crisp from $45 a month per workspace. For teams already in Intercom, Intercom Fin at $0.99 per outcome. For an AI chatbot trained on your content and billed per reply, Chatbase from $40 a month. For a Shopify store whose team works a ticket queue, Gorgias, with a helpdesk from $10 a month. For a full helpdesk, Zendesk from $19 per agent. For an AI on the front line at a flat price, Aivastark includes 5,000 AI replies in its $39 Starter plan.
The biggest difference is how each one charges for the AI: in the plan, as an add-on, or as a separate product.
| Product | Best for | How the AI is billed | What the AI costs | Paid plans from | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tidio (the one you're leaving) | WhatsApp marketing with a team inbox | Per conversation, with Lyro AI conversations on top | $0.58–$0.78 per Lyro conversation | $29/month | Yes, 50 conversations a month |
 Crisp | A low-cost shared inbox for a human team | Flat price per workspace; Hugo AI on monthly credits | $5–$75 of AI credits a month, by plan | $45/month per workspace | Yes, 2 seats, no AI |
 Intercom Fin | Teams already working in Intercom or a large helpdesk | Per outcome, plus seats | $0.99 per outcome | $39 per seat a month (list), plus outcomes | No; trial runs 14 days, no card |
 Chatbase | An AI chatbot trained on your content, with a wide choice of models | Per AI reply (message credit) | $40 for 700 replies | $40/month | Yes, 50 replies a month |
 Gorgias | Shopify stores whose team works a ticket queue | Per AI interaction, on top of a helpdesk plan | $0.90–$1.00 per interaction | $10/month (helpdesk) | No; 7-day trial, no card |
 Zendesk | A full helpdesk with tickets and telephony | Per agent seat, plus a fee per automated resolution | $1.50–$2.00 per resolution past the allowance | $19 per agent a month | No; a free trial |
 Aivastark (our product) | The AI on the front line, at a flat price | Flat monthly plan, AI replies included | $39 for 5,000 replies | $12/month | Yes, 300 replies a month, no card |
Each product's figures come from its own pricing page, checked in the month shown on its card; the sources are listed on each head-to-head. Aivastark's figures come from the plan table the pricing page reads. Product names and logos belong to their owners and are shown only to identify the products compared; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Pick by the job you need done. Every card links to a full head-to-head with the sources.
Best for
A low-cost shared inbox for a human team
A flat price per workspace from $45 a month, with phone calls, SMS and a status page, EU hosting and a choice of AI models.
Hugo AI runs on $5–$75 of AI credits a month, depending on the plan, and the free plan has no AI.
Aivastark vs CrispChecked October 2026Best for
Teams already working in Intercom or a large helpdesk
Fin answers inside Intercom, Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk, and you pay only when it reaches an outcome, at $0.99 each.
Seats cost $39 per seat a month on the list price, on top of every outcome, and there's no free plan.
Aivastark vs Intercom FinChecked October 2026Best for
An AI chatbot trained on your content, with a wide choice of models
The widest model choice (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and more), ready-made Stripe, Shopify and Calendly actions, and a free plan with 50 replies a month.
It bills per AI reply: $40 a month buys 700 replies, and phone voice starts on its $150 plan.
Aivastark vs ChatbaseChecked October 2026Best for
Shopify stores whose team works a ticket queue
A helpdesk for e-commerce teams that work a ticket queue all day, where the AI can issue refunds and cancel or edit orders, with 500 seats from Basic; helpdesk from $10 a month.
Each AI interaction costs $0.90–$1.00 on top of the helpdesk plan, and there's no free plan.
Aivastark vs GorgiasChecked October 2026Best for
A full helpdesk with tickets and telephony
A full helpdesk, help center and ticket queue, with telephony, voice AI, 1,800+ apps and HIPAA-enabled support with a signed BAA, from $19 per agent a month.
Every agent seat is billed, and automated resolutions past the allowance cost $1.50–$2.00 each.
Aivastark vs ZendeskChecked October 2026Best for
The AI on the front line, at a flat price
Starter at $39 a month includes 5,000 AI replies on your website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and email, with Shopify or WooCommerce order lookups, in 80+ languages, then hands off to your team in one inbox. The free plan has 300 replies a month.
It has no phone line, and it's built for the AI to answer first. If you want people at the centre with the AI as backup, pick a tool above.
See pricingTidio is the stronger choice when people work the chat and the AI backs them up. Stay if you:
Tidio counts Lyro AI conversations on top of the plan. Crisp gives each plan a monthly AI credit budget, Intercom Fin and Zendesk charge per outcome or resolution, Chatbase counts each AI reply against message credits, Gorgias charges per AI interaction, and Aivastark includes a fixed number of AI replies in a flat plan with a published overage rate. Estimate your monthly conversations first, then price each model at that volume.
For a store, the useful answers are about orders, stock and sizes. Whatever you pick, check that the AI looks up orders and reads your live catalogue, not only the pages you uploaded.
The Shopify AI chatbotIf customers message you on WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger, check that the AI answers there too, in the same inbox as your website chat, and who bills the WhatsApp message fees.
The WhatsApp AI agentAivastark includes AI replies in its plans: Starter at $39 a month comes with 5,000 AI replies. On Tidio, Lyro AI conversations cost $0.58–$0.78 each on top of the plan. Crisp includes $5–$75 of AI credits a month by plan, Intercom Fin charges $0.99 per outcome plus seats, Gorgias charges $0.90–$1.00 per AI interaction, and Zendesk charges $1.50–$2.00 per resolution past the allowance.
Aivastark (300 AI replies a month, no card), Chatbase (50 replies a month) and Crisp (2 seats, without AI). Tidio's own free plan has 50 conversations a month. Intercom Fin, Gorgias and Zendesk offer trials, not free plans.
If your team works a ticket queue and wants the AI to refund, cancel and edit orders, Gorgias. If you want the AI to answer first, look up orders and read live stock, then hand off to your team, Aivastark does that from its $39 Starter plan, and its Shopify app starts on a free plan for the website chatbot.
Yes. Aivastark answers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and email in the same inbox as the website widget, from its $39 Starter plan, in 80+ languages.