AskVault vs Tidio (2026) - AI agent first or live chat first
The short answer
Pick Tidio if your team wants to talk to visitors live and treats AI as a helper. Pick AskVault if you want the AI agent to carry most of the load, answering from your own pages with sources and handing off to a person only when it should.
Both serve small online stores and growing support teams. They start from opposite ends.
How the pricing models differ
Tidio meters AI separately; AskVault does not.
Tidio's own pricing page describes Lyro, its AI agent, as a separate plan metered by Lyro conversation: a conversation counts once Lyro replies in it at least once. Every Tidio account starts with a one-time allowance of 50 Lyro conversations, and a monthly allowance needs a paid Lyro plan. Tidio's live chat plans are priced separately. We have not reproduced Tidio's dollar figures here, because the sources we could read disagreed with each other; check their pricing page for the current numbers.
AskVault has one flat monthly fee, and AI answers are what the fee pays for:
| AskVault plan | Price | Messages a month | Content | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 | 5 MB | Website widget, hosted chat page |
| Starter | $39/mo | 2,000 | 15 MB | Adds the REST API |
| Growth | $99/mo | 6,000 | 40 MB | Adds WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, SMS, email, live chat inbox |
| Business | $249/mo | 15,000 | 100 MB | 15 workspaces, 10 seats |
A message is one AI reply, and a conversation usually takes a few, so compare using your own conversation length. There are no per-seat or overage fees; prices exclude tax. See the pricing breakdown.
Answers you can check
Every AskVault answer shows its source.
AskVault answers only from your indexed pages and files, shows the source behind each answer, and says it does not know when your content does not cover a question. Answers are checked against your content, and unsupported or low-confidence ones are flagged for review on Growth and up. See hallucination prevention.
Where Tidio is the better choice
- Live chat is the main event. If your team wants to chat with every visitor in real time, Tidio is built for that.
- A mature, widely used product. Tidio has a large user base and a long track record. AskVault has no public reference customers yet.
- Marketing extras. Tidio bundles visitor-engagement tools that AskVault does not try to match.
Where AskVault is the better choice
- One price for AI. AI answers are the plan, not a separate meter.
- Messaging channels. WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord and SMS answered by one agent from Growth.
- Several stores or brands. 2 workspaces on Starter, 5 on Growth and 15 on Business.
- Order status from your store. Read-only Shopify and WooCommerce lookups on Growth and up.
FAQ
Is AskVault a good Tidio alternative?
Yes, when the AI agent is the priority and you want a flat monthly price.
How does Tidio charge for AI?
By Lyro conversation on a separate Lyro plan, according to its pricing page.
Can I try AskVault for free?
Yes. The Free plan has no time limit: 50 messages a month and 5 MB of content, no card.