The short answer
For a support team of 5 agents answering 1,000 conversations a month by hand and letting AI take another 1,000, Tidio with its Lyro AI agent costs $879 a month billed monthly, whatever the AI resolves. Intercom with Fin costs $145 plus $0.99 for every outcome, so $145 to $1,135. Intercom is the cheaper of the two while Fin produces 741 outcomes or fewer out of those 1,000 conversations; above that, Tidio is. We read every price on the vendor’s own page on 10 October 2026.
The real difference is the meter, not the logo. Tidio bills a Lyro conversation as soon as the AI replies once, resolved or not. Intercom bills Fin only for an outcome, and it charges seats where Tidio does not. A small online store usually comes out ahead on Tidio’s flat tiers; a team whose AI closes most chats should check whether its outcome count stays below the break-even line.
| Tidio (Growth + Lyro) | Intercom (Essential + Fin) | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 agents, 1,000 human + 1,000 AI conversations, billed monthly | $879 | $145 + $0.99 per outcome = $145 to $1,135 |
| Same, billed annually | $732.50 | $95 to $1,085 |
| Break-even on monthly billing | flat | 741 outcomes |
| Break-even on annual billing | flat | 643 outcomes |
| What the AI meter counts | every conversation with at least one Lyro reply | an outcome, at most once per conversation |
| Seats | up to 10 agents included on self-serve plans | paid per Full seat |
How each one meters AI
Tidio: its pricing FAQ says a Lyro conversation is any customer interaction that has at least one reply from the AI agent, counted once no matter how many replies follow. Separately, a billable conversation is one that includes a message from a human agent; Lyro and Flows replies do not count as agent replies, and unanswered messages are never billed. So a chat Lyro hands to your team, which a human then answers, sits on both meters.
Intercom: Fin is $0.99 per outcome. Its FAQ counts an outcome when the customer confirms the issue is resolved, when they do not ask for more help after Fin responds, or when Fin completes a workflow (a Procedure), handoffs included. It charges at most once per conversation. fin.ai adds that you pay nothing if Fin cannot answer or the customer asks for a human, and that a reopened conversation’s outcome is refunded. Replying to inbound customer email is included in the seat; WhatsApp, SMS, email campaigns and phone are billed by usage.
Put on one scale, Lyro at the 1,000 tier is $0.70 per AI conversation on monthly billing ($0.58 annual), and Fin is $0.99 per outcome. On the AI line alone, Fin costs less than Lyro’s 1,000 tier until it reaches 707 outcomes (589 against annual Lyro). Note that an outcome is broader than a confirmed fix: a customer who simply stops replying counts.
The 5-agent bill at different Fin outcome counts
| Fin outcomes out of 1,000 | Intercom Essential, monthly | Intercom Essential, annual | Tidio Growth + Lyro, monthly | Cheaper (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | $442 | $392 | $879 | Intercom |
| 500 | $640 | $590 | $879 | Intercom |
| 700 | $838 | $788 | $879 | Intercom |
| 900 | $1,036 | $986 | $879 | Tidio |
| 1,000 | $1,135 | $1,085 | $879 | Tidio |
Plan choice moves the line a long way. On Intercom Advanced ($99 a seat monthly) the 5 seats alone are $495, and Tidio is cheaper from 388 outcomes up. Advanced does add 20 free Lite seats for teammates who only collaborate internally (Expert adds 50); Lite seats cannot message customers.
Neither vendor’s resolution claim is in this math. We did not run either AI on live traffic for this article, so plug in your own outcome count from a trial: Intercom’s is 14 days, Tidio’s is 7, and neither asks for a card.
A 2-person shop: 100 human and 50 AI conversations a month
At small volume the gap flips toward Tidio. Starter (100 billable conversations, $29) plus the smallest Lyro tier (50 conversations, $39) is $68 a month, or $56.67 billed annually, and both people fit inside Tidio’s 10 included agents. Intercom needs 2 Essential seats ($58) plus up to $49.50 of Fin outcomes: $58 to $107.50 monthly, $38 to $87.50 annual. Lyro’s smallest tier works out to $0.78 per AI conversation, so per conversation it is the expensive end of Tidio’s price list; the saving comes from the seats.
Tidio’s Free plan also includes 50 billable conversations a month and 50 Lyro conversations once per account, enough to test the AI on real chats before paying.
Keeping your current helpdesk, such as Zendesk
Both AI agents are sold on their own. Tidio’s page offers Lyro to add to Zendesk or another help desk; with no paid Tidio plan, the calculator prices 1,000 Lyro conversations at $700 a month ($583.33 annual). Fin on another helpdesk is $0.99 per outcome with a $49 monthly minimum that includes 50 outcomes, no seat costs and no setup fees, so 1,000 conversations cost at most $990 and only that much if every one is an outcome.
Tidio: plans and Lyro tiers
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (2 months free) | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 50 billable conversations; 50 Lyro conversations once |
| Starter | $29 | $24.17 | 100 billable conversations |
| Growth | from $59 | from $49.17 | 250 to 2,000 billable conversations ($179 at 1,000, $349 at 2,000) |
| Plus | from $300 + usage | from $300 + usage | custom limits and seats |
| Premium | contact sales | contact sales | from 3,000 Lyro conversations, guaranteed 50% Lyro resolution rate, pay-per-resolution billing |
| Lyro add-on | $39 (50) / $350 (500) / $700 (1,000) | $32.50 / $291.67 / $583.33 | Lyro conversations a month |
Pay-per-resolution billing exists at Tidio, but only on Premium, which starts at 3,000 Lyro conversations and has no public price. On every self-serve plan the AI is billed per conversation.
Intercom: seats plus Fin outcomes
| Plan | Monthly, per seat | Annual, per seat | Fin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $29 | $19 | $0.99 per outcome |
| Advanced | $99 | $85 | $0.99 per outcome |
| Expert | $139 | $132 | $0.99 per outcome |
| Fin on another helpdesk | no seats | no seats | $0.99 per outcome, $49 a month minimum |
The minimum is one Full seat. Copilot, the AI assistant for agents, is $35 per agent a month billed monthly or $29 annually, with 10 free Copilot conversations per agent each month. The Pro add-on with Operator is $100 a month. Fin Voice is $1.99 per voice outcome through sales. fin.ai offers spending limits, alerts and a 90-day money-back guarantee, and startups under $10M raised with 15 employees or fewer can apply for up to 93% off.
What Google’s answer gets right, and what it leaves out
Google’s AI Overview for this query (our capture, 5 October 2026) frames Tidio as the affordable pick for small stores and Intercom as the platform for scaling SaaS teams, and says Fin “charges per resolution on top of standard seat pricing”. The seat part holds. What it leaves out is that Lyro’s meter runs on every AI conversation while Fin’s runs on outcomes, so at low resolution volume Intercom’s AI line is the cheaper one. With 5 agents, that holds up to 741 outcomes a month on monthly billing.
Which one for which team
- 1 to 3 people, mostly chat, under a few hundred conversations: Tidio. $68 a month covers 2 people with 50 AI conversations; seats are included.
- 5 or more agents, AI expected to close most chats: run both trials and count outcomes. Above 741 Fin outcomes per 1,000 conversations, Tidio’s $879 is cheaper than Intercom Essential.
- You only want to pay when the AI finishes the job: Intercom. Tidio offers per-resolution billing only on its unpriced Premium plan.
- You are staying on Zendesk or another helpdesk: Lyro at $700 for 1,000 conversations, or Fin at up to $990 for 1,000 outcomes.
For the wider field of helpdesks at the same 5-agent workload, see our AI customer support software price comparison.
How we checked
Every price, allowance and definition was read on 10 October 2026 on tidio.com, intercom.com and fin.ai in a rendered browser. On Tidio we switched the billing toggle both ways and operated the cost calculator at 50 to 2,000 billable conversations and 0 to 1,000 Lyro conversations; its totals match our arithmetic to the cent. Tidio’s cookie dialog covers the toggle, so we hid it in our own browser without accepting anything. On Intercom we saved screenshots of the plan cards with ‘Pay annually’ on and off, because the seat prices are drawn as animated digits. The totals and break-even counts are our arithmetic on list prices. Vendor resolution-rate claims are left out.
Related reading on this site
- Best AI customer support software, priced for 5 agents: Intercom against four other helpdesks at 1,000 AI conversations.
- What an AI chatbot for your website costs: the same per-answer math for a small-site chatbot.
- AI sales tools and what they do to CAC: what AI tools do to the cost of winning a customer.
Questions people ask about Tidio vs Intercom
Is Intercom now called Fin?
No. Intercom still sells its helpdesk as Intercom, with Fin as the AI agent built into every plan at $0.99 per outcome. Fin is also sold on its own at fin.ai for other helpdesks, with no Intercom seats. Checked 10 October 2026.
How much does a chatbot like Lyro or Fin cost?
Lyro is $39 a month for 50 conversations, $350 for 500 and $700 for 1,000 on monthly billing. Fin is $0.99 per outcome; on another helpdesk the minimum is $49 a month including 50 outcomes. Read 10 October 2026.
Who does Intercom compete with?
Tidio, for one: its own pricing page lists Intercom among the products it compares itself with. Intercom also competes as an AI agent on other vendors’ helpdesks, because fin.ai sells Fin for Zendesk and other helpdesks with no Intercom seats. Checked 10 October 2026.
Where can I find AI chat support to try for free?
Tidio’s Free plan includes 50 Lyro conversations once and 50 billable conversations a month, plus a 7-day trial of paid plans. Intercom has a 14-day trial that includes Fin. Neither asks for a credit card. Checked 10 October 2026.
Is Tidio cheaper than Intercom?
For small teams, yes: $68 a month for 2 people with 50 AI conversations on Tidio against $58 to $107.50 on Intercom. For 5 agents and 1,000 AI conversations it depends on Fin’s outcome count: Intercom is cheaper up to 741 outcomes, Tidio above that.
Does Tidio charge for conversations Lyro does not resolve?
Yes. A Lyro conversation counts as soon as Lyro replies once. Pay-per-resolution billing is available only on Tidio Premium, which starts at 3,000 Lyro conversations and is priced by sales.
Can I use Lyro or Fin with Zendesk?
Yes, both. Lyro without a paid Tidio plan is $700 a month for 1,000 conversations; Fin on Zendesk is $0.99 per outcome with a $49 monthly minimum and no seat costs. Read 10 October 2026.
Sources
- Tidio pricing (plan cards, calculator and FAQ), read 10 October 2026.
- Intercom pricing, read 10 October 2026.
- Fin AI Agent pricing, read 10 October 2026.
- Google AI Overview for “tidio vs intercom”, our capture, 5 October 2026.
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