Let's be honest, choosing between customer messaging platforms feels like picking between two perfectly good cars. They both get you from point A to point B, but which one's actually better for your specific needs?

If you're reading this, you've probably narrowed it down to Tidio and Heyy. Great choices, both of them. But they're built for slightly different types of businesses, and picking the wrong one could mean either overpaying for features you'll never use or hitting limitations just when you're starting to scale.

I'll tell you exactly what each platform does well, where they fall short, and who should actually use them.

Full disclosure: We're Heyy, so yes, this comparison is coming from us. But I promise to be straight with you about where Tidio wins and where we think Heyy is the better choice. Fair?

Tidio vs Heyy

If you just want the summary before we jump in:

Choose Tidio if:

• You're running an eCommerce store (especially on Shopify) and need something simple that works right out of the box
• You want the cheapest possible option to get started
• You only need basic chatbot functionality and don't plan to scale much

Choose Heyy if:

• You're a growing business handling customer conversations across multiple channels (web, Instagram, WhatsApp, email)
• You need smarter AI that can actually handle complex questions
• You want a platform that'll scale with you without breaking the bank
• Your support team needs collaboration features and a unified inbox

Now let's break down why.

What Tidio Does Well

Tidio is popular for good reasons. I'll tell you a few.

Super Easy Setup

Tidio wins on speed of implementation. Seriously, you can have a basic chat widget running on your site in minutes. The interface is dead simple, the templates are plug-and-play, and if you're on Shopify, the integration is one-click.

If you're a solo founder or small team that just wants something up and running today, Tidio delivers on that promise.

Strong eCommerce Features

Tidio is clearly built with online stores in mind. Their templates include:

• Abandoned cart recovery
• Product recommendation flows
• Order tracking automation
• Discount code distribution

If you're selling physical products and need basic automation around common eCommerce questions, Tidio's got you covered.

Competitive Free Plan

Tidio's free plan is genuinely useful. You get:

• 50 conversations per month
• Up to 3 chatbot triggers
• Live chat functionality
• Email and social media integration (limited)

For a brand new business or side project, that's enough to get started without spending money.

Where Tidio Falls Short

Here's where things get tricky as you grow.

The AI Chatbot

Tidio's chatbot (called Lyro) can handle simple, straightforward questions. But the moment someone asks something even slightly out of the norm or difficult or uses natural language that doesn't match your exact keywords, it struggles.

You'll find yourself constantly adding more triggers and keywords, trying to cover every possible way someone might phrase a question. It's tedious, and you'll never cover everything.

Pricing Escalates Quickly

That free plan? It runs out fast. Once you hit 50 conversations (which a decent-sized store can blow through in a week), you're looking at:

• $29/month for the Starter plan (still pretty limited)
• $59/month for Growth (where you actually get useful features)
• $749/month for Tidi+

(their highest tier, and it gets expensive quick)

Limited Multi-Channel Support

Tidio says it supports multiple channels, but in practice, it's really optimized for website chat and basic Messenger integration. If you're trying to manage Instagram DMs, WhatsApp conversations, and email all in one place, you'll hit limits fast.

The unified inbox exists, but it's not as seamless as platforms built from the ground up for omnichannel support.

Collaboration Tools Are Basic

If you're a team of one or two, this doesn't matter. But once you have 3+ people handling support, Tidio's team collaboration features feel limited. Assigning conversations, internal notes, and handoffs between agents aren't as smooth as they should be.

What Heyy Does Differently

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Alright, now let me tell you why we built Heyy and where we think Heyy's killing it.

Interactive & Smart AI

Heyy's AI is built on more advanced natural language processing. What does that mean in plain English?

When someone types "hey do you ship to canada" or "can i get this to toronto" or "will you send to ontario," Heyy's AI understands they're all asking the same thing about Canadian shipping. You don't need separate triggers for every variation.

The AI learns from your conversations and gets better over time. It's not perfect on day one (no AI is), but it significantly improves instead of just following rigid scripts.

An All-In-One Inbox

This is where Heyy really shines. We built the platform specifically for businesses dealing with customers across multiple channels.

When someone messages you on Instagram, then emails you, then hits up your website chat, Heyy shows you one conversation thread with full context. Not three separate conversations where your team has no idea you've already been talking to this person.

That unified view includes:

• Website live chat
• Instagram DMs
• WhatsApp Business messages
• Email
• Facebook Messenger

Everything in one place, with full conversation history and context.

For more on why this unified approach matters, check out our guide on what is customer messaging, it breaks down how modern customer communication works.

Pricing

Here's Heyy's pricing structure:

• Free plan: Actually useful for small businesses (100 credits/month, 1 AI employee, unlimited channels)
• Hobby: $49/month (2,000 credits, 1 AI employee, 3 actions per AI employee, campaigns)
• Pro: $149/month (8,000 credits, 5 users, 2 AI employees, team inboxes, analytics, advanced support)
• Ultra: $499/month (20,000 credits, 10 users, 3 AI employees, sensitive chats, audit logs, priority support)

Plus, our free plan actually includes unlimited channels and a full API, things most platforms charge for.

Analytics

Heyy shows you:

• Response time trends (and which agents are fastest/slowest)
• Resolution rates by topic
• Customer satisfaction scores
• Chatbot performance (what's working, what's confusing people)
• Peak volume times
• Conversation topics and trends

You can actually use this data to improve your support.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Let's get specific. Here's how Tidio and Heyy stack up on the features that actually matter:

Chat Widget & Customization

Tidio: Simple, clean widgets. Basic customization (colors, position, greeting message). Works well but nothing fancy.

Heyy: Fully customizable widgets that match your brand. Advanced triggers based on behavior (time on page, pages visited, exit intent). More control, but slightly steeper learning curve.

Winner: Tie. Both get the job done.

Chatbot Builder

Tidio: Visual builder with drag-and-drop. Easy to use but limited logic capabilities. Best for simple flows.

Heyy: Visual builder plus advanced conditional logic and AI-powered responses. Can handle complex conversation trees without getting messy.

Winner: Heyy, especially if you need anything beyond basic Q&A.

AI Capabilities

Tidio: Lyro AI is okay for simple questions. Struggles with variations in phrasing or context. Requires a lot of manual setup.

Heyy: More advanced NLP. Understands intent even with different phrasing. Learns from conversations and suggests improvements.

Winner: Heyy by a significant margin.

Multi-Channel Support

Tidio: Website chat + basic social media integration.

Heyy: Built from the ground up for omnichannel. Website, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, email—, all in one unified inbox.

Winner: Heyy, hands down.

Team Collaboration

Tidio: Basic assignment and notes. Works for small teams but lacks advanced features.

Heyy: Full collaboration suite with smart routing, internal notes and more.

Winner: Heyy.

Integrations

Tidio: Solid integrations with major eCommerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) and some CRMs.

Heyy: Integrations with eCommerce platforms, CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive), helpdesks, and more. Plus webhooks and API for custom integrations.

Winner: Roughly tied. Tidio has some eCommerce-specific integrations; Heyy has broader CRM/business tool integrations.

Pricing Value

Tidio: Cheap to start, but costs escalate quickly once you need real features.

Heyy: Slightly higher entry price, but you get more features at each tier and it's cheaper as you scale.

Winner: Heyy for growing businesses. Tidio mostly, for Ecommerce.

Who Should Pick Which?

Choose Tidio If You're:

A solo founder or very small eCommerce store that needs basic chat and chatbot functionality without spending much money. You're not handling huge volume, and you don't need advanced features yet.

Running a simple Shopify store with straightforward products and questions. You want plug-and-play eCommerce templates that work out of the box.

Just testing out live chat for the first time and want the fastest, easiest setup possible.

Not planning to scale much in the next year. If you're staying under 100 conversations a month, Tidio's free plan is hard to beat.

Choose Heyy If You're:

A growing business handling increasing support volume across multiple channels. You need a platform that scales with you.

Managing a support team (3+ people) and need collaboration features, smart routing, and proper team analytics.

Handling complex customer conversations that require context across different channels (email, social, chat).

Running a B2B SaaS, service business, or any non-eCommerce operation where customer communication is a critical part of your business.

Want AI that actually works instead of spending hours programming keyword triggers.

The Honest Truth About Switching

If you're already on Tidio and thinking about switching to Heyy (or vice versa), here's what you need to know:

Switching from Tidio to Heyy

What's easy:

• Setting up Heyy is quick
• Importing your knowledge base and FAQs
• Getting your team up to speed (the interface is intuitive)

What takes effort:

• Rebuilding chatbot flows (though you'll probably build them better the second time)
• Reconnecting integrations
• Migrating conversation history (we can help with this)

Most teams complete the switch in a few days. If you're curious about setting up initially, our guide on how to add a chat widget to your website walks through the basics.

Look, both Tidio and Heyy are good products. Neither is trash, and both have their place.

Want to see the difference yourself?

Try Heyy free for 14 days and see how it compares to Tidio in your actual workflow. No credit card required, and you can have both running simultaneously to test them side-by-side.

We're confident that once you see how much smoother multi-channel support can be, you won't want to go back.

FAQs

Can I use both Tidio and Heyy at the same time?

Technically yes, but why would you? You'll confuse yourself and your customers. Pick one, commit to it for at least a month, and then decide if you need to switch.

Is Heyy really better for eCommerce, or is that just marketing?

Tidio has better out-of-the-box eCommerce templates, so if you want zero customization and just want to plug and play, Tidio wins. But Heyy is actually better for growing eCommerce businesses because of the multi-channel support and smarter AI. Most Shopify stores don't just get website traffic, they're also on Instagram, getting DMs, emails, etc. Heyy handles that better.

Does Heyy integrate with Shopify/WooCommerce?

Yes. Both platforms integrate with major eCommerce platforms. Tidio's integration is a bit more polished out of the box, but Heyy's works great and gives you more customization options.

What if I'm not technical? Is Heyy too complicated?

Heyy is built for non-technical users. Yes, it has more features than Tidio, which means there's slightly more to learn. But the interface is intuitive, we have great documentation, and our support team actually helps you get set up. Most users are fully comfortable within a few days.

Can I import my Tidio data into Heyy?

Yes. We can help you migrate conversation history, contacts, and knowledge base content. Reach out to our suppor team and we'll walk you through it.

Is there a contract or can I cancel anytime?

No contracts. You can cancel anytime. We're confident you'll want to stay.

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