Choose Tidio if you want an affordable, easy-to-use customer support tool with a no-code AI agent ideal for small to mid-sized businesses, especially e-commerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.
Choose Fin AI for advanced AI capabilities in complex customer service operations within Intercom’s platform. It delivers high-quality, omnichannel support but comes with higher costs and a steep learning curve, suited for enterprises with organized help centers.
Helply, however, is the best alternative for Tidio and Fin AI. Helply combines advanced AI-powered customer support with continuous self-learning, no-code setup, and seamless integration with existing helpdesk tools.
But don't just take my word for it. Let's compare Tidio vs Fin AI vs Helply.
Tidio
Tidio is a cloud-based customer communication platform combining live chat, an AI assistant called Lyro, and automation tools. It serves small to mid-sized businesses by providing real-time support and automating repetitive questions.
Key offerings include a customizable chat widget, a visual no-code bot builder, a ticketing system, and integrations with e-commerce platforms and CRM/marketing tools.
Tidio consolidates messages from multiple communication channels, such as website live chat, email, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram, into a single dashboard and delivers AI-generated replies via Lyro.
Features
AI assistant: Lyro
- Smart actions and product recommendations. Lyro fetches order details, recommends products, upsells, modifies orders, and triggers external actions via integrations. It uses a knowledge base and historic conversations to craft replies and can be taught custom procedures.
- Self‑training with minimal setup. Lyro starts answering simple questions after a few minutes by analysing help‑center content or past tickets. It supports multilingual answers and can be deployed across web chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
- Smart hand‑offs and analytics. When Lyro cannot solve an issue, it transfers the conversation to a human agent; the dashboard records resolution rate, AI performance, and queries needing better documentation.
Live chat
- Real‑time features. Operators see visitors typing, insert canned responses (macros), and use a GPT‑4 powered reply assistant.
- Visitor management. Includes banning disruptive users, viewing visitor lists, assigning chats automatically, scheduling operating hours, and offering offline messages.
- Pre‑chat and post‑chat tools. Pre‑chat forms collect visitor information; transcripts, tags, satisfaction surveys, and read receipts help agents track quality.
Ticketing system
- Unified inbox. Agents turn chats or emails into tickets, assign priority, and track ownership, history, and tags.
- Workflow automation. Supports filtering, smart views, and rule‑based routing.
- Spam management and insights. Built‑in spam filtering and advanced search assist in managing ticket volumes.
Flows (automation builder)
- Visual builder & templates. Drag‑and‑drop editor with 40+ prebuilt templates to automate lead capture, product recommendations, and cart recovery.
- Dynamic triggers. Automation flows respond to user actions and can transfer customers to an operator mid‑conversation.
- Data collection and surveys. Flows gather contact data, segment visitors, and push information into third‑party apps.
Additional features
- Multichannel messaging. Combines live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp into a single team inbox.
- Shopify order management. Agents preview carts, check delivery zones, view order history, recommend products, issue discounts, and manage orders from the chat panel.
- Analytics and reporting. Tracks sales conversion, response times, operator performance, channel efficiency, and flow results.
- Customization and branding. Customize widget colors and positions, set chat visibility rules, remove Tidio branding on higher plans, and support multiple languages and departments.
Pricing plans
Tidio offers four main subscription tiers with annual billing discounts (approximate monthly prices converted from yearly rates).
Paid plans charge based on the number of conversations and additional features:
| Plan | Price (annual billing) | Key inclusions | Notable limitations |
|---|
| Starter | US $24.17 per month | 100 billable conversations per month; basic live chat, limited analytics and visitor list; AI Copilot; 50 Lyro AI conversations one‑time; 100 Flow visitors reached. | Additional conversations cost extra; removal of Tidio branding requires add‑on; limited Lyro and automation quotas. |
| Growth | US $49.17 per month | Everything in Starter plus 2 000 billable conversations; advanced analytics; Tidio power features; custom agent permissions; up to 50 Lyro AI conversations and 200 Flow visitors reached. | Higher quotas but still limited; removal of branding may require add‑on. |
| Plus | US $749 per month (annual) | Custom conversation quotas; dedicated success manager; custom branding; multi‑project support; departments; multi‑language support; OpenAPI access; live chat support; higher Lyro AI conversation quotas and custom Flow visitor limits. | Price jump makes it suited for larger teams; many features available only here. |
| Premium | Contact sales | Promises at least 50 % of support conversations automated with managed AI; per‑resolution billing; includes mobile SDK, priority service, premium support, super admin roles and high Lyro quotas (≥ 3 000). | Requires negotiation and is likely expensive; usage‑based charges. |
Additional notes: Flows and Lyro quotas reset each month, while unused billable conversations do not roll over.
Pros
- User-friendly and fast setup. Reviewers praise Tidio for easy implementation, quick chat widget installation, and an intuitive interface, with some noting deployment within an hour.
- Affordable for small businesses. Tidio’s free plan and low entry pricing appeal to small e-commerce stores, offering automation and real-time chat without high costs.
- Effective automation and lead capture. Tidio combines live chat, chatbots, and email marketing for unified communication and real-time visitor tracking, allowing focus on complex issues.
- E-commerce platform integration. Shopify and WooCommerce integrations enable order management and cart recovery directly within chat.
- Consolidated inbox and multichannel support. Messages from live chat, email, Messenger, and more are unified in a single dashboard, simplifying workflows and enhancing user-friendliness.
Cons
- Pricing increases and billing complaints. Several users report unexpected price hikes, annual subscriptions without clear notice, and refusal of refunds; one called it “a scam” after their rate doubled and cancellation was denied.
- Poor customer support. Some reviewers describe slow or unresponsive service, missed meetings, and unexplained account removals.
- Limited customization and analytics. Chatbot customization is basic, automation workflows are complex for non-technical users, integrations are fewer than competitors, and reporting is minimal. Widget customization and mobile app stability also receive criticism.
- AI and feature limitations. Some find the AI less advanced and buggy, with inadequate support. Lack of native WhatsApp or Instagram support and notification delays are noted.
- Limited quotas and extra charges. Free and lower-tier plans restrict conversations, Lyro AI responses, and automation flows, leading to upgrade pressures.
Who Tidio is for
- Small to mid-size ecommerce and service businesses needing live chat and basic automation. Users highlight Tidio’s free and affordable plans, unified inbox, and easy setup as practical for smaller teams.
- Businesses using Shopify or WooCommerce wanting to manage orders, cart recovery, and customer inquiries without switching tools. Shopify integration is a key selling point.
- Teams seeking quick deployment and minimal technical overhead. The drag-and-drop builder and prebuilt templates allow non-developers to create chatbots easily; users find it reliable.
- Companies needing multichannel support across web chat, email, and Messenger in a single inbox.
Who Tidio is not for
- Enterprises requiring advanced analytics, deep customization, and high volumes. Reporting and customization are basic; higher-tier plans are expensive. Complex workflows may be limited.
- Businesses sensitive to unpredictable billing or strict refunds. Negative reviews cite unexplained price increases and poor refund policies.
- Teams prioritizing sophisticated AI and wide channel coverage. Some find Tidio’s AI rudimentary and note lack of native WhatsApp or Instagram support. Organizations needing advanced natural-language understanding or full social media coverage may need other tools.
- Those expecting high-touch customer service. Several users report slow or inadequate support; larger organizations relying on vendor assistance may be dissatisfied.
Intercom Fin is an AI-powered support agent integrated within Intercom’s helpdesk platform. As part of the wider Intercom suite, Fin offers smooth automation for customer support.
It tightly integrates with Intercom, enabling quick responses and efficient ticket management. Powered by Intercom’s Fin AI Engine, it searches your content, generates responses, and escalates complex issues to human agents.
The platform includes tools for analyzing, training, testing, and deploying the AI across various channels.
Features
According to Intercom’s official resources, Fin offers several notable capabilities:
- All-in-one workspace for analysis, training, testing, and deployment. Fin’s dashboard displays metrics like answered questions, deflection rates, customer satisfaction, and performance insights. Users can train Fin by uploading articles or connecting data sources, set tone and behavior, and define actions. Testing allows review before deployment across live chat, email, and other channels.
- Answers based on knowledge from multiple sources. Fin retrieves information from help center articles, knowledge base documents, and other files in Intercom’s Knowledge Hub. Responses include source references to reduce inaccuracies.
- Customizable tone, length, and behavior. Administrators can adjust Fin’s voice, answer length, and operational policies. Fin can perform tasks like subscription cancellations or order updates in external systems.
- Audience segmentation and multilingual capabilities. Businesses can control which customers receive automated answers or human support. Fin supports real-time translation in over 45 languages.
- Automatic escalation and smooth human handoff. The system transfers complex queries to human agents and integrates with Intercom’s shared inbox and messenger.
- Image and file interpretation. Fin can respond to questions involving images or uploaded files.
- Integration with external data sources and workflows. Fin connects to outside systems through data connectors and can execute actions like ticket creation or record updates.
- Native Intercom automation. Fin provides chat automation within Intercom, effective for existing platform users.
Pricing plans
Intercom offers Fin as part of its support platform with the following pricing structure (annual billing, per seat, plus usage fees):
| Plan | Monthly Seat Cost | Included Features | Additional Details |
|---|
| Essential | $29 per seat/month | Fin AI Agent, Intercom messenger, shared inbox, pre-built analytics reports, one public help center | Fin usage charged at $0.99 per resolved conversation; includes 1 seat by default |
| Advanced | $85 per seat/month | All Essential features plus multiple team inboxes, workflow automation, round-robin assignment, private/multilingual help centers, and 20 “lite seats” | Fin usage charged at $0.99 per resolution |
| Expert | $132 per seat/month | All Advanced features plus SSO, HIPAA support, SLAs, multi-brand messenger/help center, and 50 “lite seats” | Fin usage fee remains $0.99 per resolution |
Additional add-ons include Fin AI Copilot ($35 per seat/month) and proactive messaging starting at $99 per month.
Monthly billing rates are higher than annual. Each resolved conversation incurs a $0.99 fee, which can lead to unpredictable costs for high-volume users.
Pros
- Quick setup and high-quality responses. Fin is straightforward to configure and deploy with minimal technical expertise, making it suitable for lean support teams. Its answers are highly regarded when fed with well-organized help center content.
- Robust feature set. Intercom combines chat, ticketing, knowledge base, marketing, and AI features in one platform. Fin integrates smoothly with Intercom’s messenger and shared inbox, providing actionable analytics.
- Real-time insight. Fin delivers immediate analytics that help support teams track performance and customer satisfaction.
- All-in-one convenience with polished UI. Intercom’s sleek chat widget and product tours offer a professional customer experience without needing multiple tools.
- Fast return on investment. Fin provides value quickly since it requires only uploading key articles without complex data migration.
Cons
- Expensive and unpredictable pricing. The $0.99 per resolved conversation fee on top of seat costs can result in unexpectedly high bills, especially during volume spikes. The definition of “resolved” may count chats closed by users even if the answer was unsatisfactory.
- Not ideal for small teams or SMBs. Due to complexity and cost, Fin may be less accessible for smaller organizations with limited budgets.
- Requires migration of content into Intercom’s help center. Fin only works with knowledge stored inside Intercom’s articles, making it challenging for companies with documentation scattered across other tools like Google Docs or Notion.
- Limited integrations and features. Lacks Slack/Discord integrations, auto-tagging, private notes, and does not learn from historical tickets. Complex workflows have a steep learning curve.
- Struggles with complex or technical queries. Fin performs best with straightforward questions and may frequently need to hand off to human agents for complicated issues. Troubleshooting can be difficult due to opaque support flows.
Who it’s for
Fin AI is best suited for:
- Businesses with well-organized help center content. Companies using Intercom with clear documentation will benefit most.
- Organizations seeking rapid deployment, omnichannel support, and polished customer experience. Small to mid-sized SaaS businesses and startups appreciate Fin’s quick setup and integrated messenger.
- Businesses with high-value support interactions. Industries like finance, insurance, or B2B SaaS where automated resolutions can offset the per-resolution fee.
Who it’s not for
Fin may not fit:
- High-volume, low-margin support operations. Due to per-resolution fees, e-commerce or consumer apps with many low-value queries may find costs prohibitive.
- Companies with dispersed knowledge bases. Teams with documentation outside Intercom might face challenges migrating content.
- Organizations needing extensive custom workflows or integrations. Fin lacks advanced integrations and features like auto-tagging or private notes.
- Teams handling complex technical support. Fin often requires human intervention for in-depth troubleshooting.
Helply
Helply is an AI-driven customer support assistant designed to handle inquiries across multiple channels, enhancing support efficiency. Instead of replacing existing helpdesk platforms, it integrates with them to provide immediate ticket resolution.
Tailored for e-commerce teams, Helply helps streamline order management and customer communication, making it a great fit for online businesses aiming to boost efficiency and customer satisfaction. Similar to Yuma AI, which specializes in e-commerce and customer support automation, Helply focuses on automating support for SaaS and e-commerce platforms.
This self-learning AI system:
- Resolves tier-1 tickets automatically
- Offers 24/7 customer responses
- Continuously learns and improves through feedback
Helply connects with popular helpdesk tools like Zendesk, Groove, Freshdesk, and Help Scout, allowing teams to keep their current systems while adding AI-powered assistance.
It features a no-code setup and trains quickly using existing knowledge bases and previous tickets.
Key Features
AI Agent Training
The AI is trained using various sources such as help center articles (from Zendesk, Google Docs), web pages, manually inputted text, uploaded documents, and custom Q&A pairs.
It supports ongoing knowledge updates and analyzes user interactions to enhance training and provide personalized responses.
Agent Customization
Users can personalize:
- The bot’s appearance and personality (e.g., friendly, playful)
- Styling elements like bold text
- Response formats (e.g., concise answers)
- Fallback options when the AI cannot provide an answer (e.g., triggering forms or suggesting human support contact)
Actions
Beyond answering queries, Helply’s AI can perform tasks such as sending emails, calling APIs (for example, Stripe to retrieve invoices), and executing workflows (like creating help articles), making it interactive and transactional.
Personalization
It can tailor responses based on user-specific data, such as subscription plans, ensuring relevant and customized interactions.
Conversation Dashboard
Past conversations are accessible for review, training purposes, and quality assurance.
Knowledge Gap Detection
Helply analyzes support tickets to identify frequently asked questions that the AI cannot yet answer, highlighting knowledge gaps and enabling training on new topics.
Deployment
The AI chatbot can be embedded on websites or help centers and deployed across multiple platforms, broadening user accessibility.
Pricing Plans
Helply offers annual subscription plans with monthly pricing based on AI answer volumes and included features.
| Plan | Monthly Price (Annual Billing) | AI Answers Included | Knowledge Bridge Credits | AI Actions per Agent | Agents | Notes |
|---|
| Starter | $79 | 2,000 AI answers/month | 1 credit | Up to 5 actions | 1 agent | Unlimited team members, training links, API access, basic analytics |
| Growth | $239 | 12,000 AI answers/month | 2 credits | Up to 5 actions | 3 agents | Includes Starter features with higher limits |
| Scale | $639 | 40,000 AI answers/month | 4 credits | Up to 5 actions | Up to 5 agents | Adds more agents and advanced analytics |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Unlimited AI answers | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Advanced analytics, training, and dedicated support |
Unused AI answers roll over monthly, and additional answer packages can be purchased.
Pros
- Continuous self-learning: Helply identifies gaps in knowledge and drafts new help articles, improving documentation and reducing repetitive inquiries. It also supports AI-driven conversations for more natural customer engagement.
- Action-oriented automation: The AI can perform workflows and data retrieval, enabling interactive and transactional support beyond static responses.
- E-commerce capabilities: Supports abandoned cart recovery by proactively reaching out to customers.
- Quick, no-code integration: Easily connects with existing helpdesk systems without requiring migration.
- Customizable tone and personality: Aligns with the brand’s voice and style.
- Enhances knowledge base growth: Automatically generates drafts for missing articles to improve support content.
- Seamless handoff to human agents: Ensures smooth escalation when human intervention is needed.
Cons
- Not a full helpdesk solution: Helply focuses on AI automation and requires an existing helpdesk platform.
- Costs scale with usage: Pricing increases with higher volumes of AI answers, credits, and agent seats.
- Requires well-maintained content: Performs best with curated and updated knowledge bases, necessitating ongoing content management.
Who it's for
- Support teams dealing with high volumes of repetitive tier-1 queries.
- Organizations wanting to add AI automation to their existing helpdesk systems.
- Companies focused on improving and expanding their documentation.
- Teams needing multilingual support (supports over 40 languages).
Who it's not for
- Businesses seeking an all-in-one platform that includes ticketing and CRM.
- Teams lacking sufficient documentation or those with highly unique queries needing extensive content creation.
Verdict
| Feature / Aspect | Tidio | Fin AI (Intercom) | Helply |
|---|
| Target Audience | Small to mid-sized e-commerce and service businesses | Enterprises and mid-sized SaaS companies with organized help centers | Growing SaaS and e-commerce support teams needing scalable AI automation |
| AI Agent Name | Lyro AI Agent | Fin AI | Helply AI Agent |
| Setup & Integration | No-code setup; integrates with e-commerce platforms and CRM tools | Requires content migration into Intercom; integrates within Intercom ecosystem | No-code setup; integrates seamlessly with existing helpdesk tools (Zendesk, Groove, Freshdesk, Help Scout) |
| Setup & Integration | No-code setup; integrates with e-commerce platforms and CRM tools | Requires content migration into Intercom; integrates within Intercom ecosystem | No-code setup; integrates seamlessly with existing helpdesk tools (Zendesk, Groove, Freshdesk, Help Scout) |
| Channels Supported | Web chat, email, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp | Omnichannel: live chat, email, phone, SMS, WhatsApp, social media | Multi-channel: website chat, help centers, multiple platforms and social media channels |
| AI Capabilities | Automates up to 50-67% of repetitive questions; smart handoffs; product recommendations | Advanced natural language processing; customizable tone; image and file interpretation; real-time translation | Continuous self-learning AI; actionable automation (API calls, workflows); personalized responses based on user data |
| Customization | Basic chatbot customization; limited analytics | ustomizable tone, length, behavior; advanced analytics and audience segmentation | Highly customizable persona, styling, fallback behavior, and response style |
| Pricing Model | Subscription with conversation limits; add-ons for AI and automation | Per-seat plus $0.99 per resolved conversation; add-ons for AI copilot and proactive messaging | Subscription tiers based on AI answers and agents; knowledge bridge credits; scalable with usage |
| Strengths | Affordable for small businesses; quick setup; consolidated inbox; Shopify/WooCommerce integration | Robust enterprise features; polished UI; real-time analytics; omnichannel support | Continuous learning and knowledge gap detection; action-oriented AI; seamless helpdesk integration; strong e-commerce support |
| Limitations | Pricing increases; limited customization and analytics; AI and feature limitations; limited native WhatsApp/Instagram support | Expensive and unpredictable costs; requires content migration; limited integrations; steep learning curve | Not a full helpdesk solution; pricing scales with usage; requires well-maintained content |
| Ideal For | Small to mid-sized businesses needing multichannel support and basic automation | Enterprises with well-organized help centers seeking advanced AI-driven omnichannel support | Support teams aiming to automate tier-1 tickets, improve documentation, and scale AI-powered customer support efficiently |
Choose Helply: The Best AI Agent for Customer Support
Helply isn’t another chatbot. It’s your AI-powered support teammate that cuts ticket volume by up to 70% while delivering fast, personalized replies your customers love.
Unlike Tidio’s limited automation or Fin AI’s steep pricing, Helply gives you enterprise-grade AI at a fraction of the cost, with a no-code setup that plugs right into your helpdesk tools.
Helply goes beyond canned answers. It learns from every interaction, fills knowledge gaps, and automates real tasks like API calls and workflow execution. Thus, turning your support system into a self-improving machine.
Book your FREE demo today and experience how our AI agent cuts ticket volume by 70%, boosts CSAT, and frees your team to focus on what matters—growth!