Comparison

idea89 vs Tidio.

Tidio is a live-chat and helpdesk platform with an AI agent, Lyro, layered on top. idea89 is only the AI shopping assistant. That difference in shape explains most of what follows.

Tidio figures on this page were taken from tidio.com/pricing and last checked in September 2026. Pricing changes; check their site before you decide. idea89 prices are in GBP and Tidio’s are as published, so the columns are not a like-for-like currency conversion.

Side by side

	idea89	Tidio
Pricing	£49 / £149 / £349 per month, flat	Free; Starter $24.17/mo; Growth from $49.17/mo; Plus from $300/mo + usage; Premium on request
AI pricing	Included in the plan — no separate AI charge	Lyro AI from $32.50/mo for 50 conversations, scaling with volume
Volume included	1,000 / 10,000 / 50,000 conversations per month	50 to 1,000+ Lyro conversations depending on tier
What counts as a conversation	One shopper session, however many messages	An interaction with at least one AI reply; human replies billed separately as billable conversations
Seats	No per-seat charge; team size is irrelevant to the bill	Human agent conversations are billed separately from AI ones
Platforms	Magento 2 & Adobe Commerce, Magento 1 & OpenMage LTS, WooCommerce	Shopify, Magento / Adobe Commerce, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, PrestaShop and others
Built for	Selling: product discovery, recommendations, add to cart	Support: live chat, helpdesk, ticketing, with AI deflection
Trial	Free trial, no card required	Free plan available

Where they actually differ

One is a helpdesk, one is a shopping assistant

Tidio is built around a support inbox, with Lyro deflecting tickets in front of it. idea89 has no inbox: it is aimed at the shopper who has not bought yet, so the work goes into product search, recommendations and getting the right thing into the basket.

Two bills or one

On Tidio the plan and the Lyro AI allowance are separately priced, and human agent conversations are billed separately from AI ones. idea89 is one flat tier with the conversation allowance included, so the invoice does not move with how busy a month was.

Depth on Magento

Both support Magento. idea89 ships a Composer module for Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce, and a separate module for Magento 1 and OpenMage LTS, which is unusual — most vendors stopped at Magento 1’s end of life.

Channels

Tidio covers multiple channels into one inbox, which matters if your customers reach you on several. idea89 is on your storefront only, and does not try to be your email or social inbox.

Which one fits

Choose Tidio if…

You need a full support inbox with ticketing, not just an on-site assistant.
Your customers contact you across several channels and you want them in one place.
You want a free tier to start on before committing to anything.
Ticket deflection matters more to you than product discovery.

Choose idea89 if…

Your priority is converting browsers, not deflecting tickets.
You want one predictable monthly bill rather than a plan fee plus AI usage.
You are on Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Magento 1 or OpenMage and want a module built for it.
You want the assistant to recommend from your catalogue and add to the real basket.

Questions about idea89 and Tidio

Is idea89 cheaper than Tidio?

It depends entirely on volume and how you use each. Tidio bills the plan and the Lyro AI allowance separately, and human conversations separately again, so the comparison is not a single number. idea89 is one flat tier from £49/mo with the conversation allowance included. Work out your expected monthly volume and compare against both.

Can I run both?

Yes. They do different jobs, and some merchants keep a helpdesk for support while using a shopping assistant for pre-purchase questions. Nothing in idea89 conflicts with a support tool being on the same site.

Does Tidio support Magento?

Yes, Tidio lists Magento and Adobe Commerce among its integrations. The difference is depth rather than presence: idea89 ships platform modules including one for Magento 1 and OpenMage LTS, which most vendors dropped.

How current are these figures?

Tidio's pricing here was taken from their own pricing page and checked in September 2026. Pricing changes, so check tidio.com/pricing before making a decision.

Judge it on your own catalogue.

Run idea89 against your real products in about two minutes and see how it answers. No install, no code, no card.

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