Is Counter a Tidio alternative?

For AI support on your website chat, yes. Counter answers shoppers and handles returns, refunds and order changes within your rules. It doesn't replace Tidio's multichannel inbox or marketing Flows, so if you need email, Instagram or WhatsApp in one place, Tidio covers more.

Is Counter cheaper than Tidio Lyro?

For AI conversations, usually. Counter's Starter plan includes 500 AI conversations for $29 per 30 days. Tidio's Lyro add-on starts at $39 a month for 50, on top of a helpdesk plan. Tidio has a free plan; Counter doesn't.

Can Tidio's Lyro process refunds on Shopify?

Tidio's documentation describes this through a custom Lyro Action you configure, with a ready-made Shopify template for order status. Its App Store listing also mentions native Shopify actions, so confirm what's included. Counter handles refunds as a built-in topic you can set to automatic, approval or hand-off.

Which one has more team seats?

Counter includes unlimited seats on every plan. Tidio includes 10 seats on Free, Starter and Growth, and removes the seat limit on Plus.

Does Tidio work with Medusa?

Tidio doesn't list a Medusa integration; its chat can be added to any site with a script, and custom Lyro Actions can call your API. Counter connects to Medusa v2 natively.

Counter vs Tidio

Tidio is a multichannel live-chat helpdesk with Lyro, a paid AI agent add-on. Counter is an AI assistant for your website chat that handles orders within rules you publish. Here's how they compare on cost, order actions and control.

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7-day free trial on every Counter plan.

The short version

Choose Counter if

You want 500 AI conversations for $29 per 30 days, not a Lyro add-on from $39 a month on top of a helpdesk plan
You want returns, refunds, cancellations, address changes and discount codes ready to switch on, with no custom API actions to build
You want order changes to wait for a teammate's approval when your rules say so
You want unlimited team seats on every plan, not 10 until you move to a $300-a-month plan
You want every change rechecked against the live order right before it runs

Choose Tidio if

You want a free plan, or mostly need live chat staffed by people
You need one inbox for chat, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, or sell on WooCommerce, Wix or BigCommerce
You want rule-based chatbot flows for cart recovery, lead capture and marketing

Side by side

Counter vs Tidio

Feature	Counter	Tidio
What it is	AI support assistant for website chat, with a shared inbox for handoffs	Live-chat helpdesk with Lyro AI agent and Flows chatbots as paid add-ons
Price for AI conversations	$29, $99 or $249 per 30 days for 500, 2,500 or 7,500 AI conversations, plus $0.04 per extra on monthly plans	Lyro add-on from $39 a month for 50 Lyro conversations up to $700 for 1,000, on top of a helpdesk plan; its App Store listing shows $39 for up to 200
Cheapest setup with AI	$29 per 30 days (Starter)	About $68 a month: Starter ($29) plus Lyro ($39 for 50 conversations)
Free plan	No; 7-day free trial with a card	Yes: 50 conversations a month and 50 one-time Lyro conversations; 7-day trial with no card
Team seats	Unlimited on every plan	10 on Free, Starter and Growth; no seat limit on Plus (from $300 a month)
Order status	After the shopper confirms a code sent to the order email	Lyro template: shopper gives email and order ID, optionally zip code or phone
Order changes by the AI	Returns, refunds, cancellations, address changes and discount codes on Shopify, ready to switch on per topic	Help center: a ready-made template for order status, with other changes through Lyro Actions you configure. Its App Store listing also mentions native Shopify actions
Order changes by your team	Approve the assistant's proposal in the inbox	Agents can cancel, refund and edit addresses from the inbox on Growth and above
Approval before an action	Per topic: run automatically, wait for a teammate's approval, or always hand to a person	Optional shopper confirmation per Action; no merchant approval step documented
Platforms	Shopify and Medusa v2	Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce, Magento and more, or any site with a script
Channels	Website chat	Chat, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp; Lyro can answer on each
AI model and training	OpenAI API; store data isn't used to train AI models	Lyro runs on Anthropic's Claude; Tidio's policies don't say whether conversations train models

Key differences

What an AI conversation costs

Lyro is an add-on on top of a Tidio plan, priced per Lyro conversation: $39 a month for 50, rising to $700 for 1,000, and it stops at your limit instead of charging more. Counter includes 500 AI conversations on its $29 Starter plan and 2,500 on Growth at $99, and chats only your team answers are free.

If most of your chats are handled by people, Tidio's free and Starter plans may cost less. If you want the AI to take the first reply on most chats, Counter's allowances go further.

Order actions out of the box

Tidio's documentation offers a ready-made Lyro template for Shopify order status. Changing orders (refunds, cancellations, address edits) means building custom Lyro Actions that call an API, which Tidio describes as work for advanced users or developers, and its docs note Lyro doesn't validate or roll back changes in outside systems. Tidio's App Store listing also mentions native Shopify actions, so confirm what's included for your store.

Counter ships returns, refunds, cancellations, address changes and discount codes as topics you switch on. Each change is quoted exactly from the live order, checked against your published rules, rechecked right before it runs, and can wait for a teammate's approval.

Reach beyond website chat

Tidio is the broader tool: one inbox for chat, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, Lyro on each of those channels, marketing Flows, and support for many store platforms. Counter focuses on website chat for Shopify and Medusa stores.

FAQ

Counter vs Tidio, answered.

Is Counter a Tidio alternative?: For AI support on your website chat, yes. Counter answers shoppers and handles returns, refunds and order changes within your rules. It doesn't replace Tidio's multichannel inbox or marketing Flows, so if you need email, Instagram or WhatsApp in one place, Tidio covers more.
Is Counter cheaper than Tidio Lyro?: For AI conversations, usually. Counter's Starter plan includes 500 AI conversations for $29 per 30 days. Tidio's Lyro add-on starts at $39 a month for 50, on top of a helpdesk plan. Tidio has a free plan; Counter doesn't.
Can Tidio's Lyro process refunds on Shopify?: Tidio's documentation describes this through a custom Lyro Action you configure, with a ready-made Shopify template for order status. Its App Store listing also mentions native Shopify actions, so confirm what's included. Counter handles refunds as a built-in topic you can set to automatic, approval or hand-off.
Which one has more team seats?: Counter includes unlimited seats on every plan. Tidio includes 10 seats on Free, Starter and Growth, and removes the seat limit on Plus.
Does Tidio work with Medusa?: Tidio doesn't list a Medusa integration; its chat can be added to any site with a script, and custom Lyro Actions can call your API. Counter connects to Medusa v2 natively.

Keep reading

Sources

Tidio details were checked on October 4, 2026 against the pages below. Plans and features change, so confirm current details on Tidio's site. Counter's details come from our pricing and FAQ. Tidio is a trademark of its owner.

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