Head-to-head
Tidio vs Intercom: which one in 2026?
Tidio is a customer chat and AI agent product with a free plan and a shopping-store emphasis. Intercom, which its own about page says was renamed Fin (fin.ai), sells a seat-based helpdesk plus the Fin AI agent charged per outcome. Tidio is cheaper to start, while Fin carries more certifications and a heavier price structure.
Verdict
Tidio is the sensible start for a small shop that wants chat, flows and a basic AI agent without a commitment. Intercom, now called Fin by its own account, is the stronger choice once data residency, certifications and phone or Slack coverage matter. Its outcome-based AI fee is easy to start and harder to forecast. Check Tidio's real price at checkout, and confirm Fin's fine-tuning opt-out before you sign.
Tidio and Intercom side by side
| Tidio | Intercom | |
|---|---|---|
| Price entry | $24.17 per month (Starter, billed annually) | $19 per seat per month (Essential, billed annually), plus $0.99 per Fin outcome |
| Free option | A free plan with 50 billable conversations a month, 10 seats and 50 lifetime Lyro conversations. The page says you can stay on it forever. | No free plan. A 14-day trial with no credit card that includes all features, Fin and add-ons. |
| Paid starting point | Tidio's two pages disagree: the pricing page shows Starter at $24.17 and Growth from $49.17, while the homepage data shows $29 and $59. None is certain. | Essential at $19 per seat per month, shown beside a struck-through $29. Advanced is $85 and Expert $132 per seat. |
| How the AI is billed | Lyro conversations are bundled in small numbers, with an add-on from $32.50 a month for 50. Premium uses pay-per-resolution billing. | Fin costs from $0.99 per outcome, counted when a customer confirms resolution, stops replying, or Fin finishes a workflow. |
| Name and company status | Founded in 2013 and listing offices in San Francisco, Warsaw and Szczecin. No headquarters country is stated. | Intercom's own about page, now at fin.ai, says the company was renamed from Intercom to Fin. This site keeps the slug intercom. |
| Team size limits | Self-serve plans support up to 10 operators. Plus, from $300 a month plus usage, allows a custom number of seats. | Seat-priced, but Advanced includes 20 free Lite seats and Expert 50, which suits teams with many occasional users. |
| Channels and inbox | Shared inbox for live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, with ticketing and drag-and-drop Flows for cart recovery. | Fin works across phone, email, chat and Slack. Copilot handles admin tasks in the inbox, and tracker tickets cover widespread issues. |
| AI training and data use | Whether Lyro or third-party models train on customer data is not stated on the pages read. Retention is also not stated. | Fin says it trains on your approved knowledge, but can use anonymized customer data for fine-tuning, with an opt-out at any time. |
| Compliance evidence | SOC 2 examination described as completed, with no report or scope shown. GDPR and CCPA compliance are claimed. Hosted on AWS. | Lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27018, 27701 and 42001, plus AIUC-1 for Fin. Data can sit in the US, EU or Australia. |
Where each one wins
Tidio wins on
- Tidio has a free plan that does not expire, while Intercom offers only a 14-day trial.
- Tidio's Flows templates and cart nudges are built around online stores, with more than 40 ecommerce templates listed.
- Tidio needs no per-resolution math on its entry plans, so a small team can predict its cost.
Intercom wins on
- Intercom publishes a longer certification list and lets you pick US, EU or Australia hosting.
- Intercom's Fin can run beside an existing helpdesk such as Salesforce, with no seats required.
- Intercom gives larger teams 20 or 50 free Lite seats on its two upper tiers.
Which to pick
Pick Tidio if
You run a small online store, want to start on a free plan, and can live with a price page that conflicts with its own homepage.
Pick Intercom if
You need a documented EU or Australia hosting option, broad certifications, or an AI agent to attach to a helpdesk you already run.
Each tool in context: Tidio, Intercom, and the full Best Chatbot Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Intercom the same company as Fin?
Yes. Intercom's about page redirects to fin.ai/about, which states that the company was renamed from Intercom to Fin. The pricing and product pages we read were still on intercom.com. This site keeps the intercom slug, and we did not check whether the product names changed further.
What does Tidio actually cost per month?
It depends on which page you trust. The pricing page showed Starter at $24.17 and Growth from $49.17, while structured data on the homepage showed $29 and $59. Whether either figure is monthly or annual was not stated. Treat all four as unconfirmed and check at checkout.
Can Fin use my customer conversations to train its models?
Its FAQ says Fin can use anonymized customer data for model fine-tuning, and that you can opt out at any time. The main page says Fin trains only on approved knowledge. Third-party AI providers are barred from training on your data. If you opt out, data is deleted within 30 days.
Which one has the clearer EU data story?
Intercom, since it says data can be hosted in the US, EU or Australia by residency need. Tidio names AWS and claims GDPR and CCPA compliance but does not state a hosting region. Neither vendor states a headquarters country on the pages we read, so none is claimed here.