Kanesh vs Tidio
Tidio or Kanesh: live chat or WhatsApp-first?
Tidio is live chat and helpdesk for small stores, with Lyro AI and a free plan. Kanesh is made for Shopify brands selling on WhatsApp.
Checked on 30 September 2026 ·Sources
The short version
Choose Tidio if
- Most of your conversations start in your website chat
- You want a free plan or a low entry price
- You want an AI agent you can also add to another helpdesk
- Your agents need to cancel, refund or edit Shopify orders from the chat
Choose Kanesh if
- WhatsApp is where your customers ask and buy
- You want to keep the WhatsApp Business app on the same number, where Meta allows it
- You want WhatsApp campaigns measured in orders, next to support
- You want a sales pipeline and follow-ups tied to each conversation
What Tidio does well.
If these matter most to you, Tidio is a good choice. Each point links to Tidio's own pages.
A free plan and a low entry price
A free plan with 50 billable conversations, and paid plans from $24.17 a month as listed on its pricing page, with a 7-day free trial.[1]
Only human replies are billable
A billable conversation is one that includes a message from a human agent; replies from Flows and Lyro don't count as agent replies.[1]
A stand-alone AI agent
Lyro can run on Tidio or be added to Zendesk, Salesforce or another helpdesk, from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations.[1]
Order actions for agents
On the Growth plan, agents can cancel Shopify orders and submit refunds from the Tidio panel, and change shipping addresses.[4]
Ready for Shopify stores
A dedicated Tidio app for Shopify, product recommendations in chat, coupon codes and abandoned-cart flows.[5]
Several WhatsApp numbers
Connect multiple WhatsApp Business Accounts, each with several numbers.[2]
Built from WhatsApp outwards.
What Kanesh does today, in production. Nothing on this list is a roadmap item.
Coexistence
Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number, where Meta allows it, and bring up to 180 days of history.
WhatsApp templates and campaigns
Create templates with an image, video or document header and send them as campaigns to opted-in audiences.
Campaigns measured in orders
See which Shopify orders came after a campaign click, labelled attributed or estimated, with the method shown.
AI with live order data, checked
Answers 'where is my order?' with live Shopify data after verifying the customer, and every reply is checked against your data and rules before it is sent.
Sales in the same thread
A sales pipeline tied to each conversation, and automatic follow-ups when a customer goes quiet.
Spanish and English
Interface and AI replies in Spanish and English.
Side by side
Short answers, with a source for every Tidio cell.
- Yes
- Partly
- No
- How it works
Channels
Web chat, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp
- Kanesh
- Yes: Shared inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat
- Tidio
- Yes: Live chat widget, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp[3]
Email
- Kanesh
- Yes: Connect your support mailbox (Google or Microsoft) and reply from the inbox
- Tidio
- Yes: Email conversations and tickets[1]
Keep the WhatsApp Business app on the same number
- Kanesh
- Yes: Coexistence, where Meta allows it, with up to 180 days of history
- Tidio
- No: The number must be removed from the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app before integrating[2]
WhatsApp (Meta) fees
- Kanesh
- How it works: You pay Meta's WhatsApp fees directly to Meta (or to your WhatsApp provider, if you use one), at Meta's rates: never through Kanesh, with no markup
- Tidio
- How it works: From 1 October 2026: 1,000 free messages a month per number, then usage billed by Tidio with no markup[2]
AI and orders
AI agent on WhatsApp
- Kanesh
- Yes: Answers from your knowledge and Shopify data, and hands off with context
- Tidio
- Yes: Lyro works on the website chat, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp[3]
Answers with Shopify order data
- Kanesh
- Yes: Order status, tracking, returns and refunds, after verifying the customer
- Tidio
- How it works: Agents see a visitor's Shopify orders in the panel during a chat[5]
Order changes from the conversation
- Kanesh
- Partly: The AI reads order facts; changes go to your team
- Tidio
- Yes: Agents cancel, refund and edit shipping addresses (cancel and refund on Growth)[4]
Billing
Billing unit
- Kanesh
- How it works: A fixed monthly fee for a set number of conversations, with the AI and unlimited contacts and users
- Tidio
- How it works: Billable conversations (with a human reply), plus Lyro AI conversations[1]
How AI conversations are billed
- Kanesh
- Yes: The AI is included, with no per-conversation charges
- Tidio
- Partly: A human-answered conversation counts once; AI conversations are counted in a separate Lyro quota[1]
Two quotas, or one fee.
Tidio counts human conversations and AI conversations separately. Kanesh counts each conversation once, whether the AI, your team or both reply, in one monthly fee.
Tidio
- Free plan: $0 with 50 billable conversations. Starter: $24.17 a month with 100. Growth: from $49.17 with 250 or more. Plus: from $300 a month plus usage. Premium: on request. Prices as listed on its pricing page; annual billing gives two months free.[1]
- A billable conversation is any conversation that includes a message from a human agent. Unanswered visitor messages don't count.[1]
- Lyro AI Agent starts at $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations; the first 50 are free for life. Premium adds pay-per-resolution billing.[1]
- WhatsApp: 1,000 free messages a month per number from 1 October 2026, then usage billed at Meta's rates, with no markup.[2]
Kanesh
- No surprise charges. We notify you at 80% and 100% of your included conversations; beyond a free buffer you choose a pack or a bigger plan, and nothing is ever charged or changed without your consent
- Every plan includes every feature and channel and the AI; plans differ in the conversations and marketing emails included
- Unlimited contacts and users on every plan: no per-profile or per-seat pricing
- You pay Meta's WhatsApp fees directly to Meta (or to your WhatsApp provider, if you use one), at Meta's rates: never through Kanesh, with no markup
What moving from Tidio involves.
Your WhatsApp number
A number can only be registered with one provider at a time, so it moves from your current provider to Kanesh. We plan that step with you during onboarding.
Website chat
Add the Kanesh chat widget to your website, so web chat lands in the same inbox as WhatsApp.
Knowledge and saved replies
We load your policies, FAQs and saved replies with you during guided onboarding.
Shopify
Kanesh connects natively to Shopify: orders, products, customers, fulfilments and returns.
Questions about Kanesh and Tidio
Is Kanesh a Tidio alternative?
How does Tidio bill Lyro?
Can I keep the WhatsApp Business app with Tidio?
Can Kanesh cancel or refund an order from the conversation?
How recent is this comparison?
Sources
Tidio's public pages and help center, checked on 30 September 2026.
- [1]Tidio, Pricing. https://www.tidio.com/pricing/
- [2]Tidio Help Center, Integration with WhatsApp. https://help.tidio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9392748807580-Integration-with-WhatsApp
- [3]Tidio Help Center, How do flows, Lyro, and live agents work together?. https://help.tidio.com/hc/en-us/articles/14667264947356-How-do-flows-Lyro-and-live-agents-work-together
- [4]Tidio Help Center, Manage Shopify orders. https://help.tidio.com/hc/en-us/articles/6957214434716-Manage-Shopify-orders
- [5]Tidio Help Center, Shopify FAQ. https://help.tidio.com/hc/en-us/articles/7868831783708-Shopify-FAQ
Kanesh is not affiliated with Tidio. Tidio and Lyro are trademarks of their owner. This page compares public information that may change after the date above. If something is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
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