Choosing the right AI for your Shopify store is not just a feature check - it's a strategic decision. Do you need a tool built to handle support tickets and live chat handoff, or one designed to turn passive browsers into buyers? Tidio and Chat Squeeze both sit in the "Shopify chat" space, but they solve different problems. Tidio excels at customer service and automation with its Lyro AI and rich flow templates. Chat Squeeze is built from the ground up as a sales agent: real-time product sync, in-chat add-to-cart, and transparent pricing with no separate AI add-on. This comparison lays out the facts so you can decide which fits your store.

At a Glance

Tidio combines live chat with Lyro, its AI add-on, and is strong for support-heavy stores that want human escalation and workflow automation. Chat Squeeze is a single-product AI agent focused on revenue: it syncs your catalog in real time, recommends products in chat, and lets customers add to cart without leaving the conversation. The table below summarizes the main differences.

Factor	Tidio	Chat Squeeze
Pricing (with AI)	Starter $29 + Lyro $39 = $68/mo (50 AI convos)	Boost $24/mo (1,000 AI messages included)
AI / model	Lyro (knowledge-base / scraper)	GPT-5.1 (real-time catalog)
Product sync	Website / KB scraping	Real-time Shopify catalog sync
In-chat add-to-cart	Limited / support-oriented	Yes, product cards with add-to-cart
Best for	Support-first stores, live chat + flows	Revenue-first stores, sales in chat

Pricing and Value

Tidio offers a free tier (e.g. 50 conversations) and paid plans such as Starter at $29/month for 100 conversations. Its AI, Lyro, is a separate add-on: Lyro Starter is $39/month for 50 AI conversations, so the combined cost for base chat plus AI starts around $68/month for a small conversation cap. Higher Lyro tiers (e.g. Lyro Basic $75, Lyro Pro $159) increase both cost and AI conversation limits. Some users report billing confusion or overage charges when exceeding conversation limits, so it's important to monitor usage.

Chat Squeeze uses a single price per plan. Playground is free (50 products, 50 AI messages per month). Boost is $24/month and includes 1,000 AI messages, real-time product sync for up to 500 products, GPT-5.1, order tracking, and lead capture - no separate "AI add-on." Scale is $59/month with 2,000 products and 3,000 messages. What you see is what you pay; message limits are clear and predictable. For merchants who want meaningful AI volume without stacking base + Lyro, Chat Squeeze often delivers more conversations per dollar.

AI and Product Knowledge

Tidio's Lyro is built for customer support. It uses your website and knowledge base (e.g. scraped or provided content) to answer questions about orders, shipping, returns, and FAQs. Lyro is reported to resolve a high share of queries without human intervention (e.g. 79-87% in some case studies), and it can escalate to live agents and trigger workflows. That makes it a solid choice for support-heavy teams that want to reduce ticket volume while keeping a human in the loop.

Chat Squeeze is built for product discovery and sales. It syncs your Shopify catalog in real time - titles, descriptions, variants, prices, inventory - so the AI always recommends what you actually sell and what's in stock. It uses GPT-5.1 to understand natural language (e.g. "I need something for oily roots and damaged ends") and surfaces product cards with add-to-cart directly in the chat. There's no manual product upload or scraper delay; the agent is tuned for pre-purchase guidance and closing sales, not just answering support questions. If your priority is support automation, Tidio has a proven track record. If it's turning browsers into buyers, Chat Squeeze is built for that.

Sales vs Support

Tidio shines with live chat, flow templates (35+), order management, and integrations (Zapier, Mailchimp, Facebook, Instagram). It's a full customer-service layer: visitors get answers and can be handed off to a human. Lyro handles repetitive questions; your team handles the rest. That's ideal when support quality and human touch matter as much as automation.

Chat Squeeze focuses on the pre-purchase moment. The AI recommends products, explains fit and benefits, and lets customers add to cart without leaving the conversation. Lead capture is built in (e.g. discount for email), and captured leads can be sent to Make.com or Zapier for email sequences and CRM. There's no live chat handoff in the same way - the product is an AI sales agent, not a support queue. Choose Tidio if you need robust live chat and support workflows; choose Chat Squeeze if you want chat to drive revenue with minimal complexity and transparent pricing.

Choose Tidio if…

You need live chat with human handoff
Support tickets and order/refund workflows are top priority
You want flow templates and broad integrations (Mailchimp, social)
You're okay with base plan + Lyro add-on pricing

Choose Chat Squeeze if…

You want to turn chat into sales (product recommendations, add-to-cart)
Real-time product sync and no manual catalog updates matter
You prefer one price with clear message limits (e.g. 1,000 at $24)
Lead capture and Make/Zapier for email/CRM are enough for you

Verdict

Tidio is a strong option for Shopify stores that prioritize customer support: live chat, Lyro for deflection, and rich automation. If your main goal is to reduce ticket volume and keep a human in the loop, Tidio fits. Chat Squeeze is the better fit when the goal is revenue: converting visitors in the pre-purchase phase with an AI that knows your catalog in real time and lets customers buy without leaving the chat. Pricing is simpler (no AI add-on), and the product is built for sales, not support. For merchants who care most about conversion and predictable costs, Chat Squeeze is the clearer choice.

For a complete guide to setting up your AI agent, see our Complete Guide to Shopify AI Agents. To learn how to capture leads and automate follow-ups, check out our Lead Capture & Automation Setup Guide.

Ready to try a sales-focused AI agent? Install Chat Squeeze from the Shopify App Store - free Playground available.

Quick Answers

Is Tidio or Chat Squeeze better for Shopify?: It depends on your goal. Tidio is better if you need live chat, human handoff, and support automation (order status, refunds). Chat Squeeze is better if you want to turn chat into revenue: real-time product sync, in-chat add-to-cart, and a single price for AI with no separate add-on.
Does Chat Squeeze have a free plan?: Yes. Chat Squeeze Playground is free: 50 products, 50 AI messages per month, order tracking, and lead capture. Tidio also has a free tier with limited conversations.
How much does Tidio Lyro cost?: Lyro is a separate add-on. Lyro Starter is $39/month for 50 AI conversations. Combined with Tidio Starter ($29), you pay $68/month for limited AI. Chat Squeeze Boost is $24/month and includes 1,000 AI messages with real-time product sync and no add-on.