Tidio Lyro and Zendesk AI Agents suit different starting points. Lyro is self-serve, publicly priced from US$32.50 a month and hosted in the EEA; Zendesk's agents are built into Zendesk plans, bill only verified resolutions, and do not publish what a resolution costs.
They are not mutually exclusive. Tidio documents Lyro Connect, which runs Lyro on top of Zendesk, so a Zendesk team can compare both on the same tickets.
Bottom line
- A small team without a helpdesk should start with Lyro. A Zendesk team should get Zendesk's per-resolution price in writing, then pilot Lyro through Lyro Connect on the same traffic and compare.
Side by side
| Tidio Lyro | Zendesk AI Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.9 | 7.5 |
| Pricing model | Per conversation | Seats plus usage |
| Price from | US$24.17 per month | US$55 per seat per month |
| Works on your existing helpdesk | Yes | Requires Zendesk Suite |
| Self-serve sign-up | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Channels | Chat, Email, WhatsApp, Social messaging | Chat, Email, Social messaging |
| Languages | 48+ languages | 80+ languages |
| EU data residency | Yes | Yes |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, HIPAA, FedRAMP LI-SaaS, GDPR DPA |
| Vendor-claimed resolution rate | 67% | up to 80% |
| Reported figure | 58% (Tidio's own support team) | 50% (Babbel) |
| Best for | Small online stores that want to start this week | Teams already running support on Zendesk |
Choose Tidio Lyro if
- You want to start this week without a sales call, with a 7-day trial.
- Your customers message you on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
- You want to see the price before you commit.
Choose Zendesk AI Agents if
- Your support already runs on Zendesk and you want the agent inside the same tool.
- You prefer to pay only for resolutions a model has verified.
- You need a UK hosting region or ISO 42001.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Tidio Lyro | Zendesk AI Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 25% | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Performance evidence | 25% | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Access and time to pilot | 20% | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Channel and language coverage | 15% | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Control and compliance | 15% | 4/5 | 4/5 |
Worked examples
| Product | 1,000 conversations · 50% resolved · 3 seats | 10,000 conversations · 50% resolved · 15 seats | 100,000 conversations · 50% resolved · 80 seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio Lyro | US$500 | US$5,000 | US$50,000 |
| Zendesk AI Agents | US$915 | US$8,325 | US$79,400 |
Frequently asked questions
Can Tidio Lyro run on Zendesk?
Yes. Tidio documents Lyro Connect for Zendesk, Intercom and Salesforce.
Which is cheaper?
Lyro publishes its prices, from US$32.50 a month for 50 conversations. Zendesk does not publish its per-resolution price; the only public figure is an unofficial US$1.50 from a 2025 forum comment, on top of seats from US$55.
Related pages
- Tidio Lyro reviewreview
- Tidio Lyro pricing explainedpricing
- Zendesk AI Agents reviewreview
- Zendesk AI Agents pricing explainedpricing
Sources
- Lyro AI Agent — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Tidio pricing — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- The Lyro AI agent limit — Tidio Help Center · 18 September 2026
- Lyro, the conversational AI agent — Tidio Help Center · 18 September 2026
- Lyro multilanguage support — Tidio Help Center · 18 September 2026
- Privacy policy and GDPR compliance — Tidio Help Center · 18 September 2026
- Lyro: build and integrate — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Lyro achieves best resolution rates in industry (31 March 2025) — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Borrowell case study — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Tidio support team achieves 58% automation with Lyro — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Tidio earns SOC 2 Type 2 certification (14 October 2025) — EIN Presswire · 18 September 2026
- About Tidio — Tidio · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk AI agents — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk pricing — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolutions for AI agents — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolution tiers — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- What happens when I exceed my automated resolutions limit — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Announcing expanded access to AI agent capabilities for all Zendesk customers — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Community forum comment by a Zendesk product manager on the automated resolution list price (August 2025, unofficial) — Zendesk Community · 18 September 2026
- TeamSystem customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Hello Sugar customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Languages supported by AI agents — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Regional Data Hosting Policy — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk Trust Center — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk says its new AI agent can solve 80% of support issues — TechCrunch · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk acquires agentic customer service startup Forethought — TechCrunch · 18 September 2026
This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: How we review