Quick Comparison
| Feature | HelpShelf | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free plan — no credit card (Pro from $49/mo) | Free tier; paid plans |
| AI Agent Pricing | Monthly AI-search + AI-chat limits | Lyro AI (usage-limited) |
| Citations on Answers | Every confident answer cites sources | Via Lyro AI (usage-limited) |
| Human Escalation | Visitor-confirmed via verified Telegram | Live chat operators |
| Legible to AI Agents | llms.txt, llms-full.txt + public MCP endpoint | |
| Born from Your Codebase | npx helpshelf scans your repo | |
| Primary Focus | AI-resolved support with proof | Live chat & chatbots |
| Best For | Product teams, SaaS, indie builders | E-commerce, small business |
Where HelpShelf differs from Tidio
An agent that proves its answers
Chatbot answers are only useful if customers trust them. Every confident HelpShelf answer carries citations to your real docs. When it cannot verify an answer, it stops and can offer a visitor-confirmed handoff only if tested Telegram is reachable.
Escalation built for builders, not call centers
When HelpShelf cannot verify an answer, it can offer an editable handoff. After the visitor submits it, verified Telegram receives bounded context and acknowledgement options.
Compare the units, not just the allowance
Tidio's Lyro AI is billed by conversation allowances. HelpShelf instead publishes separate monthly limits for AI search and AI chat, so you can model both discovery and conversational usage directly.
Legible to the AI agents your buyers use
HelpShelf publishes llms.txt, llms-full.txt, and a public MCP endpoint for your site, so ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants can read — and recommend — your product with verifiable claims.
Pricing comparison
Clear limits versus stacked plans and AI allowances
Tidio
Lyro AI billed by conversation allowance
- AI usage capped by allowance
- Chat-first: humans do the work
- No llms.txt or MCP endpoint
Migration is easy
Switch from Tidio to HelpShelf in three simple steps
Gather your content
Collect your FAQs and help content from Tidio or any other source.
Add your sources
Run npx helpshelf to scan your codebase, or paste URLs. Everything lands in one knowledge base.
Go live
Add one line of code to your site. Your agent answers with citations from day one.
Frequently asked questions
HelpShelf takes a different approach. Instead of routing customers to chat operators or scripted chatbots, an AI agent resolves supported questions with citations and can offer a visitor-confirmed handoff when verified Telegram is reachable.
Yes. Some teams keep Tidio for e-commerce live chat and add HelpShelf for cited AI self-service. HelpShelf resolves the repetitive questions so your chat time goes to conversations that actually need a person.
Rule-based chatbots follow scripts. HelpShelf's agent answers from your actual knowledge and shows sources on every confident answer. If it cannot verify an answer, it stops; with tested Telegram, the visitor can choose to submit a handoff.
Plans track AI searches and AI chats as separate monthly allowances. Free includes 500 searches and 100 chats; Pro includes 10,000 searches and 2,000 chats.
Yes — a real free plan with monthly usage included, citations on every confident answer, and visitor-confirmed handoff when verified Telegram is reachable. No credit card required, and it never expires.
Keep reading
AI customer support agent
What an AI support agent is, how it differs from a chatbot, and what to look for.
Read moreAI knowledge base
A knowledge base your agent can actually answer from, with citations.
Read moreAI help desk
Every conversation gets an AI first pass; you keep final say.
Read moreAnswers that sell
Answer presale questions with citations and hand over the lead.
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