Updated October 17, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team
BoldDesk vs Tidio
Tidio
BoldDesk
Higher score in this comparison
BoldDesk vs Tidio: the differences
| Compare | BoldDeskReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | TidioReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Price per user from | $24.80Lower | $29 |
| Free plan | No | YesHas it |
| Free trial length | 15 daysHigher | 7 days |
| Plan tiers | One plan priced by team size | Free, Starter, Growth, Premium / Enterprise |
| Product | Help desk | CRM, Help deskCovers more |
| Free plan limits | Not confirmed | 50 conversations per month |
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Key differences
- BoldDesk scores higher overall: 9.5 vs 8.5.
- Price per user from is lower at BoldDesk: $24.80 vs $29.
- Free plan: only Tidio.
- Free trial length is higher at BoldDesk: 15 days vs 7 days.
- Audience: only BoldDesk offers Enterprise.
- Pricing model: only Tidio offers Free plan.
- Product: only Tidio offers CRM.
Our verdict on each
BoldDesk
BoldDesk suits small businesses wanting a single help desk priced by team size, with a free trial rather than a free plan as the way in. The trade-off is cost: the plan starts at $124, well above the help desk median of €17.54.
Tidio
Tidio suits a small business that wants live chat, a chatbot and customer records in one product, and its free plan lets a team start there. Entry pricing of $29 per user is higher than Freshsales, so cost per seat is the trade-off to weigh against the free tier.
Score breakdown
| Area | BoldDesk | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.0HigherPer user entry of $24.80 ranks 32 of 61 brands, and no free plan offsets entry. | 8.9 |
| Offer | 9.9 | Not confirmed |
| Trust | 9.6 | Not confirmed |
The numbers side by side
| Fact | BoldDesk | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Price per user from | $24.80 | $29 |
| Free trial length | 15 days | 7 days |
How they place
| Ranking | BoldDesk | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Help desk software | 15 of 51 | 10 of 51 |
Choosing between them
Pick BoldDesk if price per user from and free trial length matter most.
Pick Tidio if free plan and product matter most.
Every fact side by side
| Fact | BoldDesk | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Small business, EnterpriseCovers more | Small business |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free plan, Free trialCovers more |
| Legal entity | Syncfusion Inc. | Not confirmed |
| Headquarters | United States | Not confirmed |
| Founded | 2001 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre | Not confirmed |
Business tools
| Fact | BoldDesk | Tidio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $124 | Not confirmed |
| Usage limits | 500 AI credits per month | 50 conversations per month |
| Tool type | Not confirmed | Chatbot |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | BoldDesk | Tidio | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user from | $24.80below the median | $29above the median | $25 |
| Free trial length | 15 daysabove the median | 7 dayslowest quarter | 14 days |
Median across 81 listed software products.
Pros and cons
BoldDesk
Pros
- Pricing stays simple as the team grows: One plan priced by team size, so agents are added rather than bought by moving between tiers.
- The free trial runs 15 days, a shade above the help desk median of 14.
- Support is wide for the category, reaching email, chat and phone, which pairs phone with a help centre.
Cons
- There is no free plan, which places BoldDesk in the larger group where 76.5%, unlike HubSpot.
- The per user price of $24.80 runs above LiveAgent at $19 and Zendesk at $19.
- Usage is capped at 500 AI credits per month, so teams that lean on AI answers have to watch the allowance.
Tidio
Pros
- Covers both crm and help-desk work in one product, with a chatbot taking the repetitive questions off the team
- A free plan plus a 7 day trial on the paid tiers, so a team can size a plan before paying
- Plans run Free, Starter, Growth, Premium / Enterprise, so a team can climb one tier at a time instead of buying a large deployment up front
Cons
- Entry at $29 per user sits well above Freshsales at $9, so cost per seat is not the strong point
- The free plan is thin at 50 conversations per month, which a growing chat volume clears faster than a team expects
- Only 3 comparable brands are listed here, so the price picture is narrow for anyone comparing options carefully before signing
Who each suits
BoldDesk
Who it suits
- Small businesses that want a dedicated help desk rather than a general business platform
- Support teams that prefer pricing by headcount over a tier ladder
- Teams willing to test on a free trial before committing to a paid plan
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone starting with no budget at all, since there is no free plan to lean on while HubSpot has one
- Per seat cost watchers, given LiveAgent and Zendesk both start lower at $19 and $19
- Teams wanting a longer operating track record, with the product dating from 2001
Tidio
Who it suits
- A small business that wants live chat, a chatbot and customer records inside one product
- A support team that needs help-desk and crm records sitting next to the chat widget
- A team that will live on the free plan first, then the 7 day trial on a paid tier
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone chasing the lowest per user price, since Freshsales starts at $9 per user
- Teams that would rather pay Infloww's $40 per user entry than Tidio's $29
- Buyers who prefer CreatorHero's $39.99 per user entry to Tidio's $29
Current offers
Tidio
Current offer
Free trial
7-day free trial: 7 days free
Test all features free
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Questions about each
BoldDesk
Does BoldDesk have a free plan?+
No. BoldDesk has no free plan, and that matches the larger group in this category, where 76.5% of help desks charge from the first payment. The only route in is the free trial of 15 days. Teams that want a permanent starting point at no cost should look at HubSpot, which does have a free plan.
How much does BoldDesk cost to start?+
The single plan, priced by team size, starts at $124, and the per user figure runs $24.80. That entry price sits above the help desk median of €17.54 and above the per user median of €17.10, so buyers enter at the dearer end of the field rather than the middle.
Tidio
How much does Tidio cost per user?+
Tidio's entry point is $29 per user, and plans run Free, Starter, Growth, Premium / Enterprise. That figure belongs to the first paid tier, not the top of the ladder, so a larger deployment costs more per seat. The paid tiers can be run for 7 days first, which is the cheapest way to see the real per user number.
Does Tidio have a free plan?+
Yes. Tidio offers a free plan, and 50 conversations per month is the whole allowance on it. That is enough for a small team to test live chat and the chatbot on real conversations, and the paid tiers start once the cap is reached. Plans run Free, Starter, Growth, Premium / Enterprise, so there is a step to move up to when the cap no longer fits.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
Tidio
BoldDesk