Switch from Tidio to Carti
If you pay for Lyro on top of your Tidio plan, Carti puts the AI in the plan itself, priced by conversations and billed through Shopify. It reads your store on its own, so there's no bot to rebuild, and Tidio keeps answering until you swap.
The switch, step by step
Most of the time goes into testing, and Tidio keeps answering shoppers until step 4.
Install Carti and let it learn your store
Install Carti from the Shopify App Store and pick a plan (the Free plan works). It reads your products, collections, pages, policies and shipping settings by itself, and the dashboard shows how long that first read will take. Nothing changes on your live store until you switch Carti on in your theme.Copy over the answers only Tidio knows
Open Lyro's knowledge in Tidio and look for answers that aren't anywhere on your site, like a warranty detail or a wholesale rule. Paste them into Carti's FAQs, or upload them as a PDF, Word or text file. Anything already on your site, Carti picks up on its own.Test Carti on a preview theme
Duplicate your live theme, turn on the Carti app embed in the copy, and open its preview. Ask the ten questions your shoppers ask most. Your Tidio conversation list is the best source. If an answer is off, find it in Carti's chat history, where most replies have a Fix this reply option, and write what Carti should say. It uses your answer when shoppers ask something similar.Swap the chat on your live store
In your live theme's editor, open App embeds, turn Tidio's chat widget off and Carti on, then save. Shoppers see one chat bubble, and Carti answers from the next visit on.Export what you want to keep, then cancel your Tidio plan
Tidio exports contacts as a CSV on every plan. Chat transcripts export one at a time unless you're on Tidio Plus, so save the few you need. Then cancel your plan and any add-ons, Lyro included. If you pay Tidio by card, that happens in your Tidio panel's billing settings. Tidio's terms don't refund unused time, so cancel before your next renewal date.Remove Tidio from Shopify
In Shopify, go to Settings, then Apps and sales channels, select Tidio and uninstall it. Tidio's own help docs say to check afterwards for code left in your theme. Open Edit code on your theme and look for a leftover Tidio script, which some older installs added by hand.Check in after a week
Your Carti dashboard shows every conversation and the sales from shoppers who chatted. Each week Carti also drafts new FAQs from questions your shoppers asked, ready for you to review.
What moves, and what stays behind
- Products, prices and stockCarti reads them from Shopify.Nothing to move
- Policies and store pagesRead on install.Nothing to move
- Answers you wrote for LyroPaste or upload the ones that aren't already on your site.Copy over
- ContactsTidio exports them as a CSV on every plan.Export
- Chat historySave the transcripts you need before you close your account.Stays behind
- FlowsCarti's own proactive messages cover the selling moments.Stays behind
Why stores move from Tidio to Carti
Switch to Carti if
- You pay for Lyro on top of your Tidio plan and want one price, with one monthly limit, that includes the AI.
- Most of your Tidio chats are shoppers asking about products, sizing, shipping or their order, and you want the AI to help them buy.
- You'd rather not write and keep up a knowledge base. Carti learns from your catalog, pages and policies.
What changes when you move
The differences that matter for the switch itself. For everything else, see the full Carti and Tidio comparison.
| Topic | Tidio | Carti |
|---|---|---|
| Where the AI's answers come from | Tidio: Lyro answers from the knowledge you add and keep current | Carti: Your Shopify catalog, policies and pages, read on its own, plus your reviews when a reviews app is connected |
| Free plan AI | Tidio: 50 Lyro conversations, once | Carti: 50 AI conversations, every month |
| Sales from chat | Tidio: Conversation reporting | Carti: Orders and revenue from shoppers who chatted, on every plan's dashboard |
| Channels | Tidio: Live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp | Carti: Store chat, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp |
| When a person is needed | Tidio: Your agents answer in Tidio's inbox | Carti: Carti emails the request and transcript to your team, or opens a Zendesk or Gorgias ticket |
Tidio details from tidio.com/pricing and Tidio's Shopify App Store listing.
What the AI costs at your volume
Monthly prices for the AI only. Both count whole conversations, not single messages.
| AI conversations a month | Tidio Lyro | Carti |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Tidio Lyro: $39 | Carti: $0 on the Free plan |
| 250 | Tidio Lyro: $210 (the 300 tier) | Carti: $49 on Starter |
| 600 | Tidio Lyro: $525 (the 750 tier) | Carti: $99 on Growth |
| 1,000 | Tidio Lyro: $700 | Carti: $249 on Scale (up to 1,750) |
Tidio Lyro add-on prices from tidio.com/pricing, monthly billing. Lyro is added to a Tidio plan, which may cost extra. Carti never charges overage: when a plan's conversations run out, Carti stops answering new chats and points shoppers to your team until the next 30-day cycle or an upgrade.
“Response times went from hours to seconds, and our conversion rate increased by 35%.”
Brendan Davidson, Fans Of Free
Store-wide conversion after installing Carti, March 21 to April 20, 2026. Read the case study
Questions merchants ask before switching
Can I keep Tidio running while I try Carti?
Yes. Install Carti and test it on a preview theme while Tidio keeps answering on your live store. Swap them when you're happy, and avoid showing both bubbles on your live store at once, because shoppers won't know which one to use.
Will I lose my Tidio contacts?
Not if you export them before you cancel. Tidio exports contacts as a CSV on every plan, and chat transcripts one at a time unless you're on Tidio Plus.
Do I need to import my Tidio chats or Lyro knowledge?
No. Carti learns from your Shopify catalog, policies and pages, where most of what Lyro was taught already lives. Paste or upload the few answers that exist only in Tidio, and save the Tidio transcripts you want to keep.
What happens when a shopper needs a person?
Carti answers on its own around the clock. When a shopper needs a person, it collects their email and message and sends the request with the chat transcript to your team by email, or opens a ticket in Zendesk or Gorgias.
How do I cancel my Tidio subscription?
Cancel your plan and any add-ons, Lyro included, then uninstall Tidio from Shopify. If you pay Tidio by card, cancelling happens in the billing settings of your Tidio panel. Tidio's terms don't refund unused time, so do it before your next renewal date.
How much will Carti cost compared with Tidio?
Carti's Free plan includes 50 AI conversations every month, and paid plans are $49 for 250, $99 for 600 and $249 for 1,750, each with a 14-day free trial. Tidio prices its Lyro AI on top of its plans, from $39 a month for 50 conversations up to $700 for 1,000. At 600 AI conversations a month, that's $525 for Lyro against $99 for Carti.
Can I switch back if it doesn't work out?
Yes. Turn Carti's app embed off, uninstall it from Settings, then Apps and sales channels, and reinstall Tidio. Carti's chat comes off your store with the uninstall, so there is no code to clean up.
Ready to switch from Tidio?
Start your free trial and keep Tidio running until you're sure.
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