How to Add Live Chat to Shopify with Tidio (Step by Step)

To add live chat to your Shopify store with TidioTidioAI chatbotsTidio combines live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp in one inbox and adds Lyro, an AI agent that answers questions from your own content. Free plan, paid from $29/mo, 7-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis, install the Tidio app from the Shopify App Store, create your Tidio account, then go to Online Store > Themes > Customize > App embeds in Shopify and turn on the Tidio Chat Widget. The Free plan is enough, and the last step is the one most people miss.

Quick comparison

Who this guide is for

Shopify store owners who want a chat bubble on their storefront so shoppers can ask questions before they buy, and who want those chats, plus email and social messages, in one inbox. If you already use a helpdesk like GorgiasGorgiasSupportGorgias is a customer support helpdesk built for Shopify stores, bringing support tickets into one place with order data. Paid from $10/mo, 7-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis for tickets, check whether it already includes chat before adding another tool.

What you need

• Access to your Shopify admin for the store you want to add chat to.
• An email address for your Tidio account. If you already have a Tidio account, you can use the JavaScript method below instead.
• No paid plan. Tidio's Shopify FAQ says Tidio can be used for free. The Free plan includes live chat, ticketing, the mobile app and social media integrations, according to the App Store listing.

Step by step

These steps follow Tidio's help center article "Install Tidio on Shopify."

1. Find Tidio in the Shopify App Store

Log in to Shopify and select the store you want to add Tidio to. Click the Apps tab and search for "Tidio" in the Apps search bar.

2. Add the app

Select Tidio Live Chat & AI Chatbots and click Add app.

3. Install it

On the next page, click Install App. Shopify takes you to your Tidio panel.

4. Create your Tidio account

Enter your email, password and the other details Tidio asks for. If Tidio warns that your email is already in use, contact Tidio support instead of trying to sign up again.

5. Finish the product tour

New users go through a short product tour that asks about your business and how you plan to use Tidio. When it's done, the chat is ready to use.

6. Turn on the widget in your theme

This is the step that actually puts the chat bubble on your store. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes, find the theme you want to edit, and click Customize. Open the App embeds tab, turn on the toggle for Tidio Chat Widget, and save.

7. Check your storefront

Open your store in a new browser window and look for the chat bubble. Send yourself a test message and confirm it appears in your Tidio panel. (This check is our suggestion; Tidio's article ends at saving the theme.)

Alternative: install with JavaScript

Tidio's article gives a second method for existing Tidio accounts:

1. In your Tidio panel, go to Settings > Live Chat > Installation and copy the JavaScript code.
2. In Shopify, go to Online Store > Themes, click Customize, then open the three-dots menu next to the theme name. The code editor opens in a new tab.
3. Under the Layout folder, open theme.liquid and paste the code directly before the closing body tag.
4. Save and refresh your website.

Tidio notes that with this method, Shopify-exclusive Flows and automations still work, but billing goes directly through Tidio rather than through your Shopify bill. Use the app method if you want Tidio charges on your Shopify invoice.

What to set up next

Tidio's Shopify FAQ lists several features worth turning on once chat is live:

• Orders in chat. You can view a visitor's Shopify orders during a chat and, from the Tidio panel, cancel orders, submit refunds and edit shipping addresses. Tidio's pricing table lists native Shopify actions on Growth and above, so check your plan.
• Product recommendations. A product directory appears beside chats; click a product to send it to the shopper.
• Cart recovery. Flows can trigger when visitors leave a cart, and Tidio supports automatic cart tracking. There are over 35 ready-made Flow templates.
• Contact sync. Emails, names and phone numbers collected in chat are sent to your Shopify admin automatically.
• Lyro AI agent. Every plan includes 50 one-time Lyro AI conversations to try it. After that, Lyro is a paid add-on. See Tidio pricing explained.
• Operating hours. Tidio's pricing page lists operating hours on Starter and above, so you can show when someone is available to reply.

Common mistakes the docs warn about

• Skipping the App embeds toggle. Installing the app alone doesn't show the widget. You have to turn on Tidio Chat Widget under App embeds and save.
• Re-registering with an email that's already in use. Tidio says to contact support instead.
• Expecting different widgets on different stores. Tidio's pricing page says live chat widget settings are shared across all sites added to one account.
• Relying on the old Tidio Bot App connection. Tidio's Shopify FAQ says the separate Tidio Bot App is being removed because of Shopify's private app policy changes. If you have Flows that use Shopify nodes, such as Delivery Tracking, disconnect and reconnect the integration with your myshopify.com domain, then turn those Flows back on.
• Running out of free conversations. The Free plan covers 50 human-handled conversations a month. Chats handled only by Lyro or Flows don't count toward that.

Tips

• Add chat before a launch or sale, not during it. Tidio's pricing page says plan changes take effect at the start of the next billing cycle.
• Start with Flows templates for common questions. Shipping times and order status are easy wins that don't use your human conversation allowance.
• Read the full picture first. Our Tidio review covers the limits and metering in detail, and best AI chatbots for ecommerce compares other options.

Which one should you choose?

• You just want a free chat bubble on Shopify: Tidio Free, following the steps above.
• You want AI answers too: Tidio plus the Lyro add-on.
• Most of your support is order tickets by email: consider a helpdesk like GorgiasGorgiasSupportGorgias is a customer support helpdesk built for Shopify stores, bringing support tickets into one place with order data. Paid from $10/mo, 7-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis instead. See Gorgias vs Tidio.

Common questions

Is Tidio live chat free on Shopify? Yes. Tidio's Free plan includes live chat with 50 human-handled conversations a month, 10 seats, ticketing and the mobile app. Paid plans start at $29/month on the Shopify App Store.

Why isn't the Tidio chat showing on my store? The most common reason is that the widget hasn't been turned on. In Shopify, go to Online Store > Themes > Customize > App embeds, turn on Tidio Chat Widget and save.

Do I need to edit code to add Tidio to Shopify? No. The app method uses Shopify's App embeds toggle. Editing theme.liquid is only for the alternative JavaScript method, which also moves billing from Shopify to Tidio.

Can Tidio show Shopify orders in the chat? Yes. Tidio's Shopify FAQ says you can view a visitor's orders during a chat and cancel orders, issue refunds and edit shipping addresses from the Tidio panel. Tidio's pricing table lists native Shopify actions on Growth and above.

How we put this together

We did not test Tidio hands-on. The steps come from Tidio's help center articles "Install Tidio on Shopify" and "Shopify FAQ," read in November 2026. Plan details come from Tidio's pricing page and its Shopify App Store listing, read the same month. If Shopify or Tidio changes a menu name, follow the current wording in Shopify's admin and Tidio's help center.