--- title: "Skolbot vs Tidio: which chatbot for your school?" description: "Live chat + chatbot for SMEs" url: "https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/comparison/skolbot-vs-tidio" language: "en" dateModified: "2026-10-27" --- # Skolbot vs Tidio: which chatbot for your school? Updated on October 27, 2026 Tidio combines live chat, no-code automations (Flows) and the Lyro AI agent. Tidio also publishes an education page, where Lyro answers questions about admissions, deadlines and courses. For a school, the comparison covers three points: what Lyro does, who configures the automations, and the admissions need to cover from the first question to the CRM. ## The differences that matter ### An agent presented for education, agents built for it Tidio presents Lyro for education: it answers questions about admissions, deadlines and courses, and passes on to staff. Tidio also serves SMEs and e-commerce. Skolbot is built only for higher-education recruitment: its agents collect study level, programme and campus, then the record reaches your CRM with a score based on your rules and a call brief, when the applicant gives consent. ### Who configures Lyro and the Flows With Tidio, your team configures Lyro and builds the Flows; the Plus plan adds help building Flows, and the Premium plan offers Lyro as a managed service. At Skolbot, our team builds the knowledge base from your sources, finds contradictions and has you settle them, connects your CRM and configures the agents. Your team provides access, tests and approves. ### Following up a CRM cohort Tidio documents WhatsApp automation without saying whether it covers following up contacts. Skolbot WhatsApp Activate messages the applicants in a cohort defined by a status in your CRM, toward one action: open day, webinar, application, call with an advisor or enrolment. ## Criterion by criterion | Criterion | Skolbot | Tidio | | --- | --- | --- | | Dedicated higher-education offer | Documented. Built for student recruitment in higher education ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions), 2026-08-13) | Conditional or unspecified. Education page: Lyro answers on admissions and courses; no dedicated pricing plan ([source](https://www.tidio.com/education/), 2026-08-13) | | Set up by the vendor's team | Documented. Our team builds the knowledge base, connects the CRM and configures the agents ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/onboarding), 2026-10-27) | Conditional or unspecified. Premium: Lyro as a managed service, dedicated team; Plus: help building Flows ([source](https://www.tidio.com/pricing/), 2026-10-27) | | Multilingual (6+ languages) | Documented. Answers in the candidate's language ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Lyro understands and answers in more than 45 languages ([source](https://www.tidio.com/faq/), 2026-08-13) | | EU data residency | Documented. Data hosted in the EU, DPA signed with each school ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/security), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Data on AWS servers located in the European Economic Area ([source](https://www.tidio.com/faq/), 2026-08-13) | | CRM handoff or sync | Documented. HubSpot, Salesforce, OSCAR Campus, Slate, Zoho, Odoo; others by API or webhook ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/integrations), 2026-08-13) | Documented. HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive listed; sync direction not specified ([source](https://www.tidio.com/integrations/), 2026-08-13) | | After-hours responses | Documented. Answers day and night, from the knowledge base ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions/web-agent), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Lyro answers 24/7; when offline, transfer or ticket per your settings ([source](https://www.tidio.com/faq/), 2026-08-13) | | WhatsApp channel | Documented. Answers inbound messages (Capture) and re-engages CRM cohorts (Activate) ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions/whatsapp-capture), 2026-08-13) | Documented. WhatsApp automation; inbound reply or outbound follow-up not specified ([source](https://www.tidio.com/integrations/), 2026-08-13) | | Instagram channel | Documented. Answers Instagram direct messages, day and night ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions/instagram-answer), 2026-10-27) | Documented. Instagram messages in the inbox; automated replies through Flows ([source](https://www.tidio.com/integrations/instagram/), 2026-10-27) | | Lead qualification | Documented. Study level, programme, campus; hot, warm or cold lead ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-US/solutions/web-agent), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Lyro qualifies and captures leads mid-conversation ([source](https://www.tidio.com), 2026-08-13) | ## Verdict Tidio fits SMEs and e-commerce, and a school that wants a chat with the Lyro AI agent and Flows it configures itself. For a school that wants to capture and follow up applicants on its website, WhatsApp and Instagram, with the setup handled and its current CRM, Skolbot is the one to choose. **Choose Skolbot if**: You recruit students and want the setup handled: our team builds the knowledge base from your sources (website, brochures, programme sheets, fees, calendars), finds contradictions and has you settle them, connects your CRM and configures the agents. Your team provides access, tests and approves. Live in two weeks once content, CRM access and the WhatsApp number are in place. Four agents on three channels: the website, WhatsApp and Instagram. When an applicant leaves their details and gives consent, their record reaches your CRM with study level, programme, campus, a score based on your rules and a call brief. **Choose Tidio if**: You want live chat with the Lyro AI agent at a published price, your conversation volume fits a standard plan, and your team wants to configure Lyro and the Flows itself. ## What Tidio does well - Live chat, Flows and the Lyro AI agent in one tool - Education page: Lyro answers on admissions, deadlines and courses, 24/7 - Lyro understands and answers in more than 45 languages - Lyro qualifies and captures leads mid-conversation - WhatsApp, Instagram and HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive integrations documented - Data stored on AWS servers in the European Economic Area - Published pricing, from $24.17/month; Lyro as a managed service on the Premium plan ## Check before you choose - No pricing plan dedicated to higher education; Tidio mainly serves SMEs and e-commerce - Lyro conversations capped per plan (50 to 1,000 per month, custom above): cost out an admission season - Flows are built by the school; help building them comes with the Plus plan - Lyro as a managed service and a dedicated team come with the Premium plan, on contact - CRM sync direction not specified on the integrations page ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Tidio a good fit for a higher-education school? Tidio fits a school that wants live chat with the Lyro AI agent, which Tidio presents for answering admissions questions, and that configures Lyro and the Flows itself. Tidio offers no pricing plan dedicated to higher education. For a school that wants to capture and follow up applicants with the setup handled, we recommend Skolbot, because it is built only for student recruitment. ### What is the difference between Lyro and the Skolbot agents? Lyro is Tidio's AI agent: it answers 24/7 in more than 45 languages and qualifies and captures leads, for every sector. The Skolbot agents are built only for student recruitment: four agents on three channels, including WhatsApp Activate to follow up a CRM cohort, and a record sent to the CRM with study level, programme, campus, score and call brief. Skolbot therefore fits a school that wants to cover the whole applicant journey up to the CRM. ### How much do Tidio and Skolbot cost? Tidio publishes its pricing, with a number of Lyro conversations capped per plan; the starting price is in the table with its source. Skolbot is on quote, depending on the size of the school and the package, and its setup is done by the Skolbot team. To compare, cost out the conversation volume of an admission season and the time needed to configure Lyro, the Flows and the CRM connection.