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ToolGPA

Chatfuel vs respond.io

We give Chatfuel and respond.io the same GPA: 2.6 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Chatfuel

AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet

Free trial · from $18/mo
Full detailschatfuel.com

respond.io

Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents

Free trial · from $79/mo
Full detailsrespond.io

How we grade them

2.6GPAChatfuelGood2.6GPArespond.ioGood
Value for money
BBusiness is $18 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly), with unlimited contacts and teammates and $20 of credits a month for AI replies and WhatsApp messages. That's the cheaper quarter of this category. Meta's WhatsApp charges come out of the wallet at its own rates, and no US figure is given.
BStarter is $79 a month for up to 5 users billed annually ($99 monthly), so a team of five pays a price per head inside the cheaper quarter of help desks. One person pays the whole $79. Workflows, AI agents and the API start on Growth at $159, and Meta's WhatsApp fees come on top.
Free plan and trial
CNo free plan, but a 7-day trial with full access, $15 in credits and no credit card. Enough to set up the AI agent and watch it answer.
CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, with no credit card needed. A week is short, but it's enough to plug in WhatsApp and see how the inbox feels.
Features
BThe whole chat-marketing job: an AI agent that answers and qualifies leads, Instagram and Facebook comment auto-replies, WhatsApp broadcasts, bookings and payments in the chat, a shared inbox and a simple CRM. Business gives you 1 bot.
BThe whole job, with more channels than most: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, LINE, WeChat, chat, email and SMS in one inbox, calls in the same thread, AI agents, workflows, broadcasts and lifecycle stages. Starter leaves the automation out.
Ease of use
CNo App Store rating on record. You'll connect each channel, feed the AI agent your knowledge base and keep an eye on the wallet, since heavy AI use can pause the bot.
CNo App Store rating on record. Each channel needs connecting, WhatsApp included, then there are workflows, AI agents and lifecycle stages to set up, and a contact tier to keep an eye on.
Platforms and integrations
BRuns on the web, with Google Sheets, Stripe, Meta Pixel, a JSON API and an MCP server for AI assistants. Thin on ready-made integrations, though: the help center says Zapier isn't supported. No apps.
BWeb, iPhone and Android, with the full inbox on every plan, plus HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Shopify, Zapier, Make, Calendly and Google Sheets, and a developer API from Growth. No desktop app, which an A needs.
Best forAI chatbots for WhatsApp and Instagram on a budgetsupport and sales over WhatsApp and social chat

The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Chatfuel and respond.io. How we grade

Where they differ

  • Chatfuel starts at $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). respond.io starts at $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly).
  • Only respond.io lists iOS and Android apps.
  • Chatfuel also covers marketing automation, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
  • respond.io also covers shared inbox and workflow automation.
In commonWebPublic APILive chatAI support agent

At a glance

Chatfuelrespond.io
PricingFree trialFree trial
Starts at$18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)$79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Free planNoneNone
Free trial7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, no credit card needed
Web
iOS
Android
Made byChatfuelRocketbots Limited (respond.io)
Price read fromchatfuel.comrespond.io
CheckedOct 18, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Who each one suits

Chatfuel

  • Small businesses answering Instagram and WhatsApp messages around the clock
  • Agencies running chatbots for several clients from one wallet
  • Shops turning ad clicks and comments into chats

respond.io

  • Consumer businesses that sell and support customers over WhatsApp
  • Teams handling leads from Meta and TikTok ads in chat
  • Field or hybrid teams who answer chats and calls from their phones

Worth knowing

Chatfuel

  • Meta's WhatsApp charges, including service replies since 1 October 2026, come out of the wallet at Meta's rates by country; no US figure is given.
  • Plan credits do not roll over, and messages stop when the wallet reaches zero unless auto top-up is on; heavy AI use can pause the bot until the limit resets.
  • Refunds are given only if you cancel within 3 days on monthly billing or 30 days on annual billing.
  • The pricing page names Zapier among integrations, but the help center says Zapier is not supported; other tools connect through the JSON API.

respond.io

  • WhatsApp fees are charged by Meta on top of the plan, and SMS and VoIP are billed at the provider's rates.
  • Contacts past the tier cost $12 per 100 on Growth and $15 per 100 on Advanced; extra AI credits are $15 per 1,000.
  • Extra users cost $12, $20 and $24 a month on Starter, Growth and Advanced billed yearly ($15, $25 and $30 monthly).
  • Starter has no broadcasts, workflows, AI agents or developer API; those start on Growth.

Key features

Chatfuel

AI agent
Replies from your knowledge base and instructions, qualifies and scores leads, follows up and hands a chat to a person when needed.
Instagram and Facebook automation
Automatic replies to post and Reels comments, story replies and keyword triggers, which lead people into a chat.
WhatsApp broadcasts
Bulk WhatsApp campaigns to segments, with click-to-chat ads and conversions sent back to Meta Pixel.
Bookings and sales in chat
Books meetings inside WhatsApp, shows a product catalog, takes orders and collects payments in the conversation.
Shared inbox and CRM
Teammates take over live conversations, and leads are tracked in a built-in CRM with unlimited contacts.
JSON API and MCP
A JSON API plugin connects bots to outside systems, and an MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude run your bots.

respond.io

One inbox for messaging channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, LINE, WeChat, a website chat widget, email (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, SMTP) and SMS through providers, in one shared inbox.
Calls in the same thread
WhatsApp Business calls, Messenger calls and VoIP calls sit beside the chats with that contact; recording, transcripts and summaries come from Growth.
AI agents
From Growth, AI agents answer questions, qualify leads, follow up and route conversations to people, drawing on AI credits that grow with the contact tier.
Workflows and broadcasts
Automations for routing, assignment and follow-ups, and bulk messages to segments of contacts, both from the Growth plan.
Lifecycle stages and CRM sync
Track each contact through lifecycle stages; HubSpot sync starts on Growth and Salesforce on Advanced.
Native mobile apps
iOS and Android apps with the full inbox, calls, assignments and team activity, included on every plan.

Plans

Chatfuel

  • Business$18

    per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)

    1 bot, every channel, unlimited contacts and teammates, and $20 of credits a month for AI replies and WhatsApp messages.

  • Agency S$90

    per month for up to 3 companies, billed annually ($100 monthly)

    $100 of credits a month, an agency dashboard and an account manager. Larger agency tiers in the help center run up to $2,050 a month.

respond.io

  • Starter$79

    per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)

    Team and custom inboxes, mobile app, AI Assist and prompts, basic reports and 2FA. The comparison table shows unlimited monthly active contacts and 5,000 AI credits.

  • Growth$159

    per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($199 monthly)

    10 users. Adds broadcasts, workflows, AI agents, advanced reports, Zapier and Make, and the developer API. The price rises with the contact tier you pick.

  • Advanced$279

    per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($349 monthly)

    10 users. Adds masked phone numbers and emails, multiple workspaces, webhooks, HTTP requests, SSO and custom channels. Sold through sales; price rises with contacts.

  • EnterpriseCustom

    Unlimited users, more workspaces, higher API rate limits and a custom contact allowance. Priced on request.

Ways to pay less

Chatfuel

  • Annual discount

    Save 10% with yearly billing

    Chatfuel's pricing page takes 10% off for yearly billing: Business is $216 a year, against $20 a month billed monthly.

respond.io

  • Annual discount

    Save up to 20% with yearly billing

    respond.io's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 20%: Starter is $948 a year against $1,188 billed monthly, Growth $1,908 against $2,388.

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