respond.io vs Wassenger (2026): which should you pick?

Pick respond.io if

• Fits if most of your customers reach you on WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok
• Works for teams who answer chats and calls from their phones as well as the web

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want automations on the cheapest plan, as workflows, broadcasts and AI agents begin on Growth at $159
• Pricey if you're on your own, as Starter's $79 a month is priced for up to 5 users
• Tight if your contact count jumps, as contacts past the tier cost $12 per 100 on Growth and $15 on Advanced
• Watch out: Meta charges WhatsApp fees on top, SMS and calls are billed at provider rates, and extra AI credits are $15 per 1,000
• Watch out: the trial lasts 7 days, and extra users cost $12 to $24 a month each billed yearly

Pick Wassenger if

• Fits if a few people share one WhatsApp Business number
• Works for teams that want an API and automation tools around WhatsApp

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you run several numbers, because each plan covers one
• Skip it if you send big campaigns: 500 recipients on Professional, 2,000 at most
• Pricey if you need more than 3 agents, which means Business at $58.25 or Enterprise
• Watch out: Meta's conversation fees are billed separately, and the pricing page's title tag quotes euros while its body shows dollars

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.

Wassenger

• Each plan covers one WhatsApp Business number, and Meta's conversation fees are billed separately at cost, with no markup.
• Only Enterprise can add agents beyond the included ones ($14 a month each, up to 100 per number); smaller plans must upgrade for more seats.
• Campaign sizes are capped: 500, 1,000 or 2,000 recipients per campaign depending on the plan.
• The pricing page's title tag and description quote euro prices (from €39.90) while the page body and its structured data show US dollars.

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.

Wassenger

Shared team inbox

One WhatsApp number for the whole team, with chat assignment, quick replies, labels and internal notes, plus iOS and Android apps.

Campaigns

Broadcast approved templates to contacts; monthly campaign counts, recipients per campaign and daily limits rise by plan.

AI assistant and copilot

An AI assistant that replies automatically and a copilot that predicts replies are included on every plan.

Flows and auto-assignment

Business and above add no-code automation flows, departments and automatic routing of new chats to an owner.

REST API and MCP server

An open API, webhooks and an MCP server let developers and AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT work with the inbox.

Built-in CRM and WhatsApp calls

Contacts with custom fields, sales funnels on one board, and voice calls from the shared inbox.

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.

Wassenger

• Professional$33.25

  per month, 3 agents, billed annually ($39.90 billed monthly)

  Shared inbox, AI assistant and copilot, 10 campaigns a month of up to 500 recipients, open API, no-code connectors and email support.

• Business$58.25

  per month, 6 agents, billed annually ($69.90 billed monthly)

  Adds 20 campaigns a month of up to 1,000 recipients, delivery and read tracking, auto-assignment, no-code Flows, departments and priority support.

• Enterprise$83.25

  per month, 9 agents, billed annually ($99.90 billed monthly)

  Adds 100 campaigns a month of up to 2,000 recipients, fine-grained permissions, hidden phone numbers, an SLA and extra agents at $14 a month each.

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.

Wassenger

• Annual discount

  Two months free on annual plans

  The pricing page's annual toggle is labeled 2 months free; Professional is $33.25 a month annually against $39.90 monthly.