respond.io vs Wati
We give respond.io a 2.6 GPA and Wati a 2.4, out of 4.0. respond.io grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
respond.io
Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents
Wati
WhatsApp Business API inbox with broadcasts, chatbots and ad flows
How we grade them
| 2.6GPArespond.ioGood | 2.4GPAWatiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CGrowth is $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) for 3 users and 15,000 broadcasts a month, plenty for 1,000 customers. Against its WhatsApp rivals, the fairer test here, that's mid-pack. Meta's per-message charges come on top, and the US rates sit in Wati's rate card, not on the listing. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CNo free plan, only a 7-day free trial. That's short for something you have to hook up to the WhatsApp Business API before it does anything. |
| Features | 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. | BThe whole WhatsApp marketing job: broadcasts, no-code chatbots, click-to-WhatsApp ads, Shopify catalog and cart messages, AI copilot credits and a team inbox that takes Instagram, Messenger and TikTok too. The Shopify tools need a $4.99 a month add-on. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo App Store rating on record. There's a WhatsApp Business API number to set up, templates to write, chatbots to build and an automation trigger allowance to keep an eye on. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Zapier and Make. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | support and sales over WhatsApp and social chat | shops selling and answering customers on WhatsApp |
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: respond.io and Wati. How we grade
Where they differ
- respond.io starts at $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). Wati starts at $59 per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly).
- respond.io also covers workflow automation, live chat and AI support agent.
- Wati also covers marketing automation, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
At a glance
| respond.io | Wati | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $59 per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, no credit card needed | 7-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Rocketbots Limited (respond.io) | Clare.ai Limited |
| Price read from | respond.io | wati.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Wati
- Online shops that sell and send order updates over WhatsApp
- Teams running click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram
- Support and sales teams sharing one WhatsApp number
Worth knowing
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.
Wati
- WhatsApp messages are charged per message on top of the plan, by recipient country and template type; Wati's US rates are in its rate card and account wallet.
- Extra users cost $39 a month on Pro and $89 on Business; Growth is capped at 3 users.
- Extra automation triggers cost $40 per 1,000 and extra AI Co-pilot credits $30 per 1,000; past the trigger allowance, replies must be sent by hand.
- The pricing FAQ says payments for a subscription or credits are not refunded after you cancel.
Key features
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.
Wati
- Team inbox for several channels
- WhatsApp messages and WhatsApp Business calls sit beside Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and website widget chats, with assignment, tags, follow-ups and reports.
- Broadcast campaigns
- Template messages to segments of contacts: 15,000 a month on Growth and unlimited from Pro, with click tracking and engagement reports on Pro.
- No-code chatbots
- Flows that answer questions, collect details and send reminders. Each run counts as an automation trigger, with a monthly allowance per plan.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads
- Ads on Meta that open a WhatsApp chat, with lead capture on every plan and source tags and conversion tracking on Pro and Business.
- Shopify tools
- WhatsApp catalog, abandoned-cart and order-update templates, and campaigns built on buyer data, through a $4.99 a month Shopify add-on.
- AI copilot and agents
- Every plan gets monthly AI Co-pilot credits (250 to 1,500). Astra AI agents for web, WhatsApp and voice are a separately priced add-on from Pro.
Plans
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.
Wati
Growth$59
per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
1 channel, 3 users with no extra seats, 15,000 broadcasts a month, 1,000 automation triggers, 2 commerce or CRM integrations and email support.
Pro$119
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Unlimited broadcasts, advanced chatbots, teams and auto-routing, 2,000 automation triggers, 5 integrations including HubSpot, and 24x7 chat support.
Business$279
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($349 billed monthly)
Multiple WhatsApp numbers, number masking, IP whitelisting, 5,000 automation triggers, Salesforce and other integrations, and a success manager.
Ways to pay less
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.
Wati
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with yearly billing
Wati's pricing page says annual plans save up to about 25% and include free dedicated onboarding. Growth is $59 a month billed yearly against $69 monthly; Pro $119 against $149.
