respond.io
Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents
respond.io report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for support and sales over WhatsApp and social chat
respond.io puts WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, website chat, email, SMS and calls in one shared inbox, with apps for both phones. It suits businesses whose customers would rather message than email. Starter is $79 a month for up to 5 users billed annually, but workflows, broadcasts and AI agents start on Growth at $159, and Meta bills WhatsApp fees on top.
Who respond.io is for
- Great if most of your customers reach you on WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok
- Handy when leads from Meta and TikTok ads land in chat and need answering fast
- Good for field or hybrid teams who answer chats and calls from their phones
Who respond.io is not for
- Not for you if you want automations on the cheapest plan, as workflows and AI agents begin on Growth
- 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
Why respond.io gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyStarter 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.
- CFree plan and trialNo 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.
- BFeaturesThe 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.
- CEase of useNo 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from respond.io's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/respond-io#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/respond-io.svg" alt="respond.io: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where respond.io stands among help desk and live chat tools
respond.io's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 14 of the 22 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 13 of 22) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $79 a month, against a middle price of $21.59 for the category: 20 of the 21 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 23 help desk and live chat tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. respond.io’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 13 of 22, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 22, level with 19
- BFeaturesAbove 11 of 22, level with 11
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 22, level with 17
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 22, level with 18
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 help desk and live chat tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep respond.io, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace respond.io you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $948 a year.
What you could not
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. respond.io’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is respond.io?
respond.io is a messaging platform for consumer-facing businesses that puts WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, website chat, SMS, email and voice calls in one shared inbox. AI agents can answer and qualify leads, and workflows, broadcasts and CRM sync handle the rest. Plans are a monthly fee that includes a set number of users, and from Growth up the price follows how many contacts you talk to each month.
respond.io is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
respond.io pricing
- Starts at
- $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, no credit card needed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $79per 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 | $159per 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 | $279per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited users, more workspaces, higher API rate limits and a custom contact allowance. Priced on request. |
Read from respond.io on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with respond.io before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on respond.io
Works with
respond.io alternatives
- respond.io vs Trengo
Free trial · from €299/mo
- respond.io vs Intercom
Free trial · from $29/mo
- respond.io vs Zendesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
- respond.io vs Helpwise
Free trial · from $12/mo
- respond.io vs Tidio
Free plan · from $24.17/mo
Common questions
Is respond.io free?
No, respond.io is a paid product, but you can try it first. 7-day free trial of Growth for 5 users and 1,000 contacts, no credit card needed.
How much does respond.io cost?
respond.io lists 4 plans. Starter: $79 per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). Growth: $159 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($199 monthly). Advanced: $279 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($349 monthly). Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from respond.io on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does respond.io work on?
respond.io is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does respond.io offer any discounts?
respond.io publicly lists the following: Save up to 20% with yearly billing.
Does respond.io have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. respond.io is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does respond.io have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. respond.io is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is respond.io open source?
respond.io is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does respond.io have an API?
Yes. respond.io offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does respond.io integrate with?
respond.io's listing names HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Shopify, Zapier, Make, Calendly and Google Sheets. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes respond.io?
respond.io is made by Rocketbots Limited (respond.io). It dates from 2017.
What are the alternatives to respond.io?
The closest alternatives to respond.io in our directory are Trengo, Intercom, Zendesk, Helpwise and Tidio. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with respond.io.
How does respond.io compare with other help desk and live chat tools?
respond.io's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 14 of the 22 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 4. It stands best on value for money (B, above 13 of 22) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Is respond.io good value for money?
ToolGPA grades respond.io B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $79 a month, against a middle price of $21.59 for the category: 20 of the 21 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of respond.io?
To replace respond.io you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $948 a year. What you could not make: One mailbox that several people work at once. An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.