Respond.io vs WhatsApp
Respond.io
respond.ioSide by side
| Figure | Respond.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $79/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · WhatsApp Business API Providers | 8.1 (#13) | 8.3 (#8) |
| Audience | The company describes the platform as built for mid-market B2C businesses with high-volume customer conversations. | WhatsApp says more than 3 billion people in over 180 countries use it to stay in touch with friends and family. |
| Founded | 2017 | 2009 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | LinkedIn lists WhatsApp headquarters at Menlo Park, California. |
| Product | Respond.io is a customer conversation platform for managing chats, calls, and campaigns across channels, with human teams and AI Agents working together. | WhatsApp provides messaging and calling for free, with data charges potentially applying. |
| Support | The site advertises 24/7 human and AI support and lists scheduled success calls and an onboarding program among plan features. | The developer hub lists troubleshooting, FAQs, API status, a developer community forum and contact support. |
Plans
Respond.io
- Starter$79 a month
- Growth$159 a month
- Advanced$279 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- WhatsAppFree
- WhatsApp Business appFree
- WhatsApp MessengerFree
- WhatsApp Business PlatformPriced on request
In their own words
Respond.io
Respond.io is a customer conversation platform for managing chats, calls, and campaigns across channels, with human teams and AI Agents working together. It is aimed at mid-market B2C businesses handling high volumes of customer conversations. AI Agents can answer enquiries, qualify leads, update CRMs, recommend products, book appointments, and route conversations. The unified inbox can bring WhatsApp Business Calls, Messenger Calls, VoIP, messages, and emails into a single customer thread. Listed integrations include WhatsApp Business Platform, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Calendar, Calendly, Zapier, and Google Sheets. Respond.io states that it is GDPR compliant and ISO 27001 certified, with data encrypted in transit and at rest and databases backed up daily. Plans start with Starter at $79/month for five users; Growth and Advanced list ten users, while Enterprise allows unlimited users. A free seven-day trial does not require a credit card, but there is no free plan. WhatsApp fees are separate from the subscription and charged by Meta based on usage.
WhatsApp is a free messaging and calling app for Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Users can exchange text, photos, videos, documents, and location, and make voice calls. Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, have no time limits, and work one-to-one or in groups across iOS, Android, and web; group calls support up to 32 people. Calls can also be made in a browser. WhatsApp says end-to-end encryption keeps personal messages and calls private from others, including WhatsApp. Privacy controls include locked chats, disappearing messages, encrypted backups, online-visibility settings, and blocking unknown callers. Users can report messages, people, or businesses, and block contacts. Up to four devices can be linked to a primary phone, which is required to register an account and link new devices. Minimum requirements listed include Android OS 6.0, iOS 15.1, macOS 12.1, and Windows 10 or newer; iPadOS 15.1 is also listed. Data charges may apply, and calls use an internet connection. WhatsApp Business helps businesses showcase products and services and build customer relationships.