How much does Respond.io cost in 2026?

Starter is $79 a month billed annually or $99 monthly for five users with unlimited contacts and 5,000 AI credits. Growth is $159 or $199 for ten users, starting at 1,000 monthly active contacts with $12 per extra 100. Advanced is $279 or $349. Meta's per-message fees apply on WhatsApp on top.

What is the simplest Respond.io alternative for one WhatsApp number?

Replai. It pairs to the number you already have as a linked device, so there is no Meta application and no per-message fee, and it is a flat $19, $49 or $99 a month with the AI included. It is built to answer one inbox well rather than to route a team, and it is unofficial, so bulk marketing is not its job.

Which Respond.io alternative keeps the multichannel team inbox?

Trengo or Tidio. Trengo covers WhatsApp, email, voice, live chat and social from €299 a month billed annually for ten users. Tidio starts free and adds WhatsApp to a website live-chat widget from $24.17 a month. Both run WhatsApp on the official API with Meta's fees on top.

Does every Respond.io alternative charge per WhatsApp message?

Every tool on the official WhatsApp Business API does: Wati, Interakt, AiSensy, Tidio, ManyChat and Trengo all pass Meta's per-message fees through, roughly $0.01 to $0.09 per marketing message depending on country. Replai has no per-message fee because it connects as a linked device rather than through the API.

Can I move from Respond.io to a QR-paired tool?

Yes. Take the number back from the API into the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, then pair it by QR. Past API conversations stay in Respond.io's inbox; nothing on the phone is lost. Replai answers new conversations only by default, so the chats already on the phone stay with your staff.

6 Respond.io alternatives in 2026

Quick answer

Respond.io starts at $79 a month billed annually for five users, then adds seats, monthly active contacts, AI credits and Meta's per-message fees. If you run one WhatsApp inbox rather than a team queue, compare Replai at $19 a month flat with no API, Tidio at $24, ManyChat at $29, Wati at $39 to $69, Interakt at $55 and Trengo.

Respond.io Starter is $79 a month billed annually for five users, or $99 monthly.
Extra seats are $12 to $24, and contacts above 1,000 cost $12 to $15 per 100.
AI credit overage is $15 per 1,000, and Meta's per-message fees sit on top.
Replai is $19 to $99 flat but has no routing, SLAs or per-agent reporting.

Respond.io is a well-built multichannel inbox for support teams: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, WeChat, LINE, SMS and web chat in one place, with assignment, reporting and an AI layer. It starts at $79 a month billed annually ($99 monthly) for five users, and the bill grows along three axes at once: extra seats at $12 to $24 each, monthly active contacts above 1,000 at $12 to $15 per 100 on the higher plans, AI credits beyond the allowance at $15 per 1,000, and Meta's per-message fees on WhatsApp. If you are a small business whose real problem is one WhatsApp inbox, that is a lot of dials. These six alternatives are compared on prices verified in September 2026 and grouped by what you actually need. Full detail on Respond.io itself is in Respond.io pricing in 2026.

Which Respond.io alternatives are worth comparing?

Five of the six share Respond.io's last meter. Since 1 July 2025 the WhatsApp Business Platform has charged per delivered template message, whether marketing, utility or authentication, while non-template replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are free (Meta for Developers, 2025). That fee is billed by Meta, not the vendor, so the From column below is a subscription for every row except the one that pairs by QR.

Tool	From	WhatsApp	AI included	Best for
Replai	$19/mo flat	QR pairing, no fees	Yes	One inbox, no agents
Trengo	€299/mo	Official API	€0.30/conv	European teams
Wati	$39-69/mo	Official API	Add-on	Broadcasts
Tidio	Free, $24/mo	Official API	Limited	Website chat first
Interakt	$55/mo	Official API	Flows	Indian D2C
ManyChat	Free, $29/mo	Official API	Pro+	Instagram creators

A map of the six tools. Horizontally, mostly answering on the left and mostly sending campaigns on the right. Vertically, one person at the bottom and a team at the top. Trengo and Respond.io sit top left, Replai and Tidio bottom left, Wati and Interakt to the right, ManyChat bottom right. — Six tools placed by the job they are built for, not by price alone.

1. Replai: one inbox, answered, for a flat price

If you came to Respond.io because WhatsApp messages were piling up, not because you needed to route them between agents, Replai is the direct answer. It pairs to the number you already have as a linked device: no Meta application, no verification wait, no per-message fee. Starter is $19 a month for one number and 120 conversations a cycle; Growth is $49 for up to three numbers, 300 conversations and campaigns; Pro is $99 for five numbers and 600. The AI answers from a knowledge base you control, handles voice notes and images, follows the customer's language, and new accounts answer new conversations only so your existing chats stay yours. A conversation is one thread of up to five replies; top-ups are 100 conversations for $9, or $8 on Growth and $7 on Pro; the 7-day trial needs no card.

The trade-offs are real: it is unofficial (here is how we think about restriction risk), it is WhatsApp only, and it has a conversations view rather than a routed team inbox. See Replai vs Respond.io.

Pick it if you have one to five numbers and nobody's job title is "agent".

2. Trengo: the European team inbox

Boost is €299 a month billed annually (€349 monthly) for ten users and 500 conversations a month; Pro is €499 or €599 for twenty users and 1,500. Extra conversations cost €15 to €18 per 100, AI adds €0.25 to €0.30 per conversation, and WhatsApp runs on the official API. It is the closest like-for-like to Respond.io for a team that also needs email and voice. See 7 Trengo alternatives and Replai vs Trengo.

Pick it if you are a European support team and email or phone matter as much as WhatsApp.

3. Wati: WhatsApp broadcasts on the official API

Wati is built around template campaigns, catalogues and a team inbox on the official API. Growth is $59 a month billed annually in the US and UAE, $39 in most of Asia and Africa, and ₹2,199 in India; AI is a paid add-on and Meta fees pass through. See Wati pricing in 2026 and 7 Wati alternatives.

Pick it if outbound campaigns to a large opted-in list are the main job.

4. Tidio: website chat first

Free includes WhatsApp and 50 one-time Lyro AI conversations; Starter is $24.17 a month, Growth from $49.17, Plus $300 plus usage. Tidio is strongest as a website widget that also reaches WhatsApp through the official API, with per-conversation AI pricing not published for most tiers. See Replai vs Tidio.

Pick it if most enquiries start on your website.

5. Interakt: Indian brands on the API

Growth is $55 a month plus taxes for WhatsApp and Instagram with linear flows; Advanced is $69 with branching flows and API calls. Meta's rates are marked up roughly 10 to 39 percent depending on plan. Details in Interakt pricing in 2026.

Pick it if you are an Indian D2C brand that wants catalogues and payments with rupee billing.

6. ManyChat: Instagram and Messenger audiences

Free covers 25 active contacts, Pro is $29 a month for 2,500 with AI conversations, Business $69 for 7,500, Advanced $139 for 25,000; WhatsApp runs through the official API with Meta's fees on top. See Replai vs ManyChat.

Pick it if your audience lives in Instagram DMs and WhatsApp is a second channel.

Which Respond.io alternative should you pick?

One WhatsApp inbox, no agent team, flat bill: Replai.
A multichannel team inbox with email and voice: Trengo.
Large opted-in broadcasts: Wati, or Interakt in India.
Website chat plus WhatsApp: Tidio.
Instagram-first: ManyChat.

Respond.io is the right product for a support team that spans channels and needs routing and reports. It is the wrong shape for a two-person business with one number, and that is who this list is for.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Respond.io cost in 2026?: Starter is $79 a month billed annually or $99 monthly for five users with unlimited contacts and 5,000 AI credits. Growth is $159 or $199 for ten users, starting at 1,000 monthly active contacts with $12 per extra 100. Advanced is $279 or $349. Meta's per-message fees apply on WhatsApp on top.
What is the simplest Respond.io alternative for one WhatsApp number?: Replai. It pairs to the number you already have as a linked device, so there is no Meta application and no per-message fee, and it is a flat $19, $49 or $99 a month with the AI included. It is built to answer one inbox well rather than to route a team, and it is unofficial, so bulk marketing is not its job.
Which Respond.io alternative keeps the multichannel team inbox?: Trengo or Tidio. Trengo covers WhatsApp, email, voice, live chat and social from €299 a month billed annually for ten users. Tidio starts free and adds WhatsApp to a website live-chat widget from $24.17 a month. Both run WhatsApp on the official API with Meta's fees on top.
Does every Respond.io alternative charge per WhatsApp message?: Every tool on the official WhatsApp Business API does: Wati, Interakt, AiSensy, Tidio, ManyChat and Trengo all pass Meta's per-message fees through, roughly $0.01 to $0.09 per marketing message depending on country. Replai has no per-message fee because it connects as a linked device rather than through the API.
Can I move from Respond.io to a QR-paired tool?: Yes. Take the number back from the API into the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, then pair it by QR. Past API conversations stay in Respond.io's inbox; nothing on the phone is lost. Replai answers new conversations only by default, so the chats already on the phone stay with your staff.

Sources

WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, Meta for Developers, 2025-07-01
WhatsApp Business crosses 200M MAUs, introduces personalized messages feature, TechCrunch, 2023-06-27

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