Comparison with prices
5 respond.io alternatives in 2026, with the price each one publishes
respond.io is a shared inbox for teams that answer customers on WhatsApp and other chat apps. This page shows what it costs on its own pricing page, where its AI agents start, and five other tools with a published price.
What is a good alternative to respond.io?
Short answer
respond.io starts at $99 a month for 5 users ($79 billed yearly), and its AI agents start on the Growth plan at $199 a month ($159 billed yearly). Alternatives with a published price are CertuAI ($75 a month with 1,600 AI replies), Crisp ($95 a month per workspace), Kommo ($25 per user a month, billed for 6 months), Trengo (€349 a month) and Tidio (free plan, paid from $24.17 a month on annual billing). Prices checked on 10 October 2026.
Who makes this page. CertuAI makes this page, and CertuAI is on it, listed first for that reason and not because someone outside the company ranked it. Every fact about another company comes from that company's own page, with the address next to it. Where CertuAI is the weaker choice is written below, in its own section.
What respond.io costs
On 10 October 2026, respond.io/pricing listed three plans with a price. Starter is $99 a month, or $79 a month billed yearly ($948 a year), with 5 users. Growth is $199 a month, or $159 billed yearly ($1,908 a year), with 10 users. Advanced is $349 a month, or $279 billed yearly ($3,348 a year). Enterprise is custom. The page says prices are in US dollars.
AI agents start on Growth. The Starter card lists AI Prompt and AI Assist, which help a person write. "AI Agents" appears on the Growth card. The page says AI usage is included at no extra cost on Growth, Advanced and Enterprise.
Three things can move the bill. Extra users cost $12 a month each on Starter and $20 on Growth. Growth starts with 1,000 monthly active contacts, and going over is billed at $12 per 100 contacts. Extra AI credits cost $15 per 1,000, and AI features pause at 200% of your allowance.
WhatsApp fees are separate. In the page's own words: "WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription. Meta charges these fees based on your usage."
The free trial lasts 7 days with no credit card, on the Growth plan with 5 users and 1,000 monthly active contacts, without broadcasts.
respond.io and CertuAI, side by side
| What | respond.io | CertuAI |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price, paid monthly | $99 a month (Starter, 5 users) | $75 a month (Start) |
| Lowest plan with an AI agent | Growth: $199 a month, or $159 billed yearly | Start: $75 a month |
| What you are paying for | Users, monthly active contacts and AI credits | AI replies a month |
| Included with the AI plan | 10 users, 1,000 monthly active contacts to start, 10,000 AI credits to start | 1,600 AI replies, 1 WhatsApp number, 5 people |
| If you go over | $12 per 100 extra contacts on Growth; $15 per 1,000 extra AI credits, up to 200% of the allowance | Move up a plan: Pro $120 with 5,000 replies, Max $249 with 10,000 |
| People on the account | 5 on Starter, 10 on Growth; extra users $12 or $20 a month each | 5 on Start, 10 on Pro, 25 on Max |
| CRM | Connects to HubSpot and Salesforce | Included in every plan |
| Meta's WhatsApp fees | Not included in any plan | Not mentioned on the pricing page; ask before you send campaigns |
| Free trial | 7 days, no credit card | 7 days, no card, counted from when WhatsApp connects |
| Free plan | None on the pricing page | None |
| Public review rating | 4.8 on G2, from 500+ reviews, as shown on its page | None to show |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways. respond.io: respond.io/pricing. CertuAI: its pricing page. Prices checked on 10 October 2026.
The two prices do not measure the same thing
These plans are not directly comparable. respond.io sells seats, contacts and AI credits for a team inbox. CertuAI sells AI replies. A plan that looks cheaper can cost more for you, and the other way round, depending on how many people answer and how much the AI does.
CertuAI, per 1,000 AI replies. Plan price divided by the replies it includes: $46.88 on Start, $24.00 on Pro and $24.90 on Max. That is plain division of the numbers on its pricing page.
respond.io, under one stated assumption. Its help page (respond.io/help/organization-settings/ai-credits) says an AI Agent uses 2 to 5 AI credits per response. Growth with 1,000 contacts includes 10,000 credits. If every credit went to AI Agent responses and to nothing else, that is 2,000 to 5,000 responses a month. At $199 a month, that works out to $39.80 to $99.50 per 1,000 responses; at $159 billed yearly, $31.80 to $79.50. Extra credits at $15 per 1,000 work out to $30 to $75 per 1,000 extra responses.
That sum leaves things out on both sides. The respond.io price also pays for 10 users, broadcasts and workflows, and its other AI features draw from the same credits. On CertuAI, the price also pays for the CRM. Use the sum to see the size of the gap, not as a quote.
When respond.io is the better choice
- You have a team answering together. Starter includes 5 users and Growth 10, with team inboxes, workflows and reports. That is what the product is built around.
- You want published reviews. respond.io shows a 4.8 rating on G2 from 500+ reviews on its own pages. CertuAI has no public rating.
- You need many channels and calls. Its site describes WhatsApp Business calls, Messenger calls, internet calls and email in the same thread as your messages, and its pricing table lists Meta and TikTok ads.
- You already use HubSpot or Salesforce. Both are listed on its pricing page, next to Zapier, Make and n8n, with a developer API from Growth.
- You need company controls. Single sign-on and multiple workspaces are on the Advanced plan, and the page states an ISO 27001 certification.
- You do not want an AI agent at all. Starter has no cap on contacts and gives 5 people one inbox for $99 a month.
When CertuAI fits better
- You want the AI agent in the first plan. On CertuAI it is in Start at $75 a month. On respond.io it starts on Growth at $199.
- You do not want to count contacts. CertuAI's pricing page lists AI replies, WhatsApp numbers and people. It lists no charge per contact.
- You want the CRM in the same price. Every CertuAI plan includes one. respond.io connects to the CRM you already pay for.
Where CertuAI falls short
- No free plan. After the 7 days you choose a paid plan, and the lowest one is $75 a month.
- No public review ratings. CertuAI has no rating on a review site to show you. You have to judge it by trying it.
- A monthly reply limit. Start covers 1,600 AI replies a month. A busy number needs Pro or Max.
- WhatsApp first. CertuAI is built around WhatsApp, with Instagram and Messenger next to it. Its pricing page lists no connection to help desks or sales tools such as Zendesk, Salesforce or HubSpot.
- US dollars only. Prices are in US dollars, so check that your card accepts dollar payments.
5 alternatives to respond.io, one by one
CertuAI is first because CertuAI makes this page. The others are in no ranked order. Each has facts read on that company's own page, with the address.
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1. CertuAI
An AI agent that answers your customers on WhatsApp by itself, for owners of small businesses. Start $75 a month (1,600 AI replies, 1 WhatsApp number, 5 people), Pro $120 a month (5,000 AI replies, 3 WhatsApp numbers, 10 people) and Max $249 a month (10,000 AI replies, 3 WhatsApp numbers, 25 people). A CRM is included in every plan, and Instagram and Messenger messages are answered on every paid plan. 7 days free, no card, counted from when your WhatsApp connects. The price follows the number of AI replies a month, not the number of seats. See CertuAI plans and prices.
CertuAI makes this page. Source: certuai.com/pricing, checked on 10 October 2026.
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2. Trengo
A shared inbox for email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, priced in euros. Boost is €349 a month on monthly billing (€299 on annual billing) with 10 users and 500 conversations a month. Pro is €599 a month with 20 users and 1,500 conversations.
Source: trengo.com/prices, checked on 10 October 2026.
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3. Crisp
A shared inbox with a website chat widget, priced as a flat rate per workspace and not per conversation. It has a free plan with 2 seats. WhatsApp Business is part of the omnichannel inbox on the Essentials plan: $95 a month per workspace, with 10 seats and $25 of AI credits included, which Crisp describes as around 450 automated conversations.
Source: crisp.chat/en/pricing, checked on 10 October 2026.
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4. Kommo
A sales CRM with WhatsApp inside. The Base plan is $25 per user a month, billed $150 per user for 6 months, with 1 WhatsApp number and 1 Instagram account included. Its page says monthly payment is not available: the shortest subscription is 6 months.
Source: kommo.com/pricing, checked on 10 October 2026.
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5. Tidio
Live chat for websites with an AI agent called Lyro. It has a free plan with 50 billable conversations a month, and its plan table ticks the WhatsApp integration on every plan. Lyro is sold by AI conversation: from $32.50 a month for 50 with the annual switch on.
Source: tidio.com/pricing, checked on 10 October 2026.
How we checked
We opened each company's own page on 10 October 2026 and wrote down what it said, with the address. We did not use review sites, sales calls or older lists. We did not convert any currency: $ always means US dollars, and a price in euros stays in euros.
Some pages open on yearly billing and some on monthly billing. Each price above says which one it is. Where a page shows different prices in different countries, we say so and quote the standard list.
Prices change. If you are reading this months from now, open the addresses below before you decide anything.
Questions people ask
How much does respond.io cost?
On 10 October 2026 its pricing page listed Starter at $99 a month ($79 billed yearly) with 5 users, Growth at $199 a month ($159 billed yearly) with 10 users, and Advanced at $349 a month ($279 billed yearly). Enterprise is custom. WhatsApp fees from Meta are not included in any plan.
Does respond.io include AI agents in the Starter plan?
No. On its pricing page, AI Agents appear from the Growth plan, at $199 a month or $159 billed yearly. Starter lists AI Prompt and AI Assist, which help a person write a reply.
Is there a cheaper alternative to respond.io with an AI agent?
By monthly price, yes. CertuAI includes the AI agent in its Start plan at $75 a month with 1,600 AI replies, and Crisp includes AI credits from $45 a month. They are not the same product as respond.io: respond.io is a team inbox with 10 users on Growth, so compare what each plan includes before you compare the price.
Does respond.io charge for WhatsApp messages?
Its pricing page says WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription and that Meta charges them based on your usage. You top up a WhatsApp credit on the platform for messages and calls.
Does respond.io have a free plan?
Its pricing page shows no free plan. It has a 7-day free trial with no credit card, on the Growth plan. CertuAI has no free plan either: it has 7 days free with no card, and then you choose a paid plan.
Who wrote this comparison, and is it paid?
CertuAI wrote it, and CertuAI is one of the options on the page, listed first for that reason. Nobody paid to be included and no link here earns a commission. Every fact about another company comes from that company's own page, with the address shown, and was checked on 10 October 2026.
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