respond.io alternatives

Prices checked Nov 5, 2026

The best respond.io alternatives in 2026

Seven tools compared on what respond.io users most often want to change: the starting price, the WhatsApp and AI costs on top, and a Telegram channel that stops at a bot.

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Pro is $24.99/month with 3 social accounts · Free plan covers 1 Telegram account · Cancel anytime

Short answer

The best respond.io alternative depends on what you want to change. For a small team that sells in DMs, with Telegram personal accounts, X, Instagram and WhatsApp in one inbox at a flat $24.99 a month: Pinlyx. For the closest like-for-like AI platform: SleekFlow, from $49 a month billed yearly. For WhatsApp broadcasts: Wati, from $59 billed yearly. For a free, open-source inbox: Chatwoot. For a support team’s shared inbox: Trengo or Front. For a CRM with pipelines: Kommo.

Last updated: . Prices were checked the same day on each vendor’s own pricing page. We make Pinlyx; it is listed where it fits, with its limits.

respond.io alternatives at a glance

The cheapest paid plan of each tool, with the billing basis the vendor states. respond.io is in the last row for reference.

respond.io alternatives compared on channels, Telegram, AI agents, free plan and starting price
ToolBest forChannelsTelegramAI agentsFree planStarting price
PinlyxSmall teams selling in DMsTelegram, X, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Bluesky, Reddit, email, live chatPersonal accountsYes, on your own AI key (3 agents on Pro)Yes: 1 Telegram account$24.99/mo flat on Pro ($20.82 billed yearly)
SleekFlowClosest like-for-like AI platformWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, SMS, email, live chatListed; bot or personal not statedAI agents from ProNo (7-day Pro trial)$49/mo billed yearly, $69 monthly (3 seats)
WatiWhatsApp broadcasts and salesWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, web chat, SMSNot on its channel listAstra AI agent on every plan (1 on Growth)No (7-day trial)$59/mo billed yearly, $69 monthly (3 users)
TrengoSupport teams of 10 or moreWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, email, web widget, SMS, voiceBot (2023 help article only)HelpMate AI agent, fee per AI conversationNo (7-day trial)€299/mo billed yearly, €349 monthly (10 users)
ChatwootFree, open-source inboxLive chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, LINE, SMSBot onlyCaptain AI on paid cloud plans (300 to 800 credits)Yes: self-hosted, or cloud Hacker (live chat only)Free self-hosted; cloud from $19/agent/mo
FrontEmail-first teams, with X DMsEmail, live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, SMS, TelegramBot, Professional plan and upAutopilot from $0.39 per conversationNo (14-day trial)$25/seat/mo billed yearly (1 channel type)
KommoCRM pipelines with messengersWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email, live chat, Viber, WeChat, SMSBot only, 1 chat per pipelineAI agents from Advanced (up to 3)No (14-day trial)$25/user/mo, billed 6 months up front
respond.io (for reference)Broad channel list with AI agentsWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email, web chat, Viber, LINE, WeChat, SMS, voiceBot only, no groupsAI agents from Growth ($159/mo billed yearly)No (7-day trial)$79/mo billed yearly, $99 monthly (5 users)

Meta’s WhatsApp fees, AI usage and per-contact tiers come on top for most tools. Euro prices are not converted. “Not on its list” means absent from the vendor’s published list on November 5, 2026.

What does respond.io cost, and what is not included?

respond.io calls itself an AI-powered customer conversation platform, “Trusted by 10,000+ B2C businesses”. It covers more channels than most tools here, and team inboxes are on every plan. These points, from its pricing page and help centre on November 5, 2026, are what usually send teams looking.

respond.io plans and prices, checked November 5, 2026
PlanBilled yearlyBilled monthlyUsersMonthly active contactsAI creditsAI agents
Starter$79/mo ($948/yr)$99/mo5No limit5,000No: AI Assist and summaries
Growth$159/mo ($1,908/yr)$199/mo10From 1,000; $12 per extra 100From 10,000Yes
Advanced$279/mo ($3,348/yr)$349/mo10From 1,000; $15 per extra 100From 20,000Yes, plus voice AI
EnterpriseCustomCustomUnlimitedCustomFrom 40,000Yes
  • WhatsApp fees are separate. The pricing page says “WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription”. Meta charges per message, and since October 1, 2026 also for service replies beyond 1,000 a month per business number (Meta’s pricing page). Every tool on the platform passes this on; what differs is whether it adds a markup.
  • Contacts and AI credits add up. From Growth, the price follows monthly active contacts, from 1,000 with $12 or $15 per extra 100. Extra AI credits cost $15 per 1,000, capped at 200% of the plan’s allowance.
  • AI agents start on Growth. Starter has AI Assist, prompts, summaries and sentiment; AI agents need Growth ($159 a month billed yearly) and the voice AI agent needs Advanced.
  • Telegram is a bot. The Telegram Quick Start says “To connect a Telegram Channel, a Telegram Bot is required”, and Telegram Business Account or Premium bots cannot be added. The Telegram Overview adds that “Telegram Groups are not supported yet” and that customers must send the first message.
  • Also worth knowing. X and LinkedIn are not on its channel list, contacts move through lifecycle stages rather than a deal pipeline, and there is no free plan: the 7-day trial has Growth features but no broadcasts.

None of this makes respond.io a poor choice. For Viber, LINE or WeChat next to WhatsApp, a voice AI agent or one of the broadest channel lists here, it remains one of the strongest options.

The 7 best respond.io alternatives in 2026

Every tool gets the same five fields, with prices in the vendor’s own billing basis.

1. Pinlyx

We make this
Best for
Small sales teams that close deals in DMs on Telegram personal accounts, X, Instagram and WhatsApp, and want a pipeline and a flat price.
Key features
One unified inbox with assignment, tags and notes; pipelines on every plan; AI agents on your own OpenAI, Gemini or other provider key that reply and hand a chat to a person; several Telegram accounts, each with its own proxy.
Channels
Telegram personal accounts (not a bot), X DMs, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Bluesky, Reddit, email over IMAP/SMTP and a website live chat widget.
Pricing
Free $0 with 1 Telegram account. Pro $24.99 a month ($20.82 billed yearly): 3 social accounts, 3 team members, 1 mailbox, live chat on 1 site and 3 AI agents. Business $99 a month ($82.50 billed yearly): 10 social accounts, 10 team members, 5 mailboxes, unlimited AI agents, and the API, webhooks and MCP server. Flat per workspace; extra social accounts are $6 a month and Telegram accounts are free to connect. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Pinlyx pricing page.
Watch out for
WhatsApp is reply-only inside Meta’s 24-hour window, with no templates or broadcasts. No TikTok, YouTube or Threads DMs and no SMS; the email inbox uses IMAP/SMTP, not a Gmail or Outlook sign-in; no Shopify app; comment-to-DM is on Business; Free is Telegram only.

2. SleekFlow

Best for
B2C brands that want an AI-first platform close to respond.io, with commerce integrations and WeChat and LINE next to WhatsApp.
Key features
Round-robin assignment and an AI co-pilot on every plan; AI agents from Pro, with basic replies unlimited and advanced replies on credits; broadcasts, a Flow Builder, the API and Shopify, Zapier and Make from Pro.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, SMS, voice, Gmail, Outlook and website live chat. X and LinkedIn are not on its list.
Pricing
Essential $49 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) with 3 seats and 500 active contacts, but no AI agents or broadcasts, and not sold in every country. Pro from $109 billed yearly ($139 monthly), rising with contacts. Each WhatsApp number adds $15 a month. Checked November 5, 2026 on the SleekFlow pricing page.
Watch out for
The price rises with active contacts, AI agents and broadcasts need Pro, and Essential is not sold everywhere. SleekFlow does not say whether Telegram is a bot or a personal account.

3. Wati

Best for
Businesses that sell and market mainly on WhatsApp and need broadcasts and templates, with Instagram and TikTok alongside.
Key features
Broadcasts (15,000 a month on Growth, unlimited on Pro), a team inbox with assignment and tags, Astra AI agents on every plan, and Instagram comment-to-DM on posts and Reels.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, website chat and SMS/RCS, with email marked coming soon. Telegram, X and LinkedIn are not on its channel list.
Pricing
Growth $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) with 3 users and no extra seats; Pro $119 ($149) with 5 users, extra users $39 each; Business $279 ($349). WhatsApp template and message fees come on top. Prices as shown to a visitor from Türkiye, whom Wati places in its Middle East region; other regions may differ. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Wati pricing page.
Watch out for
Growth stops at 3 users and 1,000 automation triggers a month, and Telegram is not offered. The rate card linked from its pricing page still shows Meta’s per-conversation pricing from before July 2025.

4. Trengo

Best for
Customer service teams of about ten that want one shared inbox for WhatsApp, email, social, SMS and phone.
Key features
A shared inbox with assignment, routing, internal comments, @mentions and roles; the HelpMate AI agent on every plan; SMS and voice next to messaging.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, email (Gmail, Outlook), website widget, SMS and voice. Telegram (bot) appears only in a 2023 help article; X and LinkedIn are not offered.
Pricing
Boost €299 a month billed yearly (€349 monthly) with 10 users and 6,000 conversations a year, or 500 a month on monthly billing; Pro €499 (€599) with 20 users. Extra conversations are €18 per 100 on monthly billing, and each AI-handled conversation adds €0.30 (€0.25 yearly). Checked November 5, 2026 on the Trengo pricing page.
Watch out for
Priced for a 10-user team, with conversation caps and a fee per AI conversation. Telegram rests on a 2023 help article, and no deal pipeline is listed.

5. Chatwoot

Best for
Teams that want a free, open-source inbox to host themselves, or a low per-agent cloud price.
Key features
A free self-hosted Community Edition; Captain AI credits on paid cloud plans; teams and automation rules from Business. Chatwoot positions itself as an open-source alternative to Intercom and Zendesk.
Channels
Website live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram (bot), LINE, SMS and an API channel. Its X integration has been discontinued.
Pricing
The self-hosted Community Edition is free. Chatwoot Cloud: Hacker $0 (2 agents, 500 conversations a month, website live chat only), Startups $19 per agent a month, Business $39, Enterprise $99; extra Captain AI credits are $20 per 1,000. The billing term is not stated. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Chatwoot pricing page.
Watch out for
Self-hosting means running the servers yourself. The free cloud plan is live chat only, with 30 days of data, and no deal pipeline is listed.

6. Front

Best for
Email-first teams that want WhatsApp, social DMs and X in the same shared inbox.
Key features
Shared inboxes and ticketing on every plan, omnichannel from Professional, Copilot and Autopilot AI, and an X DM inbox, which few tools here have.
Channels
Email (its core), live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X DMs, SMS, voice through partners, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Telegram (bot, Professional and up).
Pricing
Starter $25 per seat a month billed annually (up to 10 seats, one channel type), Professional $65, Enterprise $105; monthly prices are not published. Copilot AI is $20 per seat (included on Enterprise), Autopilot starts at $0.39 per conversation, and native WhatsApp adds a 20% admin fee on Meta’s costs. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Front pricing page.
Watch out for
Per-seat, annual-only prices; one channel type on Starter; and a Telegram bot (Professional and up) that cannot start conversations or import past messages.

7. Kommo

Best for
Sales teams that want a CRM with pipelines first, with messengers attached to each lead.
Key features
Pipelines and a unified inbox on every plan, Salesbot from Advanced, and up to 3 AI agents on Advanced and 50 on Pro. Our Kommo alternatives page covers it in depth.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok (1 business account), Telegram (bot), email, website live chat, Viber, WeChat and SMS through Twilio or RingCentral. X DMs are not on its list.
Pricing
Base $25 per user a month, billed $150 per user for 6 months; Advanced $35 ($210); Pro $45 ($270); Enterprise custom. Monthly payment is not available: the shortest term is 6 months. Kommo says it charges no mandatory extra fees; WhatsApp message fees are Meta’s. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Kommo pricing page.
Watch out for
“Monthly payment is not currently available”: the shortest term is 6 months, per user. Telegram is a bot only, one chat per pipeline, and X is not on its list.

Telegram, X, Instagram and WhatsApp in one inbox

Pro is $24.99 a month for 3 team members and 3 social accounts, with a pipeline and AI agents on your own key.

Start on ProSee pricing

Which respond.io alternatives connect a personal Telegram account?

A Telegram bot cannot message anyone who has not written to it, and it appears as a bot, not as a person. respond.io, Kommo, Chatwoot and Front connect Telegram as a bot, and so does Trengo in its 2023 help article. In the documentation we checked, three tools connect personal accounts:

  • Pinlyx: several personal accounts per workspace, next to X, Instagram, WhatsApp and email; the Free plan includes one. See the best Telegram CRM tools for Telegram-first options.
  • CRMChat: Telegram only, on personal accounts, free for 1 account and 50 leads and paid from $20 a month billed yearly (CRMChat pricing).
  • NetHunt CRM: personal Telegram from Basic Plus ($34 per user billed yearly). Its help centre notes that “only the person who owns this account can respond”.

Pinlyx paces sending per account and backs off when Telegram asks it to wait; the Telegram CRM page shows how accounts connect.

Is Pinlyx a good respond.io alternative?

Yes for sales conversations spread across social apps; no if WhatsApp campaigns are the core of your work.

Choose Pinlyx if

  • Deals happen in Telegram, X, Instagram or WhatsApp DMs and belong next to a pipeline.
  • You need personal Telegram accounts, not a bot.
  • A flat $24.99 a month for 3 team members and 3 social accounts suits you better than paying per user or contact.

Stay with respond.io, or pick SleekFlow or Wati, if

  • You send WhatsApp broadcasts or templates; Pinlyx only replies inside the 24-hour window.
  • You need Viber, LINE, WeChat, SMS, voice or TikTok DMs.
  • You need a Shopify app, or a Gmail or Outlook sign-in for email.

Every limit is on the pricing page. See how the WhatsApp inbox, the Instagram inbox and the live chat widget work.

How to choose a respond.io alternative in 5 steps

  1. 01

    List your channels. Mark where you must start conversations, such as Telegram or X, and not only reply.

  2. 02

    Price your team. Count users, active contacts and the billing term: some vendors sell only yearly, or 3, 6 or 12 months at a time.

  3. 03

    Add the usage. Meta’s WhatsApp fees, AI credits or per-conversation AI, and per-number or per-channel fees.

  4. 04

    Check Telegram. Find the words bot or personal account in the vendor’s own documentation.

  5. 05

    Trial on live chats. Most tools here offer 7 to 15 days; the Pinlyx Free plan keeps one Telegram account free with no time limit.

How we compared

On November 5, 2026 we read each vendor’s pricing page and help centre and compared channels, the Telegram connection, the cheapest paid plan with its billing basis, usage fees and free plans. Prices are the vendor’s own, in its currency. “Not on its list” means absent from the vendor’s published list that day, not ruled out.

No vendor paid to be included or ranked. We make Pinlyx: it is listed where it fits, with its limits, and its numbers match our pricing page. Prices change, so check the vendor’s page before you buy, and tell us through the contact page if something is out of date. More head-to-heads are on all comparisons.

Sources

respond.io alternatives: questions buyers ask

Yes. Chatwoot’s self-hosted Community Edition is free and open source; its free cloud plan covers website live chat only. Pinlyx is free for one Telegram account; Instagram, WhatsApp and the other social channels need Pro at $24.99 a month. respond.io has no free plan, only a 7-day trial.
Partly. respond.io calls itself a customer conversation platform: contacts move through lifecycle stages on every plan, but its pricing page lists no separate deal pipeline. For deals next to the inbox, look at a CRM with built-in messaging, such as Kommo or Pinlyx.
On list price: Chatwoot Cloud at $19 per agent a month (free if you host it), Pinlyx Pro at a flat $24.99 for 3 team members, and SleekFlow Essential at $49 and Wati Growth at $59, both billed yearly. Add Meta’s WhatsApp fees and AI usage before comparing.
No. respond.io’s help centre says a Telegram bot is required, groups are not supported yet, and customers must send the first message. Pinlyx and CRMChat connect personal Telegram accounts, and so does NetHunt CRM from its Basic Plus plan.
No. Its pricing page says WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription. Meta charges per message by category and country, and since October 1, 2026 also for service replies beyond the first 1,000 a month per business number.
Wati is WhatsApp-first, with broadcasts from Growth at $59 a month billed yearly for 3 users. respond.io covers more channels, including Viber, LINE, WeChat and a Telegram bot, from $79 billed yearly for 5 users, with AI agents from Growth. For mostly WhatsApp marketing, Wati is the simpler fit.
In the r/CRM thread on affordable omnichannel CRMs for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger (53 comments when we read it on November 5, 2026), respond.io itself came up most, then Kommo, HubSpot and Zoho, with Wati also suggested. Threads are a snapshot, so check current pricing before deciding.

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Pinlyx pricing

Free, Pro and Business, with every limit on one page.

Ready to ship

Bring every DM into one inbox with a pipeline

Connect Telegram personal accounts, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, email and live chat on Pro for $24.99 a month, with 3 team members and AI agents on your own key. Or start on the Free plan with one Telegram account.

Start on ProCompare plans
Pro is $24.99/month with 3 social accounts · Free plan covers 1 Telegram account · Cancel anytime

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