Best omnichannel inbox

Prices checked Nov 5, 2026

The best omnichannel inbox for small businesses in 2026

Eight shared inboxes that bring social DMs, WhatsApp, email and website chat into one place, compared on what a small team actually pays for: channels, seats, usage fees and AI.

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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 omnichannel inbox for a small business depends on where your customers write. For social DMs, WhatsApp, Telegram personal accounts, email and live chat in one inbox at a flat $24.99 a month for 3 people: Pinlyx. For the most channels with AI agents: respond.io, from $79 billed yearly. For AI-first commerce: SleekFlow. For WhatsApp-first teams with a free plan: Superchat. For free and open source: Chatwoot. For website chat first: Tidio. For email-first teams: Front.

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.

The 8 omnichannel inboxes at a glance

The cheapest paid plan of each tool, with the billing basis the vendor states.

Omnichannel inbox software compared on channels, Telegram, AI agent, free plan and starting price
ToolBest forChannelsTelegramAI agentFree planStarting price
PinlyxDM-heavy small teamsTelegram, 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)
respond.ioMost channels, 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)
SleekFlowAI-first commerce chatWhatsApp, 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)
SuperchatWhatsApp-first, free startWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, email, live chat, SMSListed; bot or personal not statedAI agent from Professional (1)Yes: 1 WhatsApp number, 30 active contacts€79/mo billed yearly, €89 monthly; 12-month term
ChatwootFree, open sourceLive 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
TidioWebsite chat firstLive chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, emailPlus and Premium only; type not statedLyro AI agent add-on, per conversationYes: 50 conversations a month$24.17/mo billed yearly, $29 monthly
FrontEmail-first teamsEmail, 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)
CallbellPer-agent pricingWhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, web chatBot (first bot free)AI agent paid from a separate credit walletNo (7-day trial)€14/agent/mo, min. 3 agents, 3-month term

Meta’s WhatsApp fees, AI usage and per-contact or per-channel fees come on top for most tools. Euro prices are not converted.

What should a small business check in an omnichannel inbox?

An omnichannel inbox collects conversations from several channels into one shared queue, so a team can answer, assign and follow up without switching apps; the unified inbox page shows how that looks in Pinlyx. List prices hide five differences:

  1. 01

    How each channel connects. Telegram support can mean a bot that only answers people who write first. Here, Pinlyx connects personal accounts; respond.io, Chatwoot, Front and Callbell use bots; SleekFlow and Superchat do not say; Tidio offers Telegram on Plus and Premium only. Outside this list, CRMChat and NetHunt CRM also connect personal accounts. Of the eight, only Pinlyx and Front have X DMs.

  2. 02

    What you pay per. A seat or agent (Front, Chatwoot, Callbell), a monthly active contact (respond.io from Growth, SleekFlow), a conversation (Tidio), or a flat plan with users included (Pinlyx, respond.io Starter, Superchat).

  3. 03

    The billing term. Front publishes annual prices only, Callbell has a 3-month minimum and Superchat a 12-month minimum; Pinlyx, respond.io, SleekFlow and Tidio publish monthly prices.

  4. 04

    Usage on top. Meta charges per WhatsApp message, and since October 1, 2026 for service replies beyond 1,000 a month per number (Meta’s pricing page). respond.io leaves it out of its plans, Front adds 20% on native WhatsApp, and Superchat passes it through “1:1, with no markup”. AI comes as credits, per-conversation fees or a wallet; Pinlyx agents run on your own provider key.

  5. 05

    Free plans with real limits. Chatwoot’s free cloud plan is live chat only, Tidio stops at 50 conversations a month, Superchat at 30 active contacts on one WhatsApp number, and Pinlyx at one Telegram account.

Which channels does each omnichannel inbox cover?

From each vendor’s official channel list on November 5, 2026. “Not listed” means absent from that list, not ruled out by the vendor.

Channels covered by each omnichannel inbox, checked November 5, 2026
ToolTelegramX DMsWhatsAppInstagramMessengerTikTokEmailLive chatSMS
PinlyxPersonal accountsYesReplies in the 24-hour windowYesYesNoIMAP/SMTPYesNo
respond.ioBotNot listedYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
SleekFlowListed, type not statedNot listedYesYesYesYesGmail, OutlookYesYes
SuperchatListed, type not statedNot listedYesYesYesNot listedYesWidget from ProfessionalYes
ChatwootBotDiscontinuedYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
TidioPlus and PremiumNot listedYesYesYesNot listedGmail, OutlookYesNot listed
FrontBot, Professional and upYesYesYesYesNot listedYesYesYes
CallbellBotNot listedYesYesYesYesNot listedYesNot listed

Pinlyx also covers Bluesky and Reddit; respond.io and SleekFlow add Viber, LINE and WeChat, and Chatwoot adds LINE.

The 8 best omnichannel inboxes for small businesses

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

1. Pinlyx

We make this
Best for
Small teams that sell and support in social DMs, where Telegram, X, Instagram and WhatsApp matter as much as email and website chat.
Key features
One shared inbox with assignment, tags and notes; pipelines; AI agents that answer on Telegram, live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Bluesky and Reddit, suggest replies on X and hand over when unsure; a live chat widget and an email inbox in the same queue.
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; email uses IMAP/SMTP, not a Gmail or Outlook sign-in; AI agents answer from knowledge you write, not imported pages or PDFs; no Shopify app; comment-to-DM is on Business.

2. respond.io

Best for
Growing teams that need one of the longest channel lists, including Viber, LINE, WeChat, SMS and voice, with AI agents.
Key features
Team inboxes with assignment and snoozing, and lifecycle stages, on every plan; AI agents from Growth and a voice AI agent on Advanced; workspaces and SSO on Advanced. More in our respond.io alternatives.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram (bot), email, website chat, Viber, LINE, WeChat, SMS, RCS and voice. X and LinkedIn are not on its channel list.
Pricing
Starter $79 a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) with 5 users; Growth $159 ($199) with 10 users, priced by monthly active contacts from 1,000; Advanced $279 ($349); Enterprise custom. Meta’s WhatsApp fees are not included in any plan. Checked November 5, 2026 on the respond.io pricing page.
Watch out for
WhatsApp fees are not included, contacts set the price from Growth, AI agents start at $159 a month billed yearly, and Telegram is a bot without groups.

3. SleekFlow

Best for
B2C brands that sell through chat and want AI agents and commerce integrations across many messaging apps.
Key features
Round-robin assignment by skill, team or availability; an AI co-pilot for drafts and summaries; AI agents from Pro that learn from files, web pages and custom answers; broadcasts 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
Essential has no AI agents or broadcasts and is not sold everywhere, Pro rises with active contacts, each WhatsApp number adds $15 a month, and the Telegram connection type is not stated.

4. Superchat

Best for
Small businesses that start on WhatsApp and want Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, email, SMS and website chat in one inbox, with a free plan to begin.
Key features
Assignment, internal notes, chat labels and team chat on every plan; an AI agent from Professional that learns from your website, files or a Q&A library; an AI Copilot add-on (€29 a month for 3 users); Meta’s WhatsApp fees passed through “1:1, with no markup”.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, email, live chat and SMS. X, TikTok and LinkedIn are not on its channel list.
Pricing
Free: 1 WhatsApp number, 1 user, 30 active contacts a month. Basic €79 a month billed yearly (€89 monthly), net of VAT, with 3 logins; Professional €129 (€149) with 6 logins and 1 AI agent; Advanced €249 (€299). Paid plans have a 12-month minimum term. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Superchat pricing page.
Watch out for
A 12-month minimum term, even at the monthly price, renewing unless cancelled 30 days before the end. The website widget needs Professional, the API, Zapier and HubSpot need Advanced, and it sells to businesses only.

5. Chatwoot

Best for
Teams that want a free, open-source inbox and are comfortable hosting it, or a low per-agent cloud price.
Key features
A free self-hosted Community Edition; Captain AI credits on paid cloud plans; teams, automation rules and voice from Business; LINE, SMS and an API channel for anything else.
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 puts the servers and updates on you. The free cloud plan is live chat only, with 30 days of data, and the X integration is discontinued.

6. Tidio

Best for
Small online shops and service businesses whose conversations start in website chat, with Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email alongside.
Key features
A live chat widget at its core; one inbox with up to 10 operators on Free, Starter and Growth; automatic assignment on Growth; the Lyro AI agent and Flows automation as add-ons.
Channels
Website live chat (its core), Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email (Gmail, Outlook), with Telegram only on Plus and Premium. X, TikTok and LinkedIn are not on its list.
Pricing
Free for 50 conversations a month. Starter $24.17 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 100 conversations; Growth from $49.17 billed yearly; Plus from $300 a month. The Lyro AI agent is an add-on from $32.50 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly) after 50 free conversations. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Tidio pricing page.
Watch out for
The price rises with billable conversations (Starter covers 100 a month), AI and automation cost extra, and Telegram needs Plus (from $300 a month) or Premium. No sales pipeline is mentioned.

7. Front

Best for
Teams whose customer conversations are mostly email, with WhatsApp, social DMs and X in the same shared inbox.
Key features
Shared inboxes and ticketing on every plan; omnichannel from Professional; an X DM inbox; Copilot and Autopilot AI; voice through partners such as Aircall and Talkdesk.
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; AI and native WhatsApp cost extra; and Telegram is a bot on Professional and up.

8. Callbell

Best for
Teams of three or more that prefer paying per agent for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok and web chat.
Key features
A shared inbox with automatic assignment; an AI agent and reply suggestions paid from a separate credit wallet ($5 free to start); WhatsApp campaigns at €0.02 per contact reached; an advanced bot builder for €59 a month.
Channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram (bot), TikTok and web chat. Email, SMS, X and LinkedIn are not on its channel list.
Pricing
€14 per agent a month ($15), VAT excluded, with a minimum of 3 agents (€42). No monthly renewal: the shortest term is 3 months, with 5% off for 6 months and 15% for a year. WhatsApp (from €20 a month) and Instagram Direct (€20 a month) are charged on top; the first Messenger page and Telegram bot are free. Checked November 5, 2026 on the Callbell pricing page.
Watch out for
No monthly renewal (3 months minimum) and at least 3 agents billed; WhatsApp and Instagram are charged per channel; AI stops when the wallet runs out; email and SMS are not on its list.

Social DMs, WhatsApp, email and live chat in one inbox

Pro is $24.99 a month for 3 team members and 3 social accounts, with Telegram personal accounts and a pipeline.

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Is Pinlyx the right omnichannel inbox for your team?

Pinlyx is built for teams whose customers write in social apps; it covers fewer traditional support channels than a helpdesk.

Choose Pinlyx if

  • Customers message you on Telegram, X, Instagram or WhatsApp more than by email.
  • You want personal Telegram accounts, not a bot, next to Instagram and WhatsApp.
  • One flat price suits you: Pro is $24.99 a month for 3 team members, 3 social accounts, 1 mailbox and live chat on 1 site.

Pick another tool if

  • You need SMS, voice, Viber or TikTok DMs: respond.io or SleekFlow.
  • You send WhatsApp broadcasts or campaigns: SleekFlow from Pro, Superchat or Callbell.
  • Most of your volume is email: Front.
  • You want free and self-hosted: Chatwoot.

Every limit is on the pricing page. For one channel at a time, see the Telegram CRM, WhatsApp CRM and Instagram CRM pages.

How to choose an omnichannel inbox in 5 steps

  1. 01

    Count conversations by channel. Keep last month’s top three or four channels; they decide the shortlist.

  2. 02

    Check how they connect. Telegram as a bot or a personal account; WhatsApp with or without a markup on Meta’s fees.

  3. 03

    Price your team. Seats or agents, contacts or conversations, and the shortest term you can sign.

  4. 04

    Decide where AI answers. And who pays: plan credits, per-conversation fees or your own provider key.

  5. 05

    Trial with real 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, X DMs, the cheapest paid plan with its billing basis, usage fees and free plans. Prices are the vendor’s own, in its currency. “Not listed” means absent from the vendor’s list that day, not ruled out. Ticket-first helpdesks such as Zendesk were left out to keep the focus on messaging; our comparison pages cover them.

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.

Sources

Omnichannel inbox: questions small teams ask

A shared inbox that collects conversations from WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, email, website chat and other channels, so a team can answer, assign and track them in one place. Most keep one contact history across channels; some add a sales pipeline or AI agents.
Yes, with limits. Chatwoot is free self-hosted, and its free cloud plan covers website live chat only. Tidio is free for 50 conversations a month, Superchat for 1 WhatsApp number and 30 active contacts, and Pinlyx for 1 Telegram account; Pinlyx’s other channels need Pro at $24.99 a month.
On list price: Chatwoot Cloud from $19 per agent a month (free self-hosted), Tidio Starter at $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 conversations, Pinlyx Pro at a flat $24.99 for 3 people, and Callbell at €14 per agent with a minimum of 3. Add WhatsApp, AI and channel fees before comparing.
Of the eight tools here, Pinlyx connects personal Telegram accounts; respond.io, Chatwoot, Front and Callbell use bots, and SleekFlow and Superchat do not say. Outside this list, CRMChat (Telegram only) and NetHunt CRM, from Basic Plus, also connect personal accounts.
Of the eight tools here, Pinlyx (on Pro) and Front have an X DM inbox. Chatwoot’s X integration is discontinued, and respond.io, SleekFlow, Superchat, Tidio and Callbell do not list X.
Usually not. Meta charges per WhatsApp message by category and country, and since October 1, 2026 for service replies beyond the first 1,000 a month per number. respond.io leaves the fees out of its plans, Front adds a 20% admin fee, and Superchat passes them through with no markup.
In the r/smallbusiness thread “Best Omnichannel Inbox CRM?”, Salesforce came up most, with Intercom, HubSpot, Zoho, Front, Help Scout and Close mentioned once each. In an r/CRM thread on affordable omnichannel CRMs, respond.io came up most, then Kommo, HubSpot and Zoho. We read both on November 5, 2026.
Most can, priced differently: AI agents come with respond.io Growth, SleekFlow Pro and Superchat Professional; Tidio (Lyro) and Front (Autopilot) charge per conversation; Chatwoot and Callbell use credits. On Pinlyx Pro you can run 3 AI agents on your own OpenAI, Gemini or other provider key, which that provider bills.

Keep comparing

Feature pages and buyer guides for teams that sell and support in chat.

Pinlyx unified inbox

Every channel in one queue, with the contact history beside it.

Shared team inbox

Assignment, roles and internal notes for a small team.

respond.io alternatives

Seven inboxes compared on WhatsApp and AI costs and on Telegram support.

Kommo alternatives

CRMs with built-in messaging, compared on billing terms and pipelines.

Best WhatsApp CRM

WhatsApp-first tools compared, with broadcasts and without.

Best Telegram CRM

Tools that connect personal Telegram accounts, compared.

Ready to ship

One inbox for DMs, WhatsApp, email and chat

Connect Telegram personal accounts, X, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Bluesky, Reddit, email and live chat on Pro for $24.99 a month, with 3 team members and a pipeline. The Free plan runs one Telegram account.

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

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