Who respond.io actually fits
Fair verdict first. Respond.io is a genuinely capable platform: it merges five-plus messaging channels into one inbox, its Workflows builder handles complex routing and automation, AI agents are included from the Growth plan up, and the Advanced plan adds things like phone-number masking and multiple workspaces that agencies and larger support teams care about.
If your customers write to you on Instagram, Telegram and web chat as much as on WhatsApp, and you operate across countries, it earns its keep.
The friction for an Indian SME is the bill, and where features sit inside it. As published on their pricing page (checked August 2026):
- The Starter plan is $79/month, roughly ₹7,000 at current exchange rates, before your card's forex markup, and it does not include broadcasts. Broadcasts, workflow automation and AI agents start on Growth at $159/month (about ₹14,000). Growth includes 1,000 monthly active contacts
- Cross the cap and overage bills at $12 per 100 contacts ($15 on Advanced). Extra seats run $12–24 per user per month by plan. And WhatsApp's own fees are on top, their pricing page is explicit that Meta's charges are not included in any subscription
- You top up WhatsApp credit separately
None of that is dishonest pricing. It's simply a platform sized for multi-channel, multi-country operations. If what you need is WhatsApp, broadcasts to opted-in lists, a chatbot, a team inbox, order updates from your store, you end up paying omnichannel prices for one channel.
Respond.io vs Growcord
| respond.io | Growcord | |
|---|---|---|
Entry plan | $79/mo (~₹7,000) Starter | ₹299/mo, or ₹99/mo billed yearly |
Broadcasts included | ✗ Only from Growth, $159/mo | ✓ Every plan, with scheduling |
Contact-based overages | $12–15 per 100 monthly active contacts over the cap | ✓ None, plans meter conversations, not stored contacts |
Extra team member | $12–24/user/mo by plan | ₹149/mo |
No-code bot flows | ✓ Workflows + AI agents, from Growth | ✓ All plans |
Shared team inbox | ✓ Core strength | ✓ All plans |
Ecommerce automations | Built yourself in Workflows | ✓ Prebuilt, abandoned cart, COD confirmation, order updates, review requests |
Channels beyond WhatsApp | ✓ Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and more | ✗ WhatsApp only, by design |
Billing | USD card billing | INR via Razorpay, GST invoice |
Free option | 7-day trial (broadcasts excluded) | ✓ Free tier, 1 number, 50 conversations/mo, no expiry |
Competitor pricing and features as published on their website, checked August 2026.
Where Growcord makes the stronger case
Growcord runs on the same Meta Cloud API: messages go out with identical delivery and the same conversation charges from Meta, passed through at Meta's exact published rate with nothing added. The difference is scope and price. Every Growcord plan includes broadcast campaigns with scheduling, no-code bot flows, auto-replies, a shared team inbox, contacts with tags and segments, sales pipelines, template management, analytics, and a REST API with keys and webhooks.
Shopify, WooCommerce and Zapier integrations are included, and the ecommerce automations, abandoned cart, COD confirmation, order updates, back-in-stock, review requests, are prebuilt rather than things you assemble in a workflow editor.
Plans: Basic at ₹299/month (₹99/month billed yearly), Startup at ₹799 (₹399 yearly) with 1,000 included conversations, Commerce at ₹1,999 (₹999) and Enterprise at ₹5,999 (₹2,999). Put plainly: Growcord's highest self-serve plan costs less per month than respond.io's cheapest.
Add-ons are flat, ₹149 for an extra member, ₹299 for an extra number, ₹399 per 1,000 extra conversations, so the invoice doesn't move because your contact list grew. Every plan bills in rupees through Razorpay with a GST invoice, and support works Indian hours. The full grid is on the pricing page.
Where respond.io stays the better tool
Honesty cuts both ways. Growcord does not do Instagram DMs, Messenger, Telegram or web live-chat, if one inbox across all of those is a hard requirement, respond.io is the better product and switching would be a mistake.
The same goes for multi-workspace setups spanning countries and for teams already deep into respond.io's AI agents. Our comparisons of Wati and Twilio follow the same rule: recommend by fit, not by rubbishing the other side. And if you're still weighing several platforms, the WhatsApp API provider roundup puts nine of them side by side.
Switching from respond.io to Growcord
Export your contacts
Download contacts from respond.io as a CSV and import them into Growcord with tags intact, the tags become your broadcast segments on day one.
Connect your WhatsApp number
Numbers on the API migrate between platforms without changing what customers see. Connect through Meta's embedded signup and verify by OTP; plan it for a quiet hour, since a number is live on one platform at a time.
Re-create your templates
Approved templates belong to the WhatsApp Business Account, so resubmit the ones that perform from inside Growcord. Meta approval usually takes minutes to a few hours; status syncs automatically.
Rebuild the flows that matter
Rebuild your top two or three workflows as Growcord bot flows, point your store or Zapier webhooks at the new endpoints, and run a small test broadcast before the first real campaign.
Try the WhatsApp-only maths on a spare number
Free tier: one number, 50 conversations a month, no card and no expiry, test the inbox and flows before you migrate anything.
Start free, no card neededWhy Growcord
What you get here that you don't get elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
Is Growcord cheaper than respond.io?
For WhatsApp-focused teams, yes, by a wide margin. Respond.io's Starter plan is $79/month (about ₹7,000) and broadcasts need the $159/month Growth plan, as published on their site in August 2026. Growcord includes broadcasts, bot flows and the shared inbox from ₹299/month (₹99/month billed yearly), its top self-serve plan at ₹5,999 still costs less than respond.io's cheapest. Both bill Meta's conversation charges separately.
Can I move my WhatsApp number from respond.io to Growcord?
Yes. A number on the WhatsApp Business API migrates between platforms without changing the number your customers message. You connect it to Growcord through Meta's embedded signup, verify ownership by OTP, and resubmit your templates. Schedule the switch for a quiet hour. The number can only be live on one platform at a time.
Does respond.io include WhatsApp message fees in its plans?
No. Their pricing page states that WhatsApp fees are not included in any respond.io subscription. Meta charges by usage and you top up WhatsApp credit separately. Growcord works the same way, with one difference: the credits are charged at Meta's exact published rate, not marked up, because Growcord takes its margin from the subscription. No legitimate platform can absorb Meta's fees.
Does Growcord support Instagram and Telegram like respond.io?
No. Growcord is deliberately WhatsApp-only. If one inbox across Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and web chat is a hard requirement, respond.io is the better fit and we'll say so plainly. If WhatsApp is where your customers actually are, true for most Indian SMEs, you shouldn't pay omnichannel prices for a single channel.
What happens to my approved templates when I switch?
Templates are approved per WhatsApp Business Account, so you re-create them in Growcord and submit them to Meta again, approval typically takes minutes to a few hours. Most teams treat the move as a cleanup: carry over the five templates that perform, drop the rest. Growcord syncs approval status from Meta automatically.
Can I try Growcord before cancelling respond.io?
Yes. The free tier gives you one WhatsApp number and 50 conversations a month with no card required, enough to test templates, bot flows and the inbox on a spare number before migrating your main one. Respond.io's own trial runs seven days; Growcord's free tier doesn't expire, and if you do subscribe, there's a 7-day unconditional money-back guarantee on the plan fee.
Why businesses pick Growcord
Official WhatsApp Business API
Built on Meta's Cloud API, the sanctioned channel, not a modded app. No number-ban roulette.
Indian pricing, GST invoice
Plans from ₹99/month billed yearly. Paid in ₹ via Razorpay, with a proper GST invoice every time.
Free tier, no card needed
1 number and 50 conversations a month to prove it on real customers before paying anything.
Support from New Delhi, in IST
A real team on email and WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday 10:00–19:00 IST, not a ticket void.
Talk to us
Get set up on WhatsApp this week
Tell us what you sell and how many customers you message. We'll reply on WhatsApp with the plan that fits and, if you want it, walk you through the Meta approval step.
- No sales call unless you ask for one
- Answers from the team that builds it, in IST hours
- Free tier available. You can start before you decide
Documentation and official resources
Keep reading
Related guides and comparisons
Last updated: 2026-08-07