Looking for a respond.io alternative? Compare WACRM's price and markup
WACRM is a WhatsApp CRM alternative to respond.io for online shops: Growth is $75/month with 0% WhatsApp message markup, against respond.io's Growth plan at $199/month billed monthly ($159/month if billed annually), where WhatsApp fees are charged separately by Meta through a prepaid credit balance. WACRM also includes coexistence, keeping your WhatsApp Business app working, on every plan.
By Huy Nguyen (David), Founder & CEO of Netbase JSC Updated
WACRM Growth is $75/month; respond.io's comparable Growth tier is $199/month billed monthly ($159/month if billed annually), checked 2026-11-02.
respond.io states WhatsApp fees are "not included" in its subscription and billed by Meta through a separate top-up; WACRM charges 0% markup and bills nothing extra per message.
WACRM states coexistence (the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone) explicitly on every plan; respond.io's pricing page does not mention it.
Both offer a short free trial: 14 days on WACRM, 7 days on respond.io with no credit card required. Neither has a free-forever plan.
WACRM vs respond.io: price, markup and coexistence
| WACRM | respond.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per tier | Starter: $29/month · Growth: $75/month · Pro: $179/month · Agency: $299/month | Starter: $99/month billed monthly (+$15/month per extra user) or $79/month billed annually (+$12/month per extra user), 5 users included · Growth: $199/month billed monthly (+$25/month per extra user) or $159/month billed annually (+$20/month per extra user), 10 users included · Advanced: $349/month billed monthly (+$30/month per extra user) or $279/month billed annually (+$24/month per extra user), 10 users included |
| WhatsApp message markup | Paid directly to Meta, at Meta’s own price — 0% markup | The pricing page states WhatsApp fees "are not included in any respond.io subscription" — Meta charges them directly and the customer tops up a separate WhatsApp credit balance. No percentage markup is published. Going over the Monthly Active Contact limit is billed on demand in blocks of 100: $12/100 on Growth, $15/100 on Advanced. |
| Free tier / trial | 14-day free trial, no card required. No free-forever plan. | 7-day free trial, no credit card required — the trial gives access to Growth-plan features for 5 users and 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts, except broadcasts, per the FAQ. No free-forever plan. |
| Coexistence (WhatsApp app keeps working on the phone) | Yes, on every plan. | Not stated on the pricing page. |
| Channels | WhatsApp only. | Not WhatsApp only: the pricing page states respond.io "unifies WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook" plus chat and email in one inbox. Plans are priced in Monthly Active Contacts, not per-channel. Only Enterprise is stated to have unlimited users; Starter/Growth/Advanced cap users as shown above. |
respond.io prices checked 2026-11-02 on respond.io's own pricing page. WACRM prices from wacrm.ai/pricing.
Talk to an expert
Huy Nguyen (David), Founder & CEO
Ask how switching from respond.io to WACRM would work for your own number and contacts.
When respond.io is the better choice
- You need an automation builder and API that are fully live today: WACRM's flow builder is still early access and its API + webhooks are planned.
- You want pricing based on Monthly Active Contacts rather than a flat per-tier cap: respond.io's plans are priced by Monthly Active Contacts (checked 2026-11-02); WACRM's Starter plan is capped at 2,000 contacts.
- You're fine adding users at a flat per-seat rate beyond the included count rather than moving up a plan tier: respond.io charges $15/$25/$30 per extra user/month billed monthly ($12/$20/$24 if billed annually) on Starter/Growth/Advanced.
Frequently asked questions
Is WACRM cheaper than respond.io?
At the entry tier, yes: WACRM Starter is $29/month against respond.io's Starter at $99/month billed monthly ($79/month if billed annually), checked 2 November 2026. respond.io also tops up WhatsApp credit separately with Meta; WACRM's 0% markup means you only ever pay Meta's own price.
Does WACRM match respond.io's automation and routing?
Not fully yet. respond.io's pricing page lists Workflows and a Developer API as included from its Growth plan up, checked 2026-11-02. WACRM's flow builder is still early access and its API + webhooks are planned, so complex routing today needs WACRM's Custom development service or a manual workflow.
When is respond.io the better choice?
If you need a mature automation builder and API running today rather than early access or planned, respond.io already has both. respond.io also prices its plans by Monthly Active Contacts rather than a flat contact cap per tier, checked 2026-11-02.
See WACRM next to respond.io on your own number
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