RESPOND.IO VS SLEEKFLOW
Respond.io vs SleekFlow pricing compared, plus what SleekFlow pricing and respond.io pricing include at every tier
Both rate cards read first-hand on 22 September 2026, in the currency each vendor served a US visitor, with the one number that decides it for a US team.
Tap a customer message above. The same AI agent replies on , in your brand's voice.
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Here is the short answer. At the top of both ladders the sticker is identical: respond.io Advanced and SleekFlow Premium both cost $279 a month billed yearly and $349 month to month, which works out to the same $3,348 and $4,188 a year on each. At the entry point SleekFlow now lists an Essential plan at US$49 against respond.io Starter at $79, and neither one includes AI agents. The first plan with AI agents is SleekFlow Pro at $109 for 500 contacts or respond.io Growth at $159 for 1,000, both with ten user accounts. Above 1,000 contacts the two ladders split, and that is where the bill is decided.
For a US business the deciding factor used to be channels. On 22 September 2026 SleekFlow's global pricing page listed local number hosting for SMS and VoIP calls as Unavailable. Its US pricing page, read again on 7 October 2026, now lists a US$1 a month local number for SMS and for VoIP calls, with US SMS at $0.001955 per segment each way before carrier fees, next to US$15 a month for each WhatsApp Business API number. Respond.io charges no WhatsApp number fee and publishes per-message passthrough rates from $0.0002. So both can now text US customers, and the choice comes down to contact tiers, AI limits and how your team works.
Respond.io figures came off respond.io/pricing on 6 October 2026 and SleekFlow figures off sleekflow.io/en-us/pricing on 7 October 2026, both read from a US connection in US dollars. That is worth stating plainly because third-party comparisons for this matchup openly disagree with each other, quoting SleekFlow entry prices from $9 to $349, and one widely circulated video frames the fight as "$349 vs $79", which compares SleekFlow's month-to-month top tier against respond.io's annual entry tier. Like for like, the top tiers are the same price. MessageAgent is in the table too, and we say where we lose: if your job is sending WhatsApp broadcast campaigns at volume, both of these beat us.
Side by side
Respond.io vs SleekFlow with every published number, side by side
Respond.io read on 6 October 2026 and SleekFlow on its US page on 7 October 2026, both in US dollars. Prices shown at each vendor's entry contact tier. Annual figures are the vendor's own yearly totals, not our arithmetic.
| Plan | Billed yearly | Month to month | Included users | Contacts included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| respond.io Starter | $79/mo ($948/yr) | $99/mo ($1,188/yr) | 5, extra at $12/mo | Priced at the 1,000 monthly active contact setting |
| respond.io Growth | $159/mo ($1,908/yr) | $199/mo ($2,388/yr) | 10, extra at $20/mo | Starts with 1,000 monthly active contacts |
| respond.io Advanced | $279/mo ($3,348/yr) | $349/mo ($4,188/yr) | 10, extra at $24/mo | Starts with 1,000 monthly active contacts |
| SleekFlow Essential | US$49/mo (US$588/yr) | US$69/mo | 3 user seats | Unlimited contacts, no AI agents or broadcasts, rolling out by country |
| SleekFlow Pro | US$109/mo (US$1,308/yr) | US$139/mo (US$1,668/yr) | 10 user accounts | Starts with 500 monthly active contacts, US$369/mo yearly at 8,000 |
| SleekFlow Premium | US$279/mo (US$3,348/yr) | US$349/mo (US$4,188/yr) | 10 user accounts | Starts with 1,000 monthly active contacts, US$599/mo yearly at 8,000 |
| SleekFlow US SMS or VoIP number | US$1/mo per number | US$1/mo per number | n/a | SMS from $0.001955 per segment each way plus carrier fees |
| SleekFlow WhatsApp number | US$15/mo per number | US$15/mo per number | n/a | Number hosting fee, charged on top of the plan |
| SleekFlow onboarding | US$999 one off | US$999 one off | n/a | Included at no charge on the Premium plan |
| MessageAgent | Flat $79, $199, $499 per month in USD | Same three flat tiers | Seats included in the plan | No contact meter of any kind |
Figures read first-hand from respond.io/pricing on 6 October 2026 and sleekflow.io/en-us/pricing on 7 October 2026. SleekFlow's global page listed SMS and VoIP number hosting as Unavailable on 22 September 2026; its US page now lists both at US$1 a month. Respond.io publishes outgoing message rates from $0.0002 and charges no WhatsApp number hosting fee. Respond.io and SleekFlow are trademarks of their respective owners and are named here for comparison only.
What you get
Everything one AI agent handles
The top tiers are the same price
Respond.io Advanced and SleekFlow Premium both list $279 a month billed yearly, $349 month to month, $3,348 a year and $4,188 a year. Four matching numbers across two independent vendors. When the sticker is identical, stop comparing price and start comparing which channels each one can actually host for you.
SleekFlow now hosts US SMS numbers
On 22 September 2026 its global pricing page marked SMS and VoIP number hosting as Unavailable. The US page read on 7 October 2026 lists both at US$1 a month, with US SMS at $0.001955 per segment each way plus carrier fees, and WhatsApp numbers at US$15 a month. Check the region selector, because the page changes by country.
Per included seat, the cheap one flips
Respond.io Starter looks $30 a month cheaper than SleekFlow Pro, $79 against $109. Starter includes five users and Pro includes ten, so the real rate is $15.80 per included seat against $10.90. The headline and the per-seat number point at different winners, which is why the headline alone is a bad way to choose.
Two contact meters, one bill that moves
Both platforms bill by monthly active contact, so a busy month costs more than a quiet one. SleekFlow starts at 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Premium, respond.io at 1,000. Our plans have no contact meter at all, so a spike in inbound messages changes your workload and not your invoice.
One AI brain across six channels
Both of these grew out of WhatsApp and treat other channels as additions. One persona with shared memory works across SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, web chat and email, so somebody who DMs you on Monday and texts on Thursday stays one conversation with one history.
Built for US compliance
AI is disclosed on every conversation. SMS honors STOP and prior express consent under the TCPA with 10DLC registration handled for you, and WhatsApp opt-in plus approved templates work by default. Carrier and Meta fees pass through at cost with no resale margin.
Conversation Console
Try it on every channel
Pick a channel and a sample customer message, and watch the same AI agent reply on brand, take the action, log it to the CRM, and hand off to a human in one tap.
Tap a customer message above. The same AI agent replies on , in your brand's voice.
- Intent
- Action
- CRM
Handed to a human teammate
They pick up with the full conversation and context carried over. No dead ends, no repeating.
Common questions
Respond.io vs SleekFlow questions
Respond.io vs SleekFlow: which is better?
It depends on contact volume more than channels now. SleekFlow's US page lists SMS and VoIP numbers at US$1 a month, so both cover WhatsApp, SMS, calls, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat. SleekFlow Pro starts lower at US$109 for 500 contacts, while respond.io Growth at $159 includes 1,000. Respond.io has no WhatsApp number fee; SleekFlow charges US$15 a month per number.
How much does SleekFlow cost?
Read on SleekFlow's US page on 7 October 2026, Essential is US$49 a month billed yearly or US$69 monthly, Pro is US$109 yearly (US$1,308 a year) or US$139 monthly at 500 contacts, and Premium is US$279 yearly or US$349 monthly at 1,000 contacts. Pro rises to US$369 and Premium to US$599 a month yearly at 8,000 contacts. WhatsApp numbers add US$15 a month and US SMS numbers US$1.
How much does respond.io cost?
Respond.io publishes Starter at $79 a month billed yearly, Growth at $159 and Advanced at $279, with month-to-month rates of $99, $199 and $349. Annual totals are $948, $1,908 and $3,348. Starter includes five users, Growth and Advanced ten, with extra users at $12, $20 and $24 a month. Prices are shown at the 1,000 monthly active contact setting and the page states they are in USD.
Is SleekFlow cheaper than respond.io?
At entry, yes: SleekFlow Essential is US$49 a month billed yearly against respond.io Starter at $79, though neither has AI agents. With AI, SleekFlow Pro at US$109 for 500 contacts undercuts respond.io Growth at $159 for 1,000, and at 1,000 contacts Pro is US$149 against $159. At the top, both charge exactly $279 a month billed yearly at 1,000 contacts.
Does SleekFlow charge extra for a WhatsApp number?
Yes. SleekFlow lists a WhatsApp Business API number hosting fee of US$15 a month per number, charged on top of the plan, plus conversation rates per its own rate card. Respond.io charges no number hosting fee and instead publishes outgoing message rates starting at $0.0002, varying by country, carrier and volume. If you run several numbers, that $15 repeats on every one.
Does SleekFlow support SMS?
Yes, in the US. SleekFlow's US pricing page, read on 7 October 2026, lists a local number for SMS at US$1 a month, with SMS at $0.001955 per segment each way and MMS from $0.018975, plus carrier surcharges. Its global page had listed SMS hosting as Unavailable on 22 September 2026, so check the region selector before you rely on any older review.
What is a monthly active contact?
It is any one person who exchanges a message with you inside a billing month, counted once no matter how many times they write. SleekFlow counts a contact who messages you or who receives a message through the inbox, flow builder, AI agent, API or WhatsApp coexistence. A one-way broadcast that gets no reply does not count, and a contact merely stored in your database does not count on either platform.
Can I try respond.io or SleekFlow for free?
Both offer a 7-day trial with no credit card required. On SleekFlow the trial button sits on the Pro plan while Premium is a Book a Demo button. On respond.io, Starter and Growth show Start Free Trial while Advanced and Enterprise say Talk to Sales. So in both cases the entry plan is self-serve and the upper tiers route you through a sales conversation.
Why do third-party comparisons quote such different SleekFlow prices?
Because SleekFlow has changed its model and because reviewers compare different billing terms. Older write-ups describe a per-user price in Hong Kong dollars, which is not what the page serves a US visitor today. Current third-party figures for the entry plan range from $9 to $349. The only reliable method is to open the vendor page yourself and note the date, which is what the table above does.
What is the cheapest respond.io alternative?
It depends on what drives your bill. If seats drive it, a per-user CRM like Kommo starts lower. If conversation volume drives it, a flat plan removes the meter entirely, which is the case for MessageAgent at $79 a month with no contact charge and no per-resolution fee. Both respond.io and SleekFlow get more expensive precisely when your marketing is working.
Which one should I pick for WhatsApp broadcast campaigns?
Either of these two over us. Both are built around WhatsApp templates and broadcast sending at volume, and SleekFlow bundles broadcast campaigns into its entry plan. MessageAgent deliberately does not do outbound broadcast marketing. We handle inbound conversations, qualification, booking and follow-up, so if campaign sending is the main job, buy one of these instead.
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