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.
- Intent
- Action
- CRM
Handed to a human teammate
They pick up with the full conversation and context carried over. No dead ends, no repeating.
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 respond.io is cheaper on the headline, $79 against $109, but SleekFlow includes ten user accounts there against respond.io's five, so per included seat SleekFlow Pro is the cheaper of the two. The decision is not really about price.
For a US business the decision is about channels. SleekFlow's own pricing page lists local number hosting for VoIP calls and for SMS as Unavailable, and charges US$15 a month to host each WhatsApp Business API number. Respond.io hosts no WhatsApp number fee, publishes per-message passthrough rates from $0.0002 to roughly $0.0083 depending on country and carrier, and supports calls. US consumers overwhelmingly text rather than use WhatsApp, so a platform that cannot host a US SMS number is a WhatsApp tool with a nice inbox attached, whatever the feature grid says.
Every figure on this page came off respond.io/pricing and sleekflow.io/pricing on 22 September 2026, read from a US connection. Both vendors served 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: every published number, side by side
Read off each vendor pricing page on 22 September 2026 from a US connection. Both served US dollars. 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 Pro | US$109/mo (US$1,308/yr) | US$139/mo (US$1,668/yr) | 10 user accounts | Starts with 500 monthly active contacts |
| 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 |
| 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 and sleekflow.io/pricing on 22 September 2026. SleekFlow lists local number hosting for VoIP calls and SMS as Unavailable on that page. 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 cannot host a US SMS number
Its own pricing page marks local number hosting as Unavailable for both SMS and VoIP calls, and sells WhatsApp number hosting at US$15 a month. If your customers are American, most of them will text you rather than open WhatsApp, so check this row before you check anything else.
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?
For a US team, respond.io, mainly on channel coverage rather than price. SleekFlow lists SMS and VoIP local number hosting as Unavailable, so it is effectively a WhatsApp platform, while respond.io covers WhatsApp, SMS, calls, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat with published passthrough rates. If your customers are in APAC and message on WhatsApp, SleekFlow is a fair fight and includes ten users on its entry plan.
How much does SleekFlow cost?
Read on 22 September 2026, SleekFlow Pro is US$109 a month billed yearly (US$1,308 a year) or US$139 month to month, and Premium is US$279 billed yearly (US$3,348) or US$349 month to month. Both include ten user accounts. Pro starts with 500 monthly active contacts, Premium with 1,000. Hosting a WhatsApp Business API number adds US$15 a month, and onboarding is US$999 unless you are on Premium.
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?
Not at the top, where both charge exactly $279 a month billed yearly. At entry respond.io is cheaper on the sticker, $79 against $109, but SleekFlow Pro includes ten users to respond.io Starter's five. Divide it out and SleekFlow Pro costs $10.90 per included seat against $15.80. Which one is cheaper for you depends entirely on how many seats you need.
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?
Its pricing page lists SMS local number hosting as Unavailable, alongside VoIP calls. That means you cannot host a US SMS number on SleekFlow the way you can a WhatsApp number. For a US business this matters more than any feature comparison, because American consumers text far more readily than they use WhatsApp, and a missed text is a missed lead.
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, who receives a message through the inbox, flow builder, AI agent or API, or who receives a one-way broadcast without replying. 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.
Put one AI on every channel today
One agent that answers, qualifies, books, and upsells across every channel, in one inbox.
Discloses AI · compliant · human handoff built in