WizMessage vs respond.io: you are billed for people you talk to
respond.io is a strong omnichannel inbox with serious workflow tooling, and it is priced accordingly: a monthly plan, a seat allowance, and a cap on how many distinct people you may talk to each month. That last one is the part worth modelling, because it is the number that grows with your marketing.
- Pricing is not metered by how many distinct people you speak to in a month
- No contact cap
- Adding someone to the team does not add a line to the invoice
- No seat fee
- Meta's per-message rate passed through without a margin
- Cost price
Who it's for
Support and sales teams comparing multi-channel inboxes, usually with a contact list large enough for the MAC allowance to be a live question.
The worry it answers
"The plan includes plenty of contacts." Until a campaign works. Monthly active contact pricing charges you more precisely when more customers reply, which is the opposite of what a growth plan should do.
What the same job costs elsewhere
Platform fees only, converted to your currency. Meta's per-message charges are billed by every official provider — including us — so they are left out on both sides.
| Provider | Monthly platform fee | Users | Per-message charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| WizMessageUsWiz Pro | $6.18 | No per-user fee | Meta's rate at cost. We add nothing. |
| respond.ioGrowth$12 per extra 100 contacts | $159 | 10 included · then $20 per extra user | States it passes Meta's rate through |
Prices as published by each provider on 2026-08-16, excluding taxes and Meta's own per-message charges, converted at the day's exchange rate. Providers change their pricing without notice — check their current pricing before you decide.
All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This comparison is for information only.
How monthly active contacts behave
A monthly active contact is any person you exchange messages with in a billing month. It sounds generous in the abstract and gets expensive in practice, because the number is driven by campaign response rather than by anything you control after the send. A broadcast that performs well produces replies, and replies produce active contacts. Top-ups are sold in blocks, so the cost steps rather than scales.
Side by side
| respond.io | WizMessage | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan structure | Monthly tiers with a contact allowance | One flat plan price |
| Contact pricing | Metered by monthly active contacts | Not metered by contact |
| Extra contacts | Sold in blocks | Not applicable |
| Users | A number included, then a per-user charge | No per-user fee |
| Channels | Many, beyond WhatsApp | WhatsApp, done properly |
| Message pricing | Meta's charges billed separately | Meta's published rate, at cost |
| Keeping the WhatsApp app | Depends on setup | Coexistence onboarding keeps it working |
Model your own worst month, not your average one
The failure mode of contact-metered pricing is that the bill is highest in the month a campaign succeeds. If you are evaluating it, take your largest planned send, apply a realistic reply rate, and price the top-ups that follow — then compare that against a flat plan. The calculator on this page does the seat half of that maths directly; the contact half depends on your own reply rates, which only you know.
When respond.io is the better answer
It is a good product, and some requirements point straight at it.
- You genuinely need several channels in one inbox, not WhatsApp alone
- Your workflow automation is complex enough to need its builder
- You have a large support team and value its routing and reporting depth
- Your contact volume is stable and comfortably inside an allowance
- You want one vendor across regions and languages
Checked against the product on 2026-08-16. WhatsApp's own rules and charges are set by Meta and can change.
Good to know
Where this feature stops, in plain words — so nothing here surprises you after you buy.
- respond.io's figures in the table are its own published prices on the date shown, converted at that day's rate. Enterprise terms are negotiated privately.
- Meta's per-message charges apply on both sides and are excluded from both.
- We do not cover every channel respond.io does. If multi-channel is the requirement, this comparison is only about the WhatsApp part.
- Our calculator prices plan and seat costs, not contact top-ups — those depend on your own reply rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a monthly active contact?
Broadly, any person you exchange messages with during the billing month. The precise definition is respond.io's to state, and it is worth reading before you commit, because it determines the shape of your bill.
Do you charge per contact?
No. Our plans are not metered by how many distinct people you talk to.
Do you charge per user?
No. Adding someone to the team does not change the plan price.
Is respond.io better for support teams?
If the requirement is many channels and deep routing across a large team, it is a serious tool and worth the money. If the requirement is WhatsApp at a predictable monthly cost, the comparison is much closer than the price difference suggests.
Can I migrate my WhatsApp number?
Yes, between official providers. Coexistence onboarding means the app on the phone keeps working while the number connects here.
A bill that does not punish a good campaign
No contact metering, no seat fees, and Meta's rate at cost.
See plansThe features behind this
Each one in detail, including its limits.
- Shared InboxEvery conversation on the connected number, with an owner, a status, labels and internal notes. A helpdesk, not a chat mirror.
- Team, Hours & SLAInvite teammates with roles, define business hours with holidays, and measure first-response and resolution targets in working time.
- ContactsMap your own columns, let the importer fix the phone numbers, and see exactly what will import before it does.
- WhatsApp CoexistenceConnect the WhatsApp Business number you already use, through Meta's own onboarding. Your phone keeps working; automation runs alongside it.
Other comparisons
The other decisions that come up at the same time.
- Pricing comparedWhat the well-known platforms charge to sit between you and WhatsApp — and what the same job costs here, in your own currency.
- Shared inbox vs shared phoneWhat actually breaks when a team shares one handset, and what a shared inbox changes about it.
- vs ZendeskZendesk sells a support suite billed per agent per month, with WhatsApp as one channel inside it. Here is what that costs a growing team.
- Build vs buyWhat integrating WhatsApp yourself really costs to maintain — and why moving does not have to mean rewriting.
- Official vs unofficialThe mechanical difference between an official connection and a device-link tool — and what it means for the number your business runs on.
- App vs APIWhat each one actually gives you, when the app is genuinely enough, and what changes the day you outgrow it.