Choose respond.io if you run a larger team across many channels, including TikTok, WeChat, website chat and calls, and want plans built around five or more users. Choose Yusr if you want a lower-cost AI employee with a free plan that answers from your catalogue, takes confirmed orders, and replies to voice notes in Arabic dialects.
What is respond.io, and what is Yusr?
respond.io calls itself an AI-powered customer conversation platform. As of October 2026, its website says it brings chats, calls and email into one team inbox, with AI Agents and built-in lead management. Its help center lists a long set of channels, from WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger to TikTok, WeChat, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS, email, a website chat widget and VoIP calls. Its AI Agents can answer questions, recommend products, book appointments and update your CRM.
Yusr is an AI employee for customer conversations. It answers customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE, Viber, SMS and email, from the business's own prices, products and documents. It takes orders and bookings, saves every customer as a scored lead, understands voice notes, and hands hard chats to a person with a summary. It is made by Slenfeh Trading Company in Riyadh and serves businesses in any language.
How do Yusr and respond.io compare side by side?
Facts about respond.io come from its own website and help center as of October 2026. Prices change, so check both pricing pages before you decide.
| Yusr | respond.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | WhatsApp (official API or QR), Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE, Viber, SMS through your Twilio account, email, and an API channel | WhatsApp, TikTok, Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, Telegram, website chat widget, SMS, email, a custom channel, and calls (WhatsApp, Messenger and VoIP) |
| Languages and Arabic dialects | Replies in the customer's language and switches with them; you pick the Arabic dialect (Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian and others); dashboard in English, Arabic and Turkish | Describes its AI Agents as multilingual; its site does not list a choice of Arabic dialect |
| AI that answers from your catalogue and documents | Included on every plan: files, web pages and a product catalogue with prices and stock; orders recorded only after the customer confirms | AI Agents on Growth and up, using files (PDF, DOCX, TXT, MD, CSV, PPTX, images) and public web pages, with 20 MB of knowledge storage per workspace on paid plans |
| Voice notes | Every voice note is transcribed on every plan; voice-note replies in 24 voices across 10 Arabic dialects, English and Turkish on Basic and up (not on Instagram) | AI Agents transcribe audio messages and act on them; its help center does not mention voice-note replies |
| Pricing model | By conversations a month (one customer over 24 hours); seats included per plan | By plan, users, monthly active contacts and AI credits |
| Starting price | $49 a month (Starter); paying yearly saves 25% | $79 a month billed yearly (Starter, 5 users); AI Agents start on Growth at $159 a month billed yearly |
| Free plan | Yes: 10 conversations a month, no card | No free plan; a 7-day free trial with no card |
| Setup | Connect channels yourself in minutes, or set everything up by chatting from ChatGPT or Claude | Self-serve trial, with AI Agent templates to start from |
| Where it is strongest | An AI employee that sells and supports in the customer's language, with confirmed orders, bookings and voice replies | Many channels plus calls in one inbox, for larger teams that manage leads at volume |
Where is respond.io stronger than Yusr?
respond.io covers more ground for bigger teams, and a buyer with those needs should take it seriously.
- More channels: TikTok, WeChat and a website chat widget are on its list. Yusr does not connect TikTok or WeChat.
- Calls: WhatsApp Business calls, Messenger calls and VoIP sit in the same thread as chats. Yusr handles messages and voice notes, not calls.
- Bigger teams per plan: its Starter plan includes 5 users and Growth includes 10, with more users at a set monthly price. Yusr's Starter and Basic plans include 1 and 3 seats.
- Larger knowledge sources from the web: its AI Agents can crawl a website several levels deep and resync it on a schedule. Yusr adds web pages one link at a time.
- Track record: Yusr started in 2026, while respond.io presents itself as a platform used by large consumer brands.
Where is Yusr stronger than respond.io?
Yusr fits best when you are a small or growing business and the main job is answering and selling, not running a large team.
- A free plan and a lower start. You can test with real customers for $0, and paid plans start at $49 a month, with the AI included from the first plan.
- Simple pricing. You pay by conversations, one customer over 24 hours, not by contacts, users and AI credits together.
- It sells from real data. Prices and stock come from your catalogue, totals are calculated, not guessed, and an order is recorded only after the customer says yes.
- Arabic dialects and voice replies. You choose the dialect for Arabic answers, and from Basic up it can reply to a voice note with a voice note in Modern Standard Arabic or one of nine regional dialects.
- More room for your documents. Knowledge storage is 200 MB on Basic and 2 GB on Business, with files up to 20 MB each.
What will each one really cost you?
Compare your real month, not the headline price. With respond.io, check the plan, any users above those included, monthly active contacts above the allowance (from $12 per 100 on Growth), and AI credits beyond what the plan includes ($15 per 1,000). With Yusr, the plan includes the AI and a set number of seats; extra conversations cost $0.06 each on Starter and Basic and $0.045 on Business and Scale.
One cost is the same on both. respond.io states that WhatsApp fees are not included in its subscriptions, and the same is true for Yusr. On WhatsApp's official platform, Meta charges for the template messages you send to start or reopen a conversation, and since October 1, 2026 it also charges for service replies beyond the 1,000 free per number each month.
How do you switch from respond.io to Yusr?
Run both for a week before you move fully. A simple order:
- Create a free Yusr account and connect a channel you can spare, such as Telegram or Instagram, to test it with real customers.
- Upload the files you used as AI knowledge sources, and import your products by CSV.
- Export your contacts from your current tool if it allows it, and import them into Yusr by CSV.
- Re-create your WhatsApp templates in Yusr and submit them to Meta for approval.
- Check with your current provider how to release your WhatsApp number, then connect it to Yusr through Meta's official platform.
Which should you choose?
Pick respond.io if you need TikTok, WeChat, website chat or calls in the same inbox, or a team of five or more people working leads every day.
Pick Yusr if you want customers answered well in their own language around the clock, with real prices, confirmed orders, bookings and voice-note replies, at a price that starts free. You can find out with real customers before you pay.
Questions people ask
Is Yusr a good respond.io alternative?
For small and growing businesses that want AI customer service, yes. Yusr has a free plan, includes the AI from its first paid plan, and replies to voice notes in Arabic dialects. If you need TikTok, WeChat, calls or a large team in one inbox, respond.io covers more of that.
Does respond.io have a free plan?
As of October 2026, no. Its pricing page offers a 7-day free trial with no card needed. Yusr has a free plan with 10 conversations a month and no card.
Which plan of respond.io includes AI Agents?
According to its pricing page, AI Agents are part of Growth and above. Growth was $159 a month billed yearly in October 2026. The Starter plan includes AI Assist and AI Prompt, which help your team write replies.
Are WhatsApp fees included in either tool?
No. respond.io says WhatsApp fees are not included in its subscriptions, and Yusr's price does not include them either. On the official platform Meta charges for template messages, and since October 1, 2026 for service replies beyond 1,000 free per number each month.
Can both tools understand voice notes?
Yes. respond.io's AI Agents transcribe audio messages, and Yusr transcribes every voice note on every plan. Yusr can also reply with a voice note in a chosen Arabic dialect, English or Turkish on Basic and up.
