The three show up together in almost every search about WhatsApp for business, but they do different jobs. This comparison puts them side by side, with no favorites, with list prices, channels and integrations, and adds a fourth option for when you sell B2B with an ERP.
Manychat fits creators and consumer brands that sell from Instagram and want to add WhatsApp and SMS to those flows. respond.io fits teams that handle high volume across several channels, with one inbox, assignment rules and AI agents. Wati fits small businesses centered on WhatsApp that want campaigns and a simple inbox. If you sell B2B with price lists, inventory and orders in an ERP or in Salesforce, none of the three solves that on its own: that is where an agent connected to those systems, such as Sellium, fits.
With US customers, keep two facts in mind: WhatsApp reaches about a third of US adults (Pew Research Center), and Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US numbers. So SMS and Instagram coverage matter as much as WhatsApp when you compare these three tools.
Reviewed by Juan Manuel Garrido
Co-founder of VantegrateLinkedIn
Criteria
Sources: Pricing pages, help centers and documentation from Manychat, respond.io and Wati. Manychat's site blocks automated reading, so we used its official pricing page as archived in September 2026. US list prices: they change often and by country.
Disclosure: Vantegrate develops Sellium, has been a Salesforce partner since 2009 and is an Oracle partner. It connects its agents to respond.io and Wati through their public APIs, with no partnership; it has no integration with Manychat. This page uses no affiliate links.
Each one was built for a different audience. This is a neutral read of what each one is, what it costs at list price and when it fits.
Chat automation · creators and consumer brands
Chat automation platform, best known for Instagram flows, that also runs on WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, SMS and email. WhatsApp starts on the Pro plan: $39 a month, or $29 billed annually, with 2,500 active contacts; the AI that replies and qualifies leads also starts on Pro. It integrates with HubSpot and Klaviyo; Salesforce goes through Zapier, Make or its API.
When it fits: creators, online stores and consumer brands that sell from Instagram and want WhatsApp and SMS in the same flows.
Omnichannel inbox with AI agents · high-volume B2C teams
Conversation platform that brings WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS, email and calls into one inbox. Starter costs $99 a month ($79 billed annually) with 5 users; AI agents and the HubSpot integration start on Growth, at $199, and Salesforce on Advanced, at $349. It adds no markup to Meta's rates, according to respond.io.
When it fits: teams that serve consumers across several channels at once and want one inbox, with assignment rules and their CRM connected.
Platform on the WhatsApp API · small businesses
Platform on the WhatsApp API with a shared inbox, campaigns, chatbots and AI agents (Astra, an add-on priced separately on the US page). Growth costs $69 a month ($59 billed annually) with 3 users, Pro $149 and Business $349; Pro includes the HubSpot integration and Business the Salesforce one. WhatsApp messages are charged at Wati's own rates.
When it fits: small businesses that sell and serve mostly on WhatsApp and want campaigns and a team inbox without development.
Turnkey AI sales agent · B2B with an ERP
Vantegrate's AI agent to sell on WhatsApp: it answers in natural language, quotes with your price lists, takes the order and records it in the ERP and the CRM, in English or Spanish. It is not an inbox: it plugs into respond.io or Wati through their APIs, or runs inside Salesforce, and it is delivered configured and operated.
When it fits: mid-sized and large companies that sell B2B with price lists, inventory and accounts in an ERP, often to Hispanic or Latin American buyers, and want an agent delivered turnkey.
Explore SelliumThe descriptions come from each company's public information and aim to be neutral; the order is not a ranking. US list prices before taxes: Manychat prices by billing country and Wati publishes a separate price list for Latin America. Vantegrate develops Sellium. This page uses no affiliate links.
A comparison by criterion, not by score. Prices are the entry prices with WhatsApp and go up with contacts, users and messages.
| Criterion | Manychat | respond.io | Wati | Sellium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Creators and consumer brands | High-volume B2C teams on several channels | Small businesses centered on WhatsApp | B2B companies with an ERP and Salesforce |
| Channel it was born on | Omnichannel inbox | WhatsApp, connected to the CRM and ERP | ||
| First plan with WhatsApp | Pro: $39 a month ($29 billed annually) | Starter: $99 a month ($79 billed annually) | Growth: $69 a month ($59 billed annually) | Quoted implementation and monthly subscription |
| What drives the price | Active contacts per month | Users and monthly active contacts | Plan, users and messages | The agent's scope and the systems to connect |
| WhatsApp messages | From a Manychat wallet, at its own rates | Meta's rates, no markup according to respond.io | Wati's own rates | Charged by Meta, no markup from Vantegrate |
| SMS for US numbers | SMS channel from Pro | SMS through Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird or Telnyx | Backup SMS through Twilio on Business | SMS available |
| AI | AI replies and lead qualification from Pro | AI agents from Growth | Astra agents, an add-on on the US page | An agent that quotes and takes orders with your rules |
| Native CRM | HubSpot; Salesforce through Zapier, Make or API | HubSpot from Growth; Salesforce from Advanced | HubSpot on Pro; Salesforce on Business | Runs inside Salesforce and writes to the ERP |
| Who runs it | Your team | Your team | Your team | Vantegrate configures and operates it |
US list prices from the official pages, before taxes. They change often and by country: check them on each site before deciding.
There is no universal winner. These five questions tell you which one fits, and whether any of the three does.
If your customers arrive through Instagram and comments, Manychat was born there. If they arrive across several channels at once, respond.io. If almost everything happens on WhatsApp, Wati.
Manychat goes up with active contacts; respond.io, with users and active contacts; Wati, with the plan and users. Work out the cost with your real volume, not with the entry plan.
On top of the subscription, each tool charges for WhatsApp messages its own way: Manychat and Wati with their own rates, respond.io with Meta's. If you send large campaigns, compare that rate before the plan price.
Marketing templates do not reach US numbers, and only about a third of US adults use WhatsApp. Check how each tool covers SMS and Instagram, and how it records consent and opt-outs.
With HubSpot, all three connect. With Salesforce, respond.io integrates it from Advanced, Wati from Business and Manychat only through Zapier, Make or its API.
Where Sellium fits: not in place of these tools for a creator or a B2C brand. It fits when you sell B2B and the chat has to end in a quote and an order with your ERP data. If you already use respond.io or Wati, Sellium plugs in through their API without changing the inbox.
Scale figures each company publishes about itself, with their source. They are not Vantegrate results.
Each company measures its scale its own way (creators, brands, customers), so the figures cannot be compared with each other: they help size each one.
Sellium runs 100% on Salesforce and Oracle Cloud infrastructure, certified SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Vantegrate enables, the customer operates and certifies.
See the security modelISV and Consulting PartnerSellium reads and writes your objects, respects your profiles and permissions, and works alongside Agentforce and your existing flows.
Vantegrate and SalesforceWhat sales and marketing teams ask before choosing among the three.
It depends on where you sell. Manychat does best if your demand starts on Instagram; respond.io, if you handle high volume across several channels; Wati, if your business lives on WhatsApp and you want simple campaigns. If you sell B2B with orders that go to the ERP, none of the three solves it on its own: that is where an agent like Sellium fits.
Yes, from the Pro plan ($39 a month, or $29 billed annually), which lets you connect up to three channels, WhatsApp among them. The Free and Essential plans do not include WhatsApp. Manychat was born on Instagram, so its strength is social flows; for high-volume service on WhatsApp, respond.io or Wati are built for that.
At list price, the first plan with WhatsApp costs $39 a month on Manychat (Pro), $99 on respond.io (Starter) and $69 on Wati (Growth), with discounts for annual billing. On top of that come the WhatsApp messages, which each one charges its own way, and extra contacts or users.
respond.io integrates it natively from the Advanced plan and Wati from Business; Manychat has no native Salesforce integration and connects through Zapier, Make or its API. Sellium runs inside Salesforce: it creates and updates leads, quotes and orders in your objects.
Yes. Sellium connects to respond.io and Wati through their public APIs: the agent handles the conversations that reach your inbox, quotes with ERP data and hands off to the team when needed, without moving your contacts. There is no partnership with either one. More on Sellium.
Not with marketing templates: according to Meta's documentation, WhatsApp does not deliver them to US numbers, whatever the tool. Utility messages and conversations that customers start still work. For promotions to US numbers, Manychat and respond.io add SMS, and Wati connects to Twilio for backup SMS.
Tell us how you sell on WhatsApp and which ERP and CRM you use. We will tell you frankly whether one of these three is enough or whether adding Sellium suits you better. A 30-minute conversation, no commitment.
Francisco Morales, co-founder, takes your call. We reply on WhatsApp within 4 business hours, no strings attached.
