Quick verdict: buy the CRM or buy the inbox
Choose a Kommo evaluation if salespeople need a persistent deal pipeline with ownership, tasks, stages, lead fields and follow-up activity in a single CRM. Choose respond.io if the priority is a coordinated WhatsApp/Instagram and multi-channel inbox with advanced routing, AI Agents, campaigns and calling. Both have AI features, but that does not make their underlying data models identical.
The most common buying error is pricing respond.io Starter against Kommo's AI automation tier and concluding one is cheaper for a feature it does not include. The appropriate comparison for AI Agents on respond.io is Growth; the right Kommo tier depends on whether you need no-code bots, appointment booking or deeper AI.
Kommo's pricing increased for new customers in September 2026. Pages claiming it universally starts at $15/user are frequently referencing the previous rate. We use the official October 2026 published pricing rather than republishing dated third-party tables.
Kommo versus respond.io: what you actually get
| Area | Kommo | respond.io |
|---|---|---|
| Core object | CRM deal/pipeline stages and owned sales records | Unified customer conversation and routing/lifecycle workflows |
| Native pipeline | Primary product workflow: deals, activities, tasks and sales reporting | Conversation-centric lifecycle and reporting; deeper CRM may need integrations |
| Entry rate | Base $25/user/month on current official page | Starter $79/month on annual billing; collaborative inbox, AI Assist |
| Automation/AI | Advanced $35/user/month includes bots and AI Agents; Pro $45 expands limits | Growth $159/month annual-billed equivalent includes AI Agents and workflows |
| Scaling cost | Human seats multiply; AI credits and channel count tier-dependent | Subscription tier, user/MAC allowances and provider/Meta channel costs |
| Best for | Small and mid-size salesperson-led deal tracking | Chat-heavy teams needing shared service/sales operations |
| Potential limitation | Per-user price and channel caps can grow with team | May still need a specialized CRM if deals and forecasting are central |
For either platform, sales management must still define who confirms prices, stock, discounts, bookings and refunds. An AI label on a plan does not establish that the product safely approves financially binding actions.
October 2026 pricing: Kommo's update matters
Kommo is now $25/$35/$45 per user on its public plans
Kommo's official pricing shows Base $25/user/month, Advanced $35/user/month, Pro $45/user/month and custom Enterprise, billed in USD. On its plan matrix, Base includes 2,500 leads and 750 AI credits per user monthly; Advanced increases to 5,000 leads and 1,250 credits, supports no-code bots and up to three AI agents; Pro increases to 10,000 leads and 2,250 credits per user with expanded AI and booking functions. Added seats multiply AI credits and cost; unused credits do not roll over.
The vendor's July 2026 announcement says the new Base and Advanced prices took effect for new customers on September 1, 2026. Existing contracts may differ. Don't cite a $15 Base benchmark without the plan's date, eligibility and payment period.
respond.io annual-billed published rates
Its official site lists Starter $79/month, Growth $159/month and Advanced $279/month equivalent under annual billing. Growth adds AI Agents, workflows, broadcasts, advanced reporting and integrations beyond Starter. Monthly-billed rates and available Monthly Active Contacts should be checked in the live account-specific quote.
The mathematical comparison is not $25 versus $79 as if both were single-seat AI workspaces. One vendor bills primarily per Kommo seat; the other pairs a team platform with plan and usage allowances. Compare the actual team size and necessary AI tier.
Worked example: three sales reps managing 1,000 inbound leads
Imagine a property firm with three human salespeople, around 1,000 monthly enquiries, one WhatsApp number, Instagram, and a manager who needs to see deal stage and appointments. What matters is whether salespeople work from individual pipeline records or a shared inbox with routed conversations.
Kommo Advanced subscription illustration: three seats × $35/user/month = $105/month in published per-user plan rates before extra AI credit purchases, channel fees and taxes. respond.io Growth reference: $159/month equivalent on yearly billing, before MAC allowances and applicable channel charges. These numbers are not total-cost quotes; they are different billing models and may require additional features to be comparable.
For a five-rep agency, the Kommo Advanced reference becomes 5 × $35 = $175/month, while a respond.io Growth plan's actual cost depends on included team users and contacts plus your requirements. A more sophisticated comparison could include a CRM connected to respond.io, which adds integration cost and maintenance.
Ask the vendor to quote one realistic workload: 1,000 inbound active customers, three sellers, one manager, the exact channels used, expected AI answers, the number of manually confirmed appointments and reporting requirements. Watch what happens at the overage point instead of assuming flat cost forever.
Which platform fits these teams?
A real estate agency with long sales cycles
Kommo is useful to evaluate when prospects may take weeks to move from new enquiry to viewing, negotiation and contract. A visible deal pipeline and owner assignments can matter more than fast chat dispatch. Test whether the plan supports the needed fields, appointment process and reminders.
A multi-channel support/sales desk
respond.io is worth evaluating when customers switch between WhatsApp, web chat and other supported messaging sources while different people need a unified history and assignment. Test duplicate contacts, handoff and actual AI Agent escalation across channels.
A salesperson looking for autonomous qualification
If the company does not want a heavy CRM or multi-team inbox, a product like GetClosifi may be an alternative category for one business-trained AI employee and inbound lead context. This is narrower than Kommo's native deal pipeline or respond.io's channel breadth; verify live integration and human approvals before paying.
Agency with multiple clients and teams
Pay attention to workspace separation, permissions and Meta asset ownership, not only seat price. Client data isolation and errors around sending to the wrong account are launch-blocking issues. Confirm whether each client requires its own subscription.
Run a 30-minute product evaluation before buying
- Create one lead that arrived through Instagram with a partial requirement.
- Change the customer's budget after three messages and verify the updated requirement is stored.
- Assign it to a salesperson and check what the owner sees without reopening the full transcript.
- Ask AI to recommend an unavailable product and confirm it does not invent inventory.
- Mark the lead qualified, schedule a real next step and ensure no false booking confirmation occurs.
- Log a deal update and inspect both CRM reporting and conversation status.
- Disable/enable AI and perform human takeover, checking auditability.
- Calculate license count, active customers, AI credits and Meta message rates for one month.
For migration, inventory stages, tags, tasks, webhooks and template permissions before switching. Contacts and deal data may export, but historical Instagram/WhatsApp threads are not automatically portable. Make a cutover plan with a manual inbox fallback.
Frequently asked questions about Kommo vs respond.io
Does Kommo still start at $15 per user?
The official October 2026 price table lists Base $25/user/month for the current offer. Kommo announced its September 1, 2026 rate change for new customers; older contracts or earlier comparisons can show different prices.
Which is better for a sales pipeline?
Kommo is designed around CRM stages and deal ownership. respond.io centers on customer conversations and lifecycle, with external CRM integrations available. Test the exact reporting and staff workflow you need.
Is respond.io Starter enough for autonomous AI Agents?
Its official plan matrix places AI Agents on Growth, not entry Starter. Do not equate AI Assist with autonomous AI Agents.
Are Kommo AI credits unlimited?
No. The vendor lists monthly AI credits per seat by tier and lets customers acquire additional credits; unused credits reset rather than carrying over.
Official sources and verification notes
Source review: 15 October 2026. Vendor pricing and Meta policies can change without notice. Refer to each linked official page before paying or moving a WhatsApp number. The scenarios and cost worksheets above are editorial examples, not measured customer outcomes.
- Kommo official pricing, 2026 tiers — Current Base/Advanced/Pro per-user prices, AI credits, agent limits and channel rules.
- Kommo September 2026 pricing update — New customer pricing effective September 1, 2026.
- respond.io current pricing — Annual-billed Starter/Growth/Advanced, tier feature distinctions and MAC policy.
- Meta WhatsApp platform pricing — Destination-country pricing and template categories.
Need AI qualification rather than a bigger marketing stack?
GetClosifi focuses on one business-trained AI Sales Employee for inbound leads, requirement gathering and owner handoff. It does not replace a full omnichannel helpdesk, deep CRM or mass-campaign platform. Compare the product and current plan limits before deciding.
Explore GetClosifi plans →Respond.io alternatives · AI lead qualification · Compare all platforms