COMPARE ELILY
respond.io is a serious omnichannel platform: WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, email and webchat in one inbox, with routing, automation and reporting for teams handling real volume.
Its pricing is built for those teams. On its pricing page, checked 11 August 2026, there is a 7-day free trial with no card, then Starter at $79 a month, Growth at $159 and Advanced at $279 — and the AI Agents most people mean when they say "AI receptionist" start at Growth. There is no permanent free plan.
Elily is the opposite shape on purpose: one channel, one job, and a free tier that does not expire. If you have a support team across six channels, respond.io is the better tool and we would rather say so.
SIDE BY SIDE
| What you are comparing | respond.io | Elily |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Omnichannel customer conversations for teams — one inbox across WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, email and webchat, with routing and reporting. | One job: appointment businesses on WhatsApp. Answering the questions clients repeat, then booking the right slot with the right person. |
| Free tier | A 7-day trial with no card — Growth features, 5 users and 1,000 monthly active contacts, broadcasts excluded. No permanent free plan. | Free includes 150 AI replies a month, with no booking cap and no expiry. Compare Free, Lite and Pro |
| Where the AI sits | AI Agents are included on the Growth tier and above, with AI usage at no extra cost on the self-service plans. | Answering and booking are on Free. There is no separate AI tier to reach. |
| Booking rules | Automation and integrations you configure. Booking depth depends on the scheduling tool you connect. | Per-service durations, processing and finishing time, per-person availability, buffers, breaks, split shifts and notice periods. No double bookings, even when two clients message at the same second. |
| Setup | A platform to configure — channels, routing rules, automations and team permissions. | Send Elily your website link and she reads your services, prices and hours. Srileo configures the booking rules with you. |
| When it should not answer | Routing rules escalate to the right agent in the shared inbox. | She stops and hands the conversation to a human with a one-line summary. You reply from your own WhatsApp. |
| Price | Starter $79/month, Growth $159/month, Advanced $279/month, Enterprise on request, as published on 11 August 2026. Meta's WhatsApp fees apply on top. | Plans start at $0; $49/month on Pro, the plan this comparison assumes. Compare Free, Lite and Pro |
respond.io is described from its own pricing page, checked 11 August 2026. Plan prices and tier contents change — follow the source for its current position. Visit respond.io
AN HONEST SPLIT
You have a team answering across several channels at once.
You are one calendar and a phone that will not stop.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
No permanent free plan. Its pricing page, checked 11 August 2026, offers a 7-day trial with no card — Growth features, 5 users and 1,000 monthly active contacts, with broadcasts excluded. Check respond.io for the current terms.
Growth and above, per its pricing page on 11 August 2026, with AI usage included at no extra cost on the self-service Growth, Advanced and Enterprise plans. Starter does not include them.
For a single-calendar business, yes — Elily's Free plan costs nothing and does not expire. They are different products though: respond.io organises a team across many channels, and Elily books appointments on one.
Yes. Elily runs on your business's own number through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, so the number and the Meta account stay yours throughout.
No. The Free plan does not require payment details, because there is no trial to convert at the end of it.
INDUSTRIES
Questions, quotes and appointments for colour, cuts, treatments and styling.
→ BarbershopsCuts, beard work and a practical mix of walk-ins and booked chairs.
→ Nail studiosThe right time for gels, extensions, nail art, removal and infills.
→ Lash & brow studiosFull sets, infills, lifts, lamination, tinting and consultation rules.
→ Spas & massageTreatments coordinated around therapists, rooms, facilities and packages.
→ Wellness studiosSessions and suitability handovers across recovery and holistic services.
→ Medspa & aestheticsConsultations, courses and treatment bookings with clear clinical boundaries.
→ Fitness & yoga studiosClass places and one-to-one sessions managed in the same conversation.
→ Tattoo & piercing studiosConsultations, artist matching, piercings and touch-ups before chair time.
→ ClinicsApproved administrative answers, appointments and safe clinical handovers.
→OTHER COMPARISONS
THE NEXT MESSAGE CAN BE HERS
Send Elily your website link and she answers as your business, with your services, your hours and your booking rules.
Last updated . Competitor details are checked on this date and change often — follow the links above for their current position.
