respond.io
Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok into one inbox with autonomous AI Agents, serving over 10,000 enterprises across 180+ countries in retail, healthcare, education, automotive, and travel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What respond.io does
Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform that unifies business messaging channels — WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok — into a single omnichannel inbox with autonomous AI Agents for customer service, lead qualification, appointment booking, and retention. Founded in 2017 in Hong Kong as Rocketbots and relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2019, the company operates under legal entity Rocketbots Limited and serves over 10,000 enterprises across more than 180 countries, with named customers spanning automotive (Toyota, Srikandi/Mitsubishi), food and beverage (McDonald's, Subway, Lamarsa Coffee), travel and hospitality (British Airways, Radisson, Hertz), healthcare (Roche, Doctor Heal, Praga Medica), and education (Dalilk Academy).
The core product architecture consists of three layers: a Capture layer for ingesting leads from ads, social, website, and offline sources; a Convert layer centered on AI Agents, a shared Team Inbox, lead qualification and routing, and meeting booking; and a Retain layer covering conversational support, promotions, renewal reminders, and CSAT/NPS surveys. The platform is built on AWS infrastructure and integrates deeply with CRM systems (HubSpot, Segment), communication APIs (Twilio, Telnyx), AI model providers (OpenAI, Mistral AI, Google Vertex AI, ElevenLabs), and workflow tools (Zapier, Make.com). AI Agents are the headline capability, leveraging large language models, vector embeddings, speech processing, and OCR to handle roughly 2 billion messages per quarter at 99.999% uptime.
Respond.io operates a per-conversation subscription SaaS model rather than per-seat licensing, which decouples customer cost from team size. The company reported $35 million in annual recurring revenue as of June 2026 with 169% year-over-year growth and approximately 30% profit margin, supported by a hybrid go-to-market combining product-led self-serve onboarding (free trial, mobile apps, developer hub) with enterprise field sales targeting large enterprises expanding into new geographies. Total funding raised is approximately $69.5 million across a 2020 seed, 2022 Series A led by Headline Asia, and 2026 Series B led by Camber Partners.
respond.io firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- respond.io
- Legal name
- Rocketbots Limited
- Website
- https://respond.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok into one inbox with autonomous AI Agents, serving over 10,000 enterprises across 180+ countries in retail, healthcare, education, automotive, and travel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
respond.io industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Customer Conversation Management Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration) (HDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conversational Marketing & Chat Lead Capture (Chatbots, Live Chat) (BPAFAKAJ), Enterprise/Team Messaging (BPAMACAB), Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation) (HDAAAFAL)
Keywords
Where respond.io is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kuala Lumpur
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
respond.io business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription SaaS - Per-Conversation: Respond.io operates on a subscription SaaS model with per-conversation pricing rather than traditional per-seat licensing. This allows businesses to automate customer inquiries across messaging platforms without scaling costs linearly with team size. The company reports $35M in annual recurring revenue with 169% year-over-year growth and approximately 30% profit margin.
- Subscription SaaS - Additional Charges: Additional charges may apply when usage exceeds subscription limits in a billing month. Third-party fees from messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp) are separate and charged by the platform directly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free trial available for new users |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
respond.io product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Respond.io provides a subscription-based AI-powered customer conversation management platform that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, and voice into a single team inbox with autonomous AI Agents for lead qualification, routing, and customer support. The platform is sold on a per-conversation pricing model with a free trial, targeting businesses that need to manage high-volume omnichannel customer messaging at scale. Free WhatsApp utility tools (pricing calculator, link generator, QR generator) are offered as standalone lead-generation products.
Product overview
Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform that operates as a unified omnichannel messaging solution. The platform's core architecture consists of AI Agents as the primary AI engine, combined with Team Inbox for human collaboration, supported by a comprehensive lead management system (Capture from Ads/Social/Website/Offline, Lead Qualification, Lead Distribution, Book Appointments). Customer retention is handled through Conversational Support, Promotions and Newsletters, Renewal Reminders, and CSAT/NPS Surveys. The platform unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok channels into a single conversation thread. A WhatsApp Business Calling API add-on enables voice capabilities. Free tools include WhatsApp Pricing Calculator, Link Generator, and QR Generator. Available as web platform and native Mobile App for iOS/Android.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Respond.io Customer Conversation Management Platform AI-powered, omnichannel customer conversation management SaaS platform that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, voice, and email into a single team inbox with autonomous AI Agents for lead qualification, routing, appointment booking, conversational support, promotions, renewal reminders, and CSAT/NPS surveys. Sold to enterprises, mid-market, and SMBs on a per-conversation subscription model.
- Respond.io Mobile App
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% faster sales cycle
- +15 more outcomes
Companies that use respond.io
Customer profileNamed customers27 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
respond.io technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration25 records
AI capability10 records
Feature8 records
respond.io partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- EndeavorflagshipCEO Gerardo Salandra selected as Endeavor Entrepreneur following International Selection Panel in Singapore, joining global network of over 3,000 high-impact founders with access to global mentors, investors, and strategic partners.
- MetaflagshipMeta Business Partner with preferred status for early feature access. Respond.io integrates with Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp Business API. Facebook pixel and Facebook Ads conversion tracking are supported.
- TikTokflagshipTikTok Marketing Partner with preferred status for early feature access. Respond.io integrates with TikTok Business Messaging channel. TikTok nearly tripled its market share in 2025 following launch of TikTok Business Messaging.
- TwiliocoreTwilio provides communication APIs (SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) for the Respond.io platform. Listed as a subprocessor for communication APIs.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreCloud infrastructure and hosting provider. Respond.io is a cloud-based solution running on AWS with data stored and transferred with encryption.
- SegmentcoreCustomer data pipeline and event tracking integration. Segment is used for tag management and data flow between services.
- OpenAIcoreAI language model inference provider for AI Agent and AI Assist features. Enables the AI-powered conversation management capabilities.
- Google Cloud / Vertex AIcoreVector embedding generation for knowledge source retrieval and translations. Powers semantic search and multilingual AI capabilities.
- Mistral AIcoreAI language model inference for AI Agent features; OCR processing of PDFs and images in knowledge sources.
- ZapiercoreWorkflow automation and integrations platform enabling Respond.io to connect with third-party services and automate data flows.
- HubSpotcoreCRM, sales, and marketing platform integration. Respond.io connects with CRM systems for full customer context in every conversation.
- StripecorePayment processing integration. Stripe DPA is available for payment-related data processing compliance.
- TelnyxcoreVoIP telephony infrastructure and call recording for the Voice channel. Enables WhatsApp Business Calling API functionality.
- ElevenLabscoreVoice processing for AI-powered voice conversations including text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities.
- LangSmith (LangChain)coreAI observability and tracing of model interactions for monitoring and debugging AI Agent behavior.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
respond.io competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Intercom: Intercom is a customer messaging platform offering AI agents (Fin), a team inbox, and conversational support across web, email, and SMS. It is the closest direct competitor to respond.io in AI-powered customer conversation management, with overlapping ICP in B2C mid-market and enterprise.
- Zendesk: Zendesk provides customer service and engagement software with AI agents, omnichannel messaging, and ticketing across email, chat, and social. Competes directly with respond.io in conversational support, particularly for mid-market and enterprise B2C customers seeking omnichannel coverage.
- Freshworks (Freshchat/Freshdesk): Freshworks offers Freshchat for messaging and AI-powered customer engagement alongside Freshdesk for ticketing, serving SMB and mid-market B2C businesses globally. Directly comparable to respond.io in target customer profile, AI agent capabilities, and omnichannel messaging approach.
- LivePerson: LivePerson is a conversational AI platform for enterprise customer service, with messaging across SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app channels. Compares directly to respond.io in AI-driven messaging automation, though LivePerson skews more toward large enterprise contact center replacement.
- Tidio: Tidio offers AI-powered live chat and chatbot solutions focused on SMB e-commerce businesses, integrating with Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Closely comparable to respond.io in SMB segment focus, vertical strategy (e-commerce, retail), and AI agent positioning.
- WATI: WATI is a WhatsApp Business API platform targeting SMB and mid-market businesses with shared inbox, broadcasts, and chatbot automation. Particularly close peer in geographic focus (emerging markets, APAC) and customer segment (SMB B2C, education, healthcare).
- Bird (formerly MessageBird): Bird is an omnichannel communications platform with Flow Builder, AI agents, and a focus on WhatsApp Business, SMS, and email for B2C businesses globally. Directly comparable to respond.io in messaging-first customer engagement, mid-market B2C focus, and pricing model.
Broad incumbents
- Twilio (Flex, Conversations): Twilio provides communications APIs and Twilio Flex, a programmable contact center. While respond.io actually uses Twilio as a subprocessor, Twilio competes at the platform layer for enterprise messaging workloads and could expand into AI agent orchestration. A broad incumbent in adjacent infrastructure.
- HubSpot (Service Hub, Conversations): HubSpot offers Service Hub with shared inbox, AI agent (Breeze), and CRM-integrated messaging. While respond.io integrates with HubSpot, HubSpot is also an incumbent competitor in the broader CRM/conversations category with significantly larger scale and SMB market reach.
- Salesforce (Service Cloud / Marketing Cloud): Salesforce offers enterprise-scale messaging, AI agents (Agentforce), and customer service via Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud. A broad incumbent competing for enterprise conversational AI deals where respond.io also plays (e.g., Toyota, British Airways).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
respond.io social profiles
Digital presencerespond.io compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
respond.io financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
respond.io leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
respond.io funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
respond.io M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about respond.io
What does respond.io do?
Respond.io provides a subscription-based AI-powered customer conversation management platform that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, and voice into a single team inbox with autonomous AI Agents for lead qualification, routing, and customer support. The platform is sold on a per-conversation pricing model with a free trial, targeting businesses that need to manage high-volume omnichannel customer messaging at scale. Free WhatsApp utility tools (pricing calculator, link generator, QR generator) are offered as standalone lead-generation products.
Is respond.io a public or private company?
respond.io is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was respond.io founded?
respond.io was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is respond.io based?
respond.io is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does respond.io make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription SaaS - Per-Conversation is the primary driver. The others are subscription SaaS - Additional Charges.
Who are respond.io's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Intercom, Zendesk, Freshworks (Freshchat/Freshdesk), LivePerson, Tidio, WATI and Bird (formerly MessageBird). Broad incumbents are Twilio (Flex, Conversations), HubSpot (Service Hub, Conversations) and Salesforce (Service Cloud / Marketing Cloud).
Does respond.io have an API?
Yes. Respond.io provides an Application Program Interface (API) that allows users to access their data. The API usage terms state that any use of the API, including use through third-party products/services that access Respond.io, is bound by the Terms of Service. The company explicitly states it bears no responsibility for any damages or losses resulting from the user's use of the API or any third-party products/services that access data through the API. Users must agree that the Company bears no responsibility and shall not be held liable for any damages or losses resulting from the User's use of the API. Developer documentation is at developers.respond.io.
What industry is respond.io in?
respond.io's product category is Customer Conversation Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAFAC, Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration), with a secondary code of BPAFAKAJ, Conversational Marketing & Chat Lead Capture (Chatbots, Live Chat). Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7372.