Groove HQ vs Respond.io
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Groove HQ | Respond.io |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $20/seat/mo | From $199/mo |
| Best For | Small businesses needing simple email-based customer support | Medium to large enterprises needing advanced automation and AI-powered customer engagement across multiple channels |
| Standout Feature | Collision detection to prevent duplicate responses | Sophisticated AI agents that can handle complex customer conversations and automatically qualify leads through intelligent workflows |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.5 | 4.8/5 |
Groove HQ and Respond.io serve different customer support needs. Groove HQ offers a clean, email-focused helpdesk solution with knowledge base capabilities, while Respond.io specializes in messaging-first customer support across platforms like WhatsApp and social media.
The choice depends on whether your support strategy centers around email workflows or modern messaging channels.
Feature Comparison
Groove HQ provides essential helpdesk functionality with a focus on simplicity and user experience. It includes ticket management, knowledge base, collision detection, and reporting features that work well for email-based support workflows.
Respond.io excels in messaging-based customer support with deep integrations for WhatsApp Business API, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and other messaging platforms. It offers advanced features like chatbot workflows, broadcast messaging, and team collaboration tools designed for conversational support.
While Groove HQ focuses on traditional helpdesk efficiency, Respond.io embraces the modern shift toward messaging-first customer interactions.
Pricing Comparison
Groove HQ uses per-agent pricing at $16-$56 per agent per month, making it accessible for small teams while costs scale linearly with team growth. Their pricing is competitive within the email-focused helpdesk market.
Respond.io charges $79-$299 per month based on features and message volume rather than agent count, which can be more economical for larger teams handling high volumes of messaging conversations.
For a 4-person team, Groove HQ would cost $64-$224 monthly, while Respond.io's flat-rate pricing might offer better value for teams prioritizing messaging channels.
Groove HQ
Pros
- ✓ Simple, clean interface
- ✓ Good for small teams
- ✓ Affordable entry-level pricing
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ No modern messaging integrations
- ✗ Basic automation capabilities
Respond.io
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive omnichannel support with deep integrations
- ✓ Advanced AI capabilities for automated customer interactions
- ✓ Powerful workflow automation with visual builder
Cons
- ✗ Complex setup and learning curve for advanced features
- ✗ Higher cost structure with per-agent pricing model
- ✗ WhatsApp API charges add significant ongoing costs
Verdict
Choose Groove HQ if you need a straightforward helpdesk with excellent email management and knowledge base features. Choose Respond.io if your customers expect support through messaging apps and you need specialized tools for conversational support.
Choose Groove HQ if: You need clean, email-focused helpdesk functionality with predictable per-agent pricing and knowledge base capabilities.
Choose Respond.io if: Messaging channels are crucial to your support strategy and you want flat-rate pricing with specialized conversational tools.
Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate if you want simple customer communication without per-agent fees or the complexity of specialized messaging platform management.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Groove HQ comparisons and all Respond.io comparisons.