Drift vs Respond.io
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Drift | Respond.io |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $2500/mo | From $199/mo |
| Best For | Large enterprises with complex B2B sales processes | Medium to large enterprises needing advanced automation and AI-powered customer engagement across multiple channels |
| Standout Feature | Advanced conversational AI and revenue acceleration | Sophisticated AI agents that can handle complex customer conversations and automatically qualify leads through intelligent workflows |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.4 | 4.8/5 |
Drift and Respond.io represent two different philosophies in customer engagement. Drift positions itself as a conversational marketing platform with advanced chatbot capabilities, while Respond.io focuses on omnichannel messaging for customer support teams.
The choice between them often depends on whether you prioritize marketing automation or comprehensive customer service workflows.
Feature Comparison
Drift excels in conversational marketing with sophisticated chatbots, lead qualification, and sales automation. Its AI-powered features help qualify leads before they reach your sales team, making it particularly valuable for B2B companies with complex sales cycles.
Respond.io shines in customer support scenarios with robust WhatsApp Business API integration, team collaboration tools, and workflow automation. It handles multiple messaging channels including SMS, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram from a unified inbox.
While Drift focuses on converting visitors into leads, Respond.io emphasizes resolving customer inquiries efficiently across all communication channels.
Pricing Comparison
Drift's pricing starts at $2,500 per month for their Premium plan, with custom enterprise pricing that can reach significantly higher amounts. This makes it primarily accessible to larger organizations with substantial marketing budgets.
Respond.io offers more accessible pricing at $79-$299 per month based on features and message volume, making it suitable for small to medium businesses. Their pricing model is more transparent and predictable than Drift's custom enterprise approach.
For teams needing basic customer communication, both options may be overkill compared to simpler alternatives.
Drift
Pros
- ✓ Powerful conversational AI
- ✓ Strong B2B focus
- ✓ Advanced lead qualification
Cons
- ✗ Extremely expensive pricing
- ✗ Complex setup and learning curve
- ✗ Overkill for small businesses
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 Drift if you need advanced conversational marketing features and have the budget for enterprise-level pricing. Choose Respond.io if you want comprehensive omnichannel support at a more predictable cost structure.
Choose Drift if: You're a B2B company needing advanced conversational marketing, lead qualification, and have budget for enterprise-level investment.
Choose Respond.io if: You prioritize customer support across multiple messaging channels with transparent, scalable pricing.
Consider Converge as an alternative at $49/month flat rate if you need straightforward customer communication without the complexity and cost of enterprise platforms.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Drift comparisons and all Respond.io comparisons.