A Respond.io alternative in India: BYOK omnichannel automation for SaaS support and sales
SaaS companies searching for a Respond.io alternative typically want their own AI provider key powering support deflection and lead qualification, flat pricing that doesn't scale with ticket volume, and the option to add AI voice calling for demo bookings. Convo360 supports all three from ₹999/month ex-GST BYOK, with contacts and support tags migrated via CSV import.
- SaaS teams look for an alternative when they want their own AI key for support deflection rather than a bundled, less controllable assistant.
- Flat monthly pricing suits SaaS support volume better than a cost that scales per conversation or per agent seat.
- A knowledge-base-backed AI agent can deflect repetitive tickets on WhatsApp, website chat and email from one workspace.
- AI voice calling can qualify inbound demo requests before they reach a sales rep, without adding a separate tool.
Who looks for a Respond.io alternative, and why
SaaS companies typically search for a Respond.io alternative when they want their own AI key — usually because they've already standardised on OpenAI, Claude or Gemini elsewhere in the business and want the same model answering support and sales questions, rather than a bundled assistant they can't control. Flat, predictable pricing is another generic driver: SaaS support volume tends to be lumpy around release days or outages, and a per-conversation cost model makes budgeting harder than it needs to be.
Growth and RevOps teams also look for AI voice calling to qualify inbound demo requests automatically, so sales reps only spend time on leads that are actually a fit.
What Convo360 is
Convo360 is a Mumbai-built platform for AI voice calling and WhatsApp / omnichannel chatbots, aimed at Indian businesses that want to run automation on their own terms. It follows a Bring Your Own Keys (BYOK) approach — your own OpenAI, Claude or Gemini key, your own WhatsApp number and your own telephony account — so Convo360 itself adds no markup on messages, minutes or tokens. Convo360 is not affiliated with Respond.io; all trademarks belong to their owners.
Respond.io vs Convo360: comparing the models
The more useful comparison isn't feature-by-feature but model-by-model: how pricing works, who controls the AI keys, and what you can move if you ever switch again.
| Model | Typical closed platform | Convo360 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Often a flat seat/message bundle with per-conversation or per-message markup once you cross a limit | Flat plan fee: ₹999 / ₹2,999 / ₹7,999 per month ex-GST, no per-message markup |
| AI keys | AI usually bundled into the platform's own cost, not yours to choose | BYOK, bring your own OpenAI, Claude or Gemini key |
| AI voice calls | Not always available, or a separate add-on product | Built in: inbound + outbound calls via Exotel, Plivo, Twilio or your own SIP trunk |
| Indian languages | Coverage varies by vendor | Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi + English, for voice and chat |
| White-label | Usually not available on standard plans | Available, resell under your brand or run a fully white-labelled platform on your own domain |
| Ownership of number/keys | WhatsApp number and API keys are yours in Meta's system either way, but management ties you to the vendor's console | Your WhatsApp number via embedded signup; your own AI and telephony keys, encrypted at rest |
| Export/migration | Contacts and templates are generally exportable; flow logic is not always portable | CSV import for contacts/tags/custom fields; built-in importer for uChat flows; visual rebuild for everything else |
What you get on Convo360
A SaaS company on Convo360 typically runs an AI agent with a knowledge base built from product docs and the help centre, answering repetitive support questions across WhatsApp, website chat widget and email from one workspace. The live-chat inbox lets support engineers take over escalations, with the bot pausing automatically once a human replies. For sales, the Save CRM lead and Appointments blocks capture and book demo requests, and AI voice calling (Pro plan) can pre-qualify a lead by phone before it reaches an AE. The REST API (Business plan) lets engineering wire the bot into your own product or internal tools directly.
How to migrate from Respond.io
Migrating a SaaS support/sales automation setup involves:
- Export your contact and conversation-tag data as CSV, including any lead-source or plan-tier tags, and import into Convo360's Contacts module.
- Rebuild your support-deflection and lead-qualification flows in the visual Flow Builder; most teams start from a support or sales template in the Template Store and customise the knowledge base and system prompt, which is faster than building the flow logic from scratch.
- Reconnect your channels — WhatsApp via embedded signup, website widget by swapping an embed script, and re-point any webhook that fed your previous platform's CRM sync to Convo360's inbound webhook trigger instead.
What it costs
Convo360's pricing is a flat monthly plan, excluding 18% GST: Starter at ₹999/month (1 workspace, WhatsApp + web chat, flow builder, knowledge base, CRM and forms), Pro at ₹2,999/month (3 workspaces, AI voice calls, all integrations and connectors), and Business at ₹7,999/month (unlimited workspaces, REST API, appointments, unlimited team seats). Yearly billing saves roughly 10%. On top of the plan fee, you pay your AI provider and telephony provider directly at their own rates; Convo360 does not add a per-message or per-minute markup.
There's a 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked and no credit card required, so you can run a real side-by-side test before committing. For Respond.io's current plans and limits, check Respond.io's own pricing page; models change and we don't want to quote a number that's gone stale by the time you read this.
Who should not switch
A small SaaS team with low support volume, already satisfied with a bundled AI assistant and no near-term plan to add voice qualification, may find the migration effort outweighs the benefit. If per-conversation costs at your current volume are genuinely negligible, flat pricing and BYOK won't move your bottom line much either.
Example conversation
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Frequently asked questions
Is Convo360 a good Respond.io alternative for small businesses in India?
Yes, especially if you want flat pricing without per-message markup and the option to add AI voice calling later. Small teams typically start on Starter at ₹999/month and move up only when they need more workspaces or voice.
Can I move my contacts and flows from Respond.io?
Contacts, tags and custom fields move over as a CSV import. Flow logic isn't automatically portable from most platforms, so you rebuild flows in Convo360's visual builder — usually quicker than the original build since you already know exactly what each step should do.
Will I keep my WhatsApp number?
Yes. You connect your existing WhatsApp Business number to Convo360 through Meta's embedded signup, the same mechanism used to connect it anywhere else. The number stays yours in Meta's system regardless of which platform manages it.
How is Convo360's pricing different from Respond.io?
Convo360 charges one flat monthly plan fee with no per-message or per-conversation markup, and you bring your own AI provider key so token usage is billed to you directly at the provider's rate. Check Respond.io's current pricing page for how their model compares today.
Does Convo360 support AI voice calls?
Yes. Inbound and outbound AI voice calling is available on the Pro plan and above, using Exotel, Plivo, Twilio or your own SIP trunk, with Indian-language voices from Sarvam, Smallest.ai, ElevenLabs or OpenAI, including voice cloning.
Related reading
Available across India — see WhatsApp & AI calling automation by state and city.