Channels Overview
respond.io supports the following channels and the platform will continue to support more channels in the future.
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The table below summarizes on the connection difficulty level, the time needed, applicable cost and requirements for each channel.
Channels | Difficulty | Time Needed | Applicable Cost | Requirements | |
| Easy | 15 mins | - | Facebook Page | |
| Advanced | 3 to 5 working days* | ✔ | WhatsApp Business API | |
 | Easy | 15 mins | - | Instagram Business Account
(1,000 to 100,000 followers) | |
| Moderate | 15 mins | - | Live Website | |
.svg?alt=media&token=1ea2981f-2cc2-431b-bcbe-8a2110dc333d) | Moderate | 15 mins | - | Google Business Profile with verified location | |
| Moderate | 30 mins | ✔ | LINE Official Account | |
| Moderate | 15 mins | - | Telegram Bot | |
| Moderate | 15 mins | ✔ | Viber Bot | |
| Moderate | 1 to 2 working days | ✔ | Phone number provisioned by our partners | |
| Advanced | 1 to 2 working days | - | Twitter App | |
| Advanced | 3 to 5 working days | ✔ | WeChat Official Account | |
.png?alt=media&token=79cb5569-2b74-44c7-9d71-7c067cb9b990) | Moderate | 15 mins | - | Gmail or Gmail for Business account | |
 | Moderate | 15 mins | - | Email login credentials Access to Email Inbox Settings | |
 | Advanced | 1 to 2 working days | - | Custom Integration Server to handle the incoming and outgoing message between respond.io and Messaging Service Provider |
*Time needed includes account creation and verification by WhatsApp provider. Account creation varies from minutes to days depending on provider processing speed.
If there is a need to connect to channels that require approval such as WhatsApp, Twitter and WeChat, we will suggest proceeding with the application first. Once the account is approved, you may proceed to connect it to respond.io.
If there is a channel you don't see the list and you would like the platform to support, please do not hesitate to add a request or upvote an existing one on our Feature Requests page.
If you are missing a channel you would like to see on the platform, please add or upvote it on our Feature Requests page.
The table below will give you a quick comparison between channels.
| Quick Replies | Chat Link & QR Code | Broadcasts Support^ | Contacts Import | Messaging Windowª | Unique Features˘ | Channel Feesº |
✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | 7 days | ✅ | - | |
✅ | ✅ | - | ✅ | - | - | - | |
✅ | ✅ | - | ✅ | - | ✅ | - | |
✅ | ✅ | - | - | 7 days | - | - | |
✅* | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 24 hrs | - | ✅ | |
✅ | ✅ | - | - | - | - | - | |
✅ | ✅ | - | - | 30 days | - | - | |
✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | - | ✅ | |
✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | - | - | |
✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | - | - | |
- | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | ✅ | |
✅ | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | - | - | |
✅* | ✅ | - | - | 48 hrs | - | - | |
✅ | - | ✅ | ✅ | - | - | º | |
✅ | - | ✅ | - | - | - | º |
* Channel does not support rich UI quick replies, uses numeric system instead.
^ Not all channel partners allow broadcasts.
ª Some channels have a messaging window, replies can only be sent within the messaging window.
˘ Some channels have channel-specific features, you can find out more on the channel page.
º Some channels have additional fees imposed by the channel providers. This might apply to your custom channels.
For some channels, we are able to find out the message status whether has it been sent, delivered, read or failed. Refer to the following table on which channel offers message status availability:
Messaging Channel | Sent | Delivered | Read | Failed |
Facebook | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Gmail | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Other Email | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ |
Instagram | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WhatsApp - Cloud API | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WhatsApp - Twilio | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WhatsApp - MessageBird | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WhatsApp - Vonage | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WhatsApp - Chat API | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - |
WhatsApp - 360Dialog | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Website Chat | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Google Business Messages | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
LINE | ✔ | - | - | - |
Telegram | ✔ | - | - | - |
Viber | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SMS - Twilio | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ |
SMS - MessageBird | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ |
SMS - Vonage | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ |
Twitter | ✔ | - | - | - |
WeChat | ✔ | - | - | - |
Custom Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Some messaging channels have a limited messaging window for the contact to receive a response. The messaging window refreshes every time a message is received from a contact. Refer to the following channel and their respective messaging window:
Channel | Messaging Window |
WeChat | 48 hours |
Facebook Messenger | 7 days |
WhatsApp | 24 hours |
Instagram | 7 days |
Google Business Messages | 30 days |
Facebook Messenger's Messaging Window is now extended to 7 days because respond.io platform has been selected to participate in Facebook HUMAN_AGENT tag Closed Beta program.
The 24-hour messaging window is only applicable to WhatsApp Partner API channels; Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird & 360Dialog. WhatsApp Chat API does not have this limitation as it is not a WhatsApp Partner.
Messages can still be sent outside the messaging window but it will not be delivered. There will be a red exclamation mark indicating the message is not delivered along with an error message.
Failed Message Delivery
For Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, they have a feature that allows users to send a message to the contacts beyond the messaging window.
Facebook Tagged Message
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WhatsApp Message Templates
To send a message to Facebook contacts after the messaging window, you can use Facebook Messenger Message Tag to do so. For more information on, look at Facebook Messenger Message Tag.
To send a message to WhatsApp contacts after the messaging window, you can use WhatsApp Message Templates to do so. For more information on, look at WhatsApp Message Templates.
In respond.io, you may broadcast content to your contacts if the channel is supported. However, there may be a few limitations that need to be considered when broadcasting with a supported channel.
Bear in mind that every channel has its own rate limit of how many requests/messages can be processed in a time interval. This may affect the deliverability of the broadcast content to your contact.
If you wish to broadcast to contacts from WhatsApp API Channels (Twilio, MessageBird, Vonage, 360dialog), you will need to specify a WhatsApp Message Template as the broadcast content.
Before broadcasting to these contacts, please make sure your WhatsApp Message Template is submitted and approved by WhatsApp.
As for Facebook Messenger, you can specify the content in the broadcast dialog but a Facebook Tag is needed to send the broadcast content.
When using Facebook Tag for broadcast, please make sure you comply with Facebook's Messaging Policy to prevent your Facebook page being banned from sending messages.
A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. For example, a rate limit of 30 requests per second means that in one second, any request that comes after the 30th request will be throttled and fail.
In the context of respond.io, a request is when a message is being sent to a contact.
Messaging Channel | Applicable Rate Limit |
Facebook | 200 requests per hour |
WhatsApp - Cloud API | 80 requests per second |
WhatsApp - Twilio | 20 requests per second |
WhatsApp - MessageBird | 50 requests per second |
WhatsApp - Vonage | 20 requests per second |
WhatsApp - Chat API | 1 request per second with a limit of 6000 requests per day |
WhatsApp - 360Dialog | 20 requests per second |
LINE | 60 requests per hour |
Telegram | 30 requests per second |
Viber | 500 requests per 10 seconds |
SMS - Twilio | |
SMS - MessageBird | - |
SMS - Vonage | 30 requests per second |
Custom Channel | 20 requests per second |