Sendo vs Respond.io vs Kapso
Sendo does the same job as Respond.io or Kapso, but you install it as your own code: the inbox is a screen of your app and the conversations live in your database.
Respond.io and Kapso details as of Oct 2026, taken only from their public pages. They may have changed; check their sites before you decide.
Where data lives
- Sendo
- In your own Postgres database, inside your app. Webhooks go from Meta to your server (or pass in transit through the Sendo Connect relay).
- Respond.io
- On their hosted platform, per their public site.
- Kapso
- On their hosted platform; your app reaches it through their API, webhooks and SDKs, per their public site.
Pricing model
- Sendo
- Free, MIT license. Sendo Connect (optional) is billed per connected number. Meta bills messages directly to the account owner (Meta pricing).
- Respond.io
- Monthly subscription by plan, based on monthly active contacts and users; Meta’s WhatsApp fees are separate, per their public site.
- Kapso
- A free tier and monthly plans with included messages and numbers; Meta’s fees are separate, per their public site.
AI agents
- Sendo
sendo.agentwith the model and provider you choose; tools, drafts and limits in your code (Agents and models).- Respond.io
- AI agents included on some plans, per their public site.
- Kapso
- AI agents and workflows included, per their public site.
Human handoff
- Sendo
- A team inbox inside your app: handoff, assignment, notes and drafts; the AI pauses when a person steps in (Team inbox).
- Respond.io
- Team inboxes in their web and mobile apps, per their public site.
- Kapso
- Inbox and human handoff, per their public site.
Templates
- Sendo
- Created in Meta’s WhatsApp Manager, synced to your database and sent from the inbox and broadcasts.
- Respond.io
- Managed and sent from their platform, per their public site.
- Kapso
- Listed among their API features, per their public site.
Coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app
- Sendo
- Yes: stores what the owner sends from the phone, pauses the AI where the owner replied and imports history if you want. It has limits: read them first.
- Respond.io
- Offered, per their help center.
- Kapso
- Offered as a connection type, per their docs.
Lock-in
- Sendo
- Low: the code sits in your repository (MIT) and the data in your database. Your number stays on your WhatsApp Business account.
- Respond.io
- Your conversations live on their platform; leaving means exporting them and moving the number.
- Kapso
- Your messages flow through their platform; leaving means changing your integration and moving the number.
What you maintain yourself
- Sendo
- Your app, its database and hosting, package updates, and your own Meta app (or Sendo Connect).
- Respond.io
- Configuration and integrations; they run the platform.
- Kapso
- Your integration with their API; they run the platform.
Which one fits#
Sendo, if…
- You already have an app and want WhatsApp to be one more screen of it.
- You want the conversations in your database, for example because the data is sensitive.
- Your team would rather write code than configure a platform.
Respond.io or Kapso, if…
- You don’t want to run servers or a database.
- You need several channels ready on day one without writing code.
- You would rather have another team maintain the inbox and the infrastructure.
Migrating from Respond.io or Kapso#
Migrating is mostly about moving the WhatsApp number; contacts and workflows are imported. The step-by-step guide is in Migrating from Respond.io or Kapso.
Respond.io and Kapso are trademarks of their owners. This page is not affiliated with them; if something changed, tell us on GitHub.