# Freshchat vs respond.io

The clearest difference is rating: respond.io at 4.3 against Freshchat's 3.7. respond.io also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Freshchat's advantage is review sentiment (20% vs 0%) and ratings volume (52 vs 16). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

respond.io holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 16 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 20% of Freshchat's written reviews are positive against 0% of respond.io's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Freshchat ships an update every 3 weeks, respond.io every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freshchat | respond.io |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freshchat/id1273666080/reviews) | **[4.3 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/respondio-inbox/id1667772955/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **52** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | **19.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 244 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FRESHWORKS TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/849713309) | [Rocketbots](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486192834) |

## What reviewers say

### Freshchat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freshchat/id1273666080)

This app allows businesses to engage with website visitors and users through a modern messaging interface. It provides tools to manage conversations, view visitor profiles, and receive instant notifications to ensure timely responses and enhance customer satisfaction.

**Highlights:** Manage conversations on-the-go, View visitor profiles, Receive push notifications, Share FAQ articles, Assign conversations

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Simple UI
- 👍 Lightweight and snappy
- 😍 Loved the new UX/UI
- 👼 Great app design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notifications rarely work
- 🐛 Slow message delivery
- 🐛 App logs out frequently
- 🐛 In-app features missing
- 🐛 Audio playback issues

**Reported bugs**

- Messages don't come through
- Audible notifications rarely work
- Long lag in message display
- App logs out after a few days
- Resolve status button shows error

**Requested features**

- Enable Apple Watch ringing for calls
- Add audible notifications for customer responses
- Ability to put links on text
- Auto-email customer missed responses
- Add user IDs back to the app


### respond.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/respondio-inbox/id1667772955)

Manage customer conversations from multiple messaging channels in one unified inbox. Empower your team with AI-assisted replies, real-time updates, and contact management to enhance marketing, sales, and support efforts.

**Highlights:** Unified inbox for all channels, Team collaboration on conversations, AI-assisted replies and translation, Real-time message notifications, Contact management and updates, Spam message filtering

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freshchat free?

Freshchat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is respond.io free?

respond.io is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Freshchat or respond.io?

respond.io is rated higher. Freshchat averages 3.7 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while respond.io averages 4.3 from 16 ratings.

### Do Freshchat or respond.io have ads?

Neither Freshchat nor respond.io shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Freshchat or respond.io?

Freshchat ships an update every 3 weeks, and respond.io every 9 days. Most recently, Freshchat was updated on October 14, 2026 and respond.io on October 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*