SonarSonar vs respond.io
Both send WhatsApp messages through Meta's official API. Here is what each costs a South African business, from respond.io's published prices and Meta's 1 October 2026 rate card.
Prices checked 4 October 2026. Dollar prices converted at today's rate of R16.43 to the dollar*.
At a glance
| Sonar | respond.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan that sends broadcasts | Starter, R349 a month | Growth, $199 a month for up to 1,000 active contacts (≈ R3,270*) |
| Billed in | Rand | US dollars |
| Added to Meta's rate per marketing message | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Added per update or login-code message | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Added per reply after the free 1,000 | Nothing within your plan's messages | Nothing |
| Team members included | Unlimited | Not listed on the plan cards |
| Discount for paying yearly | None | Up to 20% off |
| Free option | Free trial: 50 contacts and 250 messages, with replies you type free | Free trial |
| What the plan price depends on | How many messages you send | Monthly active contacts: 1,000 on the $199 Growth plan |
| Broadcasts | Every plan | Growth plan ($199 a month) and up |
Meta's own per-message charge is the same on both, and is not included above. In South Africa it is about R0.62 per marketing message and R0.16 per update or login-code message. See WhatsApp pricing in South Africa.
What a month costs
Each total is the cheapest plan that covers the month on each platform, plus Meta's charges, for messages to South African numbers. Monthly billing on both.
| Example month | Meta's charges | Sonar total | respond.io total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small club or shop1,000 marketing and 200 update messages to 500 people | R654 | R1,003Starter | ≈ R3,924*Growth |
| Growing retailer4,000 marketing and 1,000 update messages to 2,000 people | R2,647 | R2,996Starter | ≈ R7,561*Growth |
| Busy online store10,000 marketing and 3,000 update messages to 5,000 people | R6,697 | R8,196Plus | ≈ R13,254*Growth |
| High volume20,000 marketing and 5,000 update messages to 10,000 people | R13,237 | R14,736Plus | ≈ R22,424*Growth |
Sonar costs less in all 4 examples.
Sonar's Starter plan covers up to 10,000 messages a month; above that you need Plus at R1,499 a month.
Where respond.io is the better choice
- Nothing added to Meta's per-message rates: Meta bills you directly at its list price.
- Workflow automation, AI agents and Zapier and Make integrations on the Growth plan.
- Built for teams that run several messaging channels side by side.
Where Sonar is the better choice
- Sonar's plan is billed in rand, so that part of your bill doesn't move with the dollar.
- Unlimited team members on every plan.
- POPIA consent tools on every plan: opt-in and opt-out keywords are handled for you, each contact has a consent record, and messages to anyone without consent are blocked.
- Scheduled broadcasts, templates and the team inbox from R349 a month.
Switching from respond.io? We'll move your contacts and templates to Sonar for you, free. How switching works
More comparisons
More guides
- WhatsApp pricing in South Africa
- POPIA and WhatsApp marketing
- Event invites with one-tap RSVPs
- AI Agent and Copilot: a WhatsApp chatbot in your voice
- Use Sonar with the WhatsApp Business app
- Import your contacts
- Order and booking updates from your other systems
- Connect a client's WhatsApp number
- WhatsApp API providers in South Africa, compared
- Switching to Sonar
- WhatsApp RSVPs for events
- Competitions and prize draws
Sources
* respond.io's prices are in US dollars, so rand figures are estimates at today's exchange rate. Paying for a year up front lowers respond.io's plan prices (up to 20% off); both sides here use monthly billing. Prices change, so check respond.io's own pricing page before you decide. Spotted something out of date? Email support@whats-hub.co.za and we'll fix it.