In this article
The best Wati alternative depends on why you are leaving. More than 3 agents, or deals that need a pipeline: WhatsGrow AI. Many channels and a real budget: respond.io or SleekFlow. Rupee billing and local support in India: Gallabox. Cheap broadcasts: AiSensy. A Shopify store: Interakt or Zoko. If you are 3 people or fewer and only need a shared inbox, Wati is still a reasonable pick.
Wati alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Pick it if | Users on the entry plan | Deal pipeline | AI agents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsGrow AI | You sell inside WhatsApp and want chat and deals on one screen | 3 agents, no per-seat fee; 10 on Growth, 50 on Pro | Yes, Kanban on every plan | Included, with CRM actions |
| respond.io | One inbox must cover many channels | 5 users | Lifecycle stages, not a deal board | From Growth |
| SleekFlow | WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS and email at mid-market scale | 3 seats on Essential | Not listed | From Pro |
| Gallabox | You are in India and want rupee billing and local support | 3 users, hard cap | Advanced plan only | WhatsApp and Instagram agents from Essential |
| AiSensy | Broadcasts are the whole job | Owner plus 5 agents on Basic | Not listed | Paid add-on |
| Interakt | Shopify or D2C store in India | Unlimited agents on Growth | Separate Sales CRM product | Paid add-on |
| Zoko | Catalog and cash-on-delivery flows | Unlimited agents on Starter | Not listed | Three paid add-ons |
Sources and check dates are at the end of this post. Meta's per-message fees come on top of every tool.
Why do teams leave Wati?
Three reasons come up, all visible on Wati's own pricing page (read 2026-10-26):
- Seats. Growth includes 3 users and allows no extra users. Pro includes 5, then $24 per extra user a month. Business includes 5, then $59 per extra user.
- No deal board. The plans list CRM integrations instead: 2 select commerce or CRM integrations on Growth, 5 including HubSpot on Pro, Salesforce on Business. Deals live in a second tool.
- AI sold in pieces. AI Co-pilot credits are capped each month (250 on Growth, 500 on Pro, 1,500 on Business, with top-ups sold separately), and the Astra AI Agents are an add-on priced separately.
Price depends on where you open the page. Our 2026-10-26 read, in US dollars from outside the US, showed Growth at $39 a month and Pro at $79 a month, both billed annually, and Business as a custom quote. A September 2026 tracker of the US page listed Growth at $59 billed yearly, so check wati.io/pricing from your own country. Growth also caps API use at 10,000 calls a month with no webhooks.
1. WhatsGrow AI: best Wati alternative for teams that sell in chat
Pick it if you have more than 3 agents or want the conversation and the deal on one screen. Skip it if you need Instagram, SMS or email in the same inbox: WhatsGrow AI is built for WhatsApp first.
What it adds over Wati Growth:
- A Kanban pipeline with stages, deal values, owners and tasks on every plan (1 pipeline on Starter, 5 on Growth, 20 on Pro)
- An AI agent that answers from your knowledge base and acts in the CRM: updates contact fields, moves pipeline stages, creates tasks and hands off to a person
- Stripe or Razorpay payment links inside the chat (Growth and up)
- Calling through Twilio or RingCentral (Growth and up)
- Separate client workspaces for agencies
Limits, not seat fees: Starter 3 agents and 1,000 contacts; Growth 10 agents and 25,000 contacts; Pro 50 agents and 100,000 contacts. A tenth teammate on Growth costs nothing extra. 7-day free trial, no card. Plans show in your currency on /pricing. Side by side: WhatsGrow AI vs Wati and /alternatives/wati. How the agent works: AI agent and CRM pipeline.
2. respond.io: best for many channels and a real budget
Pros over Wati: 5 users on the entry plan, extra users at $12, and AI Agents included from Growth instead of sold as an add-on. Team controls and reporting are mature.
Cons: billing is metered by monthly active contacts, and AI Agents need Growth at $159 a month billed yearly ($199 monthly). Starter is $79 yearly ($99 monthly); Advanced is $279 yearly ($349 monthly). It tracks lifecycle stages and conversation status rather than a Kanban board with deal values.
Best for: support and sales teams working WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and more from one inbox. Compare: WhatsGrow AI vs respond.io and respond.io alternatives.
3. SleekFlow: best for WhatsApp plus SMS and email at mid-market scale
Pros over Wati: WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS and email in one inbox, and 10 seats on Pro.
Cons: Pro is US$109 a month billed yearly (about US$139 monthly) with 500 monthly active contacts; extra contacts cost US$20 per 100, and each WhatsApp API number adds a US$15 hosting fee. Essential (US$49 yearly where available, 3 seats) has no AI agents or broadcasts.
Best for: teams that need several channels and expect a stable contact count. More: /alternatives/sleekflow.
4. Gallabox: best for local support in India
Pros over Wati: rupee billing, a published support response time, and AI agents on WhatsApp and Instagram from the Essential plan. Basic is Rs. 2,399 a month billed annually (Rs. 2,999 quarterly).
Cons: Basic has the same hard 3-user cap as Wati Growth. Essential covers 6 users at Rs. 5,599 a month annually, and the lead pipeline only arrives on Advanced at Rs. 13,599 a month with 10 users. AI runs on monthly credits (500, 2,000 and 8,000 across the three plans).
Best for: Indian teams of 4 to 10 people that want WhatsApp and Instagram in one inbox. More: Gallabox alternatives and WhatsGrow AI vs Gallabox.
5. AiSensy: best for cheap broadcasts in India
Pros over Wati: a Free Forever plan, and Basic at Rs. 1,500 a month (Rs. 1,350 billed yearly) before GST for the owner plus 5 agents.
Cons: the chatbot builder (Rs. 2,500 a month) and the AI agent builder (Rs. 1,350 a month) are paid add-ons, and no deal pipeline is listed. With a plan, bot, AI and 3,000 marketing messages, the monthly total runs to about Rs. 8,600 before GST.
Best for: teams whose WhatsApp work is campaigns, not conversations. More: AiSensy alternatives and WhatsGrow AI vs AiSensy.
6. Interakt: best for Shopify and D2C stores in India
Pros over Wati: unlimited agents on Growth ($55 a month plus taxes), with order updates, abandoned-cart reminders and catalog sharing built for Shopify and WooCommerce.
Cons: the Sales CRM is a separate product at Rs. 2,499 a month for 5 sales agents, and WhatsApp AI Agents are a $74.99 add-on. Figures are from our 2026-10-13 read; Interakt's page blocked our script later.
Best for: stores whose WhatsApp volume is orders, not sales calls. More: WhatsGrow AI vs Interakt.
7. Zoko: best for catalog and cash-on-delivery flows
Pros over Wati: unlimited agents on Starter ($49.99 a month) and ready-made catalog and COD flows for Shopify.
Cons: a $0.015 markup on every conversation, no deal pipeline on the pricing page, and AI as three add-ons at $24.99 a month each. Plus is $79.99 with 5 agents, then $15 per agent.
Best for: small Shopify teams selling from the WhatsApp catalog. More: /alternatives/zoko.
How do you switch from Wati without losing your number?
A WhatsApp Business number runs on one provider at a time, so a switch is a planned cutover, not a rebuild:
- Export contacts, tags and any custom fields from Wati as CSV.
- List your approved templates; you will submit them again in the new workspace.
- Start the new tool's trial and connect a test number first.
- Pick a quiet hour, release the number from Wati, and connect it to the new provider.
- Re-submit templates and re-point any webhooks or forms.
- Run one real lead source for a week before you cancel Wati.
On WhatsGrow AI, import the CSV into contacts, map tags to pipeline stages, and turn on the AI agent once your knowledge base is in. See how the WhatsApp API setup works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Wati alternative?
For teams that sell in chat and have more than 3 agents, WhatsGrow AI, because the pipeline and AI agent are included and seats are not billed one by one. For several channels in one inbox, respond.io or SleekFlow. For India on a budget, Gallabox or AiSensy.
How much does Wati cost?
It depends on your region. On 2026-10-26 the USD page we saw listed Growth at $39 a month and Pro at $79 a month billed annually, with Business on a custom quote; US visitors have been shown $59 for Growth. Meta's message fees come on top, charged from Wati's rate card.
How many users does Wati Growth include?
Three, and Growth allows no extra users. Pro includes 5 and charges $24 for each extra user a month; Business charges $59.
Does Wati have a CRM pipeline?
Its pricing page lists CRM integrations (HubSpot from Pro, Salesforce on Business) rather than a built-in deal board.
Does Wati have AI agents?
Wati includes a monthly allowance of AI Co-pilot credits on every plan. Its Astra AI Agents are an add-on priced separately.
Can I keep my WhatsApp number if I leave Wati?
Yes. The number moves to the new provider; plan the cutover for a quiet hour and re-submit your templates.
Is there a free Wati alternative?
AiSensy has a Free Forever plan for broadcasts. WhatsGrow AI has a 7-day free trial with no card.
Sources
- Wati pricing, read 2026-10-26 (prices vary by region)
- respond.io pricing, checked 2026-10-16
- SleekFlow pricing, checked 2026-10-16
- Gallabox pricing, checked 2026-10-16
- AiSensy pricing, checked 2026-10-16, with Basic plan prices from a third-party analysis, 30 Sep 2026
- Interakt pricing, read 2026-10-13
- Zoko pricing, checked 2026-10-16
- Meta WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.