Best WhatsApp chatbot builders for small business in 2026: SendPulse, Tidio, AiSensy, WATI and 5 more compared on pricing
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For a small business that wants to sell on WhatsApp, SendPulse gives the most for the price: a chatbot builder, a CRM and payment buttons in the chat from $12 a month. If you only need answers to customer questions, Tidio connects WhatsApp on every plan, the free one included. AiSensy has a free plan with the WhatsApp API, but its chatbot builder is a paid add-on.
What it really costs
The plan price is only the first line of the bill. Meta charges for WhatsApp messages by country and message type, and the tool passes that fee on. Since 1 October 2026, Meta also charges for replies inside the 24-hour customer service window, after 1,000 free ones a month per number, according to SendPulse and AiSensy.
Check what the plan leaves out. AiSensy sells chatbot flows as an add-on on top of every plan, and Tidio sells its flows and its AI agent as add-ons too. Landbot includes the builder but needs its Professional WA plan, at $220 a month, before you can connect your own number.
Ask about the markup as well. respond.io and Tidio state they add none to Meta’s fees. Interakt says it adds one below its Enterprise plan. The rest publish their own rate tables without saying either way.
Side by side
All 9 tools here use Meta's official API, according to their own pages, and 8 of them say they are Meta Business Partners.
| Tool | WhatsApp from | Meta fees | Built-in CRM | Payments in chat | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SendPulse |
$12 | Passed through | Yes | Yes | Rated 4.4 out of 52,870 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Tidio |
Free | At cost, no markup | No | No | Rated 3.6 out of 5226 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 AiSensy |
Free | Passed through | No | Yes | Rated 3.3 out of 556 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Chatfuel |
$20 | Passed through | Yes | No | Rated 3.2 out of 514 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 WATI |
$69 | Passed through | Yes | Yes | Rated 3.0 out of 5273 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Interakt |
$55 | With a markup | Paid add-on | Yes | Rated 1.9 out of 513 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 ManyChat |
$39 | Passed through | No | Yes | Rated 2.1 out of 5305 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 respond.io |
$99 | At cost, no markup | No | No | Rated 2.5 out of 517 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Landbot |
$220 | Passed through | No | Yes | No score |
1. SendPulse
Best for: selling on WhatsApp with a CRM and payments
- WhatsApp from
- $12
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- Yes
- Reviews
- Capterra 4.6 G2 4.6 Trustpilot 4.4
Why it fits. Pro starts at $12 a month and includes the WhatsApp Business API, a flow builder with AI replies, a free CRM and payment buttons through 13 providers. The pricing page publishes Meta’s message rates by country.
What to check. The free plan does not include WhatsApp. The price follows the number of subscribers stored in your bots.
Full profile of SendPulse SendPulse pricing (opens in a new tab)
2. Tidio
Best for: answering customer questions at no plan cost
- WhatsApp from
- Free
- Meta fees
- At cost, no markup
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Reviews
- Capterra 4.7 G2 4.6 Trustpilot 3.6
Why it fits. WhatsApp is free on every Tidio plan, including Free, with 1,000 support messages a month per number. Above that, Tidio bills the local WhatsApp rate with no markup, and you can set a spending cap.
What to check. Automated flows and the Lyro AI agent are add-ons. Tidio does not automate Instagram comments.
3. AiSensy
Best for: WhatsApp broadcasts with a free starting plan
- WhatsApp from
- Free
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Reviews
- Trustpilot 3.3
Why it fits. The Free Forever plan includes the WhatsApp Business API with live chat, and you can create message templates on it. AiSensy is a Meta Business Solution Provider by its own description, and Basic adds broadcasts from $45 a month.
What to check. Chatbot flows are not part of any plan and cost $80 a month extra, so a working bot starts near $125 a month. AiSensy covers WhatsApp only.
Full profile of AiSensy AiSensy pricing (opens in a new tab)
4. Chatfuel
Best for: one flat plan with WhatsApp and AI
- WhatsApp from
- $20
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- Yes
- Reviews
- Capterra 4.3 G2 4.4 Trustpilot 3.2
Why it fits. The Business plan at $20 a month includes WhatsApp, the other channels and $20 of monthly credits for AI replies. The AI can book appointments into a built-in calendar.
What to check. WhatsApp fees and AI replies draw on the same credit wallet. The help center says payment processors cannot be connected.
Full profile of Chatfuel Chatfuel pricing (opens in a new tab)
5. WATI
Best for: a WhatsApp-first support and sales team
- WhatsApp from
- $69
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- Yes
- Reviews
- Trustpilot 3.0
Why it fits. WATI is built around WhatsApp, with a shared inbox, a CRM and payment links through WhatsApp Pay and regional providers. Growth at $69 a month includes 5,000 active contacts and three users.
What to check. There is no free plan. Message fees follow WATI’s own rate card, and no page says whether it adds a markup.
6. Interakt
Best for: Shopify and WooCommerce stores in India and Southeast Asia
- WhatsApp from
- $55
- Meta fees
- With a markup
- Built-in CRM
- Paid add-on
- Reviews
- Trustpilot 1.9
Why it fits. Interakt has native Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, and it takes payments through Stripe and regional providers. Growth at $55 a month covers WhatsApp and Instagram with unlimited agents.
What to check. Template messages carry a markup on every plan below Enterprise. The CRM is a separate product at $49 a month.
Full profile of Interakt Interakt pricing (opens in a new tab)
7. ManyChat
Best for: Instagram-first brands adding WhatsApp
- WhatsApp from
- $39
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Reviews
- Capterra 4.6 G2 4.5 Trustpilot 2.1
Why it fits. ManyChat adds WhatsApp on Pro at $39 a month, next to the widest set of Instagram triggers we track. Payments run through a Buy Button for Stripe or PayPal.
What to check. Free and Essential exclude WhatsApp. Billing grows with active contacts across every channel.
Full profile of ManyChat ManyChat pricing (opens in a new tab)
8. respond.io
Best for: support teams that want Meta fees at cost
- WhatsApp from
- $99
- Meta fees
- At cost, no markup
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Reviews
- Capterra 4.6 G2 4.8 Trustpilot 2.5
Why it fits. Every plan includes WhatsApp, and respond.io’s WhatsApp page states there are no setup fees or markups. Starter is $99 a month.
What to check. It is built for teams, and automation features grow with the higher plans. There is no free plan.
Full profile of respond.io respond.io pricing (opens in a new tab)
9. Landbot
Best for: lead capture flows on WhatsApp and the web
- WhatsApp from
- $220
- Meta fees
- Passed through
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Reviews
- No scores yet
Why it fits. Landbot is a no-code builder for lead generation flows with a native HubSpot integration. It is a Meta Business Solution Provider by its own description, and its Stripe and Calendly blocks work on web bots.
What to check. Your own WhatsApp number needs Professional WA at $220 a month, and Landbot adds its own fee per template message. It does not support Instagram.
Full profile of Landbot Landbot pricing (opens in a new tab)
Which one to pick
You sell through WhatsApp. Pick SendPulse for a CRM and payment buttons from $12 a month.
You mostly answer questions. Start with Tidio, where WhatsApp costs nothing on the plan.
You send broadcasts and rarely chat. Look at AiSensy.
WhatsApp is your main channel and the team is growing. Look at WATI.
You also run Instagram. The WhatsApp and Instagram chatbot builders page compares tools that automate both.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest WhatsApp chatbot builder for a small business?
Tidio connects WhatsApp on every plan, the free one included, and AiSensy has a free plan with the WhatsApp API. A full chatbot with flows costs more: SendPulse starts at $12 a month and Chatfuel at $20, while AiSensy’s flow builder adds $80 a month.
Do I pay Meta for WhatsApp messages on top of the chatbot plan?
Yes. Meta charges per message by country and type, and the tool passes the fee on. Since 1 October 2026, replies inside the 24-hour window are charged too, after 1,000 free ones a month per number. respond.io and Tidio state they add no markup.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app with a chatbot?
It depends on the tool. Gallabox supports using the app and the API on the same number. Landbot says a number connected to it cannot be used in the WhatsApp Business app at the same time.