A boutique owner in Coimbatore selling sarees on WhatsApp gets 40 to 60 messages a day during wedding season. Half of them come in after 9 PM, and by morning three customers have already messaged a competitor because nobody replied fast enough. This is the exact problem WhatsApp Business API tools like Wati try to solve: automated replies, catalog sharing, and a shared team inbox so no order slips through.
This review covers what Wati actually costs in 2026, who it works best for, how it stacks up against Interakt, AiSensy, and Zoko, and where a seller is better off skipping it entirely. If you run a WhatsApp-first business anywhere in India, from a Jaipur jewelry seller to a Bengaluru D2C brand, this comparison is built for you. We looked at published pricing pages, feature documentation, and third-party review sites like G2 and Capterra to compare these tools on cost, ease of setup, and how well each one fits an Indian seller’s workflow rather than a US enterprise use case.
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Wati vs Interakt vs AiSensy vs Zoko: Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Price (₹/month) | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business App (free) | Solo sellers testing the waters | ₹0 | 3.5/5 |
| Interakt | Growing sellers who want automation without a big team | From ₹1,499 | 4.4/5 |
| AiSensy | Budget-conscious sellers running broadcast campaigns | From ₹1,299 | 4.0/5 |
| Wati | Support teams of 5 or more agents | From ₹4,100 | 4.2/5 |
| Zoko | Shopify sellers wanting WhatsApp checkout built in | From ₹3,400 | 3.9/5 |
Wati: Full Review
Wati runs on the official WhatsApp Business API and its entry-level Business plan starts at roughly $49 a month, close to ₹4,100 at current exchange rates, per the vendor’s published pricing page. That plan includes a shared team inbox, chatbot flows, and catalog messaging, and it scales in agent seats rather than message volume, which suits a support desk more than a one-person shop. The chatbot builder uses a visual flow editor, no coding needed, and integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce out of the box.
One real limitation: the free trial caps at 1,000 contacts, and sellers with an existing WhatsApp broadcast list larger than that hit the wall almost immediately during setup. Wati also charges per agent seat on top of the base plan, so a five-person support team on the Business tier can end up closer to ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 a month once seats are added, per the vendor’s seat-pricing table. For a Delhi-based electronics reseller running a dedicated customer service desk, that cost is easy to justify against the sales it recovers. For a two-person operation, it’s a lot of infrastructure for the message volume involved.
Interakt: Full Review
Interakt is built specifically for the Indian SMB market, and it shows in the pricing: the Starter plan begins at ₹1,499 a month per the vendor’s site, roughly a third of Wati’s entry price for comparable catalog and broadcast features. It plugs directly into Razorpay and Shopify for order updates over WhatsApp, and GST-registered sellers can pull invoice-linked messages without a separate integration. The catalog sync with Meta Commerce Manager updates within minutes of a product change.
The trade-off is a thinner third-party app marketplace than Wati, so sellers wanting niche integrations, like a custom ERP hookup, may need a developer to build a webhook bridge instead of picking one off a marketplace shelf. Interakt also supports Hindi, Tamil, and five other regional languages in its template library, which matters for a Jaipur or Indore seller messaging customers outside metro cities. For most Indian sellers running under 3,000 conversations a month, Interakt’s Starter or Growth tier covers the same ground Wati’s Business plan does, at roughly a third of the recurring cost.
AiSensy: Full Review
AiSensy leads on broadcast pricing, starting near ₹1,299 a month for up to 1,000 monthly active users, per its published tier chart, making it the cheapest way to run WhatsApp marketing campaigns at scale. Bulk broadcast delivery and template approval both route through the tool’s dashboard without extra setup steps. It supports regional language templates, useful for a Surat textile seller messaging customers in Gujarati alongside English.
Support response time on the lower tiers runs slower than Interakt’s, based on user reviews on G2 and Capterra, which matters if a broadcast campaign misfires and needs a fast fix. AiSensy is also the only tool in this comparison built primarily around one-way broadcast campaigns rather than two-way support conversations, so a seller who needs a live chat inbox for customer questions will find Interakt or Wati a better structural fit even if AiSensy wins on raw broadcast cost.
Zoko: Full Review
Zoko’s pitch is WhatsApp-native checkout: customers browse a catalog and pay without leaving the chat, using UPI or card, which cuts drop-off compared to redirecting to a separate website cart. Pricing starts around $40 a month, close to ₹3,400, per the vendor’s international pricing page, since Zoko doesn’t publish a dedicated INR tier.
It’s built primarily for Shopify stores, so a seller on a different platform, WooCommerce or a custom-built site, will find the setup clunkier than Interakt or Wati, both of which support a broader range of storefronts natively. Cart abandonment recovery messages are automatic and triggered within 30 minutes of checkout drop-off, which is one of the stronger conversion features in this group. For a Shopify-only D2C seller, that single feature can outweigh the higher price tag.
Who Should Skip Wati
Skip Wati if you’re a solo seller handling under 50 conversations a day. Its per-agent pricing model means you pay for team-inbox infrastructure you won’t use, and a cheaper tool like AiSensy or the free WhatsApp Business App covers the same conversation volume for a fraction of the cost. Wati earns its price only once a business has an actual support team splitting incoming chats, not before. If you’re still testing whether WhatsApp is even your right sales channel, start with the free WhatsApp Business App for two or three months, track your message volume, and only move to a paid tool once that number is consistently above what one person can handle alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wati free to use in India?
No. Wati offers a limited free trial capped at 1,000 contacts, but its paid plans start at roughly ₹4,100 a month. There’s no permanent free tier like the standard WhatsApp Business App.
Does Wati work with the official WhatsApp Business API?
Yes, Wati is a Meta-verified Business Solution Provider, meaning it runs entirely on the official API rather than an unofficial workaround, which keeps your number safe from bans tied to third-party scraping tools.
Is Interakt cheaper than Wati for Indian sellers?
Yes, Interakt’s Starter plan at ₹1,499 a month undercuts Wati’s ₹4,100 entry price by a wide margin, and it includes India-specific integrations like Razorpay that Wati doesn’t offer natively.
Can I switch from Wati to another tool without losing my WhatsApp number?
Yes. Your WhatsApp Business number is tied to Meta, not to Wati, so migrating to Interakt, AiSensy, or any other Business Solution Provider keeps your existing number and chat history intact.