The WATI alternative with an AI agent on six channels
As a WATI alternative, respond.io suits teams that need more channels and seats, Gallabox sales teams on WhatsApp, AiSensy and Interakt a low budget in India, and HiQBot teams that want an AI agent to answer, qualify and book on six channels. WATI’s own prices start at $39 a month billed annually.
HiQBot is a conversational platform for customer service, with AI agents and live chat on website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and LINE. WATI is a WhatsApp Business API platform with a team inbox, broadcasts, chatbots and an AI agent called Astra.
We read WATI’s pricing, inbox, calling and coexistence pages on 13 November 2026, along with the respond.io, Gallabox, AiSensy and Interakt pricing pages. HiQBot publishes this page, so check the links and weigh it accordingly.
WATI alternatives at a glance
Lists of WATI alternatives keep naming the same reasons for leaving: message fees on top of the plan, the 3-user limit on Growth, and wanting an AI agent on more channels. These five cover those reasons. Each link goes to the vendor’s own pricing page, read on 13 November 2026, and ours are on the HiQBot pricing page.
WATI (for reference)
- Best for
- WhatsApp marketing and sales, with Instagram, TikTok and ads
- AI agent
- Astra: 1 agent on Growth, 2 on Pro, unlimited on Business
- Beyond WhatsApp
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, website chat, RCS and email
HiQBot
- Best for
- Teams that want the AI to answer, qualify and book on six channels, with people taking over
- How it charges
- Flat monthly plans with message credits
- AI agent
- Included, with a monthly credit allowance
- Beyond WhatsApp
- Website chat, Instagram DMs and comments, Messenger, Telegram and LINE
respond.io
- Best for
- Many channels and a larger team
- How it charges
- From $79 a month billed yearly, $99 monthly
- AI agent
- AI Agents from the Growth plan; see our respond.io alternatives
- Beyond WhatsApp
- Website chat, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE and more
Gallabox
- Best for
- Sales teams selling on WhatsApp
- How it charges
- From $112 a month billed annually, $150 quarterly
- AI agent
- Web AI agents on Basic; WhatsApp and Instagram from Essential; see our Gallabox alternatives
- Beyond WhatsApp
- Instagram and website chat
AiSensy
- Best for
- A low starting price in India
- How it charges
- A Free Forever plan, then paid plans in rupees
- AI agent
- AI Agent builder add-on, ₹1,350 a month for 1,000 AI messages
- Beyond WhatsApp
- WhatsApp is what its pricing page sells
Interakt
- Best for
- Shops selling on WhatsApp, with unlimited agents
- How it charges
- $55 or $69 a month plus taxes, unlimited agents
- AI agent
- WhatsApp AI Agents add-on, $74.99 a month on Growth and Advanced; see our Interakt alternatives
- Beyond WhatsApp
WATI pricing in November 2026
WATI’s pricing page lists three plans. Growth is $39 a month, Pro $79 and Business $199, billed annually, which saves up to 20% on paying monthly. Growth includes 3 users and cannot add more. Pro and Business include 5, and extra users cost $24 or $59 a month each, so a team of 7 on Pro pays $79 plus 2 × $24, or $127 a month billed annually, before message fees. WATI shows prices by region, so yours may differ.
Some costs sit outside the plan. Template messages are charged per message, at rates that vary for marketing, utility and authentication messages. 2,000 more AI credits cost $20 a month, 1,000 more automation triggers $25 a month, and each extra WhatsApp number $29 a month. There is a 7-day free trial and no setup fee.
On HiQBot, each plan on our pricing page has one price that includes the AI agent, a set number of seats and a monthly allowance of message credits. When the credits are gone the AI pauses until the plan renews or you add a pack; nothing is bought for you. Meta bills WhatsApp template messages to your own WhatsApp account, and HiQBot adds nothing per message.
| Plan feature | Growth | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| A month, billed annually | $39 | $79 | $199 |
| A month, billed monthly | $49 | $99 | $249 |
| Users included | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Extra user, a month | Not offered | $24 | $59 |
| Astra AI agents | 1 | 2 | Unlimited |
| AI credits a month | 2,000 | 5,000 | 20,000 |
| Broadcasts a month | 15,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Automation triggers a month | 1,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 |
WATI vs HiQBot: the AI agent
WATI’s Astra answers from your documents and hands ready buyers to your team. HiQBot’s agent starts from your industry and works toward a booking or a sale. This table uses WATI’s pricing and inbox pages as read on 13 November 2026, against HiQBot’s own feature list.
| What the agent does | WATI Astra | HiQBot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Astra agents and AI credits come with each plan; 2,000 more credits are $20 a month | Included in the plan, with a monthly credit allowance |
| Where it answers | WhatsApp and Instagram per its inbox page, with Messenger and TikTok coming soon; its Astra page adds website, phone, SMS and RCS | Website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and LINE |
| Where it starts | Your knowledge base: PDFs and website pages | One of twelve industry packs, such as SaaS, automotive, hospitality, restaurants, travel or e-commerce, with that trade’s questions and closing step, which you then edit |
| Qualifying a lead | Qualifies leads from your knowledge base and hands over the ones ready to buy | Asks the industry’s qualifying questions, captures the lead and labels it hot, warm or cold on a status pipeline |
| Booking | Books meetings through connected tools, such as Calendly | Takes the booking into your dashboard, and onto Google Calendar when it is connected |
| Handing over to a person | Human hand-off listed with the advanced Astra agents on Pro | Sees when a person is needed, checks working hours, assigns and notifies, in the same thread, on plans with live chat seats |
| Help for your team | Wati AI in the inbox: ask it anything, an AI editor and conversation summaries; live translation on Pro | AI drafts, rewrites and summaries for your team, and conversations translated into your team’s language |
| Voice | Voice AI agents on Business | The AI agent answers in chat, including voice notes with the Voice Notes add-on; WhatsApp calls ring your team |
Channels and WhatsApp calls
| Channel | WATI | HiQBot |
|---|---|---|
| Website chat | Yes | Yes |
| Yes, with coexistence | Yes, connected inside the dashboard, with coexistence | |
| DMs, plus comment-to-DM on posts and reels | DMs, plus comment-to-DM on a chosen post or reel | |
| Facebook Messenger | Yes | Yes |
| Telegram | Not listed | Yes |
| LINE | Not listed | Yes |
| RCS and email | Yes | Not offered as chat channels |
| WhatsApp calls | Inbound and outbound in the team inbox, with call recording and transcripts | Customers call your WhatsApp number and it rings your team in the inbox, on plans with WhatsApp calling; your team can call back from there |
On HiQBot every channel lands in one inbox, and each channel can run its own agent. The website chat widget goes in with one tag. Your WhatsApp number connects from the dashboard and can stay in the WhatsApp Business app on your team’s phone at the same time (WhatsApp setup).
With WhatsApp calling, customers call your WhatsApp Business number and it rings your team in the HiQBot inbox, beside the chat, on plans with WhatsApp calling. The AI agent itself works in writing.
WATI vs HiQBot: which to pick
WATI does more for WhatsApp marketing than we do; the right-hand column lists where.
- You want the AI agent answering on Messenger, Telegram and LINE as well as website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram.
- You want an agent that starts from your industry’s questions and takes the booking into your calendar.
- You want Meta to bill template messages to your own WhatsApp account, with nothing added per message.
- You want buttons and steps that collect details on Telegram and LINE as well as WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, without the AI.
- WhatsApp marketing is the main job: click-to-WhatsApp ads, catalogs and 15,000 broadcasts a month on the entry plan.
- You want RCS or email in the same inbox.
- You want a voice AI agent, which WATI lists on its Business plan.
- You want onboarding help, which WATI includes with annual plans.
What the HiQBot agent does
The agent starts from one of twelve industry packs, such as SaaS and technology, automotive, hospitality, restaurants, travel, or e-commerce and retail. It asks what a good salesperson would ask in that trade, answers from the documents you upload, and closes: service businesses get the booking taken into the dashboard, and onto Google Calendar if you connect it. With a WooCommerce store connected, it finds products, answers price and stock questions and sends a checkout link with the items in the cart.
On plans with live chat seats, anyone on shift can take a conversation over in the same thread, with assignment, routing and team reports. You can also set a whole channel to live chat mode: no AI answers there, and the conversation goes straight to a person.
Switching from WATI, step by step
- Start the 7-day trial on a plan with live chat seats if people will answer chats, or on one where the AI answers on its own (compare plans). The trial asks for a card.
- Give the agent what your team already answers from: upload help articles, price lists and policies, and add the website pages that hold the rest.
- Pick your industry and review the questions the agent asks before it books or sends a checkout link.
- Connect Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE and the website chat first, and test the agent there while WATI keeps your WhatsApp number.
- When you are ready, disconnect the WhatsApp number in WATI, since a number sits with one provider at a time, then connect it from the HiQBot dashboard.
- Invite the team, set routing, and decide which channels the AI answers and which run as live chat only.
Questions people ask before switching.
How much does WATI cost?
$39 a month on Growth, $79 on Pro and $199 on Business, billed annually, as read on wati.io/pricing on 13 November 2026. Billed monthly they were $49, $99 and $249. Growth includes 3 users and cannot add more; Pro and Business include 5, with extra users at $24 and $59 a month. Template messages are charged on top. WATI shows prices by region, so yours may differ.
Does WATI have a free plan?
No. Its pricing page lists no free plan, only a 7-day free trial with no setup fee. Its coexistence page also offers a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly fee, from ₹999 with 500 messages. HiQBot has a 7-day trial too, and ours asks for a card.
Does WATI charge for WhatsApp messages?
Yes. WATI’s pricing page says additional charges apply for template messages, and the rate varies for marketing, utility and authentication messages. On HiQBot, Meta bills template messages to your own WhatsApp account and HiQBot adds nothing per message.
Does WATI have an AI agent?
Yes. Its AI agent is called Astra: 1 agent on Growth, 2 on Pro and unlimited on Business, using 2,000, 5,000 or 20,000 AI credits a month. WATI’s inbox page says Astra answers on WhatsApp and Instagram, with Messenger and TikTok coming soon, and its Astra page adds website, phone, SMS and RCS. HiQBot’s agent answers on website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and LINE.
What is the best alternative to WATI?
HiQBot for an AI agent that answers, qualifies and books on six channels; respond.io for many channels and a larger team; Gallabox for sales teams on WhatsApp; AiSensy or Interakt for a low price in India. If WhatsApp marketing and ads are the main job, WATI is the stronger choice.
Who are WATI’s main competitors?
respond.io, AiSensy, Interakt, Gallabox, SleekFlow, Twilio and Gupshup appear on many lists of WATI alternatives. HiQBot is built around an AI agent on six chat channels, with live chat for your team in the same inbox.
Can I keep my WhatsApp number in the WhatsApp Business app?
Yes, on both. WATI and HiQBot both support coexistence, so the number runs on the WhatsApp API and in the Business app at the same time, and your team keeps answering on the phone they already use.
What does WATI have that HiQBot does not?
RCS and email in the inbox, WhatsApp catalogs, a voice AI agent on Business, and onboarding help included with annual plans. If you need those, choose WATI.
Try it on your other channels first.
Seven days, your own documents. Connect Instagram, website chat or Telegram while WATI keeps your WhatsApp number, then compare a week of conversations before you move it.