WATI vs Interakt (2026)
Both are Indian WhatsApp Business API platforms priced in rupees. Interakt is cheaper to start (₹2,799 Growth) with unlimited agents and publishes its per-message rates, but its chatbot and AI answering are basic unless you buy the AI add-on. WATI costs more (₹2,699 Growth with 3 users, ₹5,799 Pro) and includes AI credits, automation triggers and stronger integrations. Large agent teams on a budget lean Interakt; teams that want AI and CRM integrations included lean WATI.
Prices and product status verified 3 November 2026. We build a competing product (Conferbot) - where it appears below, it is labeled.
WATI and Interakt are the two names most Indian businesses meet first when they look for an official WhatsApp Business API provider. Both give you a shared inbox, broadcasts with approved templates, a catalogue and basic automation. They differ on what they charge for: WATI meters users, automation triggers and AI credits; Interakt gives unlimited agents and meters WhatsApp messages at published per-message rates.
Prices below are from each vendor's pricing page on the date at the top, in INR, before taxes.
At a glance
| WATI | Interakt | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Growth ₹2,699/month billed quarterly, 3 users | Growth ₹2,799/month, unlimited agents (WhatsApp + Instagram) |
| Next tier | Pro ₹5,799/month, 5 users | Advanced ₹3,799/month, unlimited agents |
| Top self-serve | Business ₹16,799/month | Enterprise on request, no message markup |
| Extra users | ₹1,299 (Pro) or ₹2,199 (Business) per user/month | Not needed: unlimited agents |
| Chatbot | Flows with 1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 automation triggers a month | Basic linear (Growth); branching and API calls (Advanced) |
| AI | 2,000 / 5,000 / 20,000 Wati AI credits included | AI Agents add-on ₹2,499/month with 100 AI messages, ₹0.50 each after |
| Message fees | Per Meta rate card by country and category | Published per-message rates, e.g. marketing ₹0.958 on Growth (India) |
| Instagram-only plan | No | Starter ₹999/month |
- You want AI answering included rather than an add-on
- HubSpot or Salesforce integration matters
- A small team of 3 to 5 users runs WhatsApp
- Many agents need access without per-user fees
- You want published per-message WhatsApp rates
- Your bot needs are simple: menus, FAQs, order updates
What each one charges for
WATI on 3 November 2026 listed Growth at ₹2,699 a month, Pro at ₹5,799 and Business at ₹16,799, billed quarterly (with monthly and annual options on a toggle). Growth includes 3 users with no extras; Pro and Business include 5, with extra users at ₹1,299 and ₹2,199 a month. Each tier includes automation triggers (1,000, 2,000, 5,000), Wati AI credits (2,000, 5,000, 20,000) and Astra AI agents (1, 2, unlimited). Add-ons: ₹1,000 per 1,000 extra triggers, ₹1,600 per 2,000 AI credits, ₹2,499 per extra WhatsApp number, and Shopify at $4.99 a month.
Interakt listed Starter (Instagram only) at ₹999, Growth at ₹2,799 and Advanced at ₹3,799 a month plus taxes, with unlimited agents, and Enterprise on request. It publishes per-message WhatsApp rates for Indian numbers by plan: on Growth, ₹0.958 for marketing, ₹0.150 for utility and ₹0.128 for authentication and service messages; on Advanced, ₹0.949, ₹0.140 and ₹0.127; Enterprise has no markup charges. The first 1,000 service messages are free. Its AI Agents add-on is ₹2,499 a month with 100 AI messages included and ₹0.50 per extra AI message, though another line on the same page says ₹3,000, so confirm it. Yearly billing is 20% off.
The bill in three situations
Subscription only, before taxes; WhatsApp message fees are extra on both and depend on your template mix.
3 agents, menus and FAQs, no AI
Interakt Growth ₹2,799. WATI Growth ₹2,699. Roughly equal; Interakt's per-message rates are published, which makes the total easier to forecast.
10 agents in a busy support team
Interakt Advanced ₹3,799 with unlimited agents. WATI Pro ₹5,799 + 5 extra users x ₹1,299 = ₹12,294. Interakt is far cheaper when headcount is the growth axis.
5 agents, AI answering about 1,500 customer questions a month
WATI Pro ₹5,799 includes 5,000 AI credits (how many credits one answer uses depends on the feature; ask WATI). Interakt Advanced ₹3,799 + AI Agents ₹2,499 + 1,400 extra AI messages x ₹0.50 = ₹6,998. WATI is cheaper when AI does a lot of the work.
Feature by feature
| Capability | WATI | Interakt |
|---|---|---|
| Official WhatsApp Business API | Yes | Yes |
| Shared team inbox | Yes, users metered | Yes, unlimited agents |
| Broadcasts | 15k on Growth, unlimited on Pro and Business | Yes |
| Chatbot builder | Flows, triggers metered | Linear on Growth, branching and API calls on Advanced |
| AI answering from your website | Wati AI credits, Astra agents | AnswerBot runs (4 or 6, max 5 URLs) plus AI Agents add-on |
| API | 10k calls on Growth up to 20M on Business | API-call chatbot on Advanced |
| CRM | HubSpot on Pro, Salesforce on Business | Own Sales CRM, ₹2,499/month with 5 agents |
| Supported | Instagram on all plans, Instagram-only Starter |
WhatsApp message fees: read the rate card
On both platforms the subscription is only part of the bill. Meta charges per message by category (marketing, utility, authentication, service) and by the recipient's country, and since 1 October 2026 the service-window rules changed too (see our note on WhatsApp service message billing). Interakt publishes its per-message prices for Indian numbers on the pricing page. WATI links a rate card per plan and says per-message charges vary by category and country.
To compare honestly, take last month's template sends by category and multiply by each vendor's rate. Our WhatsApp API cost calculator does the arithmetic, and the template checker helps you keep utility templates out of the marketing category.
Moving between them
Both use the official API, so you keep your number and your WhatsApp Business account; what moves is the connection. Disconnect the number from the old provider, register it with the new one, re-check display-name approval and template status, rebuild chatbot flows and re-import contacts. Expect a short window where messages are not delivered, and do it outside peak hours.
If registration fails, our guides to WhatsApp number registration errors, WhatsApp error codes and Meta webhook verification cover the common causes.
Where Conferbot fits (our product, labeled)
Conferbot connects to the official WhatsApp Business API with your own Meta account, so Meta bills message fees to you directly. It is priced per conversation in USD: Free includes 600 conversations a month, then $19, $39 and $59 for 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000. AI answers trained on your site through the AI knowledge base and live chat hand-off are on every plan.
The same bot also runs on your website, Telegram, Messenger and other channels. It is not a broadcast-first marketing tool the way WATI and Interakt are, and its team seats are 2, 3, 5 and 15 by plan, so a large WhatsApp agent team is still cheaper on Interakt. See WhatsApp chatbot for setup.
Decision guide by situation
| Your situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Many agents, tight budget | Interakt | Unlimited agents from ₹2,799 |
| AI answering is central | WATI | AI credits included in the plan |
| HubSpot or Salesforce | WATI | Integrations on Pro and Business |
| Instagram DMs only | Interakt | Instagram-only Starter at ₹999 |
| One bot on WhatsApp and the website | A multi-channel builder | See website chatbot |
Questions to ask each vendor
For WATI
- "How many AI credits does one AI answer use?"
- "Send the rate card for our top customer countries."
For Interakt
- "Is the AI Agents add-on ₹2,499 or ₹3,000 a month on our plan?" (both appeared on the page)
- "What does an AnswerBot run cover, and how often can it refresh?"
- "What are the rates for non-Indian numbers?"
How this comparison was verified
Plans, user and agent limits, triggers, AI credits, add-ons and per-message rates were read from wati.io/pricing and interakt.shop/pricing on 3 November 2026. Interakt's page showed two prices for the AI Agents add-on and two custom-tag counts for its CRM; we note the conflict rather than pick one. Neither page listed USD prices. We did not run either product in production for this page. Corrections are welcome via contact. Disclosure: Conferbot is our product, and its section is labeled.
Frequently asked questions
Is WATI or Interakt cheaper?
Interakt is usually cheaper for teams with many agents, because every plan has unlimited agents (Growth ₹2,799, Advanced ₹3,799). WATI is usually cheaper when AI answering does a lot of work, because its plans include AI credits. Add WhatsApp message fees to both before deciding.
How much does WATI cost in 2026?
On 3 November 2026: Growth ₹2,699 a month, Pro ₹5,799 and Business ₹16,799, billed quarterly, with 3, 5 and 5 users included and extra users at ₹1,299 or ₹2,199. A 7-day free trial is offered.
How much does Interakt cost in 2026?
On 3 November 2026: Starter (Instagram only) ₹999, Growth ₹2,799 and Advanced ₹3,799 a month plus taxes, with unlimited agents, and Enterprise on request. Yearly billing is 20% off. WhatsApp messages are charged per message at the published rates.
Do WATI and Interakt add a markup on WhatsApp messages?
Interakt publishes per-message prices by plan (for example ₹0.958 for a marketing message to an Indian number on Growth) and says Enterprise has no markup. WATI's page refers to Meta's pricing and a rate card per plan without describing a markup. Compare the actual per-message prices for your countries.
Which has better AI?
WATI includes AI credits and Astra AI agents in every plan. Interakt's AnswerBot is limited (4 or 6 runs, up to 5 URLs) and full AI agents are an add-on with 100 AI messages and ₹0.50 per message after.
Which has a better chatbot builder?
WATI's flows are more capable but metered by automation triggers. Interakt's Growth chatbot is linear; branching and API calls need Advanced.
Does Interakt have unlimited agents?
Yes. Every listed plan has unlimited agents, which is its main pricing advantage over per-user platforms.
Can I switch from WATI to Interakt without losing my number?
Yes. Both use the official WhatsApp Business API, so the number and business account stay yours. You disconnect it from one provider and register it with the other, then rebuild flows and re-import contacts.
Do they support Instagram?
Both do. Interakt has an Instagram-only Starter plan at ₹999 a month and includes Instagram on Growth and Advanced. WATI supports Instagram alongside WhatsApp.
Which integrates with HubSpot or Salesforce?
WATI lists HubSpot on Pro and Salesforce on Business. Interakt sells its own Sales CRM at ₹2,499 a month for 5 sales agents.
What are alternatives to WATI and Interakt?
AiSensy, Gupshup, Gallabox and Respond.io are common WhatsApp alternatives. For one AI bot across WhatsApp, a website and other channels billed per conversation, multi-channel builders such as Conferbot fit.
Is there a WhatsApp chatbot priced per conversation in USD?
Conferbot bills per conversation: Free includes 600 a month and paid plans are $19, $39 and $59 for 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000, with WhatsApp and every other channel on every plan. Meta bills message fees directly to your own WhatsApp account.