WhatsApp Business API providers in India, compared
Every provider passes on Meta's message rates. What differs is how they charge on top (subscriptions, seats, per-message fees, AI add-ons) and how the replies get answered.
How each one charges
Checked against each provider's own pricing page in September 2026. Prices change; follow the links for today's figures.
| Provider | How you pay | AI replies |
|---|---|---|
| Altrnative | No subscription. Send only: Meta's rate + 10%. With an AI agent: Meta's rate at cost + ₹0.30 per 24-hour conversation | Included in the conversation price |
| WATI | Monthly subscription plans with a set number of users; extra users charged per user per month; a pay-as-you-go option | Astra AI agent: $99 a month for 5,000 credits (1 credit per text reply) |
| Interakt | Monthly subscription plans (Starter, Growth, Advanced), cheaper when paid quarterly or yearly | See their pricing page |
| AiSensy | Subscription plans billed monthly, quarterly or yearly; Meta's rates passed through | AI agent add-on of ₹1,350 a month including 1,000 AI messages |
| BotPulsar | Monthly plans from ₹300; broadcasts from ₹999 (Growth); AI agents on Pro at ₹1,999; zero markup on Meta; before GST | Included on Pro |
| Gallabox | Plans from ₹2,399 a month (yearly); AI agents from Essential, ₹5,599 a month (yearly) with 2,000 AI credits | AI credits by plan |
| MSG91 | Hello Basic ₹1,500 a month (1,000 tickets, ₹1,500 bot wallet), before GST | Bot usage per rate card |
| Meta Business Agent | Meta's own AI: $2 per million tokens, about 4–5 US cents a message (Meta's figures) | Per token |
| Gupshup | Self-serve: $0.001 platform fee on every message, sent or received, plus Meta at actuals; enterprise pricing on request | See their pricing page |
What actually differs
Subscriptions and seats. WATI, Interakt, AiSensy and BotPulsar are built around plans paid monthly, quarterly or yearly, with features and team size set by the plan. Altrnative and Gupshup's self-serve plan charge only for use.
How AI is billed. Most providers sell AI as credits or a message allowance on top of the plan. Altrnative prices the conversation instead: one person, one number, 24 hours, however many messages, AI included.
How replies are built. Several providers are built around drag-and-drop flows: menus and buttons you draw. Altrnative's agents are described in plain words and understand free text; there is no flow to draw.
Team inbox and integrations. The older platforms have larger integration catalogues (Shopify apps, CRMs) and mature shared inboxes. Altrnative connects through its API today and has no store app yet.
What it costs at your volume
With no monthly fee, Altrnative is the cheapest for AI agents up to about 6,663 conversations a month, and for campaigns up to about 11,575 marketing messages a month. The full table at 100, 1,000 and 10,000 a month: the cheapest WhatsApp AI agent in India, with the maths.
How to choose
- Mostly broadcasts, a team replying by hand: a subscription platform with a strong shared inbox fits.
- Heavy message volume through your own code: a per-message API like Gupshup's fits.
- You want an AI agent to hold the conversations and capture answers, and to pay only when it does: that is what Altrnative is built for.
Questions
Which is the best WhatsApp Business API provider in India?
It depends on how you use WhatsApp. For broadcasts answered by a team, subscription platforms such as WATI, Interakt or AiSensy with a shared inbox fit well. For AI agents that answer and qualify every reply, with no monthly fee, Altrnative is built for that.
Do all providers charge Meta's message rates?
Yes. Meta charges per template message delivered, by category, and every provider passes that on. Some add a fee per message; others charge a subscription instead or as well.
Which WhatsApp API provider has no monthly fee?
Altrnative has no subscription: you pay Meta's rate plus 10% when you only send, or ₹0.30 per conversation when an AI agent answers, so 1,000 AI conversations cost ₹300 in platform fees. Gupshup's self-serve plan also charges per message rather than per month.
Can I switch WhatsApp API providers and keep my number?
Yes. Meta supports moving a WhatsApp Business API number from one provider to another. If the WhatsApp Business account is in your own name, its approved templates come with it.
Try it on your own number
Describe your agent in plain words, test it in a chat, and put it on your WhatsApp. $5 free to start, no subscription.
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