Wati Alternative in India: PayPerWA vs Wati (2026 Pricing Compared)
Wati's plans cost ₹2,999 to ₹18,499 a month (₹2,199–₹14,799 billed yearly), and Wati charges ₹0.97–₹1.04 per marketing message in India. PayPerWA has no plan: Meta's rate plus a flat ₹0.20: Meta ₹0.86 + PayPerWA ₹0.20 = ₹1.06 for a marketing message.
Wati is a full customer-engagement suite with team seats, omnichannel inbox and CRM integrations. If you mainly need WhatsApp campaigns, a chatbot and an API, here is what that suite costs compared with paying per message.
The short answer
Choose PayPerWA if you…
- send fewer than about 72,700 marketing messages a month (the point where Wati Pro billed yearly catches up)
- want no subscription: top up a prepaid wallet only when you send
- need several WhatsApp numbers without paying ₹2,499 a month per extra number
- want the API, webhooks, chatbot and scheduling on every account
Choose Wati if you…
- need 3–5+ user seats with routing and operator reports today
- want one inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
- rely on HubSpot, Salesforce or Zoho integrations or Wati's AI agents
- send very high volumes where Wati's lower Pro and Business per-message rates add up
Wati pricing in 2026
Wati bills a plan plus a charge for every message, set by Wati's own rate card. Monthly-billing prices are shown first, then the per-month price when billed yearly.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | ₹999 one-time | Single user, bulk campaigns only. The ₹999 comes back as message credits (about 500 messages); the account stays valid for 3 months, extended by sending regularly. |
| Growth | ₹2,999/mo · ₹2,199/mo yearly | 3 users (no extra users), up to 15,000 broadcast messages a month, 1,000 automation triggers, omnichannel inbox, 2 integrations. |
| Pro | ₹6,499/mo · ₹4,899/mo yearly | 5 users (+₹1,299/user/month), unlimited broadcasts, 2,000 automation triggers, advanced chatbots and forms, 5 integrations including HubSpot, API access. |
| Business | ₹18,499/mo · ₹14,799/mo yearly | 5 users (+₹2,199/user/month), multiple numbers, 5,000 automation triggers, unlimited integrations and AI agents. |
| Add-ons | From ₹1,000/month | Extra WhatsApp number ₹2,499/month each; 1,000 extra automation triggers ₹1,000/month; AI Co-pilot credits ₹1,600/month. |
| PayPerWA | ₹0/month | No plans. Every account gets campaigns, inbox, chatbot, API and multiple numbers. Meta bills its own per-message rate to your WhatsApp Business Account; PayPerWA's ₹0.20 per message comes from a prepaid wallet. |
Wati's India rate card (effective 1 October 2026): marketing ₹1.0357 on Growth, ₹0.9926 on Pro and ₹0.9667 on Business; utility and authentication ₹0.1495 (₹0.1380 on Business); service ₹0.1380 after 1,000 free service messages a month. PayPerWA: Meta's rate + ₹0.20, so a marketing message is Meta ₹0.86 + PayPerWA ₹0.20 = ₹1.06.
Monthly cost: PayPerWA vs Wati
Total monthly bill for marketing messages to Indian numbers, on Wati Growth billed monthly and billed yearly. Growth includes up to 15,000 broadcast messages a month; above that you need Pro.
| Marketing messages / month | PayPerWA (Meta ₹0.86 + PayPerWA ₹0.20 each) | Wati Growth (monthly) | Wati Growth (yearly) | Wati Pro (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ₹1,060 | ₹4,035 | ₹3,235 | ₹7,492 |
| 5,000 | ₹5,300 | ₹8,178 | ₹7,378 | ₹11,462 |
| 10,000 | ₹10,600 | ₹13,356 | ₹12,556 | ₹16,425 |
| 25,000 | ₹26,500 | Over plan limit | Over plan limit | ₹31,314 |
- PayPerWA costs less than Wati Growth (monthly) at every volume the plan allows (up to 15,000 broadcast messages a month).
- PayPerWA costs less than Wati Growth (yearly) at every volume the plan allows (up to 15,000 broadcast messages a month).
- Wati Pro (monthly) becomes cheaper than PayPerWA above roughly 96,400 marketing messages a month. Below that, PayPerWA costs less.
Totals = subscription (yearly plans divided by 12) + messages × each vendor's published all-in India marketing rate. PayPerWA's total includes Meta's ₹0.86, which Meta bills to your WhatsApp Business Account; the wallet pays the ₹0.20. Vendor prices are list prices; where a vendor quotes “+taxes”, 18% GST is extra. PayPerWA's ₹0.20 fee is GST-inclusive. Utility, authentication and service messages are priced differently and are not included.
Features: PayPerWA vs Wati
| Feature | PayPerWA | Wati |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | ₹0 | ₹2,999–₹18,499 (₹2,199+ yearly), or ₹999 pay-as-you-go |
| India marketing message | ₹1.06 (Meta ₹0.86 + ₹0.20) | ₹0.9667–₹1.0357 depending on plan |
| How you pay | ₹0.20 per message from a prepaid wallet (UPI, cards, netbanking); Meta bills its fee to your WhatsApp Business Account; no lock-in | Monthly, quarterly or yearly plan, plus message charges |
| Try before paying | Free sign-up; pay only when you recharge | 7-day free trial |
| Official Meta Cloud API | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk campaigns | Yes, no monthly cap | Up to 15,000/month on Growth; unlimited from Pro |
| Chatbot builder | No-code builder on every account | Yes; advanced chatbots from Pro |
| API & webhooks | REST API, API keys and webhooks on every account | API from Pro (200k calls/month, limited webhooks) |
| Multiple WhatsApp numbers | Yes, one wallet across numbers | Business plan, or ₹2,499/month per extra number |
| User seats | One login per account; multi-agent seats on the roadmap | 3 on Growth, 5 on Pro and Business (extra seats paid) |
| Omnichannel inbox | WhatsApp only | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, web widget |
| CRM integrations | Via API and webhooks | HubSpot from Pro; Salesforce, Zoho and more |
| AI agents | Not offered | Yes (Astra, sold separately; AI credits as add-ons) |
How Wati charges
Wati, from Clare.ai Limited, is a customer-engagement platform built on the WhatsApp Business API. It adds a shared team inbox, automation, CRM integrations and AI agents. Its pricing has three parts: a plan (Growth, Pro or Business), a charge for every message from Wati's own rate card, and paid add-ons such as extra numbers and extra users.
On monthly billing Growth is ₹2,999, Pro ₹6,499 and Business ₹18,499. Billed yearly they work out to ₹2,199, ₹4,899 and ₹14,799 a month. Growth is capped at 15,000 broadcast messages a month and three users, with no option to add more users.
Wati's India marketing charge is ₹1.0357 on Growth, ₹0.9926 on Pro and ₹0.9667 on Business. Meta's own rate is ₹0.8631, so Wati's markup is roughly ₹0.10–₹0.17 per marketing message depending on plan.
Wati also sells a ₹999 pay-as-you-go plan: one user and bulk campaigns only. The ₹999 comes back as message credits, and the account stays valid for three months unless you keep sending.
Plan vs no plan: what it means for your bill
PayPerWA has no plan. A marketing message to India costs Meta ₹0.86 + PayPerWA ₹0.20 = ₹1.06 (Meta bills its part to your WhatsApp Business Account; the ₹0.20 comes from your PayPerWA wallet), and campaigns, chatbot, scheduling, WhatsApp Flows, the REST API, webhooks and multiple numbers are on every account.
Wati's per-message charge on Growth (₹1.0357) is only about 2.4 paise below PayPerWA's ₹1.06 (Meta ₹0.86 + ₹0.20). That small saving would take around 90,500 messages a month to cover even the yearly Growth fee, and Growth only allows 15,000. So on Growth, PayPerWA costs less at every volume the plan allows. On Pro, Wati's lower rate (₹0.9926) catches up only at roughly 96,400 marketing messages a month on monthly billing, or about 72,700 if you pay for Pro yearly.
In practice the choice between Wati and PayPerWA is about features, not price. If you need what Wati's suite adds, it can be worth the plan fee; if you don't, you are paying for seats and tools you won't use.
A worked example: a D2C brand with two numbers
Take a brand running two WhatsApp numbers (sales and support) and sending 6,000 marketing messages a month:
- PayPerWA: 6,000 × (Meta ₹0.86 + ₹0.20) = ₹6,360. Both numbers share one wallet at no extra cost.
- Wati Growth, billed yearly: ₹2,199 + ₹2,499 for the second number + 6,000 × ₹1.0357 = ₹10,912 a month.
- Wati Business, billed yearly (multiple numbers included): ₹14,799 + 6,000 × ₹0.9667 = ₹20,599 a month.
If the same brand also needed five people answering chats with routing rules, Wati Pro or Business would give it that today and PayPerWA would not yet.
What changed on 1 October 2026: service messages
From 1 October 2026, Meta gives each business phone number 1,000 free service messages a month and charges for every service message after that (₹0.115 in India). Utility templates inside the 24-hour window are no longer free either. Because this is Meta's charge, it applies whichever platform you use.
Wati's rate card lists ₹0.1380 per service message after the free 1,000 (₹0.1231 on Business). On PayPerWA, replies your team types in the inbox carry no PayPerWA fee; automated chatbot messages carry the ₹0.20 fee. Meta's service charge applies after the first 1,000 on any provider.
Where Wati is the better choice
- You have a support or sales team that needs several logins, routing rules and operator reports today. Multi-agent seats are still on PayPerWA's roadmap.
- You talk to customers on several channels (Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok) and want one inbox for all of them.
- Your CRM is HubSpot, Salesforce or Zoho and you want a ready-made integration rather than building on an API.
- You want AI agents answering customers, or onboarding help from a dedicated team.
Where PayPerWA is the better choice
- You want WhatsApp campaigns, a chatbot and an API without a suite subscription. Everything is on every account, with no plan to outgrow.
- You run more than one number. Extra numbers are included and share one wallet, instead of ₹2,499 a month each.
- Your volume varies. In a quiet month you pay only for what you send.
- You want transparent billing. Every message shows Meta's fee and PayPerWA's ₹0.20 separately.
Both platforms use Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, so delivery, templates, quality rating and green-tick eligibility work the same. See PayPerWA pricing and the live rates by country.
How to switch from Wati to PayPerWA
- 1Check Meta's requirements. To move a number between WhatsApp Business Accounts, Meta requires a verified business portfolio, an approved WhatsApp Business Account with a payment method, and no pending display-name change.
- 2Turn off two-step verification on the number in Wati, or ask Wati support to do it. Meta will not move a number while it is on.
- 3Create your PayPerWA account and click Connect WhatsApp. Meta's embedded signup links your number to PayPerWA in a few minutes.
- 4Know what moves with the number. Meta keeps your display name, quality rating, messaging limit and Official Business Account status. Approved, high-quality templates are copied across and re-reviewed; resubmit any that don't carry over. Template quality ratings restart as “unknown”. Messaging continues without downtime.
- 5Export your contacts from Wati as a CSV, import them with your opt-in records, and rebuild your chatbot flows.
- 6Recharge your wallet and send a test to a personal WhatsApp number (not the business number you just connected) before your first campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from businesses comparing Wati and PayPerWA.
Is PayPerWA cheaper than Wati?+
How much does Wati cost in India in 2026?+
What does Wati's ₹999 plan include?+
Does Wati charge for extra WhatsApp numbers?+
Will I keep my number and templates if I move from Wati?+
Are WhatsApp replies still free on Wati and PayPerWA?+
Does PayPerWA have team seats like Wati?+
Sources and how we compared
- Wati plans and per-message rates: Wati (Clare.ai Limited)'s official pricing page, checked on 5 October 2026. The Growth plan fee (₹2,999/month on monthly billing) and its India marketing rate (₹1.0357) were re-checked on 8 November 2026; the other figures are as of 5 October 2026.
- Meta rates: Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform INR rate card, effective 1 October 2026 (India marketing ₹0.8631, shown as ₹0.86).
- Vendors change prices. If you spot a figure that has changed, tell us at /contact and we will update this page.
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Try PayPerWA with no monthly plan
Same official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API. Meta's rate + ₹0.20 per message. Recharge only what you use.