Two Approaches to WhatsApp Automation

AiSensy and Waslo both help businesses automate WhatsApp communication, but they take distinctly different paths to get there. AiSensy is a WhatsApp Business API platform focused on marketing broadcasts, chatbot flows, and shared team inboxes. Waslo is an AI agent platform that deploys autonomous agents on your WhatsApp number to handle conversations intelligently.

This comparison will help you understand which approach fits your business better, looking at pricing, features, setup experience, and the fundamental differences in how each platform thinks about automation.

AiSensy at a Glance

AiSensy is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) based in India. It has built a strong user base in the Indian market and expanding into Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The platform offers:

WhatsApp Business API access
Broadcast messaging with template management
Basic chatbot builder with flow-based logic
Shared team inbox
Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
Click-to-WhatsApp ad support
Campaign analytics

AiSensy's core strength is making the WhatsApp Business API accessible to small and medium businesses with relatively affordable pricing for the Indian market.

Waslo at a Glance

Waslo is an AI agent platform designed specifically for WhatsApp lead management. Rather than giving you tools to manage conversations manually, Waslo deploys an AI agent that handles conversations autonomously. The platform offers:

Autonomous AI agent powered by Google Gemini
Automatic lead classification (HOT/WARM/COLD)
Intelligent follow-up scheduling
Human handoff with keyword detection and Telegram alerts
Multimodal understanding (text, images, audio, video)
Per-number AI configuration for multiple WhatsApp numbers
CRM webhooks and Google Sheets sync
Flat pricing with zero per-message fees

Pricing: The Critical Difference

AiSensy Pricing

AiSensy uses a per-conversation pricing model on top of a platform fee:

Basic: Starting around $15-20/month with limited features
Pro: Around $30-45/month with chatbot and team inbox
Enterprise: Custom pricing for large volumes
WhatsApp API fees: Meta's per-conversation charges (varies by region and conversation category)
Template costs: Fees for outbound template messages

For businesses in India, AiSensy's pricing in INR can appear very affordable at the entry level. But the per-conversation fees from Meta add up, especially for marketing-initiated conversations which carry higher rates.

Waslo Pricing

Waslo uses flat monthly pricing with no per-message fees:

Starter: $149/month (annual) or $179/month (monthly) -- 1 WhatsApp number, AI agent included
Growth: $399/month -- up to 3 numbers with per-number AI configuration
Agency: $999/month -- up to 10 numbers, multi-organization support
Per-message fees: None
AI agent: Included in every plan

Price Comparison at Different Volumes

| Monthly Conversations | AiSensy Total Cost | Waslo Total Cost | |----------------------|-------------------|-----------------| | 500 | ~$25-40 | $149 | | 2,000 | ~$80-120 | $149 | | 5,000 | ~$180-280 | $149 | | 10,000 | ~$350-500 | $149 | | 20,000 | ~$700-1,000+ | $149 |

At low volumes, AiSensy is clearly cheaper. The crossover point where Waslo becomes more economical typically falls between 1,500 and 3,000 conversations per month, depending on your region and conversation mix. Above that threshold, Waslo's flat pricing becomes increasingly advantageous.

But cost per conversation is only part of the equation. The real question is: what do you get for that price?

Feature Comparison

| Feature | AiSensy | Waslo | |---------|---------|-------| | AI Capabilities | Rule-based chatbot | Autonomous AI agent (Gemini) | | Natural Language Understanding | No | Yes | | Multimodal Processing | No | Images, audio, video | | Setup Method | WhatsApp Business API | QR code (2 minutes) | | Setup Time | Days to weeks | Under 2 minutes | | Business Verification | Required by Meta | Not required | | Per-Message Fees | Yes | None | | Lead Classification | Manual tagging | Automatic AI-powered | | Auto Follow-ups | Template broadcasts | AI-personalized follow-ups | | Human Handoff | Manual routing | Keyword-triggered + Telegram | | Broadcast Campaigns | Yes, full-featured | AI-driven follow-ups | | Shared Inbox | Yes | AI handles conversations | | Team Collaboration | Multi-agent with roles | AI-first, human escalation | | E-commerce Integration | Shopify, WooCommerce | Via webhooks | | Click-to-WhatsApp Ads | Supported | Messages handled by AI agent | | Green Badge | Yes | No | | Campaign Analytics | Yes | Lead analytics + classification | | Multiple Numbers | Separate setup each | Up to 10, independent AI configs | | CRM Webhooks | Limited | Included | | Google Sheets | No | Built-in (Growth+) | | Prompt Templates | No | 6 industry templates |

The AI Gap: Chatbot Flows vs. AI Agents

This is the most significant difference between the two platforms, and it determines the quality of every conversation your business has on WhatsApp.

AiSensy's Chatbot Approach

AiSensy provides a visual chatbot builder where you create conversation flows with buttons, quick replies, and branching paths. You define every possible path a conversation can take. When a customer's message does not match a predefined trigger, the bot either falls back to a generic response or routes to a human agent.

This approach has clear limitations:

Rigid conversations: Customers must follow the script. Free-text responses often break the flow.
Maintenance burden: Every new product, service, or FAQ requires updating the flow manually.
No understanding: The bot matches keywords, it does not understand meaning. "Is this available in blue?" and "Do you have this in azure?" might get completely different responses.
Media blindness: If a customer sends a photo of a product and asks "Do you have this?", the chatbot cannot process the image.

Waslo's AI Agent Approach

Waslo's AI agent processes the actual content and intent of each message. There are no predefined flows to build or maintain. You configure the agent with a system prompt that describes your business, products, tone, and goals. The agent handles the rest.

What this looks like in practice:

Natural conversation: Customers chat normally. The agent understands context, handles follow-up questions, and maintains conversation history.
Zero maintenance: When you add a new product or change your pricing, update the system prompt. No flow diagrams to rebuild.
Semantic understanding: The agent understands that "blue," "azure," and "navy" all refer to color variants. It responds with relevant information regardless of how the customer phrases their question.
Multimodal input: Customers can send photos, voice messages, or videos. The agent processes the media and responds contextually.
Intelligent classification: After gathering enough conversation context, the agent classifies the lead and triggers appropriate actions automatically.

Setup Experience

Setting Up AiSensy

Sign up and create your account
Apply for WhatsApp Business API access through AiSensy as BSP
Submit your business details for Meta verification
Wait for approval (typically 1-7 business days, sometimes longer)
Provision your phone number on the Business API
Create message templates and submit for Meta approval
Build chatbot flows in the visual builder
Test and go live

The setup process involves multiple approval steps from Meta. Template messages need individual approval before you can use them. The chatbot builder requires planning and building every conversation path. Realistically, expect the full setup to take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Setting Up Waslo

Sign up and create your account
Open the onboarding wizard
Scan the QR code with your phone (same as linking WhatsApp Web)
Choose a prompt template (Sales, Support, Booking, Real Estate, E-commerce, or General)
Customize the template with your business details
Go live

The entire process takes under two minutes. There is no approval process, no business verification, and no template submissions. Your AI agent starts handling conversations immediately.

Use Case Analysis

When AiSensy Is the Better Fit

High-volume broadcast marketing: If your primary use case is sending promotional campaigns to large contact lists (tens of thousands of contacts), AiSensy's broadcast tools with template management are well-suited for the job.

E-commerce order notifications: For Shopify or WooCommerce stores that primarily need order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned cart reminders through WhatsApp, AiSensy's native e-commerce integrations handle these use cases well.

Very low budget, very low volume: If you are a small business in a price-sensitive market handling fewer than 500 conversations per month and you do not need AI capabilities, AiSensy's low entry price minimizes your initial investment.

Need for the green badge: For consumer-facing brands where the verified green checkmark matters for credibility, AiSensy's Business API access provides this.

When Waslo Is the Better Fit

Lead qualification and sales: If your primary goal is qualifying leads, nurturing prospects, and converting inquiries into meetings or sales, Waslo's AI agent handles this end-to-end. The automatic classification and intelligent follow-ups create a genuine sales pipeline from WhatsApp conversations.

Service businesses: Real estate agents, consultants, agencies, clinics, and other service businesses where every conversation is unique benefit enormously from an AI agent that understands context versus a chatbot that follows scripts.

Growing businesses with rising volumes: Once your conversation volume exceeds a few thousand per month, flat pricing becomes a significant cost advantage. And you never need to worry about marketing success creating unexpected messaging bills.

Small teams without dedicated chat agents: If you do not have staff to monitor a shared inbox all day, Waslo's AI agent handles conversations autonomously. Your team gets notified only when high-value leads need personal attention.

Businesses that value speed: From setup to response time, Waslo optimizes for speed. Two-minute setup, instant AI responses 24/7, and immediate lead classification mean you start getting value on day one.

What About Businesses Using Both Broadcasting and Lead Qualification?

Some businesses need both outbound campaigns and intelligent inbound handling. If you run WhatsApp marketing campaigns that drive inbound inquiries, the ideal setup might look like this:

With AiSensy: You send broadcasts, but the resulting inbound conversations hit a chatbot that frustrates customers with rigid menus, or they queue in a shared inbox waiting for a human agent.

With Waslo: You can use any channel to drive traffic to your WhatsApp number (ads, website, social media). When leads message you, the AI agent handles the conversation intelligently, qualifies the lead, and routes hot prospects to your team. The follow-up system automatically re-engages cold leads without requiring template broadcasts.

The question becomes whether broadcasting or intelligent conversation handling creates more value for your business. For most sales-driven businesses, converting the leads you already have is more impactful than sending more broadcasts.

Data and Analytics

AiSensy Analytics

AiSensy provides campaign-focused analytics: broadcast delivery rates, read rates, click-through rates, and template performance. This is useful for optimizing your marketing campaigns.

Waslo Analytics

Waslo provides lead-focused analytics: total leads, classification distribution (HOT/WARM/COLD), response rates, conversations per lead, and needs-attention metrics. This is designed to give you visibility into your sales pipeline health, not just message delivery.

The analytics each platform provides reflect their core focus. AiSensy measures how well your messages reach people. Waslo measures how well your conversations convert people.

Making the Switch

If you are currently on AiSensy and considering Waslo:

Start a Waslo free trial alongside your existing AiSensy setup
Connect a secondary WhatsApp number to Waslo via QR code to test the AI agent
Run both platforms in parallel for a week to compare results
Evaluate: Is the AI agent converting leads better than your chatbot flows? Are your costs lower?
Migrate your primary number when you are satisfied with the results

Running both platforms in parallel on different numbers is the lowest-risk way to evaluate the difference.

The Bottom Line

AiSensy and Waslo serve different visions of WhatsApp automation. AiSensy extends the traditional marketing and support model to WhatsApp with broadcasts, chatbot flows, and shared inboxes. Waslo replaces the manual components of that model with an AI agent that handles conversations autonomously.

For businesses that primarily need broadcasting and basic FAQ automation at the lowest possible entry price, AiSensy delivers. For businesses that want intelligent, autonomous lead handling with predictable costs and instant setup, Waslo is built for exactly that purpose.

The market is moving toward AI agents and away from rule-based chatbots. The question is not whether this shift will happen for your business, but when.

Ready to Get Started?

Waslo gives you an AI-powered WhatsApp agent with flat pricing, zero per-message fees, and setup in under 2 minutes. No WhatsApp Business API required -- just scan a QR code and go live.

Start your free trial today -- no credit card required.

AiSensy vs Waslo: Full Comparison for WhatsApp Automation in 2026