WhatsApp CRM Comparison: WATI vs Respond.io vs Waslo in 2026

Choosing the Right WhatsApp CRM in 2026

If your business relies on WhatsApp to communicate with customers and manage leads, choosing the right platform is one of the most important decisions you will make. The wrong choice means overspending on per-message fees, wrestling with complex API setups, or paying for features you do not need.

Three platforms consistently appear in WhatsApp CRM comparisons: WATI, Respond.io, and Waslo. Each takes a fundamentally different approach to pricing, AI capabilities, and setup complexity. This guide breaks down what matters so you can make an informed decision.

Platform Overview

WATI

WATI is built on the official WhatsApp Business API and positions itself as a team inbox for customer communication. It offers broadcast messaging, chatbot flows, and integrations with popular CRMs. WATI is widely known in Southeast Asian and Indian markets and has been around since the early days of WhatsApp Business API availability.

WATI requires WhatsApp Business API approval, which involves Facebook Business verification and number provisioning through their platform. Plans start at around $49/month for the base tier, but per-conversation fees from Meta are added on top.

Respond.io

Respond.io is a multi-channel messaging platform that supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and more. It provides a shared team inbox, workflow automation, and reporting. Respond.io also relies on the WhatsApp Business API for its WhatsApp integration.

Their pricing starts at $79/month for the Starter plan with limited contacts, scaling up to $249/month and beyond for advanced features. Like WATI, WhatsApp per-conversation fees apply on top of the subscription.

Waslo

Waslo is an AI agent platform purpose-built for WhatsApp lead management. Instead of the Business API, Waslo connects through a QR code scan, which means zero per-message fees and setup in under two minutes. It includes a built-in AI agent powered by Google Gemini that handles conversations, qualifies leads automatically, and routes hot prospects to your team.

Waslo's Starter plan is $149/month with flat pricing and no per-message charges. AI is included in every plan, not offered as an expensive add-on.

Feature Comparison Table

| Feature | WATI | Respond.io | Waslo | |---------|------|-----------|-------| | Starting Price | ~$49/mo + per-message fees | ~$79/mo + per-message fees | $149/mo flat (no per-message fees) | | Per-Message/Conversation Fees | Yes (Meta rates) | Yes (Meta rates) | No | | Connection Method | WhatsApp Business API | WhatsApp Business API | QR code scan | | Setup Time | Days to weeks | Days to weeks | Under 2 minutes | | Business Verification Required | Yes | Yes | No | | Built-in AI Agent | No (basic chatbot flows) | Limited (paid add-on) | Yes (included in all plans) | | AI Lead Classification | No | No | Yes (HOT/WARM/COLD) | | Human Handoff | Manual | Manual | Automatic (keyword-triggered) | | Telegram Notifications | No | No | Yes (HOT leads, handoff, keywords) | | Google Sheets Sync | Via third-party | Via third-party | Built-in (Growth+) | | CRM Webhooks | Limited | Yes | Yes | | Multi-Number Support | Separate setup per number | Separate setup per number | QR scan per number | | Per-Number AI Config | No | No | Yes (Growth+) | | Prompt Template Library | No | No | Yes (6 templates) | | Auto Follow-ups | Basic | Workflow-based | AI-powered with scheduling | | Multimodal AI (Images/Audio) | No | No | Yes | | Free Trial | 7 days | 7 days | 24 hours (no credit card) |

Pricing Deep Dive

Pricing is where these platforms diverge the most, and it is the area where businesses most often get surprised after signing up.

The Per-Message Problem

Both WATI and Respond.io use the WhatsApp Business API, which means Meta charges per-conversation fees on top of whatever you pay for the platform. These fees vary by country and conversation type:

• Marketing conversations: $0.02 - $0.08 per conversation
• Utility conversations: $0.005 - $0.02 per conversation
• Service conversations: Free for the first 1,000/month, then standard rates apply

For a business handling 5,000 conversations per month, those fees alone can add $100 to $400 on top of your platform subscription. At 10,000 conversations, you could be paying $200 to $800 in messaging fees.

Waslo's Flat Pricing Model

Waslo eliminates this variable entirely. Because it connects via QR code rather than the Business API, there are no per-message fees from Meta. Your costs are:

• Starter: $149/month (1 WhatsApp number, full AI agent)
• Growth: $399/month (3 numbers, per-number configuration, Google Sheets sync)
• Agency: $999/month (10 numbers, multi-organization support)

Whether you handle 500 conversations or 50,000, your Waslo bill stays the same.

Total Cost of Ownership at Scale

Let us compare the real cost for a business handling 10,000 WhatsApp conversations per month:

| Cost Component | WATI | Respond.io | Waslo | |---------------|------|-----------|-------| | Platform subscription | ~$99/mo | ~$159/mo | $149/mo | | Per-conversation fees (avg $0.03) | ~$300/mo | ~$300/mo | $0 | | AI/automation add-on | ~$50/mo | ~$100/mo | Included | | Monthly total | ~$449/mo | ~$559/mo | $149/mo | | Annual total | ~$5,388 | ~$6,708 | $1,788 |

That is a savings of $3,600 to $4,920 per year by choosing flat pricing over per-message models. And the gap only widens as your volume increases.

AI Capabilities

This is where Waslo stands apart from both competitors.

WATI: Rule-Based Chatbot Flows

WATI offers a visual chatbot builder where you create decision trees. If a customer says X, reply with Y. This works for basic FAQ scenarios, but it breaks down the moment a conversation goes off-script. There is no real intelligence behind the responses, no understanding of context, and no ability to handle nuanced sales conversations.

Respond.io: Workflow Automation with Optional AI

Respond.io provides a workflow automation system that can trigger actions based on conditions. They have added AI features, but these are typically premium add-ons that increase your monthly cost. The AI integration requires configuration with external providers and does not come as a turnkey solution.

Waslo: Built-in AI Agent with Gemini

Waslo includes a full AI agent powered by Google Gemini in every plan. This is not a rule-based chatbot. It is a conversational AI that:

• Understands context across entire conversation threads
• Handles multimodal input including images, audio messages, and video
• Classifies leads automatically as HOT, WARM, or COLD based on conversation signals
• Triggers human handoff when it detects specific keywords or intent
• Follows up intelligently with leads that go quiet
• Uses customizable prompt templates so you can tailor its personality, knowledge, and sales approach without any coding

The difference between a chatbot flow and an AI agent becomes obvious in real conversations. When a customer asks an unexpected question, a rule-based bot falls back to "I don't understand." An AI agent responds naturally, maintains context, and continues qualifying the lead.

Setup and Onboarding

WATI and Respond.io: The Business API Gauntlet

Both WATI and Respond.io require you to go through the WhatsApp Business API setup process:

1. Create a Facebook Business account (if you do not have one)
2. Submit your business for verification with Meta
3. Wait for approval (can take days to weeks)
4. Provision a phone number through the platform
5. Set up message templates for outbound messaging (also requires approval)
6. Configure your chatbot flows or automation rules

For teams without technical resources, this process can be frustrating and time-consuming. Many businesses report waiting weeks to get fully operational.

Waslo: Scan and Go

Waslo's onboarding is a four-step wizard:

1. Sign up with email or Google
2. Scan a QR code with your WhatsApp app (takes 10 seconds)
3. Pick an AI template from the prompt library (Sales, Support, Booking, Real Estate, E-commerce, or General)
4. Go live immediately

No Facebook verification. No number provisioning. No template approvals. Your AI agent starts handling conversations the moment you finish the wizard. The entire process takes under two minutes.

Lead Management

Classification and Routing

WATI and Respond.io leave lead qualification largely to your team. You can tag contacts manually and create segments, but there is no automated intelligence analyzing conversations and classifying leads.

Waslo classifies every lead automatically:

• HOT: Ready to buy, asking about pricing, requesting demos
• WARM: Interested but exploring, asking general questions
• COLD: Browsing, unresponsive, or not a fit

When a lead is classified as HOT, Waslo sends an instant Telegram notification to your sales team. COLD leads get automatic follow-up messages on a schedule you define. WARM leads continue to be nurtured by the AI agent.

Human Handoff

Both WATI and Respond.io offer team inboxes where agents can take over conversations, but the transition is manual. Someone on your team needs to be monitoring the inbox to know when to step in.

Waslo automates this with keyword-triggered handoff. You define keywords like "speak to a person," "manager," or "complaint." When the AI detects these in a conversation, it automatically pauses, sends a configurable message to the customer, and alerts your team via Telegram and the real-time dashboard widget.

Integrations

WATI

WATI integrates with Shopify, HubSpot, Zoho, and Google Sheets through third-party connectors like Zapier. Native integration options are limited, and more advanced workflows require paid middleware.

Respond.io

Respond.io has a broader integration ecosystem, including native connections to popular CRMs and an API for custom integrations. However, many advanced integrations are locked behind higher-tier plans.

Waslo

Waslo provides:

• CRM webhooks for pushing lead data to any system that accepts webhooks
• Google Sheets sync (Growth plan and above) for teams that manage leads in spreadsheets
• Telegram notifications for real-time alerts on HOT leads, handoff requests, and custom keywords
• Per-number configuration (Growth plan and above) so each WhatsApp number can have its own AI personality, classification criteria, and notification rules

Waslo's integration approach is focused on the use cases that matter most for WhatsApp lead management, rather than trying to be a general-purpose messaging hub.

Who Should Choose What

Choose WATI if:

• You need the verified green badge for brand credibility
• You run large broadcast campaigns and need template messaging at scale
• You are in a market where the WhatsApp Business API is a regulatory requirement
• You do not need AI-powered conversations and rule-based bots are sufficient

Choose Respond.io if:

• You need a multi-channel inbox (WhatsApp + Facebook Messenger + Telegram + more)
• Your team is large and needs advanced routing and assignment rules
• You need the Business API's green badge
• Budget for per-message fees is not a concern

Choose Waslo if:

• You want an AI agent that actually handles conversations, not just FAQ bots
• You want flat pricing with no per-message surprises
• You need to be live in minutes, not days or weeks
• Lead qualification and classification matter to your sales process
• You want built-in lead scoring, follow-ups, and human handoff without stitching together multiple tools
• You are a small to mid-sized business or agency managing WhatsApp-based sales

The Bottom Line

WATI and Respond.io are established platforms with strong feature sets, but they are built around the WhatsApp Business API model with its inherent per-message costs and setup complexity. They work well for enterprises that need the official API's capabilities and are willing to pay for them.

Waslo takes a different approach. By combining QR code connectivity, built-in AI agent capabilities, and flat pricing, it removes the two biggest pain points in WhatsApp CRM: unpredictable costs and complex setup. For businesses where WhatsApp is a primary lead channel, this combination is hard to beat.

The right choice depends on your specific needs. But if you are looking for the fastest path to an intelligent WhatsApp presence with predictable costs, it is worth trying Waslo before committing to a Business API setup.

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.