The best WhatsApp AI chatbot in 2026 is Sendiee. It is the only chatbot here that lets you choose the AI model on every plan, from 30 models across OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and open models. It reads images and voice notes, looks up Shopify orders, and hands chats to your team with a summary, and Meta bills you directly for messages with no markup. Teams on 10 or more channels should also look at Respond.io, and businesses that want Meta to run the AI at Meta Business Agent.
- Best overall: Sendiee. 30 AI models on every plan, image and voice-note understanding, 11 Shopify actions, no markup on Meta’s fees.
- Best for many channels: Respond.io. AI agents across 10+ messaging apps that learn from your files and web pages.
- Best on Instagram: ManyChat. AI replies to Instagram DMs and comments. WhatsApp from Pro, $29 a month billed yearly.
- Run by Meta: Meta Business Agent. About 4 to 5 US cents a message, billed by Meta. Not for finance, health and some other industries.
- Budget, WhatsApp only: AiSensy. An AI agent add-on for ₹1,350 a month with 1,000 AI messages.
How do the WhatsApp AI chatbots compare?
Eight AI chatbots for WhatsApp, side by side on what their AI can actually do.
| Chatbot | Choose the model | Learns from | Images and voice notes | Shopify lookups | AI price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sendiee | 30 models | Your instructions | Both, plus voice replies | 11 actions | Pay per use |
| Respond.io | No | Files, web pages | Images; voice transcribed | No native app | Credits, from $159/mo |
| Wati | Enterprise only | Websites, files, Q&A | Not stated | Not listed | Credits in every plan |
| SleekFlow | No | Files, web pages, web search | Product page only | Products and carts | From $109/mo |
| ManyChat | Own key, in flow steps | Text and links | Not stated | Not stated | Included from Pro |
| AiSensy | No | Website, files | Not stated | Pre-built action | ₹1,350/mo add-on |
| Interakt | No | Website, files, catalog | Not stated | Not stated | ₹3,000/mo add-on |
| Meta Business Agent | No | Catalog, files, FAQs, website | Not stated | Via connectors | ~4–5¢ per message |
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
“Not stated” means we could not find it on the company’s own site, not that the feature is missing. Sendiee reads images from Growth, voice notes from Pro, and replies with voice notes on Business, in beta.
What makes a good WhatsApp AI chatbot?
Judge every chatbot on these six things before you look at price.
Prices, policies, hours and products. Check how you teach it: written instructions, uploaded files or your website.
Customers send photos, screenshots and voice notes, not only text. A bot that only reads text misses them.
It looks up orders, books appointments or updates your CRM, so the chat ends with a result, not a link.
It passes the chat to the right person with context, and stays quiet once your team steps in.
A bot can reply freely only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. After that, it needs an approved template.
You pay Meta for replies after 1,000 free a month per number, plus the AI. Know both before you launch.
The 24-hour rule applies to every chatbot here. Outside the window, a business can start a chat only with an approved template message.
The 8 best WhatsApp AI chatbots in 2026
Ranked for a business that wants AI to answer and sell on WhatsApp.
1. Sendiee
AI assistant for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger- Price
- Free plan. Growth $30 a month billed yearly ($40 monthly). AI billed per use
- Best for
- Businesses that want AI to answer and sell, with control over the model
Sendiee (that is us) is built around the AI assistant rather than an inbox. You choose its model from 30, across OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and open models, on every plan, with no API key of your own. It reads photos and screenshots (Growth and above), understands voice notes (Pro and above) and can answer with a voice note (Business, in beta). It runs 11 Shopify actions, from order tracking to draft orders and invoices, calls your own APIs, and sends buttons, lists and product cards. When it hands a chat to your team, it leaves a summary note, and it pauses for 30 minutes by default whenever someone on your team replies. Meta bills you directly for messages, with no markup.
- The only chatbot here that lets you pick the AI model on every plan
- Sorts leads into AI categories (Pro and above) and follows up inside the 24-hour window (Business)
- Same dashboard for campaigns, Instagram comment-to-DM and a team inbox app
- No document upload yet: you write business details into its instructions
- One assistant per channel, though you can clone one in a click
- On the free plan, the AI covers your first 10 conversations
2. Respond.io
Omnichannel inbox with AI agents- Price
- AI agents from Growth, $159 a month billed yearly ($199 monthly)
- Best for
- Mid-sized teams running many messaging channels
Respond.io’s AI Agents reply to customers, follow your instructions and take actions such as assigning, tagging and closing chats. They learn from uploaded files and public web pages, read images and PDFs, and get a transcript of voice notes. Each reply uses 2 to 5 credits, Growth includes a monthly allowance, and extra credits cost $15 per 1,000. Calls to your own systems through HTTP requests, and AI voice calls, need the Advanced plan.
- Learns from files and web pages
- Reads images and transcribes voice notes
- Works across 10+ channels
- You cannot choose the AI model
- The agent sees only the last 20 messages
- No native Shopify app
3. Wati
WhatsApp-first platform with the Astra AI agent- Price
- Growth $59 a month billed yearly in the US, with 2,000 AI credits
- Best for
- Small teams that want an AI agent tied to their CRM
Wati’s customer-facing agent, Astra, answers questions, qualifies leads, books appointments and handles orders on WhatsApp and Instagram. It learns from website links, documents and Q&A pairs. A simple text reply costs 1 credit and a reply with media or an action 3 credits. Its actions library covers REST API calls, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and Pipedrive updates, and Google Sheets. Wati’s Voice AI is an agent for WhatsApp calls, not voice notes.
- Learns from websites, documents and Q&A
- Ready-made CRM actions
- AI voice agent for WhatsApp calls
- Your own model only on Enterprise
- Credits on bundle plans expire at each monthly renewal
- No Shopify order lookup listed
4. SleekFlow
Omnichannel platform with AgentFlow AI agents- Price
- AI agents from Pro, $109 a month billed yearly
- Best for
- B2C brands that want lead scoring across many apps
SleekFlow’s AgentFlow inbound agent learns from files, indexed web pages, custom answers and live web search. It can label contacts, update properties, score each conversation from 0 to 100 and search your Shopify products and carts. Its product page says the agents read screenshots and transcribe audio, though its help centre does not cover it. Exit rules hand the chat to a person on a timeout, a request for a human or a keyword.
- Learns from files, web pages and live web search
- Scores leads from 0 to 100
- Many channels in one inbox
- No model choice stated
- Its help centre says Shopify order actions are not supported
- AI credit rules differ across its own pages
5. ManyChat
Automation for Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and more- Price
- Pro $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly), 2,500 active contacts
- Best for
- Creators and brands that live on Instagram
Manychat AI replies to Instagram DMs and comments, learns from text and public links, and works towards goals such as capturing a lead or sharing a link. Those core AI features are Instagram-only and in beta. On WhatsApp, the AI works as steps inside your flows. On Pro and above, flow steps can also call ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek with your own API key. WhatsApp needs Pro, and ManyChat bills its messages from a prepaid wallet.
- Strong Instagram comment and DM automation
- Bring your own ChatGPT, Claude or DeepSeek key for flow steps
- AI Replies are Instagram-only and in beta
- No WhatsApp on the Free or Essential plans
6. AiSensy
WhatsApp marketing platform with an AI agent add-on- Price
- AI agent add-on ₹1,350 a month with 1,000 AI messages, on a paid plan
- Best for
- Budget WhatsApp marketing in India
AiSensy’s AI agent learns from your website, page URLs, files and pasted text, then answers, qualifies leads and hands over to a human. It can call your own APIs and use pre-built actions such as Shopify and Razorpay. Each reply counts as one AI message, and the add-on is billed on top of a paid plan. Its own FAQ says the agent currently replies in English only.
- Learns from your website and files
- Custom API actions plus pre-built Shopify and Razorpay ones
- English-only replies, per its FAQ
- WhatsApp only, and not on the free plan
7. Interakt
WhatsApp growth platform with AI agents (India)- Price
- AI agents add-on ₹3,000 a month (+GST) with 100 AI messages, then ₹0.50 each
- Best for
- Indian D2C brands that sell from a Meta catalog
Interakt offers Sales, Support and Lead Qualification agents on WhatsApp. They learn from your website, URLs, documents and business description, and the Sales agent recommends products from your Meta catalog. The add-on needs the Growth or Advanced plan. Automatic handover to a person works only with chat auto-assignment, which its pricing lists on Advanced.
- Sales agent recommends from your Meta catalog
- Learns from your website and documents
- Only 100 AI messages included
- WhatsApp only
8. Meta Business Agent
Meta’s own AI agent for WhatsApp- Price
- About 4 to 5 US cents per message on the API, billed by Meta
- Best for
- Businesses that want Meta to run the AI
Meta Business Agent is Meta’s own AI agent, launched in 2026. On the WhatsApp Business Platform it learns from your business info, FAQs, files, website and Meta catalog, and calls your systems through connectors. Meta charges $2 per million tokens, about 4 to 5 US cents a message, with no free messages or volume discounts, and bills you directly even if you use a provider. In the WhatsApp Business app it has a free monthly allowance, with more through Meta One plans.
- Run by Meta, with no AI provider to manage
- Learns from your catalog, files, FAQs and website
- Not available for finance, health, government, alcohol, gambling, over-the-counter drugs or matrimony
- Meta sets the handover triggers, and uses the chats to improve its AI
How much does a WhatsApp AI chatbot cost?
Every WhatsApp AI chatbot has two costs: Meta’s fee for each reply, and the AI. Since 1 October 2026, Meta charges a chatbot’s replies as service messages. The first 1,000 a month per number are free, then you pay the utility rate, such as $0.022 in the UK or ₹0.115 in India. Platforms charge for the AI as plan credits, add-ons or pay per use.
Meta Business Agent works differently. One charge of about 4 to 5 US cents per message covers both the AI and delivery, and Meta’s free messages do not apply. Take a UK shop whose chatbot sends 3,000 replies in a month from one number:
With Sendiee you choose the model, so you also choose the AI cost: lighter models cost less per reply than the largest ones. Meta bills the message fees to your own card, and our guide to the October 2026 pricing change explains them. For the full picture of plan prices and markups, see our comparison of WhatsApp Business API providers.
How do you set up an AI chatbot on WhatsApp?
In Sendiee it takes six steps, and the WhatsApp connection itself usually takes about 15 minutes.
- Create a free Sendiee account
Sign up at app.sendiee.com. New accounts can claim $5 of AI credit to test the assistant.
- Connect your WhatsApp number
Click Connect WhatsApp and finish Meta’s signup window. You can keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number.
- Create an assistant and pick its model
Choose from 30 models. Gemini 3.6 Flash is the default, and you can switch to a GPT, Claude or DeepSeek model at any time.
- Write its instructions
Add your products, prices, policies and tone, and anything it must never say. This is where it learns about your business.
- Add tools and media
Connect Shopify, add calls to your own APIs and a human handover, and switch on images and voice notes.
- Turn it on
Set working hours if you want them. It answers day and night by default and pauses whenever your team replies.
Selling on Shopify? Our WhatsApp automation playbook for Shopify shows what to automate around the chatbot, from order updates to abandoned carts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WhatsApp AI chatbot?
Our pick is Sendiee. It is the only chatbot here that lets you choose the AI model on every plan, from 30 models, and it reads images and voice notes, looks up Shopify orders and hands chats to your team with a summary. Respond.io is the strongest alternative for teams on many channels.
Can I use ChatGPT as my WhatsApp chatbot?
Yes, through a WhatsApp platform that lets you choose an OpenAI model. In Sendiee you can pick GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-5.5 and other GPT models, or switch to Gemini, Claude or DeepSeek, without your own API key.
Is there a free WhatsApp AI chatbot?
Sendiee has a free plan whose AI covers your first 10 conversations, and new accounts can claim $5 of AI credit. Meta Business Agent in the WhatsApp Business app has a free monthly allowance. Meta still charges for replies after 1,000 free a month per number.
Can a WhatsApp chatbot understand voice notes?
Some can. Sendiee understands voice notes on Pro and above and can answer with a voice note on Business, in beta. Respond.io turns them into a transcript. Most other platforms here do not say.
How does a WhatsApp AI chatbot hand over to a human?
In Sendiee, the AI assigns the chat to the right team, leaves a summary note for the agent and can tell the customer who is taking over. Whenever your team replies, the AI pauses for 30 minutes by default.
How much does a WhatsApp AI chatbot cost?
Two parts: Meta’s fee for each reply after 1,000 free a month per number (UK $0.022, India ₹0.115), and the AI. Platforms charge for AI through plan credits, add-ons or pay per use. Meta’s own agent costs about 4 to 5 US cents per message.
Sources
Meta facts and every company’s AI features and prices checked on their own pages on 14 October 2026.
- Meta: Meta Business Agent overviewdevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: Meta Business Agent capabilitiesdevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: Pricing for service and Meta Business Agent messagesdevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platformdevelopers.facebook.com
- WhatsApp Help Center: About using Meta Business Agentfaq.whatsapp.com
- WhatsApp Business: Meta One planswhatsappbusiness.com
- Respond.io: AI Agentsrespond.io
- Respond.io: AI creditsrespond.io
- Respond.io: AI Agents known limitationsrespond.io
- Wati: Wati AI and Astrawati.io
- Wati: Credit usage in Astrasupport.wati.io
- Wati: Actions library in Astrasupport.wati.io
- SleekFlow: Inbound AI agentsleekflow.io
- SleekFlow: AI agent behaviour and knowledgehelp.sleekflow.io
- SleekFlow: Shopify integration in AgentFlowhelp.sleekflow.io
- ManyChat: Pricingmanychat.com
- ManyChat: Manychat AImanychat.com
- ManyChat: AI Knowledgehelp.manychat.com
- AiSensy: WhatsApp AI agentsaisensy.com
- AiSensy: How to build a WhatsApp AI agentwiki.aisensy.com
- AiSensy: Pricingaisensy.com
- Interakt: Self-serve WhatsApp AI agentsinterakt.shop
- Interakt: Pricinginterakt.shop
Need a hand?
Sendiee is an AI marketing platform for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, and an official Meta Business Partner. Want to see what an AI assistant would say to your customers? Message us on WhatsApp or write to [email protected]. Our free WhatsApp link generator gets customers into the chat.