If you want AI to answer your customers, the best WhatsApp Business API provider in 2026 is Sendiee. You choose its AI model from 30, it understands images and voice notes, it looks up Shopify orders and hands chats to your team, and Meta bills you directly with no markup. Developers building their own app should compare 360dialog, Twilio and Bird instead. Meta’s message rates are the same at every provider, so what you are really choosing is the provider’s fee, who bills you for Meta’s fees, and the software you get.
- Our pick: Sendiee. 30 AI models on every plan, image and voice-note understanding, Shopify actions, and no markup on Meta’s fees.
- For developers: 360dialog charges $59 per number per month. Twilio and Bird charge per message, with no plan fee.
- For scale: Gupshup charges $0.001 per message. Infobip suits large companies.
- For many channels: Respond.io and SleekFlow cover 10 or more messaging apps in one inbox. Some platforms bill messages above Meta’s rate.
- Think about 2027. Marketing moves to Meta’s Marketing Messages API. Sendiee already uses it.
Which WhatsApp Business API providers are worth comparing?
These 11 cover the main choices, from raw developer APIs to full platforms. Tap a name for its review.
| Provider | Kind | Price | Meta’s fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sendiee | Platform | Free plan. Growth $30 a month billed yearly ($40 monthly) | Meta bills you directly. No markup |
| AiSensy | Platform | Free plan. Basic $45 a month (₹1,500 in India) | Prepaid credits at AiSensy’s rates |
| Interakt | Platform | ₹2,799 a month (Growth), plus taxes | Prepaid wallet. Rates vary by plan |
| Respond.io | Platform | $79 a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) | Prepaid credit with Respond.io. It says it adds no markup |
| SleekFlow | Platform | $49 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) | Prepaid credits at SleekFlow’s rate card |
| Wati | Platform | $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) | Prepaid wallet. Rates shown after login |
| Gupshup | API plus tools | $0.001 per message. No subscription | Prepaid wallet. Meta’s fees at cost, plus a marketing markup |
| Infobip | API plus tools | WhatsApp rates by quote. AgentOS from $530 a month | Prepaid balance or contract. Rates not published |
| 360dialog | Developer API | $59 (€49) per number per month | Prepaid balance per number. It says it adds no markup |
| Bird | Developer API | No plan fee. Bird’s fee per message, plus Meta’s | Prepaid wallet. Meta’s share passed through |
| Twilio | Developer API | No plan fee. $0.005 per message sent or received | On your Twilio bill, passed through |
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
Why is Sendiee our pick?
Most platforms here add an AI agent to an inbox. Sendiee is built around the AI assistant, and these six things set it apart.
Pick from 30 models across OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and open models, on every plan, and switch any time. The other platforms here choose the model for you, or allow your own only on enterprise plans.
It reads photos and screenshots from Growth, and voice notes from Pro, on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
11 Shopify actions, from product search and order tracking to draft orders and invoices, plus calls to your own APIs.
It hands a chat to the right team with a summary note, and by default pauses for 30 minutes whenever your team replies.
AI lead categories and lead data from Pro, and AI follow-ups inside the 24-hour window from Business.
Meta bills your own card for messages. You pay Sendiee for the plan and for the AI you use.
Another provider fits better if you are a developer who wants raw API access (360dialog, Twilio or Bird), if you need 10 or more channels in one inbox (Respond.io or SleekFlow), or if you want the AI to learn from uploaded documents, which Sendiee does not do yet. More in our guide to the best WhatsApp AI chatbot.
How does their AI compare?
The six platforms side by side on what their AI agent can do.
| Platform | AI agent | Choose the model | Reads images | Voice notes | Shopify lookups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sendiee | Every plan, pay per use | 30 models | Yes | Yes | 11 actions |
| Respond.io | From Growth ($159/mo yearly) | No | Yes | Transcribed | No native app |
| Wati | Credits in every plan | Enterprise only | Not stated | Not stated | Not listed |
| SleekFlow | From Pro ($109/mo yearly) | No | Product page only | Product page only | Products and carts |
| AiSensy | Add-on, ₹1,350/mo | No | Not stated | Not stated | Pre-built action |
| Interakt | Add-on, ₹3,000/mo | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
From each provider’s own pages on 14 October 2026. “Not stated” means we could not find it on their site, not that the feature is missing.
What is a WhatsApp Business API provider?
A WhatsApp Business API provider is a company Meta lets connect other businesses to the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta calls them partners, and the main difference between them is who pays Meta for your messages.
| Solution Partner (formerly BSP) | Tech Provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays Meta for messages | The partner, from its Meta credit line | You, with your own card in Meta |
| How you pay for messages | To the partner, usually from a prepaid balance | To Meta, directly |
| What the partner bills you for | Messages and its software | Its software only |
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
A Tech Partner is a Tech Provider that is, or can become, a Meta Business Partner. Meta lists partners by region, industry and capability in its Partner Showcase.
You can also skip providers. Meta hosts the Cloud API, and access is free. You then build the inbox, automations and webhooks yourself. Our guide on how to get the WhatsApp Business API walks through both routes.
How do you choose a WhatsApp API provider?
Work through these four questions before you compare prices.
- Decide who will use it
Developers building their own app need API access. Sales and support teams need an inbox, an AI assistant and campaigns ready to use.
- Ask who bills you for Meta’s fees
If the provider bills you, compare its rates with Meta’s rate card. If Meta bills your own card, there is no markup.
- Add up the real price
Count fees per message, number, seat and active contact, and price the add-ons you need, such as AI agents and Shopify.
- Check it is ready for 2027
Marketing leaves the Cloud API in 2027. Pick a provider that already supports Meta’s Marketing Messages API.
The 11 best WhatsApp Business API providers in 2026
Sendiee
AI platform for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger- Price
- Free plan. Growth $30 a month billed yearly ($40 monthly)
- Meta’s fees
- Meta bills you directly. No markup
- Best for
- Businesses that want AI to answer their customers
Sendiee is built around an AI assistant that answers customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. You pick its model from 30, across OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and open models, on every plan. It reads images (Growth and above) and voice notes (Pro and above), runs 11 Shopify actions such as order tracking and draft orders, calls your own APIs, and hands chats to your team with a summary.
- 30 AI models on every plan, no API key needed
- Meta bills you directly, with no markup
- Team inbox on Pro and above, with desktop and mobile apps
- No document upload yet: business details go in the assistant’s instructions
- AI use is billed per use, on top of the plan
AiSensy
WhatsApp marketing platform- Price
- Free plan. Basic $45 a month (₹1,500 in India)
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid credits at AiSensy’s rates
- Best for
- Small businesses focused on WhatsApp broadcasts
AiSensy is a WhatsApp marketing platform for startups and growing businesses, with a Free Forever plan that has no broadcasts. The AI agent (₹1,350 a month) and chatbot builder (₹2,500 a month) are add-ons. Its pricing page lists ₹1.09 per India marketing message, against Meta’s ₹0.86.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads manager on every plan, including Free
- Shopify and WooCommerce integrations from Basic
- WhatsApp only
Interakt
WhatsApp growth platform (India)- Price
- ₹2,799 a month (Growth), plus taxes
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid wallet. Rates vary by plan
- Best for
- Indian D2C brands that want unlimited agents
Interakt, from Jio Haptik, covers WhatsApp, Instagram and RCS, with unlimited agents on every plan. Its message rates depend on the plan: an India marketing message is ₹0.970 on Starter and ₹0.949 on Advanced, against Meta’s ₹0.86. Only Enterprise is listed with “No Markup Charges”.
- Unlimited agents on every plan
- 14-day trial, no card
- Billed in INR only
Respond.io
Omnichannel inbox with AI agents- Price
- $79 a month billed yearly ($99 monthly)
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid credit with Respond.io. It says it adds no markup
- Best for
- Mid-sized support and sales teams on many channels
Respond.io is a team inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LINE, WeChat, Telegram, email and more, aimed at mid-market B2C businesses. AI agents start on Growth, at $159 a month billed yearly.
- Many channels in one inbox
- 7-day trial of Growth, no card
- Growth and Advanced prices rise with monthly active contacts
SleekFlow
Omnichannel platform with AI agents- Price
- $49 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly)
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid credits at SleekFlow’s rate card
- Best for
- B2C brands selling across many messaging apps
SleekFlow is an AI and inbox platform for B2C brands on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, WeChat, LINE and more. AI agents and broadcasts start on Pro, at $109 a month billed yearly. Its rate card lists $0.02875 per North America marketing message, against Meta’s $0.025.
- 7-day Pro trial, no card
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads automation
- Human chat support only on Premium
Wati
WhatsApp-first engagement platform- Price
- $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly)
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid wallet. Rates shown after login
- Best for
- Small teams that want a shared WhatsApp inbox and broadcasts
Wati is a customer engagement platform for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. Every plan includes a shared inbox, a chatbot builder, APIs and AI credits. Template rates appear inside the account, so compare them with Meta’s rate card first.
- 7-day free trial, no card
- Shared inbox, chatbot builder and API on every plan
- Shopify needs a $4.99 a month add-on
Gupshup
API and no-code platform- Price
- $0.001 per message. No subscription
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid wallet. Meta’s fees at cost, plus a marketing markup
- Best for
- High-volume senders who want the lowest per-message fee
Gupshup’s self-serve WhatsApp API has no subscription, setup fee or volume commitment. Marketing messages not sent through Meta’s Marketing Messages API carry a markup of about 6% of Meta’s rate.
- Instagram, SMS and RCS too, with failover between channels
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads manager and a Shopify app
- The fee applies to incoming messages too
Infobip
CPaaS and AI platform- Price
- WhatsApp rates by quote. AgentOS from $530 a month
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid balance or contract. Rates not published
- Best for
- Large companies that want many channels under one contract
Infobip offers WhatsApp alongside 15+ channels, from SMS and RCS to Viber, Telegram and LINE, through its API or its own chatbot and inbox products. WhatsApp rates sit behind a calculator and sales quotes.
- The widest channel range here
- 24/7 support
- No public per-message WhatsApp rates, so ask for a quote
360dialog
Developer API- Price
- $59 (€49) per number per month
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid balance per number. It says it adds no markup
- Best for
- Developers who want low, flat-fee API access
360dialog sells direct API access, mainly to developers and the software companies that build on it. There is no setup fee or minimum volume, and Meta’s fees come out of a prepaid balance on each number.
- 24/7 human support, with a 4-hour first response on Regular
- About 30 minutes from signup to first message, by its own estimate
- No inbox or chatbot on Regular. Premium adds a hosted inbox
Bird
Developer API- Price
- No plan fee. Bird’s fee per message, plus Meta’s
- Meta’s fees
- Prepaid wallet. Meta’s share passed through
- Best for
- Developers who also want a free shared inbox
Bird, formerly MessageBird, is a messaging API for developers. Each WhatsApp message has one price per country, Bird’s fee plus Meta’s: an India marketing message is $0.0168, against Meta’s $0.0118.
- Free shared inbox
- One published price per country, with Meta’s fee shown
- Bird keeps its fee on a charged message that later fails to deliver
Twilio
Developer API (CPaaS)- Price
- No plan fee. $0.005 per message sent or received
- Meta’s fees
- On your Twilio bill, passed through
- Best for
- Developers who want WhatsApp, SMS and voice in one API
Twilio is a developer platform for WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, voice and email, with no platform fee or contract. Studio, a low-code builder, and Flex, a separately priced contact centre, help teams that do not want to build everything.
- One API and one bill for WhatsApp, SMS, voice and email
- Text-only throughput up to 400 messages a second on request
- Failed messages cost $0.001 each
How much does a WhatsApp Business API provider cost?
Your bill has two parts: Meta’s fee for each delivered message, and the provider’s fee. Meta’s list rates depend on the customer’s country and the message type. These are the rates in effect since 1 October 2026.
| Customer’s country | Marketing message | Utility, authentication or service reply |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | $0.1365 | $0.055 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0635 | $0.022 |
| Brazil | $0.0625 | $0.0068 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0576 | $0.0157 |
| Indonesia | $0.0411 | $0.025 |
| United States | Not delivered | $0.0034 |
| India | $0.0118 (₹0.86) | $0.0014 (₹0.115) |
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
Rates are in US dollars per delivered message, before volume discounts. WhatsApp does not deliver marketing templates to United States numbers. Read what a template message is if the categories are new to you.
A worked example
A UK shop sends 2,000 marketing messages and 3,000 replies to customers in a month, from one number. Meta charges the same whichever provider it uses:
The provider’s fee comes on top: $0.005 for every message in or out at Twilio, a flat $59 for the number at 360dialog, or a plan price at a platform, such as $99 a month for Respond.io Starter or $40 for Sendiee Growth. Replies became billable on 1 October 2026, as our guide to the October 2026 pricing change explains.
What changed in 2026 that affects your choice?
Two changes from Meta make some providers a better long-term bet than others.
Each partner now gets its own Messaging account, and Meta says the number migration that used to make switching hard no longer applies. One WhatsApp account can be shared with up to five Solution Partners.
Messaging accounts created from this date cannot send marketing through the Cloud API, and no account can after 13 October 2027. Marketing then runs only on the Marketing Messages API.
Meta announced the marketing change on 13 October 2026. 360dialog and Gupshup already charge more for marketing sent the old way, while Sendiee’s campaigns use the Marketing Messages API once Meta has onboarded your account. Either way, follow the rules for sending broadcasts without getting blocked.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WhatsApp Business API provider?
For businesses that want AI to answer customers, our pick is Sendiee: 30 AI models on every plan, image and voice-note understanding, Shopify actions, and no markup on Meta’s fees. Developers building their own app should compare 360dialog, Twilio and Bird. Meta’s message rates are the same at every provider.
Which WhatsApp API provider has the best AI chatbot?
Sendiee, in our comparison. It is the only platform here that lets you choose the AI model on every plan, and its assistant 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.
Do WhatsApp API providers charge more than Meta?
Some do. Meta sets one rate per country and message type. Providers with a Meta credit line bill you for messages, at Meta’s rate or at their own higher one. When a partner has no credit line, as with Sendiee, Meta bills your card directly, so there is no markup.
Can I use the WhatsApp Business API without a provider?
Yes. Meta hosts the Cloud API and access is free, but you build the inbox, automations, webhooks and template management yourself. Most businesses use a provider to get these ready-made.
Is there a free WhatsApp Business API provider?
API access is free from Meta. AiSensy and Sendiee have free plans, and others offer trials of 7 to 14 days. Meta still charges for messages, though every number gets 1,000 free service replies a month.
What is a WhatsApp BSP?
BSP stands for Business Solution Provider, the old name for a Meta Solution Partner: a company with a Meta credit line that bills businesses for WhatsApp messages. Tech Providers have no credit line, so Meta bills their clients directly.
Sources
Meta facts and every provider’s prices checked on their own pages on 14 October 2026.
- Meta: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (rate cards effective 1 October 2026)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Pricing for service (non-template) messagesdevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: Solution Providers overview (partner types)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Get started for Solution Partners (Cloud API access is free)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Account model evolutiondevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Accounts (sharing with partners)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Marketing Messages API overview (Cloud API marketing sunset)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: Per-user marketing template limits (United States numbers)developers.facebook.com
- Meta: On-Premises API sunsetdevelopers.facebook.com
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform Partner Showcasebusiness.facebook.com
- 360dialog: Pricing360dialog.com
- 360dialog: Pricing docsdocs.360dialog.com
- Bird: Pricingbird.com
- Bird: WhatsApp pricing for Indiabird.com
- Twilio: WhatsApp pricingtwilio.com
- Twilio: WhatsApp self sign-uptwilio.com
- Twilio: Support planstwilio.com
- Gupshup: WhatsApp API pricinggupshup.ai
- Gupshup: CX pricinggupshup.ai
- Infobip: WhatsApp pricinginfobip.com
- Infobip: AgentOS pricinginfobip.com
- AiSensy: Pricingaisensy.com
- AiSensy: Pricing in USDaisensy.com
- Interakt: Pricinginterakt.shop
- Respond.io: Pricingrespond.io
- Respond.io: WhatsApp integrationrespond.io
- SleekFlow: Pricingsleekflow.io
- SleekFlow: WhatsApp rate cardhelp.sleekflow.io
- Wati: Pricingwati.io
Need a hand?
Sendiee is an AI marketing platform for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, and an official Meta Business Partner. Whichever provider you pick, our free WhatsApp link generator and QR code generator work with any number. Want to see how Sendiee would fit your setup? Message us on WhatsApp or write to [email protected].