WhatsApp marketing software: the 10 best tools compared

WhatsApp marketing software sends campaigns to opted-in customers, runs automated messages on store events (abandoned checkouts, orders, deliveries) and gives your team a shared inbox, on the official WhatsApp Business Platform. For online stores, our pick is Kanal, from $89/month.

Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing and sales app for online stores that goes deepest on Shopify: installed from the Shopify App Store, it sends WhatsApp campaigns and WhatsApp newsletters to segments synced from Shopify and Klaviyo, runs flows on store events (abandoned cart recovery, order notifications, back-in-stock alerts, review requests) and gives the team a shared inbox with an AI agent. Email stays in your email tool; Kanal also sends SMS campaigns on its Scale plan.

Below, we compare Kanal with 9 other WhatsApp marketing software options: Zoko, Chatarmin, Charles, Wati, Interakt, AiSensy, SleekFlow, Respond.io and Trengo. Every third-party fact comes from the vendor's own pricing page, product pages or Shopify App Store listing; prices were re-read on October 19, 2026. Looking for every kind of WhatsApp app on the Shopify App Store instead? See the best WhatsApp apps for Shopify.

What to look for in WhatsApp marketing software

Five criteria matter for an online store:

• The official WhatsApp Business API. Broadcasts to large opted-in lists, automation and a multi-agent inbox run on the WhatsApp Business API, not on the WhatsApp Business app. Our app vs API comparison explains the difference.
• A native store integration. When products, carts and orders sync on their own, revenue flows work on day one. When they do not, you build a data pipeline with Zapier, Make or webhooks before your first campaign.
• Revenue automation. Abandoned cart recovery comes first: the Baymard Institute puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at 70.22%. Post-purchase follow-ups and segmented broadcasts come next.
• A clear pricing model. Check how Meta's fees are billed: at cost, or with a markup per conversation. Check what the plan includes: users, contacts, conversations and AI credits.
• An inbox, AI and consent. A WhatsApp CRM view of each customer, an AI chatbot for repetitive questions, and opt-in collection that keeps you compliant (see our WhatsApp opt-in and GDPR guide). For customer records beyond WhatsApp, see the best Shopify CRM apps.

How we compared these WhatsApp marketing platforms

• Sources. In September 2026, we opened each vendor's product or integration pages and, when it exists, its Shopify App Store listing. On October 19, 2026, we re-read every pricing page in a browser. Every fact below comes from those pages.
• Prices. We copied starting prices exactly as displayed, in the vendor's currency, without conversion. Several vendors show yearly billing by default or adapt prices to your country. Check the live page before you buy.
• Criteria. Key marketing features, e-commerce integrations, starting price and how Meta's fees are billed.
• Disclosure. Kanal is our product. It leads this list because it is the tool we recommend for online stores. We kept every other entry neutral and factual.

WhatsApp marketing tools compared

The short version. Each tool gets its own section below.

The 10 best WhatsApp marketing software tools

1. Kanal, the WhatsApp marketing platform for e-commerce

The Kanal app: campaign report.

The Kanal app: automations list.

Kanal is a WhatsApp marketing platform for online stores. It installs as a Shopify app, reads your checkouts, orders and customers, and runs WhatsApp from there. PrestaShop stores connect through Kanal's store API, set up with a Kanal expert (PrestaShop integration).

• Revenue flows: abandoned checkout recovery with the product image and a payment link, order and shipping updates, and welcome or win-back automations triggered by store events.
• Campaigns: WhatsApp campaigns to segments built on order count, orders over a period, WhatsApp engagement, phone country or lists, plus segments synced from Klaviyo. Revenue is tracked per campaign, and A/B tests and carousels come with Scale.
• AI and inbox: an AI agent trained on your catalog answers product and order questions 24/7 in 96+ languages, then hands off to a human. Your team replies from a shared inbox with the Shopify order next to each conversation. Gorgias and Zendesk users keep their workflow.
• Setup: Kanal runs on the official WhatsApp Business API and handles Meta Business verification, number provisioning and template approval.
• Pricing: on the Shopify App Store on October 19, 2026, Pro cost $89/month (1 user, cart recovery, campaigns, chat widget and inbox, order confirmations) and Scale $149/month (AI agent, custom segments, A/B tests, unlimited upsell automations, SMS campaigns, Klaviyo, Gorgias, Recharge and Crisp integrations, multi-market at $50/month per extra market). Meta's WhatsApp fees are passed through at cost, with no per-message markup. See Kanal pricing.

Why it leads this list: every feature follows the e-commerce customer journey, and store data is native from the first install. Book a demo or install Kanal from the Shopify App Store.

2. Zoko, WhatsApp commerce for Shopify stores

Screenshot of the Zoko website.

Zoko presents itself as WhatsApp built for Shopify stores. Every plan includes WhatsApp bulk broadcasts, catalog messages, click-to-WhatsApp ads, pop-up campaigns, and customer tags and segments.

• E-commerce flows: 11 pre-built flows come with all plans, including abandoned checkout recovery, review collection, COD order confirmation and order notifications. Premium flows cost $5.99/mo per flow.
• AI: AI agents are an add-on at $24.99/mo plus $0.09 per resolution after the first 100; a sales agent costs $24.99/mo plus 3% of the order value.
• Pricing: on Zoko's pricing page on October 19, 2026, Starter was $49.99/mo with a $0.015 markup on every conversation, Plus $79.99/mo with the first 5K conversations free of markup, Elite $139.99 and Max $499.99. WhatsApp messages follow a rate card. Zoko offers a 7-day trial.

Worth a look only if your team sells mostly inside the chat and relies on cash-on-delivery confirmation flows. See the Kanal vs Zoko comparison.

3. Chatarmin, WhatsApp marketing and AI service for e-commerce

Screenshot of the Chatarmin website.

Chatarmin describes itself as a customer experience platform for e-commerce, combining WhatsApp marketing and AI customer service. It states that its hosting is in Germany.

• Marketing: a WhatsApp newsletter builder with coupon codes, segmentation, scheduling and A/B testing. Flows cover abandoned cart, welcome, post-purchase, winback and birthday journeys. An AI chatbot and revenue tracking are part of the platform.
• Integrations: Shopify (one-click setup), Klaviyo, WooCommerce, Shopware, Magento, Emarsys, Zendesk, Gorgias and Intercom, plus Zapier, Make and n8n.
• Pricing: custom plans, with no public price. On October 19, 2026, its pricing page showed a €0.00 markup per conversation.

Worth a look only if you want a quote-based plan with hosting in Germany, or your store runs on Shopware or Magento. See the Kanal vs Chatarmin comparison.

4. Charles, conversational AI and CRM

Screenshot of the Charles website.

Charles describes itself as a platform to engage and convert customers with conversational AI agents and a CRM.

• Marketing: WhatsApp campaigns, automated journeys and AI agents. Its Shopify app lists custom carts sent directly in WhatsApp, and its homepage highlights checkout in a few taps.
• Integrations: Shopify, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Emarsys, Zendesk and Gorgias are named on its integrations page. Charles also has an app on the Shopify App Store.
• Pricing: not published. On October 19, 2026, Charles's site had no pricing page and offered a demo request instead.

Worth a look only if you want a sales-led rollout and your stack already runs on Salesforce or Emarsys. See the Kanal vs Charles comparison.

5. Wati, a WhatsApp API platform with an omnichannel inbox

Screenshot of the Wati website.

Wati is a WhatsApp Business API platform. Its omnichannel inbox covers WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and a website widget.

• Marketing: broadcast campaigns, click-to-WhatsApp ads, chatbots, a team inbox and the WhatsApp Catalog. On wati.io, the Growth plan includes 15k broadcasts a month, and Pro includes unlimited broadcasts and campaigns based on Shopify buyer data.
• E-commerce: on wati.io, the Shopify abandoned cart and order templates require a $4.99/month Shopify add-on. Wati also has a Shopify App Store app for cart recovery, order updates and personalized campaigns. That listing names WooCommerce among the apps it works with.
• Pricing: on the Shopify App Store on October 19, 2026, Growth was $69/month (or $708/year), Pro $149/month and Business $349/month, with a 7-day trial and AI credits at $30 per 1,000. Message charges are extra, and pricing varies by country.

Worth a look only if you also want Instagram, TikTok and Messenger DM automations in the same tool. See the full Kanal vs Wati comparison.

6. Interakt, WhatsApp and Instagram automation

Screenshot of the Interakt website.

Interakt sells WhatsApp and Instagram automation plans, plus a separate WhatsApp sales CRM.

• Marketing: one-time and ongoing campaigns, click-to-WhatsApp ads, click and conversion tracking, a chatbot builder, WhatsApp forms, a catalog, a checkout bot and WhatsApp Pay.
• E-commerce: its Shopify integration covers order update notifications, abandoned checkout reminders, winback notifications, a COD to prepaid flow, and contact and catalog sync. Razorpay, PayU and WooCommerce are listed as apps.
• Pricing: on Interakt's US pricing page on October 19, 2026, monthly billing showed Starter at $12/mo, Growth $55/mo and Advanced $69/mo; the page opens on quarterly billing. Enterprise is on request, and WhatsApp AI agents are a $74.99 add-on on Growth and Advanced. Message costs depend on the template type and your region.

Worth a look only if you want Instagram automation in the same plan, or most of your orders are cash on delivery. See the Kanal vs Interakt comparison.

7. AiSensy, WhatsApp marketing priced in rupees

Screenshot of the AiSensy website.

AiSensy's pricing page is built for the Indian market, with plans billed in rupees.

• Marketing: WhatsApp broadcasting with retargeting and click tracking, drag-and-drop chatbot flows, AI agents, an ads manager for click-to-WhatsApp ads, the WhatsApp Catalog, payments and forms.
• E-commerce: its Shopify app ($1 one-time charge on the Shopify App Store) sends up to three abandoned cart reminders, COD confirmations, and shipping and delivery updates. Razorpay and Shopify checkout integrations are also listed.
• Pricing: on AiSensy's pricing page on October 19, 2026, Basic was ₹1,500/mo and Pro ₹3,200/mo, billed monthly. Broadcasting starts on paid plans. The chatbot builder (₹2,500/month) and the AI agent builder (₹1,350/month) are add-ons. Billing is pre-paid, and WhatsApp credits are topped up separately.

Worth a look only if you sell mainly in India and want rupee billing. See the Kanal vs AiSensy comparison.

8. SleekFlow, an omnichannel platform with AI agents

Screenshot of the SleekFlow website.

SleekFlow is an omnichannel conversation platform built around AI agents.

• Marketing: broadcast campaigns, an automation flow builder, AI agents and an omnichannel inbox, with campaign analytics.
• E-commerce: the Shopify integration shows order history and abandoned carts next to each chat and syncs the product catalog. Agents can build carts and share checkout links, and abandoned carts can trigger WhatsApp or SMS nudges. Stripe, Zapier and Make connect on the Pro plan.
• Pricing: on SleekFlow's pricing page on October 19, 2026, billed yearly: Essential US$49/month (rolling out by country), Pro US$109/month (US$1,308 a year) with 500 monthly active contacts and 10 users, and Premium US$279/month. WhatsApp number hosting is US$15/month, and a free trial needs no card.

Worth a look only if your team sells through conversations across chat, email and calls, and wants AI sales agents. See the Kanal vs SleekFlow comparison.

9. Respond.io, a customer conversation platform

Screenshot of the Respond.io website.

Respond.io manages customer conversations from all channels in shared team inboxes.

• Marketing: broadcasts, workflow automation and AI agents start on the Growth plan. Starter covers team inboxes, AI assist and basic reports.
• E-commerce: respond.io adds a chat widget to your Shopify store. To sync orders and contact data, it points to Make, n8n or Zapier.
• Pricing: on respond.io's pricing page on October 19, 2026, Starter was $79/month billed yearly ($99 monthly) and Growth $159/month billed yearly ($199 monthly). WhatsApp fees are not included in any plan. There is a 7-day trial.

Worth a look only if one inbox across many messaging channels is the priority, and you are comfortable connecting store data through Make, n8n or Zapier. See the Kanal vs Respond.io comparison.

10. Trengo, an omnichannel customer inbox

Screenshot of the Trengo website.

Trengo is an omnichannel inbox. It connects the WhatsApp Business API, email, Instagram, Facebook, live chat, SMS and voice.

• Features: a unified inbox, an AI Agent (HelpMate), AI Journeys (in beta) and broadcasting.
• E-commerce: the Shopify integration brings customer and order context into conversations. Its AI Agent can answer availability questions and recommend products from live Shopify data.
• Pricing: on Trengo's pricing page on October 19, 2026, Boost was €299/month billed annually (€349 month to month) for 10 users and 6,000 conversations a year. Pro is €499/month billed annually (€599 month to month) for 20 users. Trengo counts a conversation as any reply within a 7-day window, 100 extra conversations cost €18 (€15 on yearly billing), and AI conversations carry a surcharge of €0.30 (€0.25 yearly).

Worth a look only if customer service across every channel is the main need, rather than WhatsApp marketing. See the Kanal vs Trengo comparison.

Other platforms on WhatsApp marketing shortlists

Superchat, Gallabox and Rasayel also come up when brands compare WhatsApp platforms. We compare each of them with Kanal on its own page: Kanal vs Superchat, Kanal vs Gallabox and Kanal vs Rasayel.

What WhatsApp marketing really costs

Budget for two layers: the platform and Meta.

1. The platform subscription. Models differ. Kanal charges $89/month (Pro) or $149/month (Scale) and passes Meta's fees through at cost. Chatarmin shows a €0.00 markup per conversation. Zoko Starter adds $0.015 per conversation. SleekFlow and Respond.io size plans by monthly active contacts, and Trengo plans include a conversation allowance.
2. Meta's WhatsApp fees. Since July 1, 2025, Meta charges per delivered message instead of per conversation, with rates by country and message category (Meta's pricing documentation). Until September 30, 2026, non-template messages sent inside an open 24-hour customer service window (service messages) were not charged, and neither were utility templates sent inside that window.
3. The October 1, 2026 change. Meta started charging per message for service messages, at the utility rate of each market after 1,000 free service messages per business phone number each month, and for utility templates sent inside an open 24-hour customer service window (Meta's announcement). Beyond the free allowance, replies to customers now carry a cost.
4. Add-ons. Check users, AI credits and paid flows. Zoko, for example, sells AI agents at $24.99/mo plus a fee per resolution, and AiSensy sells its chatbot builder separately.

For country rates and worked examples, read the WhatsApp Business pricing guide.

How to choose

For most online stores the answer is short. If you want WhatsApp to drive revenue with the least setup, start with Kanal. It is built for e-commerce, and on Shopify it works with your store data from the first install. If nobody on your team owns the channel, a WhatsApp marketing agency or Kanal's premium setup gets it live for you.

The other platforms are worth a look only in narrow cases:

• Customer service across every channel is the main job: Trengo or Respond.io.
• You sell mainly in India and want rupee billing: AiSensy.
• You need Instagram, TikTok and Messenger DM automations in the same tool: Wati.
• You want a sales-led rollout on a Salesforce or Emarsys stack: Charles.
• You need hosting in Germany, or your store runs on Shopware or Magento: Chatarmin.
• Most of your orders are cash on delivery: Zoko or Interakt.
• Your team sells in chat, email and calls with AI sales agents: SleekFlow.

For a store focused on sales, the deciding factor is native store data. That is where Kanal is built to win.

The fastest path to a working WhatsApp revenue channel is to book a Kanal demo, compare Kanal's plans, or install the app from the Shopify App Store. Comparing API providers rather than marketing tools? Read our WhatsApp Business API providers comparison.