Guides · Comparison
Best WhatsApp AI chatbots for business in 2026: 11 tools compared
The WhatsApp AI chatbots below differ in three things: how you build them, what you pay Meta on top, and whether they book appointments. Ariko answers from your business's own information on WhatsApp and your website, in your customer's language, and books into Google Calendar. Each tool's facts come from its own pages.
Updated: · Every fact about another product was checked on that vendor's own pages on 27 October 2026 (sources at the end). Prices can differ by your billing country.
How this list was put together
Ariko comes first because it is our product and this is our site — not because of a score. The other ten follow in alphabetical order. For each one: what it is, where WhatsApp starts, whether it has AI replies and booking, and how it is priced, in the vendor's own words. Where a vendor's pages did not say something, we write that we did not find it rather than guess.
At a glance
| Tool | Where WhatsApp starts | AI replies | Booking in the chat | Website chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariko | Start, $99 a month (charged in shekels: ₪299 a month), Meta's charges included | Yes — from the business's own information | Yes — books, cancels and reschedules in Google Calendar | Yes, on the paid plans |
| AiSensy | Base plan prices not shown in the page text | AI Agent Builder add-on, $50 a month | Not found on its pages | Not listed (WhatsApp only) |
| Interakt | Growth tier, $55 a month plus taxes | WhatsApp AI Agents add-on, $74.99 a month | Not found on its pages | Not listed |
| ManyChat | Pro accounts (from $29 a month billed annually), WhatsApp charged on top | AI steps from the Pro plan up | Not found on its pages | Not listed |
| Meta Business Agent | Inside the WhatsApp Business app, in limited countries | Free up to an included allowance | Meta says it books appointments | Not stated |
| Omago | Plus plan, $99 a month | Yes — from a business knowledge base | Syncs bookings to Google Calendar, per its site | Yes, on every plan |
| respond.io | Every plan; Starter from $79 a month billed yearly | AI Agents from the Growth tier | Integrations that send booking links | Yes |
| SleekFlow | From US$49 a month billed yearly (varies by location) | AI agents from the Pro plan | Not found on its pages | Not listed |
| Tidio | Every plan, including the free one | Lyro, from $32.50 a month billed annually | Not found on its pages | Yes — its core product |
| Trengo | Boost, €299 a month billed annually, for 10 users | HelpMate; €0.30 per AI conversation (€0.25 on annual billing) | Not found on its pages | Yes (live chat) |
| WATI | Growth, $59 a month billed annually | Astra AI agents: a separately priced add-on with Pro | Not found on its pages | Yes (web widget) |
The tools, one by one
1. Ariko
An AI bot that answers a business's customers on WhatsApp and in a chat on the business's website, 24/7, only from the information the business enters. It books, cancels and reschedules appointments in Google Calendar, hands a conversation to a member of the team, understands voice notes and images, and replies in English — or, if you switch it on, in whatever language each customer writes. It runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. Free $0 in a test chat (No WhatsApp connection); WhatsApp from the Start plan, $99 a month (charged in shekels: ₪299 a month), with Meta's message charges included. The paid plans differ only in messages, users and numbers; the free plan is a test chat, without WhatsApp or the website chat.
2. AiSensy
A WhatsApp marketing and chatbot platform that says it is made in India; WhatsApp is its only channel. Its USD pricing page offers an AI Agent Builder add-on at $50 a month, including 1,000 AI messages; we could not read the base plan prices in the page text. Meta's message charges are "charged directly by Meta". We found no built-in calendar booking on its pages. Source.
3. Interakt
A WhatsApp and Instagram platform from Jio Haptik, listing its markets as India, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, the UAE, the Philippines and Africa. WhatsApp starts on its Growth tier at $55 a month plus taxes; WhatsApp AI Agents are an add-on at $74.99 a month for the Growth tier and the one above it. Meta's template charges come on top. We found no built-in calendar booking on its pages. Source.
4. ManyChat
A tool for building conversation automations on Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email and SMS. You build flows step by step, with AI steps from the Pro plan up. Pro is from $29 a month billed annually, and ManyChat says prices depend on your billing country. Its WhatsApp page says WhatsApp is only available for Pro accounts and is charged on top. We found no built-in calendar booking on its pages. Source.
5. Meta Business Agent
Meta's own AI agent, set up from the Tools tab of the WhatsApp Business app. Meta says it replies 24/7, books appointments and captures leads, and that it is free each month up to an included allowance, with more through the paid Meta One subscription. WhatsApp's Help Center says it is available only in limited countries to select businesses, so the app on your phone is the place to check. Source.
6. Omago
An AI customer-service agent for websites, WhatsApp and Telegram that answers from a business knowledge base, captures leads and, according to its site, syncs bookings to Google Calendar. Prices are in USD: a free plan with the website widget and 50 conversations a month, a Core plan at $49, WhatsApp from the Plus plan at $99 a month with 8,000 conversations, and a Max plan at $369. Source.
7. respond.io
An omnichannel conversation platform headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, covering WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, a website chat widget, email and more. WhatsApp is on every plan: Starter is $79 a month billed yearly. AI Agents start on the Growth tier, $159 a month billed yearly, and extra AI credits are $15 per 1,000. respond.io says WhatsApp fees from Meta are not included in any subscription. Its Cal.com, Calendly and Google Calendar integrations send booking links. Source.
8. SleekFlow
An omnichannel messaging platform — WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, WeChat, LINE, Telegram and more — with regional sites across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Prices vary by location; on its global page the Essential plan is US$49 a month billed yearly and does not include AI agents, which start on the Pro plan at US$109 a month billed yearly. Hosting a WhatsApp number costs US$15 a month, and message charges follow SleekFlow's rate card. Source.
9. Tidio
A customer-service platform built around website live chat, also covering Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, with Lyro as its AI agent. The WhatsApp integration is free on every plan, and Tidio says it adds no markup to Meta's rates. Tidio's Starter plan is $24.17 a month billed annually; Tidio's Lyro starts at $32.50 a month billed annually, and the first 50 Lyro conversations are free. We found no built-in calendar booking on its pages. Source.
10. Trengo
A team inbox founded in Utrecht, the Netherlands, for WhatsApp, email, Instagram, Facebook, live chat, SMS and voice, with an AI agent called HelpMate. Prices are in euros: the Boost plan starts at €299 a month billed annually (€349 month to month) for 10 users, and AI conversations cost €0.30 per AI conversation (€0.25 on annual billing). Trengo says the first 1,000 messages per number each month are free, and Meta charges per message beyond that. Source.
11. WATI
A WhatsApp-first customer-engagement platform that also covers Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and a web widget. The Growth tier is $59 a month and the Pro plan $119 a month, both billed annually; WATI's Astra AI agents come with Pro as a separately priced add-on. Message charges apply on top, per WATI's rate card. We found no built-in calendar booking on its pages. Source.
What to check before you choose
- Ask it ten real questions. Take ten messages your customers actually sent — with typos, slang and a voice note — and see what each bot answers. Most tools let you test before connecting WhatsApp.
- Add up the whole bill. Several tools charge Meta's per-message fees on top of the plan, and some charge per AI conversation or credit. Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges per message, with 1,000 free service messages per number a month.
- Check where your number stands. Some tools need a new number; others connect the number already on your WhatsApp Business app, which Meta calls coexistence.
- See what happens when the bot doesn't know. A bot that hands the question to a person beats one that improvises an answer.
Frequently asked questions
Which WhatsApp AI chatbots book appointments?
Ariko checks Google Calendar and books, cancels and reschedules inside the chat. Omago says it syncs bookings to Google Calendar, Meta says its Business Agent books appointments, and respond.io's calendar integrations send booking links. On the other vendors' pages we found no built-in booking.
Is there a free WhatsApp AI chatbot?
Meta Business Agent is free up to an included allowance, where Meta offers it. Most other free plans stop before WhatsApp, or charge Meta's fees on top. Ariko's Free plan, $0, is a test chat on your own business's information — No WhatsApp connection; WhatsApp starts on a paid plan.
Do I pay Meta on top of the subscription?
With most tools, yes: respond.io says WhatsApp fees are not included, and WATI, SleekFlow, AiSensy and Interakt charge them per their rate cards or on top. Tidio says it adds no markup. With Ariko, Meta's message charges are included in the subscription.
Can the bot answer in my customers' language?
An Ariko account opened in English replies in English, and can be set to answer each customer in the language they wrote in — or only in the languages you choose, with English as the fallback.
Can I keep my existing WhatsApp number?
With Ariko, a number on the WhatsApp Business app connects by scanning a QR code, and the app on your phone keeps working. Meta calls this coexistence, and added the United Kingdom, the EU and the EEA to it in October 2025.
How much does Ariko cost?
You build and test at $0 — No WhatsApp connection on the free plan. WhatsApp starts with the Start plan, $99 a month (charged in shekels: ₪299 a month) with 1,000 messages, and Meta's message charges are included. Full pricing.
Sources (checked 27 October 2026)
- AiSensy — Pricing (USD) (AI Agent Builder add-on, Meta's charges)
- Interakt — Pricing (plans, WhatsApp AI Agents add-on, markets)
- ManyChat — Pricing (plans, prices by billing country, channels)
- ManyChat — WhatsApp ("only available for Pro accounts", charged on top)
- WhatsApp Help Center — Meta Business Agent ("only available in limited countries to select businesses")
- WhatsApp Business — Meta One (free up to an included allowance; replies, books appointments, captures leads)
- Omago — Pricing (plans in USD, WhatsApp from Plus)
- Omago — Home (channels, Google Calendar)
- respond.io — Pricing (plans, AI Agents from Growth, AI credits, WhatsApp fees not included, calendar integrations)
- respond.io — About (headquarters)
- SleekFlow — Pricing (plans in US$, prices by location, AI agents from Pro, number hosting fee, rate card)
- Tidio — Pricing (plans billed annually, Lyro AI agent)
- Tidio — WhatsApp integration (free on every plan, 1,000 messages, no markup)
- Trengo — Pricing (plans in euros, users, AI conversation surcharge, Meta's message charges)
- Trengo — About us (founded in Utrecht, the Netherlands)
- WATI — Pricing (plans billed annually, Astra AI agents add-on, message charges)
- Meta — WhatsApp Business Platform changelog (23 October 2025: Coexistence supported for the United Kingdom, the EU and the EEA)
- Meta — WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (per-message charges from 1 October 2026, 1,000 free service messages per number a month, country rates)
More: respond.io alternative · Trengo alternative · SleekFlow alternative · ManyChat alternative · WATI alternative · What a WhatsApp bot costs