7 Best WhatsApp Chatbots in 2026
By Joren Wouters • Updated on
With over 2.9 billion users, WhatsApp is one of the best channels to engage customers. But managing thousands of chats manually? That’s not scalable.
That’s where WhatApp chatbots come in. They help you automate replies, qualify leads, and improve support on autopilot.
So, which platform should you use? I’ve personally tested every WhatsApp chatbot tool in this list and used several of them in real client setups.
In this guide, I’ll break down the 7 best WhatsApp chatbot platforms. Below you’ll see what each one is best for, the key tradeoffs, and which I’d pick depending on your use case.
For this 2026 update, I re-checked each platform specifically for WhatsApp:
- Ease of use: How quickly can you set up a WhatsApp chatbot without a developer?
- AI & Automation capabilities: Can you handle conversations with AI or is it rule-based?
- Marketing Features: Can you send WhatsApp broadcasts?
- Live Chat: Can you hand over conversations to humans?
- Integrations: Can you connect it with your existing tech stack?
- Pricing: How expensive is it?
Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
What is a WhatsApp chatbot?
A WhatsApp chatbot is a software tool that automatically handles conversations on WhatsApp. It can:
- Answer questions
- Qualify leads
- Take actions such as sending order updates or booking appointments
- Hand off users to the right team member
But it’s not magic. Most chatbots don’t “think” like a human unless you train them properly. And many tools require access to the official WhatsApp Business API to send broadcasts or automate at scale.
The best WhatsApp chatbot for you depends on your needs. Do you want simple automation, or a complete marketing and support system, or something in between?
For example, here’s how My Jewellery (eCommerce) uses a chatbot to auto reply to customer questions:
Best WhatsApp Chatbot Platforms: Quick Overview
| Name | Rating | Pricing | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manychat | 4.5/5 ⭐ | Free plan, Pro plan starts at $15/month | Marketing Automation and Customer Support |
| Chatbase | 4.1/5 ⭐ | Free plan, Hobby plan starts at $40/month | AI Beginners |
| UChat | 4.6/5 ⭐ | Free plan; Premium plans start at $15/month and up | eCommerce & Omnichannel Bots |
| Botpress | 4.1/5 ⭐ | Free plan with pay-as-you-go model | Fully Customizable AI Support Chatbots |
| Wati | 4.1/5 ⭐ | Starts at $59/month, 7-day free trial for every plan | All-in-one platform for marketing automation, support, and AI |
| Freshchat | 4.5/5 ⭐ | Free plan, Paid plans starting at $19/month | AI Agents with Large Customer Support Teams |
| Intercom | 4.5/5⭐ | Starts at $39 per seat/month, 14-day free trial on every plan | Enterprise & Large Businesses |
1. Manychat
Best for: Marketing Automation & Customer Support
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
Manychat is a fantastic choice for creating WhatsApp chatbots. It’s very easy to use, to the point that anyone can build a chatbot with it quite quickly. It has a flow builder and a super user-friendly interface, so no coding is needed.
Whether you’re looking to automate your marketing or streamline customer support, Manychat has you covered.
For one, it’s great for lead generation and getting more customers. For example, you can send WhatsApp broadcasts, set up sequences, rules, and even conduct A/B testing.
Likewise, you can automatically reply to questions with Manychat. And when the WhatsApp chatbot doesn’t know the answer, you can smoothly transfer it to live chat, which makes it great for customer service.
For more high-level users, Manychat offers AI features, including an AI Flow Builder Assistant and AI intents.
Pros
- Easy-to-use Flow Builder
- Unlimited Custom Fields & Tags
- Integrates with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, SMS, & Telegram
- Send Broadcasts, Sequences and Rules
- Built-in Live Chat + Integrations with Zapier and Make
- Built-in AI: Intents, AI Steps & AI Flow Builder Assistant
Cons
- It’s hard to translate your chatbot to multiple languages
- You need to create separate messages for each channel
Pricing
- Free plan up to 1000 contacts. You get basic features of the platform
- Pro plan – starts at $15/month
- AI Add-on – $29/month
To get started with Manychat, click the button below to get my 100% discount code:
2. Chatbase
Best for: AI Beginners
Rating: 4.1/5 ⭐
Chatbase is like a specialist. It is incredible at exactly one thing: training a chatbot on your own data and automatically answering questions about it. It makes use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to understand and respond to user queries effectively.
The platform is very user-friendly, so you can literally set up a chatbot in minutes. It’s a great choice for small businesses or individuals starting with AI chatbot tools.
With Chatbase, you can simply upload documents or share website links, and the chatbot will quickly learn from your data. Within minutes, it will be ready to answer questions about the information you’ve provided.
With Chatbase, you can easily make your AI agent smarter over time. You can improve answers manually. Or, Chatbase can automatically tell you about any knowledge gaps via its Suggestions feature.
The system learns from these revisions automatically, which I haven’t seen in any other AI platform.
Moreover, Chatbase can be linked to other apps through AI Actions. With AI Actions, your chatbot can execute tasks when users ask for it. For example, an AI Action can lookup when a customer’s order will arrive.
In short, Chatbase is an ideal solution for businesses who need AI-powered customer support quickly.
Pros
- Very easy to use, great for beginners
- Set up a chatbot in minutes
- Built-in AI: Knowledge Base
- Integrations with Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook, Website & Slack
- Use AI actions to connect with other apps
- Easily change responses of your chatbot
- Livechat integration with Zendesk
Cons
- Unable to create custom chatbot flows
- Cannot send WhatsApp broadcasts
Pricing
- Free plan: 100 message credits and train a chatbot on 400,000 characters
- Hobby Plan ($40/month): 2,000 messages credits and train a chatbot on 11 million characters
3. UChat
Best for: eCommerce & Omnichannel Bots
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
UChat is perfect for multi-channel bots and online stores. It supports many messaging channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram. You can build a single chatbot and deploy it across multiple channel with just one click.
Just like Manychat, it also has a drag-and-drop flow builder to create custom chatbot flows. This is pretty easy to use, but it has a higher learning curve than some other platforms.
Likewise, UChat is great if you want to manage marketing and customer support across many channels.
For lead generation, UChat has many marketing features. They include sending broadcasts, setting up sequences, and using rules.
For eCommerce businesses, UChat even offers an additional great feature, which is the WhatsApp catalog. You can simply connect your eCommerce products to UChat and directly start selling products on WhatsApp.
Also, you can use UChat to auto-reply to customer questions and hand off chats to live support. If you want to take it up a notch, you can even use the direct integration with ChatGPT.
Pros
- Easy-to-use Flow Builder for seamless chatbot creation
- Build one chatbot and deploy it across 13 different channels
- Keyword Recognition & Intent Detection
- Direct integration with ChatGPT
- Set up a WhatsApp catalog and directly sell eCommerce products on WhatsApp
- Advanced marketing features, such as Broadcasts, Sequences, and Rules
- Built-in Live Chat
- Over 50 direct integrations, including Zapier & Make
Cons
- Steep learning curve, beginners can feel overwhelmed
Pricing
- Free plan
- Paid plan starts at $15/month
To get started with UChat, click the button below to get my 100% discount code:
4. Botpress
Best for: Fully Customizable AI Support Chatbots
Rating: 4.1/5 ⭐
Botpress is a great platform for building customizable customer support chatbots for many channels.
It is built for creating advanced, AI-powered chatbots. It features a flow builder and built-in AI, so you can design custom chatbot flows while taking full advantage of its intelligent features.
Botpress stands out due to its cutting-edge AI capabilities. With this platform, you can:
- Train your chatbot on a custom knowledge base
- Change responses to match a specific personality
- Automatically summarize conversations
- Interpret images uploaded by users
- Translate chatbot interactions into the user’s language
This makes Botpress one of the most sophisticated AI platforms on the market. Though this is obviously great for advanced users, the flow builder has a high learning curve for beginners.
Pros
- Advanced Flow Builder
- Many advanced AI tools (Knowledge Base, Summarize, Vision Agent & Automatic translation)
- You can send WhatsApp broadcasts using WhatsApp message templates
- Publish your chatbot on WhatsApp and 9 other channels
- Customize website widget
- Direct live chat integrations with Zendesk & Zapier
Cons
- High learning curve for beginners
- Limited marketing possibilities on other channels
- Only basic analytics on standard plan
Pricing
- Free plan up to 500 messages
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model based on usage, available from $5/month
5. Wati
Best for: All-in-one platform for marketing automation, support, and AI
Rating: 4.1/5 ⭐
Wati is great if you want to manage marketing automation, customer support, and AI in one platform.
Instead of piecing together many tools, you get everything in one dashboard. From flows to live support to WhatsApp broadcasts.
With Wati, you can:
- Build automated chatbot flows with a drag-and-drop builder
- Use KnowBot to train AI on your business data and auto-answer FAQs
- Manage live chats via Team Inbox with auto-assignment rules
- Send WhatsApp broadcasts, campaigns, and follow-up sequences
This is ideal for non-technical users. They want a simple, all-in-one solution without having to manage multiple tools.
However, it’s mainly focused on WhatsApp (no serious marketing features for Facebook or Instagram). Pricing is also higher than some other tools I mentioned before.
Pros
- Beginner-friendly Flow Builder
- KnowBot: Train AI on your own knowledge base
- Built-in Live Chat (Team Inbox)
- Supports WhatsApp broadcasts and sequences
- Zapier integration for added flexibility
Cons
- Pricier than other alternatives
- Can take time to learn how everything connects
- No marketing tools for Facebook or Instagram
Pricing
- Starts at $59/month
- 7-day free trial on every plan
6. Freshchat
Best for: AI Agents with Large Customer Support Teams
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
Freshchat is a strong option for building AI Agents for large customer support teams.
You can:
- Train AI Agents using your own knowledge
- Connect them to AI actions for handling support tasks
- Improve their answers over time as new questions come in
Freshchat is easy to set up and use. You can automatically hand off conversations to human agents, thanks to auto-assignment rules.
You also get access to tools like a shared inbox, team collaboration features, and proactive messaging. These help keep conversations organized and easy to manage.
The platform works well across multiple channels, including WhatsApp. So it’s easy to respond to customers from one place.
Freshchat also integrates with 400+ apps, so you can connect it to your existing tools and workflows.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Publish chatbot on WhatsApp + 6 Other Channels
- You can use WhatsApp message templates to send WhatsApp broadcasts
- Built-in AI: Intents, Self Service, Copilot
- Livechat with Auto-Assignment and Automations
- Over 400 direct integrations
- Advanced Analytics: Many Reports & Add Custom Reports
Cons
- Isn’t the cheapest
- Some features are hidden in the interface
- Limited customization options
- Proactively sending messages on website cannot be connected to specific chatbot flows
Pricing
- Free plan for live chat up to 10 agents
- Paid plan starting at $9/agent/month (comes with 500 AI agent sessions)
- AI Add-on: $49 per 100 AI agent sessions
7. Intercom
Best for: Enterprises & Large Businesses
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
Intercom is great for big businesses. It helps companies talk with their customers on 5 channels, WhatsApp included.
Its intuitive flow builder and built-in AI let you create complex chat automations, all without writing code.
Likewise, you can train your Intercom chatbot on your own data and let it automatically reply to customer questions
Its live chat feature also allows for seamless handovers to support agents when needed. Plus, with over 100 direct integrations, you can easily connect Intercom to your existing applications.
Intercom also offers plenty of marketing features, such as WhatsApp broadcasts, Product Tours, Banners, and Series. This helps you engage with your customers effectively.
Pros
- Easy-to-use Flow Builder
- Assign unlimited custom fields & tags
- Built in AI: Knowledge Base and Intents
- Publish chatbot on WhatsApp, websites, Instagram, Facebook and SMS
- You can send WhatsApp broadcasts using WhatsApp message templates
- Many marketing features
- Good website widget
- Advanced analytics: customer reports
Cons
- Can feel overwhelming, especially for beginners
- Can be expensive for small businesses
Pricing
- Starts at $39 per seat/month
- 14-day free trial on every plan
Your Next Step
Choosing the right WhatsApp chatbot platform can change your business.
These are the 7 best WhatsApp Chatbot platforms. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
The next step is to get started with creating a WhatsApp chatbot. You can learn how to do that in this tutorial:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use WhatsApp chatbots on other social media networks?
Many chatbot platforms that work on WhatsApp also work on Facebook, Instagram and other messaging apps. Examples include Manychat, UChat and Botpress.
Do I need access to the WhatsApp Business API to use a chatbot?
Yes, if you want to automate conversations at scale.
Most serious WhatsApp chatbot platforms rely on the official WhatsApp Business API to send automated messages, broadcasts, and notifications. This requires business verification and approval from Meta.
Some tools offer simplified onboarding and handle the API setup for you. Others require you to connect your own approved WhatsApp Business account.
Are WhatsApp chatbots allowed for marketing?
Yes — but there are strict rules.
You can’t send cold outbound campaigns like email. Users must opt in before you message them.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- If a user messages your business, you have a 24-hour window to reply freely (including follow-ups).
- After that window closes, you can only send messages using pre-approved WhatsApp message templates.
- All marketing templates must be submitted to Meta for approval.
- Template messages are paid per conversation, based on WhatsApp’s pricing categories.
- If you violate these rules, your number can be rate-limited or restricted.
If you violate these rules, your number can be rate-limited or restricted.
WhatsApp works extremely well for warm audiences and customer follow-ups, but it’s not designed for cold outreach.
Can WhatsApp chatbots handle payments and eCommerce orders?
Yes, but usually through integrations.
Most WhatsApp chatbot platforms connect to:
- Shopify or WooCommerce
- Payment providers
- Order tracking systems
- CRM tools
Some tools also support WhatsApp catalogs. They allow customers to browse products directly inside WhatsApp.
However, full checkout flows often redirect users to an external payment page for security and compliance reasons.
Which WhatsApp chatbot is best for small businesses?
For most small businesses, Manychat is the best overall choice.
It’s affordable, beginner-friendly, and combines marketing automation, live chat, and AI features in one tool. You can build flows visually, send broadcasts, and automate support without technical skills.
If you mainly want AI that answers questions from your own data, Chatbase is a simpler alternative.
And if you run an eCommerce store and want omnichannel automation, UChat is a strong option.
Are WhatsApp bots safe?
Yes – if you use an official WhatsApp Business API provider.
Approved platforms follow Meta’s security rules and use encrypted messaging. The real risks come from unofficial tools, spammy marketing, or poorly monitored AI responses.
Make sure to stick to verified providers and follow WhatsApp’s policies.
wow. this is good. Can these platforms also be used to build a Slack Chatbot?
Thank you, Emeka! Botpress and UChat can also be used to build Slack chatbots.
wow. which of these would be best to connect with website / instagram and meta ads ?
If you only want to connect with Meta Ads, Manychat is the best. If you want both website + Meta Ads, I recommend UChat.