A WhatsApp bot has two bills: the builder's plan and Meta's own message fees, which each tool passes on in its own way. Meta also limits when a business may message first, which shapes what a bot can do. WhatsApp chatbot rules covers the rules.
The deciding question is which plan puts WhatsApp on your own number. On several tools it is not the cheapest plan, so the real entry price is higher than the headline price.
Quick picks
The ranking
Botpress
Support teams with a developer on hand that want agent building and a helpdesk in one tool8.0- Paid plans from
- $150 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email, Slack, Voice
Botpress is a cloud platform for building AI agents: a visual Studio, LLM-driven steps the docs call Autonomous Nodes, a code SDK and, since May 2026, its own helpdesk called Desk. It is built for support teams that have someone technical on hand. Workspaces created after May 14, 2026 pay a flat plan fee for a monthly conversation allowance, and extra conversations are bought automatically in packs of 100.
The catch: On paid plans you cannot switch off overage: at 95% of your allowance Botpress buys a pack of 100 conversations for you, and that pack stays on the bill every month until you remove it.
Landbot
Marketing teams in Europe that want lead-capture flows on a website, with prices in euros and data hosted in the EU7.5- Paid plans from
- €40 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger
Landbot is a visual, no-code chatbot builder from Barcelona for websites, WhatsApp and Messenger. It is built mainly for marketing teams that want to capture and qualify leads with button-driven flows, with an optional AI Agent block inside the flow. It charges a flat monthly plan that includes a pool of chats and a smaller, separate pool of AI chats, and it bills a published price for each chat beyond the pool.
The catch: Branding removal, webhooks, CRM integrations and WhatsApp on your own number all start at Professional, so the €40 Starter plan is narrower than its price suggests.
Tidio Lyro
Small online shops and support teams that want an AI agent, simple automations and a shared inbox from one vendor, with published self-serve prices7.5- Paid plans from
- $29 per month
- Pricing model
- Mixed
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Email
Tidio is a live-chat and help-desk suite for small and mid-sized online businesses, with two kinds of bot: Flows, a no-code rule-based builder, and Lyro, an AI agent that answers from your own support content. It is built mainly for e-commerce and support teams that want the bot and the human inbox in one tool. It charges flat monthly fees on three separate meters: human-answered conversations, Lyro AI conversations and unique visitors reached by Flows.
The catch: The $29 Starter plan buys human-answered conversations, not a working AI agent: its 50 Lyro conversations are a one-off allowance that never resets, and a renewing Lyro quota is a separate purchase starting at $39 a month.
Manychat
Creators and social-first shops that sell through Instagram, TikTok or Messenger DMs6.9- Paid plans from
- $17 per month
- Pricing model
- By number of contacts
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email
Manychat is a marketing bot: a visual flow builder that replies to comments and direct messages on Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram, with SMS and email as add-on channels. It is built for creators and social-first shops, not for website support, because it has no website chat widget. It charges a flat plan fee that includes a monthly allowance of Active Contacts, then a per-contact price above that allowance.
The catch: A broadcast makes every recipient an Active Contact for that month, so one send to a large list can use up the whole allowance and start per-contact overage unless you set a cap.
Typebot
Developers and technical marketers who want cheap per-chat pricing or a self-hosted bot builder6.7- Paid plans from
- $39 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp
Typebot is a visual builder for chatbots and conversational forms that you can run on Typebot's cloud or host yourself. It is built for teams that want lead capture and scripted flows on a website, and that are comfortable adding their own AI provider key when they want AI. The cloud charges a flat monthly fee with a set number of chats included, starting at $39 a month; self-hosting is free under a source-available licence.
The catch: On a paid cloud plan, reaching your chat limit does not pause the bot: after two warning emails Typebot moves your workspace to the next usage tier, so the bill goes up instead.
Chatfuel
Agencies and small sales teams that want an AI agent answering leads on WhatsApp and Instagram6.3- Paid plans from
- $20 per month
- Pricing model
- Credits
- Free plan
- Partly
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok
Chatfuel is an AI agent that answers and qualifies leads on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok and a website widget. In 2026 the vendor rebuilt it around a language model called Fuely AI and aimed it at small sales teams and marketing agencies. It charges a flat subscription plus a wallet of US-dollar credits that pays for every AI reply and for Meta's WhatsApp fees.
The catch: Chatfuel does not publish what one AI reply costs, and when the wallet reaches zero the bot stops replying until you add money.
Comparison table
| Product | Score | Type of tool | Paid plans from | Free plan | What the bill grows with | EU data hosting | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress | 8.0 | Agent-building platform | $150 per month | Yes | conversations | Partly | Support teams with a developer on hand that want agent building and a helpdesk in one tool |
| Landbot | 7.5 | No-code flow builder | €40 per month | Yes | chats | Yes | Marketing teams in Europe that want lead-capture flows on a website, with prices in euros and data hosted in the EU |
| Tidio Lyro | 7.5 | AI agent for support | $29 per month | Yes | conversations | Yes | Small online shops and support teams that want an AI agent, simple automations and a shared inbox from one vendor, with published self-serve prices |
| Manychat | 6.9 | Messaging-marketing bot | $17 per month | Yes | contacts | Yes | Creators and social-first shops that sell through Instagram, TikTok or Messenger DMs |
| Typebot | 6.7 | Open-source builder | $39 per month | Yes | chats | Partly | Developers and technical marketers who want cheap per-chat pricing or a self-hosted bot builder |
| Chatfuel | 6.3 | AI agent for support | $20 per month | Partly | credits | No | Agencies and small sales teams that want an AI agent answering leads on WhatsApp and Instagram |
What it costs at three volumes
| Product | What the bill grows with | 100 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress | conversations | $150 (Plus) | $750 (Team) | Custom quote |
| Landbot | chats | €0 (Free) | €65 (Starter) | €225 (Professional) |
| Tidio Lyro | conversations | $75 (Lyro AI Agent 100) | $700 (Lyro AI Agent 1,000) | Custom quote |
| Manychat | contacts | $17 (Essential) | $39 (Pro) | $99 (Business) |
| Typebot | chats | $0 (Personal) | $39 (Starter) | $89 (Pro) |
| Chatfuel | credits | Not modeled | Not modeled | Not modeled |
How to choose
If you want to try a WhatsApp bot before paying, pick Botpress because WhatsApp is listed on its Free plan. The free allowance of 25 conversations a month is for testing, not for a live number.
If you run marketing campaigns on WhatsApp alongside Instagram, pick Manychat because the same flows cover both channels and every plan price is public.
If you want an AI agent qualifying leads on WhatsApp with no seat fees, pick Chatfuel because every paid plan includes WhatsApp and unlimited teammates. Keep an eye on the wallet balance.
If you need no-code WhatsApp flows and EU data hosting, pick Landbot because it hosts data in the EU and builds WhatsApp flows visually. Ask which markup applies before you budget a campaign.
If a developer runs your stack and you want a flat price for a large volume, pick Typebot because Pro includes 10,000 chats and you bring your own AI key.
Verdict
Botpress is the default pick for a WhatsApp bot that answers questions with AI: it scores highest on this list and shows WhatsApp on every plan. Ignore it if you want no-code marketing flows, where Manychat is simpler, or if you need EU data hosting without an Enterprise contract, where Landbot fits.
For buyers in the United States
No federal law is written for chatbots, but three rules do most of the work. Some states make you say the bot is a bot: California when a bot is used to sell, Maine for any chatbot in commerce, and Colorado for public-facing conversational AI from January 1, 2027. Marketing texts need prior express written consent under the TCPA. And what your bot tells a customer falls under the FTC Act and state consumer-protection law, the same as any other statement you make.
Vendors in this category publish prices in US dollars, a few in euros; this site shows the published currency and never converts. There is no US cookie-consent law for a chat widget, but California chat-wiretap suits make a short notice above the chat box worth adding. If you serve customers in the EU or UK, check that the vendor documents EU or UK data hosting and offers a data processing agreement. If your customers also write in Spanish, check that the vendor documents AI answers in that language rather than assuming it.
Chatbots and the law in the United States
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WhatsApp chatbot builder?
Botpress is our default pick for an AI chatbot on WhatsApp, because it scores highest on this list and shows WhatsApp on every plan. Manychat suits WhatsApp marketing next to Instagram, and Chatfuel suits an AI agent qualifying leads with no seat fees.
Do I pay Meta separately for a WhatsApp chatbot?
Yes. Meta charges its own fees for WhatsApp messages, and on the tools where our records describe it they sit outside the plan price: Manychat and Chatfuel collect them from a prepaid wallet, and Landbot adds its own markup. WhatsApp chatbot rules explains Meta's message categories.
Can a WhatsApp chatbot message customers first?
Only with a template message. Chatfuel's documentation describes free-form replies within Meta's 24-hour window after the customer's last message; outside that window a WhatsApp chatbot must send a template, which Meta charges for.
Which WhatsApp chatbot builder has a free plan?
Botpress lists WhatsApp on its Free plan, with 25 conversations a month. Landbot's Free plan only offers a shared test number, and Manychat and Typebot leave WhatsApp out of their free plans. See the best free chatbot builders for every free plan's limits.
Keep reading
- Best chatbot buildersbest list
- Best chatbot builders for small businessbest list
- Best chatbots for ecommercebest list
- Best chatbots for customer supportbest list
- Best chatbot builders for lead generationbest list
- Best chatbot builders for Instagram and Facebook Messengerbest list
- Best free chatbot buildersbest list
- Best open-source and developer chatbot platformsbest list
- What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?guide
- How is chatbot software priced?guide
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Researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. We have not built or tested bots on these platforms yet. Method: How we review