You opened hellomateo's pricing page and read “Book a meeting” four times. No price, no calculator.
So now you are looking for a hellomateo alternative before you sit through another sales call. Fair enough.
Most comparison lists then tell you which tool is “better”. This article does not. It tells you which question you need to answer first.
Is there an alternative to hellomateo?
Yes. For WhatsApp marketing in the DACH region, the most relevant hellomateo alternatives are charles, Superchat, ChatWerk, Sinch Engage and Chatarmin.
Which one fits comes down to a single question: do you sell through physical stores or through an online shop? hellomateo is built for businesses with physical locations. If you run pure e-commerce, the road usually leads somewhere else.
The 5 hellomateo alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Strength | Fits | Public pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| charles | WhatsApp commerce for large brands | brands with an in-house CRM team and enterprise budget | no |
| Superchat | broad messaging suite, many channels | local service businesses and smaller teams | yes, from €89 |
| ChatWerk | cheapest entry point | small shops on a tight budget | yes, from €69 |
| Sinch Engage | channels beyond the standard set, enterprise-leaning | corporates with multi-country setups | inconsistent |
| Chatarmin | WhatsApp marketing plus AI agents with shop access | D2C shops on Shopify, Klaviyo, JTL, Xentral | on request |
Details on each tool follow further down. First, why hellomateo becomes a question for online shops at all.
What hellomateo is, and who it was built for
hellomateo is a platform for customer communication across WhatsApp, email, Instagram, Facebook, phone and physical mail.
The operating company is MATEO Estate GmbH, based in Potsdam, registered at the Potsdam district court under HRB 39844. It was founded in 2021 by three former SAP employees: Christian Strauch, Domenik Fox and Philipp Steinrötter.
The company name is not a coincidence. According to a press release by Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg dated 05 June 2024, the company originally focused on the real estate sector and only later pivoted to messaging software. In the same year, Brandenburg Kapital came in with a seven-figure seed round.
What the platform does today, based on its own product navigation:
- Shared inbox for WhatsApp, email, Instagram and Facebook
- WhatsApp newsletters including opt-in management and link click tracking
- AI assistant in chat plus AI voice that picks up phone calls
- Review management wired directly into Google Business Profiles
- Postal campaigns, meaning printed letters including production and delivery
- Prebuilt industry automations (“Model Company”) as a template kit
The company reports more than 2,100 customers, more than 50 million messages sent, and a Google rating of 4.9 across 118 reviews (source: hellomateo.de/preise, as of July 2026).
Short version: this is a decent product. The combination of messaging, AI voice and review management is rare in the German market.
A quick note on search: mateo.estate still runs the company's original product, a communication tool for property management firms. Same company, different product. If you searched for “mateo whatsapp”, you meant the messaging software.
The breaking point: hellomateo counts locations
This is the most important section in this article.
Look at how the packages are cut (source: hellomateo.de/preise, as of July 2026):
| Package | Locations | WhatsApp numbers | User seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Business | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Business Plus | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Enterprise | 10 | 10 | 100 |
The first line of every package is the number of locations. Not contacts. Not orders. Not message volume.
Even the contact form on the pricing page asks for “number of locations” as a required field, with options for 1 to 5, 5 to 10, and more than 10.
The industry navigation confirms the picture. hellomateo addresses opticians, hearing aid specialists, car dealerships, fashion retail, furniture and kitchen stores, electronics retail, gyms, medical supply stores, plus banking and insurance. Almost all of those sell across a shop floor. E-commerce is one industry page among many.
If you run a chain of eight optician stores, this logic is a feature: you see numbers per location, assign rights per team, and get a dedicated number for every branch.
If you run a D2C shop with 40,000 contacts and zero stores, you are paying for a structure you do not have. Your growth does not happen in locations.
What is fair to say
hellomateo includes unlimited active contacts in every package. Outbound messages are listed at €0.05 to €0.11, which matches Meta's own range, so there is no visible vendor markup.
Against tools that bill per contact block, hellomateo can actually come out cheaper on very large lists. Honest is honest.
You can also try it first. Asked whether hellomateo can be tested in advance, its own pricing FAQ simply answers yes. How long the trial runs and what it covers is not stated there.
What to clarify in the sales call
The AI chat assistant and AI voice are add-ons in Premium and Business.
In Business Plus, the pricing page states that you pick two out of AI chat, AI voice and postal campaigns. You only get all three with Enterprise. Included AI replies: 1,000 in Business Plus, 2,000 in Enterprise.
What hellomateo costs, and where the numbers are
The main pricing page shows “Book a meeting” on all four packages. No euro amount.
hellomateo does publish numbers, they are just spread across other pages:
- from €79/month as the entry price, stated on hellomateo.de/integrationen/shopify
- €139/month for the Premium package, stated in the FAQ on hellomateo.de/preis
- €269/month for Business, stated on the industry page for furniture and kitchen retail
- €0.05 to €0.11 per message charged by Meta, added on top and stated transparently in the pricing FAQ
In practice: the numbers exist, they are just not where you look for them. Good enough for a first comparison.
For a real calculation you need the call. Ask explicitly about setup fees, contract terms and the add-on price for the AI assistant.
Shop integration: Zapier on one page, direct on another
For a shop operator this is the most expensive detail on the site, so here is exactly what sits where.
For Shopify, hellomateo describes the route via Zapier. Step by step, including creating a Zapier account and pasting an API key. The outbound link for Shopify points to zapier.com (source: hellomateo.de/integrationen/shopify).
The glossary entry, by contrast, describes direct synchronisation for shop systems. It states that order data and customer contacts are matched automatically (source: hellomateo.de/ressourcen/glossar/e-commerce-integration).
Which version applies to your shop is best settled in the call. Specifically:
- Does the connection run through Zapier or through a native interface?
- Which fields sync in which direction?
- What happens at 5,000 orders a month?
Why it matters: on Zapier you pay per task, and abandoned cart flows burn through a lot of them. A native, bidirectional connection does not consume task quotas and does not break when Zapier hits a limit.
The 5 hellomateo alternatives in detail
charles
Based in Berlin, clearly built for conversational commerce. According to Capterra, charles integrates with Shopify, Klaviyo, Emarsys and Zendesk, among others.
On Capterra, charles sits at 4.4 across 21 reviews, with 84 on OMR Reviews. Worth checking the labelling on that Capterra sample: some of the reviews are marked there as vendor-referred and incentivised. Reviewers mostly praise the account support. One criticism comes up repeatedly: reporting and KPI tracking do not go far enough for some users, alongside requests around segmentation (source: Capterra, charles reviews).
charles publishes no prices. Neither its own website nor OMR Reviews shows a figure. The only route to a calculation runs through sales, so factor that into your timeline.
Pick charles if you are a large brand, have your own CRM team, and run WhatsApp as a full revenue channel with enterprise expectations.
Superchat
A Berlin messaging suite, the only one in this list that also bundles email and SMS into the same inbox. And the only one that publishes full pricing. That alone is rare enough in this market to mention.
The tiers: Free with a cap of 30 active contacts, Basic €89, Professional €149, Advanced €299, Enterprise on request. Paying annually brings that down to €79, €129 and €249 (source: superchat.de/preise).
Integrations are available as paid add-ons from Professional and included from Advanced. Put that line in your calculation, not in a footnote.
On OMR Reviews, Superchat sits at 4.7 across 338 reviews (source: omr.com/de/reviews/product/superchat, retrieved 29 July 2026).
Pick Superchat if you want to bundle many channels and your business does not hinge on your shop system.
ChatWerk
The cheapest entry in the field, based in Nuremberg. Shared inbox, web chat, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, plus unlimited messages in every package and free API access (source: chatwerk.de/preise).
The Starter plan costs €69 per month on an annual contract, or €85 if you want to cancel monthly (source: chatwerk.de/en/pricing-2).
One detail before you sign: the Chatflow Builder, which is the module for newsletter campaigns and chatbots, has to be booked separately on the lower plans. It is only included from the Premium package upwards. So if you want to send WhatsApp newsletters, the entry price is not the price you pay.
Pick ChatWerk if budget is your hardest constraint and you are starting with the basics.
Sinch Engage (formerly MessengerPeople)
Formerly MessengerPeople, part of the Swedish Sinch group since the acquisition. Closer to channel infrastructure than to e-commerce.
Channel selection goes beyond the standard set. Alongside WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct and Telegram, it also runs Apple Messages for Business, Viber and web chat through the same interface (source: omr.com/de/reviews/product/sinch-engage).
Pricing is where it gets murky. German comparison directories quote an entry point from €199 including all messengers, but they link to a pricing page that no longer resolves. Sinch's current German-language pricing page instead lists an SMS-oriented tier structure in dollars.
What that means for you: there is currently no reliable public figure for a WhatsApp setup in the DACH region. Get confirmation in the call on which price list applies to you at all.
Pick Sinch Engage if you scale internationally, need many channels, and value channel infrastructure over e-commerce detail.
Chatarmin
That is us. Which is why it gets its own section, including the cases where we are not the right call.
Chatarmin as an alternative to hellomateo: who we fit, and who we do not
We build WhatsApp marketing for e-commerce. Not for 30 industries, but for shops.
We fit if:
- Your shop runs on Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, JTL or Xentral and you want a native, bidirectional connection
- You use Klaviyo and want segments, opt-ins and customer profiles syncing both ways
- You want abandoned cart, back-in-stock, post-purchase and winback running as flows instead of manual campaigns
- You want to see which campaign brought in how much revenue, not just who opened
- Your team sits in the DACH region and expects German-speaking support
The real difference: answering questions or executing tasks
This is where a tool for store networks and a tool for shops genuinely part ways.
hellomateo's AI answers questions. It tells the customer where the parcel is and hands over when things get complicated.
Our AI agents in armincx reach into the system. They create a return, trigger a refund, change a delivery address. Inside the ticket, not in the backend.
How that is secured:
- Two separate agents: one with read access for product questions, order tracking and FAQs, a second with write permissions for anything that changes state
- An approval system for critical actions. Everything else runs through automatically
- Read and write access to Shopify and Xentral, not read-only
- The phone call, the WhatsApp message and the email from the same customer land in one history
We are working towards agents handling complete process chains such as a full return on their own. Today the rule is: anything that changes state goes through the approval logic.
We do not fit if:
- You run eight stores and need numbers per location plus tiered permissions. hellomateo is the clearer choice there
- Your goal is collecting Google reviews for individual stores. We run review flows through Trustpilot and Reviews.io, but we do not manage Google Business Profiles. hellomateo does
- You want to send postal campaigns from the same tool. We cannot do that
- In-store telephony is your main use case, meaning you route calls per location and play back opening hours per branch. Our AI phone assistant hangs off order data, not off location structures. For a store network that is the wrong logic
- Your shop is still small. Below roughly €500,000 in annual digital revenue, WhatsApp rarely pays for itself as a standalone channel, and we would rather tell you now than in the third call
This is not false modesty. An optician with three stores sending appointment reminders and collecting reviews is better served by hellomateo. A D2C shop with 40,000 contacts and Klaviyo in the stack is not.
hellomateo reviews: what users say publicly
We are not quoting sales conversations here, only what is publicly visible.
Capterra Germany: users describe reactivating existing customers over WhatsApp as highly effective, with one reviewer reporting a ROAS above 500 %. Ease of use and a fast-responding support team come up repeatedly.
Criticism lands in two places: setting up automations is described as somewhat complicated, and product changes occasionally require re-learning (source: capterra.com.de).
OMR Reviews: 4.7 across 155 reviews (source: omr.com/de/reviews/product/hellomateo, retrieved 29 July 2026).
Google: 4.9 across 118 reviews (source: hellomateo.de/preise).
Trustpilot: the opposite picture. Two reviews, both negative, criticising mobile usability and points that allegedly went unmentioned during the sales conversation (source: de.trustpilot.com/review/hellomateo.de). At two reviews this is statistically meaningless. We include it anyway, because leaving it out would be the less honest option.
What is missing: there are no G2 reviews, which limits international comparability.
The overall picture: mostly satisfied customers, with friction when automations get complex.
When you should stay with hellomateo
Switching tools costs you opt-ins, setup time and patience. Stay if at least two of these apply:
- You have physical locations and the per-location package logic matches your structure
- Google reviews are a real revenue lever for you
- The AI voice assistant measurably takes calls off your team
- Postal campaigns are part of your marketing mix
- Your contact list is very large and billing without a contact cap saves you money
Switch only when your bottleneck is a different one: shop data that does not arrive cleanly in the tool, flows that should hang off order data rather than appointment data, or you cannot see which campaign brought in revenue.
Conclusion: your hellomateo alternative depends on your business model
hellomateo does solid work for businesses with stores, appointments and a Google profile. More than 2,100 customers and a 4.9 Google rating do not happen by accident.
But the packages count locations. And an online shop has none. That is where the search for a hellomateo alternative actually starts: not with the feature list, but with the business model.
If you sell through stores, stay. If you sell through a shop, want abandoned carts recovered and revenue tracked per campaign, talk to us.
Book a demo. 30 minutes, we go through your stack. If hellomateo is the better fit, we will tell you.
Frequently asked questions about hellomateo alternatives
Is there an alternative to hellomateo?
Yes. charles, Superchat, ChatWerk, Sinch Engage and Chatarmin are the most relevant hellomateo alternatives in the DACH region. For pure e-commerce, Chatarmin and charles sit closest.
What does hellomateo cost?
Entry starts at €79/month according to hellomateo's own website, with Premium at €139 and Business at €269. The main pricing page itself only shows “Book a meeting” on all four packages, so the numbers live on subpages.
Is hellomateo suitable for online shops?
It depends. The packages are cut by number of locations and the industry pages mostly address brick-and-mortar retailers and service businesses. For pure online shops there are better-suited tools.
Does hellomateo offer a free trial?
Yes. Its own pricing FAQ answers the question about testing in advance with a plain yes. The page does not state how long the trial runs or what it includes.
Is hellomateo GDPR-compliant?
According to the company, yes. hellomateo advertises GDPR compliance, servers located in Germany, and a commitment not to use customer data for training AI models.
What is the difference between hellomateo and Chatarmin?
hellomateo is an omnichannel platform for businesses with physical locations, including review management, AI voice and postal mail. Chatarmin specialises in WhatsApp marketing for e-commerce, with native connections to Shopify, Klaviyo, JTL and Xentral.
Can I migrate from hellomateo to another tool?
Yes. Your WhatsApp number and your Meta Business Manager belong to you, not to the vendor, and both can be migrated. Clarify your contract term and the export of your opt-ins first.
Does hellomateo offer a Shopify integration?
Yes, though the depth is unclear. Its Shopify page describes the route via Zapier, while the glossary entry describes direct synchronisation for shop systems. Ask in the sales call which version applies to your shop.
What is hellomateo's full company name?
The operating company is MATEO Estate GmbH, based in Potsdam and registered at the Potsdam district court under HRB 39844. According to Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg, the company originally focused on the real estate sector.
