€48 million is what Sinch paid for MessengerPeople in 2021. Almost five years later, the name Sinch Engage sits on an SMS tool that sells WhatsApp as a $10-per-month add-on. So anyone looking for a MessengerPeople alternative is really searching twice: for the tool that no longer exists in that form, and for the one that does its job better today. We cover both here. With sources, prices, and an honest answer on which type of shop should switch where.
One quick note, because Google likes to mix consumer and business questions on this query: This article is about the business software Sinch Engage, not about an alternative to the WhatsApp app on your phone.
Is there an alternative to Sinch Engage (formerly MessengerPeople)?
Yes, several. For e-commerce in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), they are closer to the original MessengerPeople promise than today's Sinch Engage itself. If you want WhatsApp as your core channel, look at specialized providers like Chatarmin, Superchat, or charles instead of an SMS platform with a WhatsApp add-on. If you mainly send SMS to the US, you can stay, because that is what today's product is built for.
Sinch Engage and the alternatives at a glance
| Sinch Engage | Chatarmin | Superchat | charles | Lime Connect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core channel | SMS, WhatsApp as add-on | Multichannel inbox | Website chat + messengers | ||
| Target group | SMS senders, heavily US-focused | E-commerce DACH | SMBs across industries | E-commerce, enterprise-oriented | Service teams |
| Entry price | $49/month (Basics, 1,000 SMS) | Billed per contact block | Package prices in euros | On request | Package prices in euros |
| WhatsApp campaigns | Only with social add-on ($10/month) | Core feature | Included | Core feature | Complementary |
| Shop integration | Shopify/Klaviyo per integration list | Shopify & Klaviyo native | Via Zapier/Make | Shop integrations | CRM/service focus |
Sources: sinch.com/de/engage/pricing, superchat.de, hello-charles.com, connect.lime-technologies.com, as of 30 July 2026. Details on each provider below.
From MessengerPeople to Sinch Engage to "Engage Classic": the short history of a name
To understand why so many people search for an alternative to MessengerPeople, the timeline helps.
2015: Founded in Munich, initially as WhatsBroadcast, later MessengerPeople. The company is considered a pioneer of professional WhatsApp marketing in the German-speaking market (deutsche-startups.de).
September to November 2021: Swedish listed company Sinch AB acquires MessengerPeople for €48 million: €33.6 million in cash, €14.4 million in Sinch shares. At the time of the acquisition: more than 700 business customers and roughly 40 employees (Sinch press release).
2023: MessengerPeople is fully folded into the corporate brand and renamed Sinch Engage (OnlineMarketing.de).
Today: The name Sinch Engage stands for a different product. The current pricing page carries the note "Wir hießen früher MessageMedia" ("We used to be MessageMedia"). In other words, the brand was transferred to Sinch's SMS platform, which stems from the MessageMedia acquisition (sinch.com/de/engage, as of 30 July 2026). Meanwhile, the old MessengerPeople platform runs in the official Sinch community under the label "Engage Classic" (community.sinch.com).
In short: One name, three products in five years.
MessengerPeople is now a "Classic" section inside a group that also owns Mailgun, Mailjet, SimpleTexting, and ClickSend (listed in the product footer on sinch.com). For the group, that is portfolio logic. For you as a customer, it means the tool you evaluated in 2021 no longer exists under that name.
This also explains why review portals are confusing. OMR still describes Sinch Engage as a messenger platform for WhatsApp, Telegram, and more (OMR Reviews). The vendor's pricing page, on the other hand, sells SMS packages. Both are right. They are just talking about different products with the same name.
What Sinch Engage costs today and why WhatsApp is an add-on
The numbers come straight from the German pricing page (sinch.com/de/engage/pricing, as of 30 July 2026). Notably: Even there, prices are listed in US dollars.
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | $49/month | 1,000 SMS, 1 user, 3 automations |
| Conversations | $99/month | 3,000 SMS, 2 users, 30 automations |
| Pro | $249/month | 10,000 SMS, 3 users, unlimited automations |
| Pro Plus | $450/month | 20,000 SMS, 3 users, SSO |
| Advanced | $799/month | 40,000 SMS, 3 users, 3 subaccounts |
The billing logic is SMS all the way through: included SMS credits, tiered rates per additional SMS, dedicated number included.
And WhatsApp? It sits in the feature table under "social channels add-on":
- $10 per month extra. That brings WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram into the shared inbox.
- 1,000 templated messages and conversations are included per month.
- Each additional one costs $0.05, plus Meta fees: the pricing page footnote states that Meta surcharges may apply.
What that means for a shop with 10,000 WhatsApp contacts: A single campaign to your full list amounts to ten times the included quota. 9,000 additional templates × $0.05 = $450 (approx. €394). Per campaign, before Meta fees.
This is not a hidden trap; it is stated openly in the table. It simply shows which use case the product is built for: SMS first, messaging apps on the side.
To be fair: Contacts are unlimited, the 14-day trial requires no credit card, and the integration table on the pricing page lists Shopify, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Salesforce, among others.
The 4 best Sinch Engage alternatives for e-commerce in the DACH region
Whether you search for a "Sinch alternative" or for classic MessengerPeople alternatives, you almost always mean the same thing: a WhatsApp tool that does the original job. Four serious candidates, depending on what you actually wanted from the old product.
Superchat: if you want all channels in one inbox
The Berlin-based tool bundles WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, and Google reviews into one inbox and targets SMBs across all industries (superchat.de). Prices are listed transparently in euros on the website, and WhatsApp campaigns are a core feature rather than an add-on.
The limit for shops: The Shopify connection is documented in Superchat's own help center via Zapier or Make (Superchat Help). You build your abandoned cart reminder there as a Zap, not as a ready-made shop flow.
A fit for: Multichannel support without deep shop automation.
charles: if you want conversational commerce at enterprise level
Berlin-based charles specialized early in WhatsApp for brands and connects shop systems to the chat (hello-charles.com). GetApp lists charles as the number one alternative to Sinch Engage (GetApp). So the direction holds up from a neutral perspective as well.
The vendor does not publish prices, and the positioning clearly targets larger brands with their own CRM team.
A fit for: Enterprise setups with consulting depth and the budget to match.
Lime Connect (formerly Userlike): if website chat is your starting point
Lime Connect comes from the website chat world and combines live chat with messenger channels, with a clear focus on customer service (connect.lime-technologies.com). For service teams that want to answer inquiries from the website and WhatsApp in one tool, that makes sense.
WhatsApp marketing with campaigns and flows is not the core there. If you primarily want to sell rather than support, you need a different profile.
A fit for: Service teams starting from website chat.
Chatarmin: if WhatsApp is meant to be your revenue channel
Now for us, cards on the table. Chatarmin is WhatsApp marketing for e-commerce in the DACH region:
- Shopify and Klaviyo natively integrated: flows for abandoned carts, back-in-stock, and post-purchase without a Zapier detour.
- Billing per contact block instead of per message. We pass Meta fees through 1:1 without a markup.
- armincx, our AI for customer service, answers campaign replies directly and hands tickets over to Zendesk or Gorgias instead of letting them run into a dead end.
Who we are a fit for: D2C brands and shops in the DACH region that want to build WhatsApp as a retention and revenue channel, with guided onboarding and German-speaking support.
Who we are not a fit for: You need SMS as a channel? We do not offer it. For that, Sinch Engage is honestly the better choice. You primarily want a website live chat for a service team? Then look at Lime Connect. And if all you need is a free inbox for two chats a day, you do not need a paid tool at all.
Sinch Engage reviews: what users report
The review base is thin and hard to read due to the product switch under the same name. So here is only what holds up:
- On G2, Sinch Engage sits at 4.6 out of 5 stars, though based on just around a dozen reviews (G2). At that sample size, this is a mood snapshot, not a statistic.
- Capterra profiles the user base: 52% of reviewers come from small businesses, and the top industry is Food & Beverages at 16%. On support, users report helpful answers according to Capterra's summary, though some mention inconsistent service (Capterra).
- OMR Reviews still describes the messenger platform from the MessengerPeople era (OMR Reviews). For every review, check whether it refers to the old or the new product.
Our take from many conversations with switching teams, heavily condensed: The most common reason to switch is rarely a single feature. It is the uncertainty about where a product is headed after changing its name and focus several times within the group.
What to watch out for when switching
The good news: Your WhatsApp Business number belongs to you, not to your tool provider. Migrating to a new provider runs through the official Meta procedure. Three things to know beforehand (Meta for Developers):
- Templates only partially migrate. Approved templates with a good quality rating are carried over; the rest must be resubmitted.
- Chat history does not move. Export whatever you need for support history before you cancel.
- Two-factor authentication on the number must be disabled with the old provider, otherwise the migration is blocked.
Also: Check your contract term with your current provider. Migrating the number does not end a running contract.
Conclusion: the name stayed, the product left
MessengerPeople was the original WhatsApp tool in the DACH market. Today, Sinch Engage is an SMS platform with a WhatsApp add-on: solid for what it wants to be, but a different product from what most people searching here are after.
If WhatsApp is supposed to drive revenue for you, switch to a specialist: Superchat for multichannel SMBs, charles for enterprise budgets, Lime Connect for service teams. And Chatarmin if you run a shop in the DACH region and want to build WhatsApp as a retention channel with native Shopify and Klaviyo integration.
Want to see what that looks like for your shop? Book a demo. We build the first use cases together with you.
FAQ on Sinch Engage alternatives
Is there an alternative to MessengerPeople?
Yes. Since MessengerPeople no longer exists as a standalone product, specialized WhatsApp tools like Chatarmin, Superchat, or charles are today's direct successors for the original use case.
Does MessengerPeople still exist?
No. The company was acquired by Sinch in 2021, renamed Sinch Engage in 2023, and the old platform now runs in the Sinch community as "Engage Classic".
Is Sinch Engage the same as MessengerPeople?
No. The name Sinch Engage now stands for Sinch's SMS platform (which emerged from MessageMedia), while the former MessengerPeople software is referred to as "Engage Classic".
How much does Sinch Engage cost?
Plans range from $49 (approx. €43) to $799 per month, billed in US dollars and measured in SMS quotas. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram cost an extra $10 per month as a social add-on, with 1,000 templated messages included (source: sinch.com/de/engage/pricing, as of 30 July 2026).
Which Sinch Engage alternative fits e-commerce in the DACH region?
It depends on what you need. For WhatsApp as a revenue channel with native shop integration Chatarmin, for multichannel SMBs Superchat, for enterprise setups charles.
Can I take my WhatsApp number to another provider?
Yes. The number belongs to your business and moves with you via the official Meta migration; approved templates with a good quality rating carry over, chat history does not.
