Wati Pricing 2026: What Does the Tool Actually Cost?

You're googling "Wati pricing" and you want a straight answer. Fair enough. But here's the thing: the number on the pricing page is not the number you'll see on your invoice at the end of the month. Wati has a pricing model that looks affordable at first glance — and gets expensive fast once your message volume grows.

I'm Johannes, founder of Chatarmin. We build WhatsApp marketing software for e-commerce brands. Yes, we're a Wati competitor. That's exactly why I know their pricing model inside out — and exactly why I'm telling you here, openly, what Wati's pricing page leaves out.

TL;DR: Wati Pricing at a Glance

All plans come with a 7-day free trial. Annual billing saves up to 25%. Sounds fair. But: This table only shows the base fee. On top of that, you'll pay variable messaging costs with a ~20% markup on official Meta rates, fees for additional users ($39/month per person), and paid add-ons like the Shopify integration ($4.99/month). In practice, actual monthly costs with active usage often run 30–50% above the list price. For businesses with high message volume, the markup alone can exceed the base fee.

The Official Pricing Structure: Growth, Pro, and Business

Wati's pricing breaks down into three tiers. Here are the details:

Growth ($59/month with annual billing) is aimed at small teams. It includes 3 users, 15,000 broadcasts per month, 1,000 automation triggers, and 2 integrations. Good enough to get started. Basic Shopify is included (abandoned cart, confirmations), but deeper integration costs extra. Monthly billing: $69.

Pro ($119/month with annual billing) gives you 5 users, unlimited broadcasts, 2,000 automation triggers, and 5 integrations including HubSpot. Plus advanced analytics, CTWA tracking, and smart retargeting. If you're using WhatsApp as an actual marketing channel — not just for support — you'll end up here quickly. Monthly billing: $149.

Business ($279/month with annual billing) offers 5 users, 5,000 automation triggers, unlimited integrations including Salesforce, IP whitelisting, and a dedicated customer success manager. This is built for larger operations — with one catch: even here, only 5 users are included. Every additional user costs $39 per month. Monthly billing: $349. One detail Wati likes to highlight: The Business plan includes a 5% discount on the messaging rate card. Sounds nice. In practice, it only pays off at very high volumes — and by then, you've already eaten the $279 base fee plus extra user costs.

Important: Broadcast limits may be high or "unlimited" — but messages themselves are not included in the base fee. You pay for those separately. And that's where it gets interesting.

The Elephant in the Room: Wati's Markup on Meta Messaging Rates

Since July 2025, Meta charges for the WhatsApp Business API not per 24-hour conversation, but per delivered template message. Costs depend on the category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) and the recipient's country. Service replies within the 24-hour window have been free since November 2024.

That's Meta's model. Now enter Wati.

Wati does not pass Meta's rates through at cost. Wati adds roughly 20% on top of every template message. This isn't a rumor — it's in the Wati rate card. Concrete example from the Indian market: Meta charges about $0.0099 for a marketing message — Wati charges $0.0119. That's a markup of 20.2%.

At 1,000 messages per month, you barely notice. At 100,000 marketing messages, the markup adds up to several hundred dollars per month — on top of the base fee. In Europe, where Meta's rates are higher to begin with, the absolute per-message difference is even larger.

Run the numbers for a Black Friday campaign. If your volume increases tenfold over a weekend, Wati's markup increases tenfold too. This model penalizes growth.

Calculation Example for the European Market

Suppose you send 50,000 marketing template messages per month to recipients in Western Europe. Meta charges higher rates for this region compared to India or Southeast Asia. Wati's 20% markup hits significantly harder in absolute terms. At 50,000 messages, the Wati markup alone adds a three-figure amount per month — on top of the Meta costs and the base fee you're already paying.

For comparison: a provider with zero messaging markup passes through the identical Meta costs at cost. At the same volume, you save the entire markup. The more you send, the bigger the gap.

Hidden Fees: What the Pricing Page Doesn't Show

Wati's official pricing only tells half the story. Beyond the messaging markup, there are add-ons that add up:

Additional users are limited on all plans. Growth has 3, Pro and Business each have 5. Every additional agent costs $39/month. A 10-person support team on the Growth plan pays $59 base fee plus 7 × $39 = $332 per month — just for platform access, without sending a single message.

Shopify integration costs $4.99/month extra. Yes, really. One of the most critical e-commerce integrations isn't included in the standard package. You pay extra for abandoned cart recovery, COD verification, and order updates.

Automation triggers (a.k.a. "chatbot sessions") are the cost item most people underestimate. Every time a chatbot, keyword rule, or automation fires from a customer interaction, that's one trigger. The limit is 1,000 (Growth), 2,000 (Pro), or 5,000 (Business) per month — resets monthly, doesn't roll over. Once you hit the cap, your team replies manually — or you buy packs of 1,000 for $40/month. A store with 10,000 monthly orders automating confirmations, shipping updates, and cart reminders will burn through 1,000 triggers in days.

AI support agent responses are capped at 250 (Pro) or 1,000 (Business). More cost $60 per 1,000 responses.

Green tick verification costs $50 per country. Not Wati-specific, but not included either.

Custom domain — if you want your own URL like chat.yourbrand.com instead of live-1234.wati.io, you'll pay a one-time setup fee of $50 on the Growth and Pro plans. Small amount, but a detail you won't find on any pricing page.

Dedicated server — Wati offers dedicated servers at $1,000 per month (billed annually). Niche feature, but shows how fast costs escalate beyond standard needs.

Who Should Still Consider Wati?

Bashing Wati for no reason wouldn't be fair. The tool has its place — for specific scenarios.

If you're a small team (2–3 people), operating primarily outside of Europe, and running low message volumes, the Growth plan is a solid starting point. The no-code chatbot builders work fine, the interface is straightforward, and $59 per month is manageable. According to user reviews on Capterra and GetApp, teams in India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America especially value the quick setup.

Startups looking to test WhatsApp for customer support without a long-term commitment benefit from the 7-day trial and month-to-month billing. There are no cancellation fees. For initial experiments, it's enough.

Anyone using Wati with low broadcast volume (under 5,000 messages/month) will barely feel the markup. The additional costs from the surcharge stay in the single-digit dollar range. As long as you stay below that threshold and need no more than 3–5 agents, Wati's pricing still makes sense relative to the value.

Where Wati also scores: the platform supports Instagram and Facebook Messaging alongside WhatsApp. If you want a simple omnichannel entry point, it's a workable option — provided your requirements stay modest.

Credit where it's due: Wati has a solid mobile app. If you're a solopreneur or small team handling customer support on the go from your phone, that's a genuine advantage. Chatarmin and other e-commerce-focused solutions lean more toward the desktop — because marketing teams typically don't run campaigns from their smartphones.

Quick note for beginners: the WhatsApp Business API (which Wati uses) is not the same as the free WhatsApp Business App. The API always costs money — regardless of the provider. Wati provides the interface; Meta charges for the messages. Both together make up your total cost.

When Does Wati Become a Problem? Three Warning Signs

Wati's pricing becomes a real cost trap in three situations:

Warning sign 1: Your message volume is growing. The 20% markup is a linear cost multiplier. The more you send, the more Wati earns — without delivering additional value. At 50,000+ messages per month, markup costs eat a significant chunk of your WhatsApp budget. And the nasty part: you only notice it on the invoice, because the markup isn't transparently displayed in any dashboard.

Warning sign 2: You need deep e-commerce integrations. Wati's Shopify connection runs through a plugin ($4.99/month). That works for basics like abandoned cart and order confirmation. Complex flows based on customer data, segmentation by purchase behavior, product recommendations from order history, or deep Klaviyo synchronization — none of that works natively. For any D2C brand that takes WhatsApp seriously as a revenue channel, that's a real limitation.

Warning sign 3: GDPR compliance is non-negotiable for you. Wati is headquartered in Hong Kong. For B2C e-commerce in the EU handling personal data via WhatsApp, that's a concrete compliance concern. Your DPO will have questions. You'll need a proper data processing agreement, must deal with third-country data transfers, and potentially conduct a data protection impact assessment. It's solvable — but it costs time, effort, and potentially legal fees.

Wati vs. Chatarmin: What Sets Us Apart?

I'm not doing a feature-by-feature comparison here — you can do that yourself on our websites. Instead, here are the three points that make the biggest difference for e-commerce companies.

Zero Markup on Meta Messaging Rates

At Chatarmin, we pass through Meta's costs at cost. You pay exactly what Meta charges. No markup, no hidden cost multiplier. At high volumes, this saves you a meaningful amount every month. And you always know exactly what your messaging costs are — because they match what Meta officially communicates.

Pro tip: When a customer comes through a Click-to-WhatsApp Ad (CTWA), Meta grants a 72-hour window in which all message categories are free — including marketing. With Chatarmin (zero markup), that's guaranteed free. With Wati, it's unclear whether the messaging markup still applies within that window. If you acquire heavily through CTWA ads, clarify this before signing.

Native Shopify and Klaviyo Integration

No $4.99 extra, no plugin workarounds. Our integrations are built directly into the platform — not bolted on as add-ons. Segmentation by purchase behavior, automated flows based on Shopify events (orders, returns, cart abandonment), synchronization with your Klaviyo stack — it all works from day one.

For comparison: Wati often relies on Zapier as a bridge for more complex store connections and Klaviyo flows. That means: another tool, additional costs, additional points of failure. Chatarmin builds these connections natively — no detours.

WhatsApp Flows 6.0 Out of the Box

Chatarmin fully supports WhatsApp Flows 6.0: native forms, CalendarPicker, NavigationLists — directly in the chat, no external landing pages required. With Wati, features like these typically arrive later or with limited functionality. For e-commerce businesses looking to run appointment bookings, product configurators, or surveys directly in the WhatsApp chat, that's a concrete advantage.

100% GDPR Compliant, Made in Austria

Our servers are in the EU. Our company is based in Vienna. You get a clean data processing agreement that holds up to your DPO's scrutiny. No third-country transfers to Asia, no complex standard contractual clauses. For European businesses handling customer data, that's an advantage you shouldn't underestimate — especially if you're already familiar with the GDPR framework.

What we don't do: publish our prices on the website. We're sales-led. Why? Because every use case is different, and we want to give you a quote that fits your volume and requirements — not a one-size-fits-all subscription.

Bottom Line: Wati Is an Entry Point, Not a Scaling Partner

Wati works. For small teams, low message volumes, and international markets. Full stop.

But if you want to build WhatsApp into a real revenue channel for your e-commerce business, you'll hit three walls with Wati simultaneously: messaging costs (20% markup), integrations (Shopify only as a plugin, Klaviyo connection limited), and GDPR compliance (Hong Kong headquarters, Asian server infrastructure).

The $59 on the pricing page is a starting point. Nothing more. The actual monthly bill with serious usage — 10+ users, 50,000+ messages, and Shopify integration — looks entirely different. And that's what you should know before committing.

My advice: run the numbers for your specific scenario before buying. How many messages per month? How many agents? Which integrations do you need? Once you have the real total costs on the table, the decision usually comes fast.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wati Pricing

Does Wati have a free plan?

No. Wati offers no permanently free plan. There's a 7-day free trial that doesn't require a credit card. After that, plans start at $59/month (annual) or $69/month (monthly).

How much is Wati's markup on messages?

Wati charges a markup of approximately 20% on top of official Meta rates for template messages (marketing, utility, authentication). This "Wati tax" is charged in addition to the monthly base fee and scales linearly with your send volume.

Is the Shopify integration included in Wati's price?

No. Wati charges $4.99 per month extra for the native Shopify app. Without this add-on, key e-commerce features like abandoned cart recovery and automated order updates are not available.

Wati vs. Twilio: Which is cheaper?

Twilio is cheaper as a pure API solution (pay-as-you-go, no subscription, no markup) but requires developer expertise for setup and maintenance. Wati provides a ready-made SaaS interface but charges monthly fees plus a messaging markup on top.

Can I cancel my Wati subscription monthly?

Yes. Monthly plans are available without cancellation fees. However, monthly rates are about 20% higher than annual billing ($69 vs. $59 on the Growth plan). Prepaid periods and unused credits are not refunded.

Do I pay for incoming messages on Wati?

No. Incoming messages from customers are free under Meta's current policies. Wati charges no fees for these. Costs only arise when you reply with template messages or send marketing broadcasts.

How much does the Green Tick (verified badge) cost on Wati?

Verification runs through Meta. Wati assists with the application and charges a service fee of approximately $50 per country — with no guarantee that Meta will actually grant the badge.

Are WhatsApp conversations unlimited on Wati?

Partially. Service replies (customer inquiries) are unlimited and free. Marketing broadcasts are charged per delivered template message. Chatbot sessions (automation triggers) are capped at 1,000 to 5,000 per month depending on the plan — after that, you pay $40 per 1,000 additional triggers.

How many users (agents) are included in Wati's price?

The Growth plan includes 3 users, Pro and Business each include 5 users. Every additional agent costs $39/month. A 10-person team pays several hundred dollars per month for extra agents alone.

Is Wati GDPR compliant for European businesses?

Wati is headquartered in Hong Kong, which means personal data is transferred to a third country. For EU-based businesses, this is legally more complex than working with providers based and hosted within the EU (like Chatarmin). A legal review before signing is recommended.

Does a custom domain cost extra on Wati?

Yes. If you want your inbox under a custom URL (instead of live-1234.wati.io), Wati charges a one-time setup fee of $50 on the Growth and Pro plans. The Business plan includes the custom domain.

Is the Wati Business plan worth it?

The Business plan ($279/month) offers a 5% discount on the messaging rate card and IP whitelisting. This only starts paying off at around 100,000+ messages per month. For most growing e-commerce businesses, the base fee and extra user costs far outweigh the discount benefit.

Want to build WhatsApp into a revenue channel — without surprises on the invoice? Let's talk for 45 minutes. I'll show you what Chatarmin can do for your store. Transparent pricing, no markups, no add-on trap.

– GaLieGrü,

JM & teamarmin

All prices cited are based on publicly available information from wati.io (as of February 2026) and are subject to change. Chatarmin has no business relationship with Wati.