Before we start the comparison, let me show you in the video what a good agency setup looks like at its best.
We rate each agency across three dimensions:
- Professionalism & trustworthiness — How do they work? How do they communicate? How transparent are they?
- Track record & references — What results have they delivered for which brands?
- Value for money — What do you get for your investment?
That gives an overall verdict out of a maximum of 5 points.
We deliberately excluded performance agencies with a pure WhatsApp-ads focus. That's a different game.
We know agencies like Jakob Strehlow deliver strong results with Click-to-WhatsApp ads. Brands like waterdrop® are successfully experimenting with routing ad traffic straight into WhatsApp channels. But that's a separate topic — more on it in our WhatsApp Ads Guide.
This is what a strong WhatsApp marketing setup looks like: before we dive into the individual agencies, here's the context. Chatarmin's Shopify integration and Klaviyo connection form the technical foundation — the agency builds the strategy and the flows on top.
Felix Ehold was one of the first to take WhatsApp marketing seriously in the DACH region. His clients include wholey®, Tierseelen, and holy s*hocolate — all brands we've worked with directly through the Chatarmin Slack Connect channel.
Right now, Felix's focus is back on his main agency Ecom Offensive, which scales paid media for e-commerce clients. The retention service continues, but with less capacity than before.
Pricing: retainer from roughly €1,500–€2,500 per month plus a percentage-based ROAS share. That's fair as long as you cap the share or set clear attribution rules. Otherwise costs can run away on you when things go well.
Pros
- Pioneer in WhatsApp marketing with plenty of hands-on experience
- Low fixed costs through the retainer model
- Short communication paths, hands-on mentality
Cons
- WhatsApp and email are no longer the main focus
- Variable compensation can get expensive
- Potential conflicts of interest around short-term sales pushes
Our score: 3.5/5
Source: Ecom Retention
Jakob Gerzen and his twelve-person team are among the most established names in DACH retention marketing. The track record reads like a who's-who of the D2C scene: Athletic Greens, Rosental, livefresh, SNOCKS.
More Conversions thinks about retention across every channel: email, SMS, WhatsApp, direct mailings. The technical level is high, the results speak for themselves. There's nothing to question about the competence.
But — and this is why they don't rank higher: this is premium territory. The pricing sits at the top end, and a migration to Klaviyo is effectively assumed. For brands under seven figures in annual revenue — which is most of the DACH e-commerce field — that gets hard to justify.
Pros
- Excellent references with well-known D2C brands
- Retention thought across every channel (email, WhatsApp, SMS, direct mail)
- In-house data analytics solution (DataX)
- In-house development for custom solutions
Cons
- Premium pricing, built for 7-figure+ brands
- Migration to Klaviyo effectively assumed
- Less suited to smaller or early-stage shops
My take: Strong agency, no question. But if you're not already at seven figures, the setup and budget are probably overkill for where you are.
Our score: 3.5/5
Source: Jakob Gerzen
Marco Endres is what you might call a "retention craftsman." He runs a one-man agency with a small freelancer network — but in return, he's direct, personal, and clearly focused on Shopify/Klaviyo setups.
His clients include Lotuscrafts and Papasplatz — both 7- to 8-figure shops that Marco handles hands-on. He knows both hello-charles and Chatarmin from practice and can advise objectively. For advice-intensive products and complex setups, he's a solid choice.
Pros
- Direct collaboration with the founder, no middle layers
- Deep focus on the Shopify/Klaviyo/Omnisend ecosystem
- Experience with email, WhatsApp, direct mailings, and reputation management
- Account audits from a few hundred euros
Cons
- Very limited capacity
- Waitlist for new clients
- Can't keep up with fast growth
Recommendation: Ideal for smaller D2C brands looking for a personal partner. If you want to work with Marco, reach out early.
Our score: 4/5
Source: Onlinegen
Justin Burkert positions deineshopmails.de as a "retention agency" — and lives it. The team handles brands like Vaditim and Elevate with a clear focus on sustainable results over short-term hype.
What sets Justin apart: flexibility. Month-to-month contracts, no long lock-ins. He thinks from the client's side, not from his own revenue.
Pros
- Flexible terms, no handcuff contracts
- Solid track record with 7- to 8-figure D2C brands
- Treats WhatsApp as part of the retention mix, not a silo
- Objective tool advice without exclusivity deals
Cons
- Few new references over the past year
- Some clients wish for more formal communication
Our score: 4/5
Source: Justin Burkert
Florian Kaiser is a programmer. You can tell. Inbox-Marketing delivers technical solutions other agencies can't pull off — hyper-personalization, AI segmentation, deep Klaviyo integrations.
Even I was impressed in the first call with his team. So was Saskia Dörr (Head of CRM at Oatsome), after Florian and his team around Lasse and Joel gave her a walkthrough.
By their own account, Inbox-Marketing runs WhatsApp marketing for around ten brands, including bedrop and RIBEME. Thanks to experience with several WhatsApp marketing tools — from hello-charles through Zoko to Chatarmin — they can advise objectively.
Pros
- Top-tier technology with custom solutions
- Strong references with bedrop (€163,983 in 4 days), wowtamins, mellowNOIR
- Deep Klaviyo integration for advanced segmentation
- Experience with multiple WhatsApp tools, objective advice
Cons
- Premium pricing, more for established brands
- Percentage-based revenue share can get expensive
- Florian himself no longer operational in every account
Our score: 4.5/5
Source: Florian Kaiser
ondevi offers three services: SEO, performance marketing, and retention marketing. Our recommendation refers exclusively to Tobias Pawlik's retention practice.
Over the past two years, Tobi has built ondevi (retention) into one of the leading names in the DACH region. The track record is strong: his clients include Smilodox — a brand that generated €261,000 in revenue from a single WhatsApp campaign with Chatarmin. Add sirplus and other 8-figure D2C brands. The reputation is flawless.
What sets ondevi apart: Tobi works in the accounts himself. No delegation to juniors, no black box. On top of that, fair, tiered pricing and the ability to resolve T-Mobile blocks for Klaviyo customers — a technical detail many other agencies lack.
Pros
- Excellent references with Smilodox, sirplus, and other 8-figure brands
- Founder works operationally in the accounts himself
- Fair, tiered pricing with no hidden costs
- Top results with both email and WhatsApp
- T-Mobile "unblocking" for Klaviyo customers
Cons
- No in-house development for custom solutions
- The agency is split three ways (SEO, performance, retention) — not a 100% retention focus
Our score: 4.5/5
Source: ondevi.de
Full transparency first: amail specializes in our tool. So yes, we're biased here. They still top the list for a clear reason — and we'll explain it.
Anton Mörike and Noah Rietdorf founded amail agency in August 2025. Neither is a newcomer, though: they helped build the WhatsApp service at several German agencies and bring years of CRM experience — with brands like Sheko and Rosental.
What makes amail special: Anton is one of the first certified "Chatarmin Master Experts." That's not a marketing title — it stands for deep product know-how and the tight interlocking of email (Klaviyo) and WhatsApp (Chatarmin) via webhooks, the "amail System." That interlock is exactly what decides whether WhatsApp drives revenue for you or just costs.
So what it means for you: if you run Chatarmin or plan to, nobody knows the system better. The founders work in the accounts themselves, with no delegation to junior staff.
Pros
- One of the first certified "Chatarmin Master Expert" agencies
- Strong references like Sheko and Rosental with measurable results
- Founders work in the accounts themselves
- Deep interlocking of email and WhatsApp marketing (webhook setups)
- Flexible scope from consulting to done-for-you
Cons
- Focused on Klaviyo and Chatarmin — wrong fit if you run a different tool
- Founded recently (2025): growing client base, but not yet the breadth of the established players
Recommendation: If you run Chatarmin as your tool — or plan to — and want a partner who knows the system inside out, amail is the obvious first choice.
Our score: 4.5/5
Source: amail agency
Beyond the big DACH agencies, there are local players who can be the better choice for specific use cases.
For companies in Austria, agencies like Rittler & Co (Graz) or BüroJETZT (Vienna) can be interesting. They know the local market, often have shorter paths to regional decision-makers, and understand the nuances of the Austrian market.
For Switzerland, that goes double: the Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG) has its own requirements that go beyond the GDPR. If you primarily target Swiss customers, you'll benefit from a partner who knows these rules cold.
We have no direct project experience with these local agencies. But we can confirm that local expertise pays off on compliance questions and market knowledge. If you're active in AT or CH, a conversation is worth it.
We can recommend all 7 agencies — the differences come down to detail, budget, and use case. In short: if you run Chatarmin, there's no way around amail. If you want neutral advice on tool choice, ondevi, Inbox-Marketing, or deineshopmails are strong. If you want a personal partner for a smaller shop, Onlinegen is a good address.
Want to know how Chatarmin works as a tool? Book a demo and we'll show you how to build WhatsApp marketing into a real revenue channel with the right agency.
It depends on your use case. If you run Chatarmin, amail (certified Chatarmin Master Expert) is the obvious pick; for tool-neutral advice, ondevi or Inbox-Marketing are strong.
Yes. With open rates of often 80–90% versus 20–30% for email, and much higher click rates, WhatsApp remains one of the strongest retention channels in e-commerce.
It depends. Entry-level retainers often start around €1,500 per month, while performance models and enterprise agencies with revenue shares run significantly higher.
It depends. The private WhatsApp Business app is risky; via the WhatsApp Business API and a provider like Chatarmin, WhatsApp marketing can be run GDPR-compliant — with EU servers, a data processing agreement, and proper opt-ins.
A classic chatbot follows rigid rules. An AI Sales Agent uses generative AI to understand context, actively recommend products, and advise customers individually all the way to checkout.
Yes. Tools like Chatarmin offer native integrations with Shopify and Klaviyo to sync customer data and trigger automations like abandoned-checkout flows.
Yes. Since Meta's pricing change, service replies within the 24-hour window (customer-initiated) are generally free.
What are "Free Entry Points" on WhatsApp?
When a customer starts a chat via a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button, a 72-hour window opens in which all messages are free for you.
Yes. For the WhatsApp Business API (e.g., via Chatarmin), you need a dedicated phone number that isn't tied to a private WhatsApp account.
The green tick verifies your business, builds trust with customers, and lowers the risk of being marked as spam.
A good agency knows the technical pitfalls of the API, optimizes cost through smart routing (the Waterfall Strategy), and builds high-converting campaign flows.
