A simple alternative to Wati, Trengo, Superchat, Bird or a Twilio WhatsApp number

What Wati, Trengo, Superchat, respond.io and Bird have in common

All five run on the official WhatsApp Business API, through Meta directly or through a Business Solution Provider (BSP). In practice that means:

• A team inbox. Agents log in to the platform and answer from one shared screen, for example the Wati team inbox or the Trengo inbox.
• A Business API number. You verify your business with Meta and register a number on the API. A number that is in the WhatsApp Business app has to be moved over first.
• Two kinds of cost. A monthly platform fee per plan or per seat, plus Meta's per-message fees for templates. See WhatsApp Business cost and API pricing.
• Extras. Broadcasts, chatbots, labels, reports, CRM integrations and, for Trengo, Superchat and respond.io, other channels such as email, Instagram and web chat.

The differences are mostly in focus. Wati and respond.io lean towards chatbots and broadcast campaigns, Trengo and Superchat towards an omnichannel inbox for customer service, and Bird towards messaging for larger companies and developers.

Choose a team inbox if

• Several agents chat at the same time from one screen.
• You need reporting, labels and response-time targets.
• You want to send marketing broadcasts or combine email, chat and social in one place.
• You need an official Meta integration, for example because of company policy.

Choose InBetween if

• You have one business number and one person who should answer each customer.
• You want to keep your number and avoid an API project and Meta verification.
• Your coworkers are on the road or in the workshop and should answer in their own WhatsApp, not in a new inbox.
• You want to be live in about 2 minutes.

Wati alternative, Trengo alternative or Superchat alternative: which question are you asking?

People look for an alternative for different reasons. Be clear about yours before you switch:

• "It is too expensive for us." If only one or two people answer customers, a full team inbox may be more than you need. Forwarding to one coworker, as InBetween does, can replace it.
• "We need more features." Then look at another Business API platform, not at InBetween. InBetween has fewer features than Wati or Trengo, on purpose.
• "We do not want to move our number to the API." InBetween connects your existing number by QR code or pairing code, like WhatsApp Web, and your WhatsApp Business app keeps working.
• "Our staff do not want another app." With InBetween, the assigned coworker gets the customer message in their own WhatsApp as "Customer 1", with the customer's number hidden by default, and replies there. The customer receives the answer from your business number.

Twilio, 360dialog and Gupshup WhatsApp API pricing: how it works

Twilio, 360dialog, Gupshup, Infobip and Clickatell are BSPs: they give developers access to the WhatsApp Business API, usually without a ready-made inbox. Their pricing has the same structure: Meta's fee per template message, which depends on the category (marketing, utility, authentication) and the customer's country, plus the provider's own fee, either per message or per month. Service replies within the 24-hour window are free from Meta. Exact rates change often, so check the provider's current price page. On top of that you need someone to build or connect the inbox. For a small business that only wants messages to reach the right person, this is usually a large project for a small problem.

Twilio WhatsApp number: how to get one

A Twilio number for WhatsApp is a phone number registered as a WhatsApp sender on the Business API through your Twilio account. The usual route:

1. Test in the Twilio Sandbox for WhatsApp. It is a shared Twilio number you join with a code word. It is for testing only, not for real customers.
2. Choose the number. Buy a Twilio phone number in the Console, or use a number you already own. It must receive a verification code by SMS or voice call.
3. Free the number. A number that is active in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app cannot also be registered on the API, unless your provider supports coexistence for it. Otherwise delete that WhatsApp account first or use a fresh number.
4. Register the sender. In the Twilio Console you start WhatsApp self sign-up, which opens Meta's flow: log in with Facebook, choose or create your Meta business and WhatsApp Business Account, enter a display name and confirm the code.
5. Connect software. Twilio gives you an API and webhooks, not a ready-made inbox. A developer connects it to your own system or to a platform built on Twilio.

Twilio WhatsApp number pricing has up to three parts: the monthly rent of the phone number if you buy it from Twilio (it depends on the country and number type), Twilio's fee per message, and Meta's fee per template message. Using a number you already own avoids the rent. Check current rates on Twilio's price page.

If what you really want is for customer messages on your existing WhatsApp number to reach a coworker, you do not need a Twilio number at all. InBetween connects that number by QR code and keeps the WhatsApp Business app working.

Honest limits of InBetween

Each customer conversation goes to one coworker at a time, with up to 20 coworkers on Pro+. It is not a shared inbox where five agents answer side by side, it sends no broadcasts and it has no chatbot. You can Pause forwarding and switch the coworker, for example during a holiday. The app dashboard is currently only in Dutch. If you outgrow it, disconnect your number and move to a Business API platform. See also WhatsApp shared inbox.

Third-party features and prices change; check them with the provider.

Frequently asked questions