WhatsApp CRM: connect your chats to customer records
A WhatsApp CRM is software that connects your business number through the WhatsApp Business Platform, so every chat lands in a shared inbox next to the customer's record, owner and history.
What a WhatsApp CRM is
WhatsApp itself stores conversations, not customers. A CRM adds what a business needs around the conversation: who this person is, what they bought, which colleague owns the relationship, what was promised and when to follow up. A WhatsApp CRM does that with WhatsApp as a channel, usually alongside email, Instagram, web chat and calls.
Versus answering on WhatsApp Web
Business app on WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp CRM or shared inbox
Users
A few linked devices, no individual logins
Named agents with roles and permissions
Who answers what
Everyone sees everything; first come, first served
Assignment, round-robin, teams, internal notes
Customer record
Phone number, name, a label
Full contact and deal record, history across channels
Automation
Greeting, away, quick replies
Workflows, chatbots, triggered templates
Reporting
Basic message statistics
Response times, volumes, outcomes per agent
Cost
Free
Subscription plus Meta's message fees
Two kinds of product
WhatsApp-first inbox platforms
Built around messaging: a team inbox, broadcast tools, a chatbot builder and a light contact database. Fast to set up and strong on WhatsApp features such as templates, buttons and catalogs. The customer record is simpler than in a full CRM, and most offer connections to the big CRMs.
General CRMs with a WhatsApp channel
A full sales or service CRM where WhatsApp is one more inbox. The right choice when the CRM is already the centre of the business and WhatsApp should simply appear on the contact's timeline. Check the plan: the WhatsApp integration often sits in a paid tier.
Checklist before you pay
Is it on the official Business Platform? Look for "Meta Business Partner", "Solution Partner" or the Cloud API. Tools that ask you to scan a QR code to "connect WhatsApp Web" are not, and put the number at risk.
How is it priced? Per seat, per contact, per conversation, or a mix. Model your own numbers.
Is there a per-message markup on top of Meta's fees?
Can you keep using the Business app on the same number (coexistence), if you need that?
Which integrations are native: your shop system, calendar, helpdesk, existing CRM.
Can you export contacts and conversation history if you leave?
WhatsApp CRM and shared inbox options
respond.io
Best for: A shared team inbox with CRM-style contact records
A team inbox that pulls WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat into one place, with contact records, assignment rules, workflows and AI agents. It states plainly that it adds nothing to Meta's message fees.
Starts at
Starter $79 a month, billed yearly; 5 users included
Free trial
7 days, no credit card
Message fees
Meta's fees, passed on without a markup (vendor's statement)
Meta status
States it is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, and supports coexistence with the Business app
Good at
Assignment, internal notes and reporting per agent
Workflows and AI agents from the Growth plan
Users are included in the plan price rather than charged per seat
Check before you pay
The Starter plan has no broadcasts, workflows or AI agents; those start at Growth ($159 a month, billed yearly)
Growth and Advanced are priced on monthly active contacts, with overage per 100 contacts
Prices read on respond.io's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
WATI
Best for: Small teams that want inbox, broadcasts and a bot in one WhatsApp-first tool
One of the best-known WhatsApp-first platforms: shared inbox, broadcast campaigns, a no-code chatbot builder and shop integrations, sold as flat plans with users included.
Starts at
Growth $59 a month billed annually, or $69 monthly; 3 users included
Free trial
7 days
Message fees
Extra and prepaid, from WATI's own rate card; WATI does not publish how it compares with Meta's
Meta status
Shows Meta partner badges and offers the official WhatsApp API
Good at
Quick to set up for a first WhatsApp API number
Broadcasts and automation triggers included from the entry plan
Flat plan pricing with several users included
Check before you pay
Ask for the message rate card before you commit; it is only shown after login
The Growth plan has no webhooks and caps broadcasts and automation triggers per month
Prices read on SleekFlow's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
Kommo
Best for: A sales CRM built around messaging
A pipeline CRM (formerly amoCRM) where every lead is a chat. WhatsApp is included on every paid plan, and Meta's message fees are paid to Meta directly rather than through Kommo.
Starts at
Base $25 per user a month, billed $150 per user for 6 months
Free trial
14 days, no credit card
Message fees
Paid to Meta directly, not through Kommo
Meta status
Shows a Meta Business Partner badge
Good at
Real sales pipeline with stages, tasks and a bot builder
Prices read on Kommo's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
HubSpot
Best for: Businesses that already run on HubSpot
HubSpot connects a WhatsApp Business account to its shared inbox so chats land on the contact's timeline next to email, calls and deals. It is a CRM with a WhatsApp channel, not a WhatsApp tool.
Starts at
Service Hub Professional from $90 per seat a month on annual commitment ($100 monthly), plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee
Free trial
14 days, no credit card
Message fees
Not published
Good at
WhatsApp inside a full CRM, with reporting and workflows
No second tool when HubSpot is already the system of record
Check before you pay
WhatsApp needs a Professional or Enterprise plan of Marketing Hub or Service Hub; the free CRM does not include it
A limit of 1,000 template messages a month is shared by all connected WhatsApp accounts
By far the highest entry cost if WhatsApp is the only reason to buy
Prices read on HubSpot's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
HighLevel
Best for: Agencies and local businesses that want CRM, funnels and messaging in one
An all-in-one marketing CRM widely used by agencies in North America. WhatsApp is an add-on to a platform that also does funnels, email, SMS, calendars and reviews.
Starts at
Starter $97 a month, plus a $10 a month WhatsApp add-on per sub-account
Free trial
14 days; billing starts automatically afterwards
Message fees
Extra; HighLevel says it removes its 5% processing fee on WhatsApp messages from 1 October 2026
Good at
Unlimited users and contacts on every plan
Replaces several tools if you also need funnels, SMS and booking
Check before you pay
WhatsApp is one feature among many, not the centre of the product
A large platform to learn if you only need a WhatsApp inbox
Prices read on HighLevel's own pricing page on 18 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; the vendor's page is the one that counts.
Trengo
Best for: European support teams with many channels
A European omnichannel inbox: WhatsApp, email, live chat, voice and social in one team inbox, with automation and AI on top. Plans come as bundles of users and conversations.
Starts at
Boost €299 a month billed annually (€349 monthly); 10 users and 500 conversations a month
Free trial
7 days, no credit card
Message fees
WhatsApp templates are charged per use
Meta status
Shows WhatsApp Business Partner and Meta Business Partner badges
Good at
Ten users in the entry plan
European company and hosting
Mature inbox: rules, teams, reporting
Check before you pay
The highest entry price among the inbox tools here
Plans are capped by conversations; extra conversations and AI are charged separately
No. The WhatsApp Business app has labels and a business profile, which is as close as it gets. A WhatsApp CRM is third-party software connected to your number through the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Can I connect WhatsApp Web to my CRM?
Not in a way WhatsApp permits. Browser extensions that read WhatsApp Web and copy chats into a CRM work against WhatsApp's terms and see everything in your tab. The supported route is connecting the number to the Business Platform, where the CRM receives messages officially.
Will my team still be able to use the phone app?
Normally a number on the Business Platform is no longer used in the Business app. Meta's coexistence option, offered by some partners, lets one number work in both, with limits: broadcast lists are switched off and the Windows app cannot be a linked device. Check that your vendor supports it before you move.
What does a WhatsApp CRM cost?
Expect a per-user or per-seat subscription, sometimes with a cap on contacts or conversations, plus Meta's per-message fees. The cards below list the entry price of each option as the vendor states it.
Can I see who on my team answered which customer?
Yes. That is the core of a shared inbox: named agent logins, chat assignment, internal notes and reports per agent, none of which exist in WhatsApp Web.