Honest comparison
Shopify WhatsApp apps, compared on what actually differs
Feature lists in this category all read the same. The real differences are the entry price for automation, per-message markups, AI cost, and whether you keep your number and app. Here's the fact-checked table.
| What matters | Recoverly | Dondy | Zoko | Wati | Interakt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automations (cart recovery etc.) start at | $19/mo | $79.99/mo | $49.99/mo | Growth plan + per-message billing | $55/mo + taxes |
| Free plan | Yes — chat widget, unlimited clicks | Yes — chat button only | No (7-day trial) | No (7-day trial) | WhatsApp not included in free tier |
| AI chatbot included from | $19/mo (Lite) | $159.99/mo (Elite) | Not stated publicly | Paid add-on | $74.99 add-on |
| Per-message markup over Meta's fees | $0 — flat plans, no caps | Usage rates from $0.0158/msg (US) | $0.015/conversation on Starter | Billed per message | Per-message fees (e.g. ₹0.949 marketing, India) |
| Keep your number AND your WhatsApp app (coexistence) | Yes — default connection mode | Not stated publicly | No — number can't stay on a phone | Existing account must be deleted first | Not stated publicly |
| COD verification with order tags | Yes — from $19/mo | Yes | Yes | Via flows | Yes |
| Message/contact caps on plans | None on any plan | 1,000 free msgs/30d, then usage rates | Conversation tiers per plan | 15k broadcasts/mo on Growth | Usage-based |
Competitor figures were taken from each vendor's public pricing page or Shopify App Store listing on September 9, 2026, and may change — always verify on their sites. Meta's own conversation fees apply with every tool. Found an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.
The pattern
Where the category quietly charges you
Most tools in this space price in three layers: a subscription, a per-message usage fee on top of Meta's, and premium gates on the features that made you install the app in the first place (automation on one tier, AI on a higher one).
- Recoverly's position: two flat paid plans, every automation and the AI chatbot from $19/mo, zero per-message markup, no caps. Meta's conversation fees are the only usage cost — as they are everywhere.
- The honest trade-off: bigger platforms bundle team calling, multi-channel inboxes (Instagram), and large agent seats. If you need 10+ support seats or Instagram DMs in the same tool, evaluate Zoko or Interakt for that.
- The number question is binary. If keeping your WhatsApp Business app working matters to you, confirm coexistence support before connecting anywhere — migrating a number back out is painful.
Cart recovery + COD + AI chatbot
Same stack elsewhere
FAQ
Choosing well
Five things move the needle: the real entry price for automations (teaser plans often exclude them), whether a free plan exists, what the AI chatbot actually costs, whether the tool adds per-message markup on top of Meta's fees, and whether you keep your existing WhatsApp number AND the app on your phone (coexistence). Feature lists converge; these five diverge.
Meta already charges conversation fees no matter which tool you use. A tool that adds its own per-message fee on top taxes every message you send — and the cost scales exactly when your WhatsApp channel starts working. Flat-plan tools like Recoverly keep the win yours.
Coexistence is Meta's mode where one number runs the WhatsApp Business app AND the API simultaneously — you keep chatting from your phone while automations send through the same number. Recoverly connects in coexistence mode by default. Several established tools still require dedicating the number to the API (some state your number can no longer be used on a phone).
It's written by Recoverly, so read it as a vendor comparison — but every competitor fact on this page was taken from the vendor's own public pricing page or Shopify App Store listing in September 2026, and we link the criteria we think you should check yourself. Spot an error? Email us and we'll fix it.
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