10 Best WhatsApp Business Alternatives You Must Use in 2024

Whether it’s you as a businessman or as a consumer, you’ll definitely want an immediate humane response to your queries. Am I right?

Hah! This is the exact reason why worldwide smart business folks are connecting around 283.5 million active users with WhatsApp Business only.

Interestingly, they are quite smarter when it comes to promoting their brands and engaging their customers to evoke their customers’ buying intent. They simply integrate one of the top-notch WhatsApp marketing and automation tools in the market, like Zixflow.

Well, I guess you can also do so by giving Zixflow a free try. Because Zixflow enables you to leverage benefits such as capturing and retargeting customers with the WhatsApp campaign builder and eye-appealing customized WhatsApp templates.

Although WhatsApp Business is an excellent tech product, its own sets of limitations create hurdles for users. Moreover, the recent takeover of WhatsApp by Meta causing privacy breaches seems to all be hitting at the same time.

That’s why one single question may hit your mind: What could be my reliable way out if I want to move forward without WhatsApp Business?

Well, take a sigh of relief. We have got your back by providing plenty of WhatsApp Business alternatives that you can utilize to steal the show.

In this article, you will not only find the best fit for your business but also gain in-depth knowledge of what WhatsApp Business is, along with understanding why you may need WhatsApp Business alternatives, especially when WhatsApp Business has a ton of features to serve you.

What is WhatsApp Business?

As WhatsApp Business was launched to make its platform one of the top-notch business communication providers, it is committed to exploring in multiple ways. Basically, it has two unique products: WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business Platform.

Ah! A lot of confusion. But that’s not your fault as Meta creates it all. Wait, let me clarify!

The free-to-download WhatsApp Business App which has 200 million monthly active users, was created with the aim of expanding small businesses’ outreach. 

From including a business profile while showcasing your business’ genuineness to utilizing media enrichments like video/voice calls, group chats, labels, QR codes, and broadcasting messages, it has all for you but with certain limitations.

If you have a local sweet bakery shop or a small fancy boutique, then WhatsApp Business App is a perfect solution to showcase your business. 

But what if you're a giant owner in the business world like Samsung or Puma? Simply the WhatsApp Business App is not feasible for you.

Then your happy-to-go option is definitely the next one, the WhatsApp Business Platform. But to access this one you need either On-premises API or WhatsApp Cloud API. 

On one hand, WhatsApp Cloud API enables you to leverage the integration of WhatsApp marketing into your existing CRM like Zixflow. On the other hand, WhatsApp's on-premises API allows you to host on your own server and set up a private communication network.

The extra edge you gain here is to showcase your brand’s authentic presence with a green verification tick next to your brand name, unlimited use of broadcasting messages on a 24-hour basis, and incorporating WhatsApp automation hacks while targeting various WhatsApp marketing strategies. Moreover, you can dive deeper into the insights of data to evaluate your customers' intent and make more personalized interactions to deal with their concerns.

Why should you think beyond the WhatsApp Business?

Well, WhatsApp Business has a ton of features that you can utilize to blow out your prospects’ minds but sadly not without a fair share of disadvantages. Now, have a look below at the main concerns with WhatsApp Business: 

Messaging and response limitations

According to the WhatsApp Business Platform’s messaging limitation, if your WhatsApp business account is displaying without a connected status and an approved display name, then you can send up to 250 business-initiated messages in a rolling 24-hour period.

And what if your customers don’t respond within the first 24 hours? Then, WhatsApp will cut off further interactions. However, it’s only applicable to the first communicative chat process.

Opt-in concerns

To combat the dreaded confusion of spamming and to maintain quality in business communications, WhatsApp makes customers’ consent mandatory according to WhatsApp Business policy. If you do not initially prefer an opt-in procedure, it will simply crash your communication strategy.

What are the best WhatsApp Business alternatives that you must explore?

Zixflow

Zixflow enables you to leverage benefits with its multi-channel outreach capabilities to reach out to contacts across various channels including SMS, email, and WhatsApp. You can easily set up and run your marketing campaigns with a visual campaign builder and eye-appealing messaging templates.

Not just that. Zixflow allows you to see and respond to your incoming messages from a unified inbox so you don’t have to worry about managing multiple inboxes. Plus, this centralized inbox lets you receive notifications and alerts for upcoming tasks, ensuring that you never miss any important updates.

Also, by using Zixflow, you can send messages in bulk using API on Whatsapp and other channels to boost engagement and build trust with your customers. It offers comprehensive API documentation for you to easily set up and link APIs with your Zixflow account.

Key features

• Native CRM for easy importing and saving of contacts.

• Robust AI engines to ensure 99.99% deliverability.

• No-code campaign builders to get started with your marketing efforts.

• Powerful reporting dashboard to monitor your outreach.

• A clean and modern UI for quick navigation across the platform. 

Pricing module

You don’t have to pay any charges for using the platform to run outreach initiatives. Just create a free account, add your audience, and get started. 

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.8

4.8 out of 5 stars (17 reviews)

Twilio

As one of the top choices among alternatives for WhatsApp Business, Twilio stands out in the market. With features that include utilizing multimedia, reaching a broad audience, and engaging customers through an in-app chat experience, Twilio is a top-notch solution. 

You can easily deploy new channels to increase sales through social media such as Meta or WhatsApp and utilize simple SMS, and Google business messages with a single tap. Utilize Twilio Flex conversations to use customer engagement to boost sales.

Protecting your customers' data is as crucial as impressing your sales prospects. Twilio's Fraud Guard ensures the verification of each user through Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), allowing you to verify a customer's phone number along with a time-based one-time password (TOTP).

Twilio also provides a library of pre-built, customized email templates that you can utilize in various marketing or sales campaigns. With Twilio's fast AI engine, you can segment your audience within minutes and send them messages, including welcome messages, onboarding messages, up-selling and cross-selling offers, and more.

For instance, if you have the email address ‘mousumi@zeroado.com’ in your database, you can leverage Twilio's API to enrich information such as Mousumi's job title, the company she works for, the company's website, and its industry affiliation.

Key features

• Libraries for seven different languages.

• Communicative API for multi-channel messages.

• Security maintenance with 2-factor authentication.

• Easy-to-use customized email templates for marketing campaigns.

Pricing module

You can give it a free try. For more information, you need to check its long lists of pricing sections of various segments.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

4.2 out of 5 (455 reviews).

Rocket.Chat

If you aim to create a customer-centric experience by accessing the power of secure communication and top-notch customer service, on-premises integration with Rocket.Chat can be your trusted buddy among WhatsApp Business alternatives.

To ensure security and deliver value in brand authentication, Rocket.Chat adheres to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) compliance standards, demonstrating resilient end-to-end encryption.

Rocket.Chat offers a range of marketing and sales solutions, including live chat for enhancing sales engagement through Chatbots and seamless integration with well-known CRMs like Hubspot, Salesforce, Zapier, streamlining the management of your sales pipeline and workflow automation.

Rocket.Chat is more up for conversational marketing to convert your target audience into buyers, it places significant importance on real-time monitoring of analytics to evaluate your buyers’ perception.

For example, Rocket.Chat enables you to track metrics such as lead conversion rates, sales cycle durations, average lead response times, and more only with integrated CRMs. This will help you to make a well-researched decision to build your sales strategy.

Key features

• Advantages of WhatsApp Cloud API.

• Multi-channel customer collaboration.

• Data  protection with end-to-end encryption.

• Seamless third-party integrations from CRM to any apps.

Pricing module

Rocket.Chat offers two subscriptions: Community and Enterprise. 

Community is for free and the Enterprise plan starts at $7/user/month or $35/agent/month.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

4.2 out of 5 (322 reviews).

Zoko

Are you looking to expand your e-commerce business?

Well, in that case, you might want to consider giving Zoko a try and eliminating the option of using WhatsApp for e-commerce.

Why? Zoko stands out as one of the best alternatives for WhatsApp business. It offers you access to multiple agents under a single number, allowing you to efficiently manage your customers’ concerns and address their pain points.

Zoko's automated notification tool provides you with real-time alerts, allowing you to respond promptly whenever your leads visit your website. Furthermore, its AI-powered chatbot enables you to initiate effective personalized communication to understand your customers’ buyer persona.

Key features

• Instant auto-replies.

• Proactive customer support.

• Omnichannel communication builder.

• WhatsApp API integration for ecommerce.

Pricing module

Zoko offers four subscriptions: Max, Elite, Plus, Starter.

Max plan at $399.99, Elite plan at $109.99, Plus plan at $59.99, and Starter plan at $34.99. And all have different use limits with zero markups on the conversation.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

4.4 out of 5 (4 reviews).

Infobip

Infobip, a CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) cloud-based market intelligence platform, that helps you excel in the same way as WhatsApp conversational marketing does.

No matter if you’re an entrepreneur, or have an SMB (Small and Medium-sized Business) either in healthcare, e-commerce or any other industry, it has customizable business solutions for all segments. And of course, Infobip has open, flexible, and comprehensive API and SDK (Software Development Kit) solutions to simplify your process.

Throughout the lifeline of your customer’s journey, you can segment your broad audience, and connect them quickly using live chats with various channels such as Instagram, Telegram, Viber, or WhatsApp. And monitor your marketing and sales process to forecast future revenue.

You can send different types of transactional and promotional emails by integration either with SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) or HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) API service while nurturing your business bond at the right time and closing deals more strategically.

And if you’re worrying about authentication then let me tell you that Infobip Signal solutions automatically detect and block any spamming messages to ensure a complete risk-free and cost-effective 2FA (Two Factor Authentication).

Key features

• Customer engagement solutions.

• Multilingual conversation experience.

• Marketing and sales progress optimization.

• Multiple chat APIs across different channels.

Pricing module

It has quotation–based pricing sections.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

4.4 out of 5 (53 reviews).

Engati

Engati, an exceptional tool for sales engagement leveraging AI, helps you to enhance the buyer's experience at every stage, from lead generation and prospecting to signing off a final deal agreement.

Engati eSenseGPT enables your smart sales reps to generate creative and multilingual content using generative AI before initiating marketing or sales campaigns. This time-saving feature benefits your representatives, regardless of their proficiency in a given area.

When your customers are always on the go to follow different channels according to their buying needs, with Engati’s omnichannel presence you can smartly expand your outreach from WhatsApp to Instagram to Shopify.

To maintain a flow in rapport building with your target audience, Engati not only facilitates interaction through chatbots but also enables you to train your bots. Simply upload a document with relevant information that you want a chatbot to learn and respond to customers.  If you find your chatbot training too inflexible, Engati always offers a suitable solution.

Additionally, you can strategically adjust your marketing and sales strategy using integrated existing CRMs to automate dataflows. It is really important because if you’re busy while jumping between different lead generation channels, your customers may have bounced off your competitors’ sites.

Key features

• Live chat solutions.

• Expert training in chatbots.

• Multi-channel engagements.

• Integrations with third-party apps.

• Multilingual conversation capability.

• Presence of multiple chatbots for different channels.

Pricing module

Engati offers three subscriptions: Standard, Enterprise, and Partner.

You can check all relevant pricing digits after placing a request on its platform.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

4.1 out of 5 (16 reviews).

Sendbird

If you want to build successful sales pipeline stages from prospecting to nurturing customers to retaining them again, your primary goal should always be to proactively reach out to your customers before they initiate contact with you. And you can accomplish this effectively with SendBird.

Sendbird as an alternative to WhatsApp Business, is an all-in-one chat and messaging platform that works with integrated Chat APIs, ensuring that your responses aren't quite cut and dried.

I know you may have a question now: Is it a simple chat messaging platform?

Nah! Well, in order to develop a deeper understanding of your customers' needs and preferences you need data-driven insights that can reveal marketing trends, hidden business opportunities, customer behavior, and more. To fulfill these needs, integrate your existing CRM with Sendbird and evaluate your team’s performance.

Grab your target audience’s attention with high-quality multimedia elements such as video, broadcasting messages, files, images, and GIFs, and enhance your chances of engaging leads while the image of your brand is still in their mind.

Last but not least, let Sendbird do smart work on your behalf. With personalized communication by SendBird's customized WhatsApp messenger chatbots, allow yourself to focus on promising leads that are most likely to convert instead of chasing anyone and everyone.

Key features

• Built-in chat messaging API.

• Mobile-first chat for exclusive customer support.

• Marketing automation with generative AI and CRM integration.

Pricing module

It has four subscriptions: Developer, Starter 5K, Pro 5K, and Enterprise.

The developer plan has free access. Starter 5K plan at $399/month, Pro 5K plan at $599/month. Enterprise has quotation-based pricing.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

4.5 out of 5 (44 reviews).

MessageBird

MessageBird, a CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) cloud-based communication support, especially comes in handy when your goal is to leverage chatbots for generating leads at a higher scale.

Your multi-channel sales engagement from Meta to WhatsApp to Instagram, and SMS to Google Business messages is no longer text-based. It is more about sharing videos, GIFs, and more. And with this platform, you can explore it all and create personalized responses only because of in-built messaging APIs.

MessageBird's extraordinary strength comes into play when you're concerned about maintaining security and reducing the risk of privacy breaches. By using the platform's built-in Lookup API, you can be completely assured that it will detect fraudulent accounts through additional checks and even simplify API calls for you to obtain details.

If you desire to engage your customers from pre-sales to post-purchase methods, you need to constantly follow up with them. MessageBird cracks the code while allowing you to utilize customized reusable templates with EDS (Email Design system) and run the campaigns faster in automated mode.

For example, let's say you’re running an ecommerce business. Your objective is to retain clients who are no longer active, and you want to send upcoming sales discount offers to both your existing loyal customers and lost clients. You can accomplish the task of targeting both of them with a single click while integrating MessageBird email automation.

With MessageBird, left no room unexplored for driving sales and finding sales opportunities.

Key features

• Lookup API for fraud detection.

• PBX for global voice connectivity.

• Omnichannel marketing solutions.

• Email Design System studio for customized templates.

• One single channel for shared inbox and automation without code.

Pricing module

It has individual plans based on its different communicative channels. Also, it has a Support plan with four different subscriptions.

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

4.2 out of 5 (66 reviews).

Freshchat

Do you want to boost empathetic relationships with sales engagement by leveraging live chat?

Surely, it's a yes! Then start turning your table with Freshchat.

Imagine offering your potential customers a shopping assistant, guiding them with recommendations that become easier when you integrate Freshchat for live chat responses with its built-in AI chatbot.

Furthermore, give your customers an extraordinary experience to become your brand's true fans while exploring every aspect of delighting your customers. For that, you will gain access to analytical insights while allowing yourself to connect the dots from buyers' persona to generating the desired revenue.

Give your potential customers a room to connect with you by providing consistent engagement via WhatsApp, email, social media platforms, and more.

Wait, there is more. Allow your diverse team members from marketing to sales to be in a single row with the help of Freshchat's unified dashboard and make the decision-making process smoother while eliminating the probability of chaos and too many jeopardized interferences.

Key features

• Unified CRM dashboard.

• AI-powered bots for live chat.

• Customer service suite with generative AI.

• Multi-channel marketing campaigns for ecommerce.

Pricing module

It has four subscriptions: Free, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise.

Growth plan at Rs.1499/agent/month (Billed annually) or Rs.1799/agent/month (Billed monthly). 

Pro plan at Rs.3999/agent/month (Billed annually) or Rs.4799/agent/month (Billed monthly). 

Enterprise plan at Rs.6399/agent/month (Billed annually) or Rs.7699/agent/month (Billed monthly).

Rating & reviews by G2

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

4.4 out of 5 (442 reviews).

Novochat

Novochat, among the top alternatives for WhatsApp Business, provides you with the same stunning experiences as you benefit from WhatsApp marketing.

The user-friendly multi-agent chat support solutions of Novochat allow you to engage with clients via WhatsApp, Meta's Messenger, Telegram, and Line. To instantly recognize your brand, it enables you to customize your single-channel chat button with your brand's name, logo, and catchy greeting messages.

Eye-soothing future promotional messages are the key to your marketing success and building your fortune-tellers. With the assistance of Novochat's AI wizard, you can incorporate WhatsApp automation to send bulk WhatsApp marketing messages while uploading a CSV file with custom messages for each contact.

With Novochat's single shared inbox, you can stay updated along with your team members to better understand what your customers want from you or which issues you need to address promptly.

For example, after placing orders for any products, your customers may get anxious about delivery dates. To address their concern, you need to send them updated shipping details. For that, your team members should be proactive so that they don’t create vagueness by sending the same alert twice.

Key features

• Multi-channel widget.

• WhatsApp automation.

• Collaborative shared inbox.

• Bulk WhatsApp broadcast message sender.

• Seamless integration with Shopify and Easystore.

Pricing module

It has three segments: Starter plan, Pro plan, Business plan.

Starter plan starts at USD 25/month, Pro plan at USD 99/month, and Business plan starts at USD 249/month.

Start implementing right WhatsApp Business alternatives for sustainable business growth

Although the aforementioned list of WhatsApp Business alternatives is curated carefully to help your business grow beyond WhatsApp’s limitations, my suggestion would be to think wisely before acquisition.

You already know how WhatsApp Business alternatives can help you to nail multi-channel marketing and sales engagement strategies, pay attention to your customers’ intent through live chat, and maintain the highest security with updated guidelines. 

However, you still need to be cautious while choosing amongst them because your target should be utilizing the platform to boost sales by engaging your customers and enhancing your customer experience as well.

Now, stop reading and start unlocking one of the best WhatsApp business alternatives from this treasure trove, if you really want it hard to invest in it over WhatsApp Business.