At a glance
| AgaKural | Wati | |
|---|---|---|
| How it connects | Links your existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business number, like WhatsApp Web | Official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) through a Meta partner |
| Monthly price | Free Sandbox, then ₹1,600 / ₹3,900 / ₹7,500 a month | Growth ₹2,699, Pro ₹5,799, Business ₹16,799 a month (billed quarterly) |
| Per-message fees | None | Yes: Meta's rate plus Wati's charge for every marketing, utility and authentication message |
| Template approval | Not needed | Needed for every message sent outside the 24-hour service window |
| Number can be banned | Yes, it is an unofficial connection. Ban Shield, a hot standby and ban credit reduce the impact | Very unlikely while you follow Meta's policies |
| Keeps your number on your phone | Yes | No. The number moves to the API and stops working in the normal WhatsApp app |
| Groups, statuses, channels | Yes | Limited or not available |
| Blue tick, catalog ads, Click-to-WhatsApp ad windows | No | Yes |
Where Wati is the better choice
- You send large marketing campaigns to people who have never messaged you, and you need Meta's blessing to do it at scale.
- You run Click-to-WhatsApp ads and want the free 7-day entry window Meta gives those chats.
- You need a green verified badge, or your compliance team only accepts the official API.
- You have several agents and want a mature shared inbox with role management out of the box.
Where AgaKural is the better choice
- You mostly reply to customers and send reminders, confirmations and updates, and you do not want to pay for each one.
- You want to keep the number on your phone and keep using groups, statuses and channels.
- You do not want to wait for template approval before every new message.
- You are a developer who wants a plain REST API, signed webhooks and Whapi-style endpoints.
Cost example: 5,000 marketing messages a month
On Wati Growth you pay ₹2,699 for the plan plus at least Meta's India marketing rate of about ₹0.8631 for each delivered message. That is roughly ₹4,316 in Meta charges, so at least ₹7,015 a month before Wati's own per-message charge and 18% GST.
On AgaKural Starter you pay ₹1,600 a month and nothing per message. A fully warmed-up number can send up to 1,000 messages a day, so 5,000 a month fits comfortably. The trade-off is risk: an unofficial connection can be banned, which is why Ban Shield paces sending and Growth adds a standby number. Try the numbers yourself in the WhatsApp API cost calculator.
Switching from Wati
Wati moves your number onto the Cloud API, so it no longer works in the WhatsApp app. To use it with AgaKural you first remove it from Wati (or ask Meta support to release it), install WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on a phone with that number, then scan the AgaKural QR code. Many businesses keep Wati for ad-driven marketing on one number and use AgaKural for service and reminders on another.
Frequently asked questions
Is AgaKural cheaper than Wati?
For most small businesses yes, because there are no per-message fees. If you send very large marketing campaigns to cold contacts, the official API is the safer channel even though it costs more.
Can AgaKural send template messages like Wati?
There are no templates to approve. You send normal WhatsApp messages, paced by Ban Shield.
Does Wati have a free plan?
Wati's pricing page lists paid plans only (checked 3 November 2026). AgaKural has a free Sandbox forever.
Sources
- Wati pricing
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
- India per-message rates summarised from Meta's INR rate card (DEV Community)
Prices change often; check each provider's page before you decide. Prices exclude GST unless stated.
7-day full trial, then a free Sandbox forever. No card.