WhatsApp continues to reign supreme as the world’s most popular messaging platform. With billions of users globally, it presents a powerful opportunity for businesses to connect and engage with their audience. Here, chatbots emerge as game-changers, offering automated interactions and 24/7 availability.

This blog post dives into the top 9 WhatsApp AI chatbot tools you can leverage in 2024, containing free and paid options. Whether you need to enhance customer service, boost marketing efforts, or improve user engagement, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to select the perfect solution for your needs.

How to Add a Chatbot to WhatsApp

Adding a chatbot to WhatsApp involves several steps. The basic prerequisites you need are:

• You’ll need a verified WhatsApp Business account to connect to a chatbot. A regular WhatsApp account won’t work.
• You’ll need a third-party provider like Simplified that offers WhatsApp Business API access. It allows you to connect your chatbot and leverage functionalities beyond a standard WhatsApp Business account. 

Let’s explore more on how to add a chatbot to WhatsApp:

1. Log in to your Simplified account and go to your AI Chatbot app. 

2. Open your AI Chatbot, switch to the “Integrations” tab, and then click on “Connect Now”.

Source: Simplified

3. Click on “WhatsApp” from the pop-up.

Source: Simplified

4. Copy the Callback URL to your clipboard

Source: Simplified

5. Open your Meta app in a new tab, open “Quickstart” and Click on “Start using API”

Source: Simplified

6. Now set your WhatsApp number, add one more test number to test the trigger and click “Send Message”.

Source: Simplified

7. After a successful test message, you will be switched to the “Configuration” tab. Now click on “Edit”

Source: Simplified

8. Paste the Callback URL which you copied from Simplified.

Source: Simplified

9. Repeat the same for “Verify Token”. Copy it from Simplified and paste it into the “Verify Token” field. Click “Verify and save”.

Source: Simplified

10. Now Click on “Manage”, next to Webhook Fields and subscribe to the “message” field from the popup.

Source: Simplified

Source: Simplified

11. Now check if your integration is Active in the Simplified tab. Congrats! Your integration is active.

Now that you know how to add a chatbot to WhatsApp using Simplified, let’s explore the best WhatsApp AI chatbot tools available.

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Top WhatsApp AI Chatbot Tools for 2024

The following list explores a mix of free and paid WhatsApp AI chatbot tools, highlighting their key features:

1. Simplified

Simplified stands out as a powerful WhatsApp chatbot platform integration, helping businesses automate customer interactions and streamline processes seamlessly. 

Source: Simplified

Simplified AI Chatbot leverages advanced AI algorithms and machine learning techniques to learn from the provided data. It continuously analyzes user interactions and feedback to improve its responses over time, ensuring accuracy and relevancy. You can get access to unlimited URL-based training so your chatbot can learn from tons of online resources.

Key Features:

• User-friendly chatbot building interface
• Seamless integration with WhatsApp API
• Advanced natural language processing (NLP) capabilities
• Analytics and reporting for performance tracking
• Customizable templates for quick setup

Pricing:

It offers a Free Forever plan with 1 Chatbot. However, the Pro plan starts from $12 per month for 5 Chatbots. 

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2. Agentbot

Source: Agentbot

Agentbot is a user-friendly platform specifically designed to streamline the building and managing of WhatsApp AI chatbots. It caters to businesses of all sizes, making it a strong contender for anyone looking to leverage WhatsApp for customer service, marketing, or engagement.

Key Features:

• Coding knowledge is not required to design and implement your chatbot
• Integrates seamlessly with other messaging channels like Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and SMS
• Equips your chatbot to handle basic inquiries and resolve common customer issues efficiently
• Gain valuable insights into chatbot performance through comprehensive reports and analytics

Pricing:

The pricing of Agentbot starts at around $99 per month with a pay-per-conversation fee. This plan is ideal for low-volume interactions.

3. MessengerPeople

Source: MessengerPeople

MessengerPeople is a comprehensive Communication Platform aimed at managing customer interactions across various messaging apps. It offers seamless integration with the official WhatsApp Business API. 

Key Features:

• Manage all your customer interactions from a single platform, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Apple Business Chat, and more
• Build sophisticated chatbots visually using a drag-and-drop interface
• Segment your audience based on demographics, interests, or past interactions

Pricing:

MesengerPeople has two plans. They are Pay per Message or Pay per monthly active user. Contact their sales team for actual numbers on pricing.

4.Gupshup

Source: Gupshup

Gupshup is a popular platform catering to businesses seeking to leverage the power of WhatsApp for customer engagement, marketing, and sales. It is a conversational AI platform with tools for messaging and chatbot development.

Key Features:

• Seamless integration with the official WhatsApp Business API
• Leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand user intent and respond with relevant information
• Integrate your chatbot with other popular messaging channels like SMS, RCS (Rich Communication Services), Telegram, and Facebook Messenger
• Reach a large audience efficiently through broadcast messaging
• Includes interactive menus, buttons, quick replies, and media carousels for a richer user experience

Pricing:

Gupshup charges a standard 0.001 USD per message fee.

5. Landbot

Source: Landbot

Landbot takes a unique approach to WhatsApp AI chatbots. Instead of focusing on traditional chat interactions, you can create “conversational landing pages” directly within the WhatsApp messaging platform.

Key Features:

• Design interactive landing pages within WhatsApp chats
• Embed lead capture forms within your conversational landing pages
• Integrates with popular marketing automation tools and CRM platforms
• Track the performance of your conversational landing pages with built-in analytics

Pricing:

It offers a Free plan and the paid plan starts from $34 per month. It includes 100 messages.

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6. Tidio

Source: Tidio

Tidio is a comprehensive customer service platform. It offers a suite of tools designed to streamline communication and enhance customer experience. While it goes beyond just WhatsApp AI chatbots, Tidio offers strong functionalities for building and managing them on the WhatsApp platform.

Key Features:

• Manage customer interactions from a single platform
• Seamlessly integrates with the official WhatsApp Business API
• No coding knowledge is required
• Offers a built-in ticketing system for managing complex customer inquiries
• Internal collaboration among customer service teams

Pricing:

It offers a free plan and a starter plan from $29 per month.

7. Respond.io

Source: Respond.io

Respond.io provides a powerful solution for managing conversational workflows across various messaging channels, including WhatsApp. You can manage all your customer interactions from a single, centralized platform. 

Key Features:

• Integrates seamlessly with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and other popular channels, streamlining communication and eliminating the need to switch between apps
• No coding expertise is required
• Handles basic inquiries, answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) and resolve common customer issues around the clock
•  Uses NLP to understand the intent behind user messages
•  Provides features like internal chat, notes, and task management to streamline team workflows

Pricing:

The team plan starts at $79 per month. It is ideal for small teams.

8. Sinch Engage

Source: Sinch Engage

Sinch Engage is a broader communication platform that offers omnichannel customer engagement functionalities. It integrates with WhatsApp Business API, allowing businesses to leverage chatbots on the platform.

Key Features:

• Manage customer interactions across various messaging channels, potentially including WhatsApp, within a single platform.
• Integrate Sinch Engage with CRM or marketing automation tools to streamline data flow and enhance customer experience.
• Gain insights into chatbot performance and customer interactions on WhatsApp.

Pricing:

It offers a free 14-day trial. However, the Starter plan starts at $199.

9. Live Person

Source: Live Person

LivePerson positions itself as a leader in Conversational AI solutions. It offers a comprehensive platform that integrates AI-powered chatbots with the ability to seamlessly transfer conversations to live agents.

Key Features:

• Uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand user intent and provide relevant responses
• Integrates seamlessly with the official WhatsApp Business API 
• Seamless transfers from chatbot to live agents, ensuring a smooth customer experience
• Live agents receive all chatbot conversation history when taking over an interaction
• Prioritizes data security and adheres to industry regulations

Pricing:

Not available publicly. You can send a custom quote to their sales team.

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Bottomline

WhatsApp AI chatbots have become essential tools for businesses seeking to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, the right chatbot tool can help you deliver exceptional experiences to your customers on the WhatsApp messaging platform. Take your WhatsApp marketing and customer service to the next level with Simplified.