A Wati alternative with rupiah pricing per reply
According to its pricing page, Wati plans are priced in US dollars and its AI agent is a credit-based add-on. Cakapin uses a rupiah balance charged per reply, VAT included. Below are the facts row by row, each with its source, so you can pick what fits.
The free credit covers Cakapin rates; WhatsApp template messages are still paid directly to Meta.
Handed to an agent
Sample view — names, times, and messages are made up.
The facts, row by row
The Wati column comes from Wati's official site; every row lists its source and check date. Anything Wati does not list is marked "not listed publicly".
| Compared | Cakapin | Wati |
|---|---|---|
| Currency & tax | Rupiah. All rates include VAT. | US dollars (US$). Tax not listed publicly on the pricing page. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Pricing model | A balance charged per use. No plan fee. | Growth, Pro, and Business subscription plans, billed monthly or annually. Message fees are charged separately. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Plan price per month | No plan fee or base fee. | Billed monthly: Growth US$49, Pro US$99, Business US$249. Billed annually: US$39, US$79, US$199 per month. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Agents / users | The first 5 agents are free; each extra agent is Rp5,000, only on days they log in. WhatsApp template message fees are still paid directly to Meta. | Growth: 3 users, no additional users. Pro and Business: 5 users; additional users US$24 (Pro) or US$59 (Business) per user per month. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Replies from agents | Rp50 per reply sent by an agent. | Not listed publicly as a separate rate. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| AI that replies automatically | Rp150 per AI reply on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, and Messenger, from the same balance. No separate add-on. | Astra AI agent, a separately priced add-on: Pro US$99 per month (5,000 credits, web and WhatsApp), Business US$399 per month (25,000 credits). 1 credit per simple action or text response; 3 credits per rich text response (images, PDF, table, docs) and actions. Extra credits US$20 per 1,000, valid 3 months. Source: wati.io/products/astra/pricing, wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| AI that assists agents | AI reply suggestion Rp150 per request; a reply sent from it is not charged again. | AI Co-pilot: 250 (Growth), 500 (Pro), or 1,500 (Business) credits per month, included in the plan. Extra credits US$20 per 1,000 per month. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| WhatsApp message fees | Meta's WhatsApp template message fees are paid directly to Meta through your WhatsApp Business account, not from your Cakapin balance. Templates sent by an automation still draw Rp100 per message from your balance. | Additional per-message charges, different for marketing, utility, and authentication, per Wati's rate card. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Channels in the inbox | WhatsApp, Instagram DM, and Messenger. | WhatsApp (messages and WhatsApp Business Calling), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, widget, and wa.me. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Extra accounts or numbers | The first Meta account on each platform is free; the 2nd and later on the same platform are Rp30,000 per account per month, charged upfront when that account is activated. WhatsApp template message fees are still paid directly to Meta. | Additional WhatsApp numbers US$29 per number per month, an add-on for the Pro and Business plans. Source: wati.io/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Try before paying | Free credit of Rp20,000, added once after your email is verified, no card. WhatsApp template message fees are still paid directly to Meta. | 7-day trial for Wati plans. Astra: a Free plan at US$0 (100 credits, web widget only) and a 14-day trial for Astra Pro. Source: wati.io/pricing, wati.io/products/astra/pricing · checked 25 Sep 2026 |
How we made the numbers comparable
- All figures are per month. For Wati we use the monthly-billing price; annual prices are listed separately.
- Wati prices are the ones its pricing page shows to visitors from Indonesia on 25 Sep 2026. Wati shows different prices depending on the visitor's country, so the numbers in your country may differ.
- Dollar amounts are shown as they are. Conversion to rupiah is used only in the cost example, at the Bank Indonesia JISDOR rate of 25 Sep 2026: Rp17,917 per US$1.
- Cakapin rates include VAT; Wati's pricing page does not list tax.
- WhatsApp message fees charged by Meta are left out on both sides.
Source: bi.go.id (JISDOR) · checked 25 Sep 2026
Which one fits you
Cakapin fits if…
- You want to pay in rupiah, VAT included, with no monthly plan.
- Your chat volume goes up and down, so paying per reply suits you better than a fixed plan.
- Your team is up to 5 agents and handles WhatsApp, Instagram DM, and Messenger from one inbox.
- You want AI to reply automatically from the same balance, with no separate add-on. The AI is guided to answer from your material, can still be wrong, and you can take over any time.
Wati fits if…
- You need WhatsApp Business Calling and TikTok in the same inbox.
- Your store runs on Shopify and you want tools like abandoned-cart templates and WhatsApp Catalog.
- Your reply volume is high and steady, so a fixed monthly plan is easier to budget than a per-reply rate.
- You need a voice AI agent, HubSpot or Salesforce integration, or several WhatsApp numbers in one account.
- You want a widely used platform: according to Wati's site, 16,000+ customers in 190+ countries.
The Wati strengths above come from Wati's site, checked 25 Sep 2026: wati.io, wati.io/pricing, wati.io/products/astra/pricing
Example monthly cost, same assumptions
This is an illustration, not a real bill. Swap in your own chat volume.
Assumptions
- 3 agents, 1 WhatsApp number, 1,000 replies a month, billed monthly.
- WhatsApp message fees charged by Meta are left out on both sides.
- Cakapin: 3 agents are within the 5 free agents and the first WhatsApp number is free, so only the replies are counted. WhatsApp template message fees are still paid directly to Meta and are not counted here.
- Wati: 3 agents fit the Growth plan. Wati does not state whether Astra can be added to Growth; Astra is only listed under the Pro plan features. So the AI scenario is shown twice: Growth + Astra Pro (lower bound) and Pro + Astra Pro (upper bound). AI replies are counted as text responses (1 credit), so 500 of the 5,000 Astra Pro credits are used.
No AI: 1,000 replies from agents
1,000 agent replies × Rp50 · VAT included
Growth plan US$49 × Rp17,917 · tax not listed
50% answered by AI, lower bound: 500 AI replies + 500 agent replies
500 × Rp150 + 500 × Rp50 · VAT included
Growth US$49 + Astra Pro US$99 = US$148 × Rp17,917 · tax not listed
50% answered by AI, upper bound: 500 AI replies + 500 agent replies
500 × Rp150 + 500 × Rp50 · VAT included
Pro US$99 + Astra Pro US$99 = US$198 × Rp17,917 · tax not listed
Wati plans also include other features not counted here, such as broadcast quota and automation triggers. Cakapin's cost grows with the number of replies, while a Wati plan stays fixed per month: with the no-AI assumption above, Cakapin only matches the Growth plan at around 17,559 agent replies a month.
FAQ
Wati is priced in dollars, Cakapin in rupiah. What does that change for me?
Wati's pricing page lists prices in US dollars, so the rupiah amount depends on the exchange rate. Cakapin rates are written in rupiah and include VAT, so the numbers on Cakapin's Pricing page are what gets drawn from your balance.
Are Meta's WhatsApp message fees included?
Not in either. On Cakapin, Meta's WhatsApp template message fees are paid directly to Meta through your WhatsApp Business account, not from your Cakapin balance; templates sent by an automation still draw Rp100 per message. Wati's pricing page lists additional per-message charges for marketing, utility, and authentication, per Wati's rate card (checked 25 Sep 2026).
How are Wati AI credits and Cakapin AI replies counted?
On Cakapin, every reply the AI sends draws Rp150 from your balance, with no separate add-on. Wati's AI agent (Astra) uses credits: 1 credit per simple action or text response and 3 credits per rich text response and actions; monthly credits come with the Astra plan, and extra credits are US$20 per 1,000 (checked 25 Sep 2026).
Can I try before paying?
Yes. On Cakapin, a free credit of Rp20,000 is added once after your email is verified, no credit card needed; WhatsApp template messages are still paid directly to Meta. According to Wati's site, Wati plans have a 7-day trial, and Astra has a Free plan (web widget only) plus a 14-day trial for Astra Pro (checked 25 Sep 2026).
Do the prices include tax?
Yes. Every rate on the Pricing page includes VAT.
Can the AI give wrong answers?
It can. The AI is steered to answer from the knowledge base you fill in, but it can still get things wrong, especially when that material is incomplete. You can always see which replies came from the AI and take over the conversation at any time.
Try Cakapin with free credit
Start with Rp20,000 of free credit, pay per reply, no monthly plan. WhatsApp template message fees are still paid directly to Meta.
The free credit covers Cakapin rates; WhatsApp template messages are still paid directly to Meta.
Read next
Wati is a trademark of its owner and is named here for identification only. Wati data was taken from its official site as of 25 Sep 2026 and may change at any time; check the original source before deciding. Spotted an error? Tell us at support@cakapin.com and we will correct it within 5 business days.
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