An honest comparison
Wati and Dhanur AI, compared honestly
Wati (often written WATI) is a WhatsApp platform: broadcasts, a shared team inbox, chatbots and AI agents on your own WhatsApp number, on a monthly plan. It suits businesses that run WhatsApp at scale. Dhanur AI is an AI team that answers and follows up from your own information on website chat, chat links and email, with WhatsApp in a pilot. It suits owners who want their OK on what matters and a rupee price on every task, with no monthly plan.
Their prices and features as of 5 October 2026, from their public pages. See the sources
In short
Who each one suits
Wati suits
- Businesses whose customers are mostly on WhatsApp and who need their own number connected today
- Teams that send broadcasts and campaigns, run Click-to-WhatsApp ads or sell from a catalogue
- Several people answering chats together in a shared team inbox
- Businesses happy with a monthly plan, with WhatsApp's message charges on top
Dhanur AI suits
- Businesses that want AI to answer from their own price list, policies and pages
- Owners who want a ready-made agent for one job, set up from their website or by chatting
- Businesses whose customers write in Hindi or Hinglish as well as English
- Anyone who wants to start small, approve what matters and see what each task cost
Side by side
The comparison
Their side is from their public pages, read on 5 October 2026. Ours is from our pricing and feature status pages.
Price model
- Wati
- Monthly plan. Growth: ₹2,999 a month billed monthly, ₹2,699 billed quarterly or ₹2,199 billed yearly, with 3 users. Pro: ₹6,499 a month billed monthly. Template messages are charged on top.
- Dhanur AI
- No monthly fee. Prepaid credits (1 credit = ₹1): about ₹2.17 a reply on the Smart level. Top-ups from ₹50, with 18% GST added when you buy credits.
What a month costs a small business
- Wati
- From ₹2,999 on Growth billed monthly, which includes 2,000 Wati AI credits and 1 AI agent. Template messages cost extra. The pricing page doesn't say how many AI credits a reply uses.
- Dhanur AI
- About ₹1,880 for 800 WhatsApp replies (200 conversations, about 4 replies each): ₹2.17 for the AI and about ₹0.18 for WhatsApp's fee on each reply, plus GST when you buy the credits.
Set-up
- Wati
- Self-serve sign-up. Dedicated onboarding, including help connecting your number and Facebook Business verification, is a one-time fee, included with annual plans.
- Dhanur AI
- Create a workspace on the web. Paste your website address, or teach your agent by chatting: answer its questions, or send a photo of your rate card, a PDF or a link. Templates come with ready tests.
- Wati
- Its core product: the WhatsApp Business API on your own number, plus Instagram and Facebook Messenger. It also lists coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app.
- Dhanur AI
- Pilot. For a small number of workspaces, our team connects a WhatsApp number for you. You can't connect your own number from the app yet; that is next. Sharing your chat link on WhatsApp works today.
Hindi and Hinglish
- Wati
- Its AI page says 30+ languages, with switching mid-conversation. Hindi isn't named on the pages we read.
- Dhanur AI
- Live. Replies in English, Hindi or Hinglish, and finds answers in your information in all three.
Approvals before the AI acts
- Wati
- AI agents answer on their own and hand a chat to your team with an "Assign to user" action. AI Copilot helps your team write replies in the shared inbox.
- Dhanur AI
- Live. Each action can go ahead on its own, ask first, or ask and then go ahead after a wait. Approve, edit or reject in Tasks, and set approval limits by amount.
Cost shown per task
- Wati
- Not stated on the pages we read. AI use is counted in Wati AI credits.
- Dhanur AI
- Live. Every task and every step shows its cost in rupees.
Data location
- Wati
- Not stated on the pages we read; its AI page mentions data residency options for enterprises. Wati is run by Clare.AI Limited, Hong Kong.
- Dhanur AI
- App servers in Mumbai; engine and databases in Bengaluru. Some providers work outside India: Anthropic for the AI, Meta for WhatsApp, and storage for photos sent in chats.
Trial or starting credits
- Wati
- A 7-day trial on its pricing page. Its AI page says 14 days, with no card.
- Dhanur AI
- ₹25 of free credits for every new workspace, with no card needed. Then pay as you go.
Best for
- Wati
- WhatsApp-first businesses running campaigns and a team inbox on their own number.
- Dhanur AI
- Owners who want enquiries answered and followed up from their own information, with their OK on what matters and a rupee price on every task.
Fair is fair
Where Wati is stronger
WhatsApp is ready today
You connect your own number and start. On Dhanur AI, WhatsApp is a pilot and our team connects each number.
Broadcasts and campaigns
Growth includes 15,000 broadcasts a month, and Wati offers Click-to-WhatsApp ads, catalogues and Shopify campaigns. We don't send bulk offer messages.
A shared team inbox
Several people answer chats in one inbox, with chats assigned to them. Our Tasks inbox is for approvals and hand-overs, not a shared chat inbox.
More channels
Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Business calling, with voice AI on its Business plan. Our agents don't answer Instagram DMs or phone calls.
Works alongside the WhatsApp Business app
Wati lists coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app. We don't offer this.
Certifications and named customers
Its AI page says SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and CCPA, and its site names customers such as Vedantu and Habuild. We hold no certification yet.
And the other side
Where we fit better
No monthly plan
Pay about ₹2.17 a reply on the Smart level, plus about ₹0.18 for WhatsApp's fee on a WhatsApp reply. Start with ₹25 of free credits.
Your OK before it acts
Set each action to go ahead on its own or ask first, edit a reply before you approve it, and set approval limits by amount.
A rupee price on every task
Every task and every step shows what it cost, so you know what each conversation cost you.
More than WhatsApp
The same agent answers on your website chat, a chat link with a QR code and email, books on Google Calendar and follows up leads by email. All of this is live today.
Hindi and Hinglish
Replies in English, Hindi or Hinglish, in the language the customer writes in, with search by meaning in all three.
Servers in India
App servers in Mumbai, databases in Bengaluru, and a GST invoice from an Indian company.
What works today, what is a pilot and what is planned is on our feature status page.
Questions
Common questions
Is Dhanur AI cheaper than Wati?
It depends on what you need and how many messages you get. On 5 October 2026, Wati's Growth plan was ₹2,999 a month billed monthly, before WhatsApp's template charges, and it includes a team inbox, broadcasts and 2,000 AI credits. Dhanur AI has no monthly plan: 800 WhatsApp replies come to about ₹1,880 in credits, plus GST. If you need broadcasts or a shared inbox, weigh those too, because we don't offer them.
Does Dhanur AI work on WhatsApp?
Only in our pilot. For a small number of workspaces, our team connects a WhatsApp number to your agent. You can't connect your own number from the app yet; that is next. Today you can share your chat link on WhatsApp, and customers chat with your agent on a web page.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number?
Wati lists coexistence with the WhatsApp Business app. Dhanur AI doesn't offer this.
Do I pay WhatsApp's fees with Dhanur AI?
Yes. Since 1 October 2026, WhatsApp charges for replies too. We add about ₹0.18 a reply in credits, on top of the AI that writes it, and show it on each task.
Does Dhanur AI reply in Hindi?
Yes. Agents reply in English, Hindi or Hinglish, in the language the customer writes in, and say they are an AI in their first reply.
Sources
Prices and features as of 5 October 2026, from their public pages, as shown to a visitor in India. Prices change, so check their pages before you decide. “Not stated on the pages we read” means we couldn't find it there, not that they don't offer it. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
Try it on your own questions
Create a workspace, start from a template and test your agent in a chat that sends nothing to anyone. New workspaces get ₹25 of free credits with no card needed, then you pay as you go.