WhatsApp Business API onboarding
Spur
AiSensy
AiSensy is a strong India-first WhatsApp BSP. We're the AiSensy alternative for Shopify and D2C teams who also live on Instagram, Facebook and web chat — one AI agent, one shared inbox, four channels. Our AI Accelerate plan is $1,526/yr versus AiSensy's ₹40,781/yr Pro plus a ₹27,000/yr chatbot add-on.
No credit card. Port your WhatsApp number, import your AiSensy contacts and templates before you commit.
Same Shopify D2C team
AI Accelerate · 5 seats · 4 channels
Pro + Chatbot Flows add-on · WA-only
/ 108
/ 15
AI agent reply scope
CTWA-driven only
Sources: Spur Pricing · AiSensy India Pricing · Shopify App Store (May 25, 2026). Detailed math in Pricing section.
Instagram DM & Comments
MessengerWeb live chatIf you only read three things
The same WhatsApp wallet on both. What changes: the AI brain, the channels it covers, and what your Shopify reviewers think when they actually try to use it.
01 · The AI brain
4 channels
one AI agent, one knowledge base
Train our AI on your website, help docs, PDFs and YouTube transcripts. Deploy the same agent on web chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. AiSensy's AI agent replies only in English and is WhatsApp-only today.
See AI Agents02 · The Shopify gap
5.0/1.6
Spur vs AiSensy on the Shopify App Store
Our app sits at 5.0★ / 108. AiSensy's Shopify listing sits at 1.6★ / 15 with 80% one-star. Recent reviewers cite onboarding gaps, refused refunds and broken order-to-Shopify attribution.
Read merchant reviews03 · The funnel
+2
channels AiSensy doesn't own. Instagram comment-to-DM, Click-to-IG Direct Ads, web chat
If your D2C funnel is a Reel that turns into a comment that turns into a DM that turns into an order — we built that whole path. AiSensy's Instagram story is mostly Click-to-WhatsApp ads: driving Meta traffic into WhatsApp, not native IG automation.
See Instagram playbookWhat you actually get
The same AI agent handles WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and web chat — with custom actions that hit your backend for order lookups, refunds, discounts and meeting bookings. Humans take over the moment something gets interesting. AiSensy's AI agent today is WhatsApp-only and English-reply-only.
Bot:Found it! Order #1234 · arrives Wed · ETA 2 days.
AI handled
"Interested in the emerald midi · do you ship to UK?"
Comment → DM"Want to swap two items in my last order before it ships."
Handoff to Riya
Bot:Applied your loyalty discount — total updated to ¥4,820.
AI handledIllustrative — names, handles and order numbers are made up for this mock.
Is this for you?
AiSensy is a real, scaled WhatsApp BSP — a 100+ person Gurugram team with an Android and iOS app, INR billing, a Free Forever plan, and deep WhatsApp commerce primitives. It's the right answer for some teams. It just isn't the right answer for every team that finds it via Google.
The math, in full
Both prices below are pulled live from the public pricing pages on May 25, 2026. WhatsApp Meta pass-through fees are identical — Spur and AiSensy both ride the same per-delivered-message rail. What changes is what you're paying for on top.
Free Forever
₹50 conversation credits, 1-agent inbox, CTWA Ads manager, blue-tick application.
₹0
Basic
WhatsApp API, broadcasts, templates, 5 agents.
₹1,350/mo
Pro
+ Retargeting, schedulers, smart routing, click tracking.
₹2,880/mo
Enterprise
Webhooks, SLAs, dedicated CSM.
Talk to sales
Add-ons (annual)
Chatbot flows are not in Basic or Pro — the drag-and-drop builder is a separate ₹2,500/mo add-on. Webhooks live in Enterprise. Wallet below ₹10 pauses sending.
View pricingAI Acquire
1 AI agent · 100 credits · 1 seat · 3 flows · Instagram + Click-to-DM.
$12/mo
AI Start
+ Shopify + WhatsApp + Click-to-WhatsApp · 25 flows · 2,000 credits · 2 seats.
$31/mo
AI AccelerateMatch AiSensy Pro
2 AI agents · 12,000 credits · 5 seats · 50 flows · webhooks · Custom AI Actions.
$127/mo
AI Max
3 AI agents · 20,000 credits · 10 seats · unlimited flows · dedicated AM.
$399/mo
Predictable add-ons
Chatbot flows, webhooks, HTTP actions and Custom AI Actions are included in AI Accelerate, not gated to Enterprise. The whole stack fits on one spreadsheet row.
View pricingGrowing Shopify D2C · 7 agents · 25k marketing msgs/mo · IG comment-to-DM · web chat
AiSensy path · Pro + Chatbot + 2 extras + IG/web tool
₹473,560/yr
Spur path · AI Accelerate (everything in one stack)
₹483,571/yr
WhatsApp Meta pass-through fees apply identically — both vendors ride the same per-delivered-message rail. India marketing rate is ~₹1.09; utility/authentication is ₹0.145. Service messages stay free inside the 24-hour window; Click-to-WhatsApp gets the 72-hour free entry point.
~₹10k/yr difference
At this scale Spur is roughly ₹10,000/yr more on platform — but you replace a separate Instagram/web chat tool that AiSensy would push you to bolt on. If that second tool was ₹6k+/month, Spur is cheaper net.
Disclaimers: AiSensy path assumes annual Pro + Chatbot Flow Builder + 2 extra agents in India, plus a representative IG/web chat tool. Spur path uses website annual AI Accelerate at INR conversion ~₹83/USD; Shopify channel plans price differently (AI Accelerate = $159/mo monthly with 25 flows / 25 segments) — confirm which billing channel governs your contract. Both prices exclude GST and Meta pass-through, which are identical on either platform.
Why the gap exists
These show up in named Shopify, Trustpilot, App Store and Reddit threads — we link every one. Click any source to verify it yourself.
On Trustpilot, Addan Chua said AiSensy's "AI chatbot" felt more like rigid templated responses than a true adaptive AI assistant. The dedicated AI agent product replies only in English today, and chatbot flows are a separate ₹2,500/mo add-on.
From the ISKCON Pune FFL Trustpilot review: "the sweet talk ended after purchase and replies stopped being prompt." Wrteam Vimal cites 28+ bug reports and 2-3 day response times. The pattern repeats across the Shopify thread.
Ratnaya Organics on the Shopify App Store: new chats didn't auto-refresh reliably, multiple image uploads were unreliable, and there was no seamless way to place orders from WhatsApp and create them in Shopify with agent attribution — the exact gap a D2C operator cares about.
The Refund Policy says plan charges, WhatsApp credits, add-ons, integrations and one-time chatbot/setup payments are non-refundable. Teodor Turlea recovered $150+ via chargeback after a refund refusal. A Reddit thread describes a ~$130 charge after a claimed cancellation.
The plan page mentions chatbot flows; the 5-flow pack is charged separately at ₹2,500/mo. Extra agents are ₹750/mo each after the included five. A virtual number is ₹2,000/year. Webhooks live in Enterprise. Buyers regularly miss this on the first read.
AiSensy's official Shopify app sits at 1.6 / 5 across 15 reviews, with 80% one-star. Spur's Shopify app sits at 5.0 / 5 across 108 reviews — merchants cite WhatsApp campaigns, Instagram automation, cart recovery and fast onboarding.
Capability map · zoom in
Green checks where the platform genuinely owns the capability. Amber when it technically supports it but the depth is shallow. Grey dash when it's not there. Sources: live product pages and AiSensy's own docs.
Scan signal
14
Spur-only clear edges
4
Shared clear capabilities
24 rows total. Use the chips first, then read the evidence where the answer is partial or unclear.
3 shared clear capabilities across 9 checks.
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
1 shared clear capabilities across 5 checks.
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
0 shared clear capabilities across 6 checks.
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
0 shared clear capabilities across 4 checks.
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Spur
AiSensy
Owns it · Supports it, shallow depth · Not offered
Honest take · summarised
If two or more items on the AiSensy side describe your team, buy AiSensy — don't waste a sales cycle. If two or more items on the Spur side fit, install on Shopify or start the trial. We mean it.
Free Forever start
A genuine ₹0 plan with API access, ₹50 credits, a 1-agent inbox, the CTWA Ads manager and blue-tick application. For a tiny team that just wants WhatsApp API access at near-zero software cost, that's hard to match.
INR billing & India-first GTM
Plans priced in INR, GST-friendly invoicing, an India-first sales motion, native virtual numbers and an Indian-language understanding model on the AI agent. If your finance team prefers a single INR invoice, this is the easier internal sell.
Deeper in-WhatsApp commerce
Catalogues, WhatsApp payments, abandoned cart automations, COD verification, payment reminders — the whole purchase can live inside the WhatsApp client. If the sale happens in-thread, this matters.
Native Android & iOS app
Both stores, actively shipped — broadcasts, analytics, multi-agent live chat, in-app API application, CTWA ads. If your support team works from phones during peak campaigns, this is real. We don't have a mobile app yet.
Broader Indian integrations breadth
Zoho, LeadSquared, MoEngage, CleverTap, WebEngage, Pabbly, Integrately, Google Sheets — the traditional Indian CRM/martech stack lights up faster. We're stronger on Shopify and the developer/AI-action surface.
Bigger incumbent perception
A 100+ person Gurugram team, a wider logo wall and broader Indian-market visibility. If your CFO wants the safest-feeling WhatsApp vendor in India, the brand recognition helps.
Deterministic chatbot flows
A drag-and-drop builder with forms, webviews, payments and API/webhook integrations — useful, predictable, exactly what some buyers want for menus and lead qualification.
One AI agent across four channels
Same brain on web chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. Trained on your website, help docs, PDFs and YouTube transcripts. 95+ reply languages. AiSensy's AI agent is WhatsApp-only and replies only in English today.
Instagram is a first-class channel
Comment-to-DM, story reactions/mentions, keyword flows, lead capture, product cards. Click-to-Instagram Direct Ads send lead-quality signals back to Meta. AiSensy's Instagram story is mostly Click-to-WhatsApp ad traffic flowing into WhatsApp.
The Shopify proof gap is enormous
5.0★ / 108 versus 1.6★ / 15 on the Shopify App Store. The recent AiSensy Shopify reviews specifically cite the cart recovery, order confirmation and live chat setup gaps a D2C operator cares about.
Genuinely omnichannel shared inbox
WhatsApp + Instagram + Facebook + Live Chat in one queue with assignment, collision detection, tickets, order history and clean human handoff. AiSensy's inbox is multi-agent but WhatsApp-centric — you'll bolt on another tool for IG and web.
Modern developer & AI-action surface
Webhooks, HTTP Request actions, Custom AI Actions and an MCP server from AI Accelerate ($127/mo). AiSensy's webhooks live in Enterprise per public pricing — multiple Reddit threads confirm that gating.
Chatbot flows are not an add-on
Workflow builder, no-code chatbots, drip campaigns and broadcasts are inside the plan you already bought. AiSensy charges ₹2,500/mo extra for 5 chatbots/month on top of Basic or Pro.
Founder-led support
We're a 10-person bootstrapped team. When you message us on WhatsApp or email, the response often comes from a founder or someone who built the feature you're asking about — not a tier-1 macro and not "the sweet talk ends after purchase."
Six head-to-head verdicts
Six common buying decisions, each with a one-paragraph verdict. Skim the headers — the labels tell you which way each one points.
Both have a Shopify app. AiSensy's documents up to three abandoned cart messages plus order confirmation flows. Our merchants consistently report cart recovery flows running within hours and order attribution that actually closes in Shopify.
If your customer journey starts and ends inside WhatsApp — broadcasts, templates, Click-to-WhatsApp ads, in-thread catalogue and payments — and you're India-first and price-sensitive, AiSensy's Free Forever plan and INR billing are hard to beat. We don't pretend otherwise.
AiSensy's Instagram story is Click-to-WhatsApp ads driving Meta traffic into WhatsApp. We build the whole IG funnel — comment-to-DM, story reactions, keyword flows, lead capture, product cards, Click-to-IG Direct ads pushing lead-quality back to Meta.
See Instagram playbookIf your buyer needs "an assistant that understands my refund policy, products and shipping rules" — trained on your KB, 95+ languages, deployed across web/WA/IG/FB with custom actions hitting your backend — that's our core product. AiSensy's AI agent is WhatsApp-only and English-reply-only.
Both ship drag-and-drop flow builders. Ours is included in every paid plan with multi-channel triggers. AiSensy's is a separate ₹2,500/mo add-on for 5 chatbots but specifically targets in-WhatsApp commerce flows — forms, webviews, payments in-thread.
AiSensy ships Android and iOS apps with broadcasts, analytics, multi-agent live chat and in-app API application. We don't have a dedicated mobile app today — it's the most common request in our Shopify reviews. If your team works from phones during peak campaigns, that's a real consideration.
What real merchants are saying
Pulled directly from G2, Trustpilot, the Shopify App Store, Reddit and the App Store. Nothing invented — every excerpt links back to the public source.
“After 10 days I still couldn't set up abandoned cart, order confirmation or live chat. Moved back to my previous provider.”
“The sweet talk ended after purchase and replies stopped being prompt.”
“The AI chatbot felt more like rigid templated responses than a true adaptive AI assistant.”
Honest balance. AiSensy's G2 sits at 4.3★ / 108 reviews with named reviewers praising ease of use, broadcasts and helpful support reps. The negative pattern is concentrated on Trustpilot .in (2.7★ / 26, 77% one-star) and the Shopify App Store (1.6★ / 15, 80% one-star).
Featured case study · Libas
“Comment automation + DMs took our IG Live from a 1,000-viewer event into 64 paid orders at ~6% conversion.”
Parul Chanana · Sr. Marketing Manager · Libas · Spur case study
“Abandoned cart flows were running within hours and the team helped us map our WhatsApp and Instagram strategy during onboarding.”
“Quick support, easy implementation, WhatsApp/Instagram automation, comment-to-DM, responsive bug fixes — all in one tool.”
Honest disclosure. We have 12 G2 reviews (all 5★) versus AiSensy's 108 G2 reviews. Our case-study metrics are self-reported — ask for raw campaign exports during a POC, the same as you should from anyone. We're newer and smaller. We're growing.
Migration · no-risk path
You have two clean paths — port your existing WhatsApp Business API number to Spur, or run both in parallel for 2-4 weeks and then redirect traffic. AiSensy's downgrade window is 24 hours to 30 days, so plan around that.
Why this works
Audit your AiSensy setup
Export contacts, tags, attributes, segments and approved Meta templates by category. Document broadcasts, drip flows, chatbot flows, Shopify webhooks and active CTWA campaigns.
Pick your number strategy
Port your existing number to Spur (request AiSensy disable 2FA) or get a new number on Spur and run both in parallel. Plan for the 24-hour to 30-day downgrade window.
Re-submit Meta templates
Marketing first, then Utility, then Authentication. Approvals usually take hours not days.
Train the AI agent
Website, help docs, PDFs, YouTube transcripts, custom Q&A. Define custom actions — order lookup, discounts, CRM updates, meeting booking.
Rebuild flows + connect IG/web
Broadcasts, drips, cart recovery, order updates. Add Instagram comment-to-DM, story flows, web chat widget — the channels AiSensy didn't natively cover.
Pilot two weeks in parallel
Trigger every Shopify event in a test order. Send a test broadcast. Run a low-budget CTWA ad. Verify comment-to-DM fires from an IG test account.
Cut over — redirect traffic & cancel
Redirect CTWA traffic, update IG/FB business assets, swap your web chat embed. Cancel AiSensy at the end of the billing cycle. Burn the wallet first — remaining credits expire when the plan does.
Diligence checklist
We've seen too many teams buy the wrong tool and stay stuck. Asking these up front saves the messy email thread in month seven.
Questions buyers ask
If your question isn't here, message us on WhatsApp or email — we usually reply within the hour during business hours, often faster.
Talk to a humanYes. AiSensy positions itself as an official WhatsApp Business Solutions Provider and Meta Business Partner on its homepage and About page. Some older alternative-vendor comparison pages (including a legacy version of our own) say AiSensy uses "unofficial API" — that claim is not accurate and we don't make it on this page.
Sticker prices: Free (₹0), Basic ₹1,500/mo (annual ₹1,350/mo), Pro ₹3,200/mo (annual ₹2,880/mo), Enterprise custom. Add-ons: Chatbot Flows ₹2,500/mo for 5 flows, Extra Agents ₹750/mo each, Indian Virtual Number ₹2,000/year. On top of that, the per-delivered-message WhatsApp wallet: ₹1.09 marketing, ₹0.145 utility/authentication in India, with service messages free inside the 24-hour customer-service window.
Yes. The drag-and-drop WhatsApp Chatbot Flow Builder is a separate add-on at ₹2,500/month (or ₹2,250/month annually) for 5 chatbots/month. It's mentioned on the plan feature list but is not bundled into Basic or Pro. On Spur, the workflow builder and no-code chatbots are inside every paid plan — no separate SKU.
AiSensy's chatbot flows are deterministic — drag-and-drop, rule-based, predictable. Useful for menus, lead qualification and FAQ trees. AiSensy's separate AI Agent product can also train on a knowledge base, but today it replies only in English and is WhatsApp-centric. Spur's AI Agents are trained on your websites, help docs, PDFs and YouTube transcripts, speak 95+ languages, deploy across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and website live chat, and can call custom actions in your backend. If you need a fast menu, AiSensy flows are fine. If you need an assistant that actually understands your product and policies, Spur is the right tool.
For WhatsApp-only in India, AiSensy's Free Forever and Basic plans are cheaper at the platform layer. For multi-channel (WhatsApp + Instagram + Facebook + Web Chat + AI), Spur is usually cheaper net because you replace 2-3 separate tools with one stack. The per-delivered-message WhatsApp wallet is roughly comparable on both — both vendors pass through Meta's rates with provider markup.
Yes. You request AiSensy disable two-factor authentication on the number, then port it to Spur. The WhatsApp API number downgrade window is 24 hours to 30 days — plan for that buffer. For most brands, porting is the right answer because of brand recognition and existing template approvals. Some teams take a new number on Spur and run both in parallel for 2-4 weeks, then redirect ad traffic.
All three are legitimate buys for the right team. Interakt is part of the Haptik/Jio family with mature WhatsApp BSP capabilities and a Shopify integration. WATI is a long-running WhatsApp BSP with broad mid-market traction. DoubleTick is sharper on Indian-language conversational commerce. None of them are designed around the same axis we are: D2C messaging across WhatsApp + Instagram + Facebook + web chat with one AI brain trained on your knowledge base. Plenty of brands run a BSP plus Spur for IG/web. That's a fine setup.
Yes — we serve customers across 25+ countries. The WhatsApp Business API works globally with Meta's per-country, per-category pricing. Our Shopify integration is global. We host core data on AWS Frankfurt with named subprocessors in the US (Google, Cloudflare). Our site is localized in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch and Indonesian — and we add languages as the customer base asks for them.
We operate under GDPR with customer data hosted on AWS Frankfurt and WhatsApp data localization set to Europe at number setup. Our DPA, subprocessor list and current security packet — including SOC 2 controls documentation — are shared under NDA with buyers in procurement review. Email security@spurnow.com or talk to your account contact to get the latest. For lighter-touch reviews, our public GDPR statement and DPA cover most of the standard questions.
Bottom line · take it for a spin
Install Spur on Shopify in a few hours. Import your AiSensy contacts and templates. Crawl your store and help docs to train the AI. Connect WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and your live chat widget. See whether the multi-channel AI stack is the tool your team's been missing — without touching your existing WhatsApp number.
Live pricing and review data from AiSensy, Spur, Shopify App Store, G2, Trustpilot, Reddit and AiSensy's help wiki. Last refreshed May 25, 2026.
Pricing and feature data last refreshed May 25, 2026.