WATI
WATI is a Hong Kong-based WhatsApp Business API customer engagement platform serving 16,000+ SMB and enterprise customers across 190+ countries, offering AI-powered chatbots, multi-channel inbox, and Astra AI Agents for automated sales and support conversations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersHong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What WATI does
WATI, legally Clare.ai Limited, is a Hong Kong-headquartered customer engagement software company founded in 2020 that operates a WhatsApp Business API platform for small, medium, and enterprise businesses. The platform provides shared team inbox, no-code chatbot builder, bulk broadcast campaigns, AI-powered automation, and multi-channel support spanning WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS. Core technical components include the Astra AI Agents for autonomous end-to-end conversation handling, Copilot for agent assistance, a BYOA (Bring Your Own AI) framework supporting OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini models, Voice AI with cloning capabilities, and the Wati MCP server for agent deployment inside Claude and ChatGPT. The platform integrates natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, and 100+ additional tools.
WATI serves 16,000+ customers across 190+ countries, with a primary SMB and mid-market focus spanning e-commerce, education, healthcare, retail, non-profit, and marketing agencies. Revenue mechanics combine subscription tiers (Standard, Pro, Business with annual billing and a 25% discount on annual plans) with usage-based credit top-ups for message volume, plus a 15-20% recurring affiliate commission channel. Go-to-market blends self-serve product-led growth with a 7-day free trial, inside-sales demos for enterprise, and a 400+ partner network including VARs, technology partners, and 5,000+ affiliates. The company raised $23M in Series B funding led by Tiger Global in November 2022, holds Meta Premium Partner status with exclusive Google and TikTok Click-to-Message integrations, and is SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA compliant.
WATI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WATI
- Legal name
- Clare.ai Limited
- Website
- https://wati.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WATI is a Hong Kong-based WhatsApp Business API customer engagement platform serving 16,000+ SMB and enterprise customers across 190+ countries, offering AI-powered chatbots, multi-channel inbox, and Astra AI Agents for automated sales and support conversations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WATI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conversational Customer Engagement Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Team Messaging & Chat (BPAMAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration) (HDAAAFAC), Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH), LLMOps & Generative AI Platforms (Prompt/Agent Orchestration, RAG) (HDAEANAD)
Keywords
Where WATI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hong Kong
- HQ country
- Hong Kong SAR China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
WATI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- WhatsApp Business API SaaS Subscription: Subscription-based SaaS platform offering WhatsApp Business API access with tiered pricing based on features and message volume
- Usage-based Messaging: Credit top-ups for message sending with enterprise speeds up to 200 messages/second
- Affiliate Commissions: 15-20% recurring commission on subscription revenue for 12 months for referred customers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard tier with core features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro and Business tiers with advanced AI features |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
WATI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WATI provides an AI-powered customer engagement platform built on the WhatsApp Business API, offering shared team inbox, no-code chatbots, automated campaigns, and AI agents for sales, marketing, and support teams. The platform enables businesses to acquire, engage, and support customers across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS through automated messaging workflows, lead qualification, and multi-channel conversation management.
Product overview
WATI is an AI-powered WhatsApp customer engagement platform offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture. The core WATI Platform provides WhatsApp Business API connectivity, Team Inbox, and campaign management, while specialized solutions (Wati for Marketing, Wati for Sales, Wati for Support) address specific business functions. Key AI-powered modules include Wati AI (encompassing Copilot, Astra AI Agents, BYOA, and Voice AI), No Code Chatbots, AI Support Agent, Instagram Automation, and Click-to-WhatsApp Ads. The platform integrates with major CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM), e-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce), and automation tools (Zapier, Make, Klaviyo), serving 16,000+ businesses across 190+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wati AI: The Conversational Intelligence Layer — Copilot, AI Agents, and BYOA for modern businesses
- Astra AI Agents
- Instagram Automation
- Copilot
- Voice AI
Products and services
- WATI Platform AI-powered WhatsApp customer engagement platform enabling businesses to acquire, engage, and support customers through automated messaging, AI agents, and multi-channel communication. Serves 16,000+ customers across 190+ countries.
- Wati AI Conversational Intelligence Layer comprising Copilot (agent assistance), Astra AI Agents (autonomous AI), and BYOA (Bring Your Own AI) framework. Provides AI CX Score, translations, conversation summaries, and enterprise-grade AI automation.
- Astra AI Agents Autonomous AI agents for inbound intelligence that qualify leads, uncover intent, and close sales on chat without human intervention. Handles up to 60% of routine conversations automatically 24/7.
- No Code Chatbots AI-powered, human-like chatbots built with drag-and-drop flow builder requiring no coding. Handles lead qualification, FAQs, order processing, and routing to human agents.
- WhatsApp Business API Official WhatsApp Business API connection enabling scalable customer messaging with verified business identity, verified business name display, and end-to-end encrypted calls.
- AI Support Agent AI-powered support agent trained on company knowledge base to respond and resolve customer queries instantly, handling up to 60% of support volume automatically.
- Click to WhatsApp Ads (CTWA) Advertising integration converting ad clicks (Meta, Google, TikTok) into WhatsApp conversations. Delivers conversion data back to ad platforms and improves ROAS.
- Campaigns (Broadcast Bulk Messages) Bulk messaging feature for sending personalized marketing campaigns with high delivery rates (up to 200 messages/second for enterprise). Includes retargeting and analytics.
- Team Inbox Shared inbox consolidating all sales and service conversations from WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and other channels into one unified workspace with assignment, notes, and SLA monitoring.
- WhatsApp Business Calling Voice channel feature turning WhatsApp into a full-fledged business phone system with end-to-end encrypted calls and verified business identity display.
- Instagram Automation Instagram DM automation including Comment-to-DM, Story Reply automation, AI chatbot for DMs, and multi-account management. Enables cross-channel workflows connecting Instagram leads to WhatsApp follow-ups.
- Wati for Marketing Solution vertical focused on customer acquisition and engagement via WhatsApp. Includes lead capture, Click-to-WhatsApp ads, broadcast campaigns, and retargeting automation.
- Wati for Sales Solution vertical for sales teams enabling lead qualification, pipeline management, and sales cycle acceleration through WhatsApp conversations with real-time qualification and AI-powered routing.
- Wati for Support Solution vertical for customer support teams providing AI-powered query resolution, unified inbox, and automation for FAQ handling with 24/7 coverage.
- Voice AI Voice cloning and natural conversation AI for WhatsApp and Web. Enables AI agents to speak with human-like voice including natural pauses, warmth, and real conversation flow. Supports 30+ languages.
- Wati MCP (Model Context Protocol) First official Model Context Protocol server from a WhatsApp BSP, allowing developers to build, test, and ship Astra Agents from inside Claude and ChatGPT. Features include building agents via chat interface, testing before shipping, and fixing issues without tickets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4X reduction in customer acquisition costs
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use WATI
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WATI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability9 records
Feature9 records
WATI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- MetaflagshipMeta Premium Partner and Official Business Partner. Wati leverages Meta's WhatsApp Business API and Instagram Messaging API for its platform capabilities.
- GoogleflagshipOfficial Google Partner with exclusive Click-to-Message integration for Google Search ads. Wati provides first-mover advantage for capturing traffic directly from Google Search.
- TikTokcoreOfficial TikTok partner with exclusive Click-to-Message integration. Wati enables businesses to capture leads directly from TikTok into WhatsApp conversations.
- SalesforcecoreNative integration with Salesforce CRM. Allows businesses to sync WhatsApp conversations and customer data with Salesforce.
- HubSpotcoreNative integration with HubSpot CRM. Enables sync of WhatsApp customer interactions with HubSpot marketing and sales workflows.
- ShopifycoreNative e-commerce integration with Shopify. Available on Shopify App Store for abandoned cart recovery and customer engagement.
- ZapiercoreIntegration via Zapier allowing connection to 5,000+ applications. Enables automated workflows between Wati and business tools.
- OpenAIcoreBYOA framework supports OpenAI models for AI-powered conversations through Wati infrastructure.
- Anthropic (Claude)coreBYOA framework supports Claude models. Wati MCP enables Astra Agents deployment in Claude interface.
- Google (Gemini)coreBYOA framework supports Google Gemini models for AI-powered customer conversations.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WATI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Twilio: Twilio is a large CPaaS incumbent offering WhatsApp Business API access alongside SMS, voice, and email. It is a broad WhatsApp BSP competitor with a much larger enterprise footprint and developer-centric platform, comparable to WATI on messaging infrastructure but with a wider product portfolio.
- Zoho (Zoho Cliq / One): Zoho is a broad SaaS incumbent whose CRM and communication tools (Zoho Cliq, Zoho CRM, Zoho Flow) compete indirectly with WATI's team inbox and CRM integration capabilities, particularly for SMB customers already in the Zoho ecosystem.
- HubSpot: HubSpot is a broad CRM and marketing automation incumbent that integrates natively with WhatsApp via WATI but also offers its own conversations inbox, marketing automation, and AI tools that compete for the same SMB-to-mid-market customer engagement budget.
Direct peers
- MessageBird: MessageBird (now Bird) is a direct WhatsApp Business API and omnichannel communications platform competitor serving SMB and enterprise with CPaaS and marketing automation capabilities similar to WATI's team inbox and broadcast features.
- 360dialog: 360dialog is a WhatsApp Business API-focused BSP and direct competitor to WATI, providing messaging infrastructure, CRM integrations, and partner-led distribution primarily in emerging markets comparable to WATI's footprint.
- Gupshup: Gupshup is a conversational AI and WhatsApp commerce platform with strong India and emerging-market presence, competing directly with WATI on WhatsApp business messaging, conversational AI agents, and SMB-to-enterprise customer engagement.
- AiSensy: AiSensy is a WhatsApp marketing and customer engagement platform targeting SMBs in India and other emerging markets with features very similar to WATI's team inbox, broadcasts, chatbots, and Click-to-WhatsApp ads.
- Interakt: Interakt is a WhatsApp Business API and SMS marketing platform by Jio Haptik that competes directly with WATI on SMB customer engagement, e-commerce integrations (Shopify), and India-first WhatsApp marketing automation.
- Respond.io: Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that integrates WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and other channels into a unified team inbox with AI automation, directly comparable to WATI's multi-channel team inbox and AI agent positioning.
Emerging players
- Yellow.ai: Yellow.ai is an AI-first conversational platform offering enterprise-grade voice and chat agents across WhatsApp and other channels, an emerging player whose AI agent capabilities overlap with Wati's Astra AI Agents and Voice AI product suite.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WATI social profiles
Digital presenceWATI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
WATI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WATI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WATI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WATI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WATI
What does WATI do?
WATI provides an AI-powered customer engagement platform built on the WhatsApp Business API, offering shared team inbox, no-code chatbots, automated campaigns, and AI agents for sales, marketing, and support teams. The platform enables businesses to acquire, engage, and support customers across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS through automated messaging workflows, lead qualification, and multi-channel conversation management.
Is WATI a public or private company?
WATI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was WATI founded?
WATI was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WATI based?
WATI is headquartered in Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China, in the Asia region.
How does WATI make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. WhatsApp Business API SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are usage-based Messaging and affiliate Commissions.
Who are WATI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Twilio, Zoho (Zoho Cliq / One) and HubSpot. Direct peers are MessageBird, 360dialog, Gupshup, AiSensy, Interakt and Respond.io. Yellow.ai is listed as an emerging player.
Does WATI have an API?
Yes. WATI offers a public WhatsApp Business API that enables developers to build custom integrations and automate messaging workflows. The API supports sending and receiving messages, managing contacts, handling webhooks, and integrating with third-party systems. Documentation is available at docs.wati.io. WATI also offers Wati MCP (Model Context Protocol), the first official Model Context Protocol server from a WhatsApp BSP, allowing developers to build, test, and ship Astra Agents from inside Claude and ChatGPT. Developer documentation is at docs.wati.io/reference/introduction.
What industry is WATI in?
WATI's product category is Conversational Customer Engagement Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAMAA, Team Messaging & Chat, with a secondary code of HDAAAFAC, Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 4899.