Price per number, free tiers, message limits, AI and MCP across the linked-device WhatsApp APIs developers shortlist most often.
Sources: WasenderAPI pricing · Evolution API pricing · Whapi.Cloud pricing · Green-API pricing and Green-API plan limits · UltraMsg pricing · Maytapi pricing. Checked 23 September 2026. Prices in USD before tax.| Feature |  ChatRail | WasenderAPI | Evolution API | Whapi.Cloud | Green-API | UltraMsg | Maytapi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Included: Sandbox: 1 number, 500 messages a month, no expiry | Not included or not listed: No free tier; 3-day trial | Partly, or you build it: Open source (Apache 2.0 with branding conditions); you host it | Included: Developer Sandbox: 5 active conversations a month, 150 messages a day, 1,000 API requests a month | Partly, or you build it: Developer: free, limited to 3 chats (contacts or groups), 1 instance per account | Not included or not listed: No free tier; 3-day trial | Included: Sandbox: 5 conversations a month, 150 messages a day, limited API calls |
| Entry price (1 number) | $15 / month(Core, 1 number) | $6 / month(Basic, 1 number) | $0 licence(plus the server you run it on) | $35 / month(per number, billed monthly; $29 / month billed annually) | $12 / month(per instance, Business; $24 / month Chatbot) | $39 / month(per instance) | $24 / month(per phone, Developer, billed annually) |
| Annual billing | 2 months free on annual billing | 15% off yearly | Not applicable | $29 / month(per number, billed annually) | 3 months free on annual payment | $390 / year(per instance) | Listed price is the annual rate |
| Five numbers | $79 / month(Team includes 5 numbers) | $30 / month(Plus, 6 numbers) | Your hosting(plus your time) | $175 / month(5 × $35 billed monthly; multi-number discounts on request) | $60 / month(5 × $12 Business instances) | $195 / month(5 × $39) | $120 / month(5 × $24, annual); discounts from 10 numbers |
| Message volume | Included: Unlimited on paid plans, with number-safety guardrails (a per-recipient limit that stops runaway loops) | Included: "No daily message cap" on every plan | Included: No limits of its own; send limits are up to you | Included: Unlimited messaging and media on Developer Premium | Included: Unlimited messages; 30,000 number checks a month on Business | Included: No platform message limit; they warn that bulk sending can get numbers blocked | Included: Unlimited sending and receiving, including media |
| Media and groups | Included: Images, video, voice notes and documents in and out; groups API | Included: Text, images, video, audio, documents; send to users, groups and Channels | Included: Media and groups via the Baileys WhatsApp Web library; also supports Meta's Cloud API | Included: Groups, Channels and media on the paid plan | Included: Text, video, audio, images, documents (files up to 100 MB); group support; statuses | Included: Send media and documents | Included: Groups, Channels, Products, media |
| Webhooks | Included: Signed webhooks with delivery state and conversation context; media download URLs | Included: Real-time webhooks | Included: Webhooks, plus RabbitMQ, Kafka, SQS and Socket.io | Included: Webhooks included | Included: Incoming notifications via webhook | Included: Receive messages via webhook | Included: Webhooks included |
| AI replies | Included: 10,000 AI replies a month included on Core + AI ($29), no API key needed; 50,000 on Team; or bring your own key | Not included or not listed: No built-in AI replies listed | Partly, or you build it: OpenAI, Dify, Typebot and Flowise integrations; you bring the keys | Included: Integrations for building bots (e.g. DialogFlow) and an AI agent skill; no included AI replies listed | Partly, or you build it: GPT chatbot libraries and a $24 Chatbot tariff; you supply and run the model | Included: Chatbot tutorials; no built-in AI replies listed | Not included or not listed: No built-in AI replies listed |
| MCP | Included: MCP tools on Core + AI and Team | Included: MCP server on every plan | Not included or not listed: Not listed | Included: MCP listed | Not included or not listed: Not listed | Not included or not listed: Not listed | Not included or not listed: Not listed |
| No-code | Included: n8n, Zapier and Activepieces guides, plus an importable n8n workflow | Not included or not listed: Not listed on pricing page | Included: n8n, Typebot, Chatwoot | Included: Make, n8n and Zapier | Included: Make, n8n, Zapier and others | Not included or not listed: Not listed on pricing page | Included: Google Sheets and Make |
IncludedPartly, or you build itNot included or not listed
WasenderAPI is the cheapest hosted linked-device API around: $6 a month for a number, with MCP included. If all you need is a pipe to WhatsApp, it's hard to beat on price. ChatRail costs more because it does more on top of the pipe: it keeps the number safe, runs AI replies for you, and sends webhooks that already carry the conversation.
Evolution API is the most popular open-source WhatsApp API, with more than 9,000 GitHub stars and a big integration list. The software is free, but running it isn't. ChatRail is for teams who'd rather pay $15 a month than run Node, Postgres and Redis for a WhatsApp session.
Whapi.Cloud is a mature, feature-rich linked-device WhatsApp API with Channels support and a number-warming module. ChatRail costs less per number and includes AI replies that run without you bringing a model key.
Green-API is one of the cheapest per-number WhatsApp APIs and has a broad set of SDKs. It costs less than ChatRail per number. ChatRail charges more for managed AI replies, MCP tools and webhooks that carry conversation context.
UltraMsg is a simple flat-price gateway: one instance per number at $39 a month. ChatRail starts at $15 a month, keeps a free Sandbox with no expiry, and includes AI replies.
Maytapi sells a single Developer plan per phone, with warm-up tools and Google Sheets and Make integrations. ChatRail costs less per number and includes AI replies and MCP tools.