Charles Alternatives for Online Stores in 2026

The top Charles alternative is AeroChat. It runs the whole request inside the chat, from the question to the payment confirmation, on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and prices by AI responses instead of seats, contacts or messages. Other options are Wati, respond.io, SleekFlow, Interakt, Callbell and Gupshup. Each suits a different kind of business, and each is priced in a different way.

Why businesses look for a Charles alternative

Charles is a conversational marketing platform for WhatsApp and other channels. These are the reasons a store usually starts comparing, based on Charles’s own website:

• No public price. Charles does not list prices on its website and asks visitors to contact sales, as of November 2026.
• Built around campaigns. Its prebuilt solutions are mostly marketing flows such as abandoned cart, win-back and back in stock.
• The channels. Charles lists WhatsApp, RCS, web chat, Instagram and Messenger. Stores that sell on TikTok Shop, Shopee or Lazada, or hear from customers by email or Telegram, want those answered too.
• Finishing the sale in the chat. Some stores want customers to pay in the conversation and have the order confirmed there.

The alternatives

1. AeroChat

AeroChat is chat infrastructure that runs your customer service and sales workflows. It answers product, stock and order questions from your store on Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix, verifies the customer before sharing an order, sends an Airwallex payment link, detects the payment and confirms the order in the same conversation, and in Malaysia books the delivery with POS Malaysia. It runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, web chat and email, and supports Shopee and Lazada. You describe a workflow in your own words, paste in the key of any system with a public API, and AeroChat builds it. Your WhatsApp number can stay on the WhatsApp Business app on your phone at the same time (how coexistence works).

• Suits: online stores and service businesses that want customers to ask, pay and get updates in one chat, on every channel they use.
• Pricing model: flat monthly plans sized by AI responses, with no per-resolution fees. Your team’s replies use no credits, admin users are not limited, and your contact list does not change the plan. See the pricing page.
• Keep in mind: AeroChat does not list SMS, RCS or WeChat today.

2. Wati

A WhatsApp-first platform with a team inbox, broadcasts, chatbots and the Astra AI agent, plus Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, web chat and calling.

• Suits: businesses whose customers are mostly on WhatsApp and who send a lot of broadcasts.
• Pricing model: plans billed annually with users and Wati AI credits included, 2,000 credits a month on Growth and 5,000 on Pro, as of November 2026. Its pricing page shows prices in local currency. The Shopify add-on is US$4.99 a month.
• Limitation: template message charges are added on top and vary by message type and country.

3. respond.io

A customer conversation platform that brings WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, along with chat, email and calls, into one inbox, with AI agents and workflows.

• Suits: sales and support teams that want one inbox for many messaging apps and calls.
• Pricing model: by plan with users and monthly active contacts included. Starter is US$79 a month billed annually for 5 users and Growth US$159 for 10 users, as of November 2026. AI agents are included from Growth under a fair use policy.
• Limitation: WhatsApp fees are not included in any plan, and contacts above the plan are billed in blocks of 100.

4. SleekFlow

A messaging platform with a team inbox, broadcasts, a flow builder and AI agents, covering WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, WeChat, LINE, Telegram, Viber, SMS and live chat.

• Suits: teams that need WeChat, LINE or Viber beside WhatsApp, and want broadcasts and hand-built flows.
• Pricing model: by seats, monthly active contacts and AI credits. Pro is US$109 a month billed yearly, with AI agents included from Pro, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: several meters run at once, and WhatsApp number hosting and message fees come on top. See SleekFlow vs AeroChat.

5. Interakt

A WhatsApp and Instagram platform with campaigns, a shared inbox, catalogs, chatbots and Shopify flows such as order updates, abandoned checkout reminders and COD to prepaid.

• Suits: direct-to-consumer brands that sell through WhatsApp campaigns and catalogs.
• Pricing model: by plan. Growth is US$55 a month and Advanced US$69 a month, with WhatsApp AI Agents as a US$74.99 add-on and template messages charged by destination country, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: its plans cover WhatsApp and Instagram only. See Interakt vs AeroChat.

6. Callbell

A shared team inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok and web chat, with mobile and desktop apps, campaigns and a bot builder.

• Suits: sales and support teams that want one inbox for messaging apps, priced per agent.
• Pricing model: per agent. Multi-agent chat is €14 per agent a month and Plus €18, with WhatsApp from €20 a month per number, extra accounts at €20 a month each and the advanced bot builder at €59 a month, as of November 2026.
• Limitation: agent, account and bot fees add up separately, and Meta’s WhatsApp charges come on top. See Callbell vs AeroChat.

7. Gupshup

A messaging and conversational AI platform for WhatsApp, RCS, SMS, Truecaller and voice, with broadcasts, a bot builder, AI agents and a live agent dashboard.

• Suits: businesses with high message volumes that want to pay per message, or an enterprise contract.
• Pricing model: pay as you go from a prepaid wallet with no monthly platform fee, or an enterprise contract on committed volume. AI messages include 1,000 a month, then ₹1.00 per message, as of November 2026. Its pricing page is in Indian rupees.
• Limitation: it is built for messaging at volume, and Instagram is mentioned only on the enterprise tier. See Gupshup vs AeroChat.

Comparison table

Prices and channels from each company’s own pricing page, website or Shopify App Store listing, checked 11 November 2026: Charles, Wati, respond.io, SleekFlow, Interakt, Callbell, Gupshup.

How to choose

• List the channels your customers use. If they message you on Instagram, Messenger or TikTok Shop as well as WhatsApp, a WhatsApp-only tool leaves part of the inbox to someone else.
• Separate marketing from service. Broadcasts bring replies. Decide which tool answers those replies, checks the order and takes the payment.
• Price your own month. Add the plan, any add-ons for chatbots or AI, and Meta’s message charges. Message fees apply on every platform.
• Check where the sale ends. Sending a link is one step. Detecting the payment and confirming the order in the same chat saves your team the follow-up.
• Test it on a real question. Ask about an order you shipped this week and see whether the answer comes from your store data.

Questions

What is the top alternative to Charles?

AeroChat. It handles service and sales in the same chat, takes the payment and confirms the order, and publishes its prices.

Can I keep my WhatsApp number if I switch to AeroChat?

Yes. You connect the same number to AeroChat, and it can stay on the WhatsApp Business app on your phone at the same time. See how coexistence works.

Do these tools include WhatsApp message fees?

Meta’s charges for WhatsApp template messages apply whichever platform you use. See how WhatsApp pricing works.

How is Charles priced?

Charles does not publish prices on its website, as of November 2026. See Charles vs AeroChat.

Try the top Charles alternative

Sign up, connect your store and WhatsApp, and ask your own number for a product you sell. Then say “I’ll take it” and see the payment confirmed in the chat.

Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.

On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.