Thinking of opening a Wati account? You can sign up after you buy a plan, but you must meet a few checks first, and there are limits if your business is not verified by Meta. If you miss any prerequisite, the process stalls and you lose time. Below is a clear, no fluff guide, plus why many teams hit roadblocks here and how Heltar avoids them.

Quick Answer

  • You need a fresh WhatsApp phone number, a business display name that follows WhatsApp rules, a Facebook Business Manager ID, and a public business website.

  • You must purchase a Wati plan to proceed. Wati offers 4 plans, that cost INR 2,499, INR 5,999, INR 16,999 per month, with a custom plan that costs way higher.

  • If your business is not verified, Wati caps you at 250 business-initiated messages per 24 hours.

  • Meta’s business verification usually takes about one week.

Step 1 - Get the Pre-requisites ready

WhatsApp phone number

  • The number cannot be active on WhatsApp.

  • If it is active, delete that WhatsApp account before onboarding.

Business display name  - Must match your brand and follow WhatsApp display name rules.

Facebook Business Manager ID Create one if you do not have it.

Public business website

  • Live, accessible, and lists your brand name, products or services, and contact details.

  • A simple one page site on a free host works if it is public and accurate.

Why this matters?

If any of the above is missing or wrong, onboarding pauses. The most common blockers are an already active WhatsApp number and a weak website that fails Meta’s checks.

Step 2 - Purchase a Wati plan

  • Go to Wati Pricing and buy a plan.

  • Complete payment.

  • You will receive login details to continue setup.

Catch to note

In Wati, you pay first, then verify. If verification takes longer than expected, you sit on a paid plan with limited sending. At Heltar, we only take payment after we have taken registered and verified your business - we put you first, ALWAYS!

Step 3 - Set up and connect

  • Log in to Wati.

  • Add the phone number you prepared.

  • Enter your business display name.

  • Connect your Facebook Business Manager.

  • Follow the prompts to connect WhatsApp Business.

Tip - Keep your website open while you do this. If Meta checks the site and finds missing details, you will need to fix and retry.

Step 4 - Meta business verification

  • Meta reviews your business for verification.

  • Typical timing is about one week.

While you wait

  • You can send business-initiated messages to up to 250 contacts per 24 hours.

  • Use this time to create message templates and test flows, but plan volume carefully.

After approval

  • Wati removes the sending limit tied to verification.

Why Choose Heltar Over Wati?

Unless you want your marketing budget to get over before you acquire any customers, Heltar's the way to go. Here's why!

Metric

Wati

Heltar

Base Subscription Fee

Expensive - Starts ₹2,499/month 

Lower, budget-friendly - Starts ₹999/month 

Pricing Structure

Tiered, complex

Simplified, transparent

Markup on Conversations

Up to 100% over Meta Charges

Flat 5% across all conversation types

Extra User Fees

Upto ₹3,999/Month/User

No additional charges

API Integrations

Charged separately (e.g., $4.99/month for Shopify)

No extra charges

Customer Support

Limited (No setup support in Growth and Pro plan)

Full support for all customers

User Interface

Complex & Difficult to navigate

Intuitive & user-friendly

Lower Platform F​ees and Markups

  • Wati: Wati’s pricing plans start from ₹2,499 per month, scaling up to  ₹16,999 per month for the business plan. The multiple packages and tiered features make it expensive, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. The incremental costs for unlocking advanced features force businesses to either commit to higher-tier plans or compromise on functionality.

  • Heltar: In contrast, Heltar offers lower subscription fees with a base plan starting at a more affordable monthly rate. It is designed to be budget-friendly for businesses of all sizes, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to minimize upfront costs, along with a simplified and transparent conversation pricing model, charging a flat 5% markup across all conversation types. 

No Extra/Hidden Charges for Integrations

  • Wati: While Wati provides robust features, many advanced capabilities are locked behind higher-priced plans. Essential features like advanced analytics, automated workflows, and API integrations are only available in the more expensive plans. Apart from that, Wati charges extra fees for employing integrations, like an additional USD 5 per month for a shopify integration, and additional charges for extra users.

  • Heltar: Heltar includes advanced features—automation, analytics, customer segmentation. Businesses benefit from unrestricted access to essential tools allowing them to leverage full functionality of the platform.

Intuitive and User-Friendly Interface

  • Wati: Wati offers a variety of features, but the interface could be difficult to learn for inexperienced users. The tiered functionality makes it hard to locate important tools within the complex menu structure it offers. It may be a real pain for people who are not familiar with navigating multi-tiered software ecosystems. 

  • Heltar: Heltar’s platform is designed with ease of use in mind. It features an intuitive interface, making it simple to navigate, even for those new to such systems. The user-friendly dashboard provides easy access to key tools, reducing the learning curve and allowing businesses to get up and running quickly without sacrificing functionality or efficiency.

Well Rounded Customer Support: While Wati does not provide even setup support in the growth plan, in Heltar, End-to-End Customer Support is made available to all customers, irrespective of their subscription plans. For us, at Heltar, Our Customers are our biggest priority, and we ensure they are well served through a comprehensive knowledge transfer of our platform and continued assistance.