Each row is a tool and each column a point of comparison. The label in each cell says whether the feature is included, arrives through an integration, is assembled separately or could not be verified; the sentence below says what we read and the link leads to that page.
Textra and six WhatsApp tools, compared by need
This page sets Textra next to Evolution API, Typebot, Chatwoot, n8n, WAHA and Botpress and compares them on five points: license, WhatsApp connection, campaigns, automatic replies and hosting. Every fact about another tool links to its official source with the date we verified it, and the table is meant to be read by what you need, not as a ranking.
How to compare
Start from what your team has to solve and only then look at the tool. Five questions give the decision a shape.
Who operates the infrastructure: whether someone on your team installs, updates and watches the server, or the provider runs it. Self-hosting gives full control over data and environment, and asks for that work in return.
Which WhatsApp connection it uses: Meta's official API or a client based on WhatsApp Web. The table shows which one each project documents, without judging either.
Whether it brings campaigns and scheduled sending, or you assemble that from other pieces.
Whether it brings automatic replies or an agent, and what you still have to build by hand to make it work end to end.
A cell marked as not verified does not mean the feature is missing: it means we could not confirm it in the official sources consulted.
Common cutoff date: 2026-11-10. Each statement about another tool was read in its primary sources (repository, license file, README or official documentation) and links to the page consulted with its verification date. Each cell reflects the repository's default branch or the public documentation current at the cutoff date, and the edition it applies to when the project has several; no version number is given. Cells state the deployment they apply to when the source does. Levels: native, the tool provides it without extra components; integration, through an integration the project documents; self-built, you assemble it with code or other tools; not offered, the project's documentation states that it is not offered; not verified, it could not be confirmed in primary sources. For license and hosting, "native" only means the project states it itself. Plans and features change. Textra's cells describe only the features Textra documents on this page; nothing is stated about its license or hosting. If something is out of date, write to hola@textra.com.ar and we will correct it.
| Tool | License | WhatsApp connection | Campaigns | Automatic replies | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textra | Textra does not describe this point on this page | Sends over WhatsApp using Meta's official API. It also sends SMS and email through Twilio. | Audiences built from CSV contacts and custom attributes, sending right away or scheduled for a future date, and delivery status per recipient. There are no recurring campaigns. | An AI agent answers campaign replies on WhatsApp and can hand over to a person. Flows are defined in JSON, with no drag-and-drop visual editor. SMS and email have no automatic replies. | Textra does not describe this point on this page |
| Evolution API | Native Apache License 2.0 with additional conditions: do not remove the logo or copyright of the frontend components, and show a usage notice when it is part of another project. If they are not met, the producer may require a commercial license. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native Supports two connection types: Baileys, based on WhatsApp Web (the README notes it relies on the web version of WhatsApp and may differ from official APIs), and Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Not verified in the official sources consulted The README does not describe campaigns, bulk sending or scheduled sending. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Through an integration The README lists chatbot integrations: Typebot, Chatwoot, OpenAI, Dify, Flowise and n8n. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README explains how to install it on your own server (Node.js 20 or later, PostgreSQL or MySQL) or from a Docker image. Self-hosted Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
| Typebot | Native Functional Source License 1.1 with an Apache 2.0 future license (FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0), per the LICENSE file: any purpose other than a competing use. The README still shows an AGPLv3 badge that does not match that file; this row follows the file. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The documentation says you connect your bots to your own WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta's official service, using your own Meta app. In its FAQ on whether a paid API is needed, the page refers only to Meta's WhatsApp charges and mentions no Typebot plans. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Not verified in the official sources consulted The WhatsApp page of the documentation does not describe campaigns or bulk sending. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The repository describes it as a chatbot builder you can self-host. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The documentation distinguishes Typebot Cloud, a managed service, from self-hosting on your own server. Self-hosted or managed Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
| Chatwoot | Native MIT Expat license for code outside the enterprise/ directory; the content of that directory, if it exists, falls under the Chatwoot Enterprise license (enterprise/LICENSE). Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The WhatsApp channel in the code has two providers: the default one (360dialog, per a code comment) and whatsapp_cloud, Meta's Cloud API. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The campaign model supports one-off sends with a scheduled date (scheduled_at) and runs them on WhatsApp, Twilio SMS and SMS inboxes. It requires the campaigns feature enabled on the account. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README lists automation tools, auto-responders tied to business hours and a Dialogflow integration for chatbots. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README presents it as an open-source, self-hosted customer support platform. Self-hosted Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
| n8n | Native Sustainable Use License 1.0 (fair-code) for the general code, which limits use to internal business purposes or to non-commercial or personal use. Files with .ee. require an n8n Enterprise License. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Through an integration The repository includes a WhatsApp Business Cloud node and a WhatsApp Trigger node, used inside a workflow. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Self-built The repository includes a Schedule Trigger node, which can be combined with the WhatsApp node in a workflow; you define the audience and sending logic yourself. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README describes it as a fair-code workflow automation platform with AI capabilities, combining a visual canvas with custom code. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README says it runs self-hosted or in the n8n cloud. Self-hosted or managed Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
| WAHA | Native Apache License 2.0, per the repository's LICENSE file. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native Offers the WEBJS, WPP, GOWS and NOWEB engines; the documentation describes WEBJS as a real WhatsApp Web instance run with Puppeteer. The engines page does not mention the official WhatsApp Business API. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Not verified in the official sources consulted The documentation introduction does not describe campaigns or scheduled sending. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Through an integration The documentation lists integrations with n8n, Typebot and Chatwoot. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README explains how to install it on your own server with Docker, and says WAHA Plus features are now part of the main image. Self-hosted Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
| Botpress | Native The repository (integrations, developer tools and example bots) is MIT licensed. The README points to a separate repository for on-premise Botpress v12, which was not reviewed. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Through an integration The repository includes a WhatsApp integration that sends messages with WhatsApp templates and supports configuring your own Meta app (manual configuration). Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Not verified in the official sources consulted The WhatsApp integration has an action to start a conversation with a template; an audience or scheduling feature was not confirmed in the source. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README presents it as a platform for building chatbots and AI-powered assistants. Source Verified on 2026-11-10 | Native The README points to Botpress Cloud, a managed service, and mentions on-premise Botpress v12 in another repository, which was not reviewed. Managed Source Verified on 2026-11-10 |
When another tool is the right fit
Full control of the infrastructure
If you want to run everything on your own server, Evolution API, Chatwoot, WAHA and n8n state that they can be self-hosted, and Typebot offers both options. You decide where the data lives and when it is updated.
Two ways to connect WhatsApp
Evolution API supports both the official Cloud API and a connection based on WhatsApp Web. If you need to choose between the two, its README documents both.
Chatbot builder
Typebot and Botpress are built for designing conversations and assistants. If dialogue design is your priority, that is the center of those tools.
Shared inbox for support
Chatwoot gathers a team's conversations in a single inbox and includes campaigns and business-hours replies. It fits when the main job is answering inquiries across several people.
Automating with other applications
n8n connects WhatsApp to other systems inside one workflow. If you already automate processes with it, adding WhatsApp there saves another tool.
Questions about this comparison
They are projects commonly used to send or automate WhatsApp messages and they publish their code or documentation. It is not a closed list or a ranking.
Everything was verified on the cutoff date shown in the table. Each project's plans and features change, so confirm in its documentation before deciding.
Write to hola@textra.com.ar with the fact and a link to the official source. We review it and, if it applies, update the table with a new verification date.
Keep reading
Tell us which problem to solve
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