The one-line verdict
Pick Gupshup if you are a developer or an enterprise team that wants a raw WhatsApp API at a flat per-message fee and will build the inbox, bot and CRM yourself. Pick bananaleaf.ai if you want the AI agent, the pipeline and bookings set up together on the number your customers already message.
Side by side
| What you get | bananaleaf.ai | Gupshup |
|---|---|---|
| Public plan prices | No public price; the plan is set per organisation after a call | Self-serve: "a standard 0.001 USD per message fee", with WhatsApp's charges "billed at actuals"; prices shown in USD only, no INR card. Enterprise features and pricing are on a separate request page[1] |
| Users included | Set per plan | Not listed on the self-serve pricing page[1] |
| AI agent | Included in the Agent plan: answers from your documents and price sheet, qualifies, books, follows up | Not part of the self-serve page. The home page sells "Gupshup AI Agents", an AI co-pilot for human agents and a Conversation Cloud to enterprises; no price shown[2] |
| Meta message charges | Meta's message charges billed at cost plus a stated markup, prepaid | Not included: WhatsApp's per-message fee is billed at actuals on top of Gupshup's $0.001, and the page notes Meta charges for service messages from 1 October 2026[1] |
| CRM / pipeline | Pipeline with stages you define; the deal record and stage are written from the chat | Not listed on the pricing page or the home page[2] |
| Click-to-WhatsApp ads | Records the ad each lead came from; sends stage changes back to Meta as conversion events | Performance marketing is a named use case; click-to-WhatsApp attribution not described on the pages opened[2] |
| Appointment booking | Built-in calendar the assistant books into | Not listed on the pages opened[2] |
| Chatbots | Button trees for welcome menus; the assistant answers everything else from approved knowledge | AI agents and voice/avatar agents for enterprises; a bot builder is not described on the self-serve pricing page[2] |
"Not listed" means Gupshup's page did not say, not that the product lacks it. Meta's own message charges apply on both, and since 1 October 2026 Meta also charges for service messages after 1,000 free ones per number each month.[3]
Where bananaleaf.ai pulls ahead
- The product is the whole sales loop, not the pipe: an AI agent that answers from your documents and price sheet, a pipeline that writes itself from the chat, bookings, follow-ups and a team inbox — none of which the self-serve API page offers.
- Prices in rupees, with Meta's rate plus a stated markup, prepaid and charged only for delivered messages.
- Built for a clinic, hotel, developer or consultant with one number and a small team, not an enterprise integration project.
When Gupshup is the better pick
- You are a developer or an enterprise team that wants a raw WhatsApp API at a flat per-message fee and will build the inbox, bot and CRM yourself.
- You need RCS, SMS, voice and WhatsApp from one vendor at enterprise scale, with a Meta Partner of the Year on the contract.
- Procurement wants a 20-year-old vendor with a large enterprise customer list.
Switching from Gupshup
- Your WhatsApp number comes with you: Meta allows a number to move between providers, and we handle the migration with you.
- Contacts arrive by CSV export and import here; duplicates merge by phone.
- Approved templates are re-submitted under your number here; Meta approves most utility templates within a day.
- Keep the WhatsApp Business app on the same number if you use it; we run alongside it.
Questions people ask
What does Gupshup charge for the WhatsApp API?
Its self-serve pricing page (opened 2 Nov 2026) states a standard $0.001 per message fee, with WhatsApp's own per-message charges billed at actuals. The page shows USD only and no monthly plan; enterprise features and pricing are on request.
Is Gupshup for small businesses?
Its home page sells to enterprises (banking, insurance, large consumer brands) and does not mention SMBs; the self-serve API is a raw API for developers. bananaleaf.ai is built for a small team on one WhatsApp number.
Does Gupshup include a CRM or an AI agent in the self-serve price?
Not on the pages we opened. The self-serve page prices messages only; AI agents, co-pilot and the Conversation Cloud are enterprise products with no price shown.
Can I keep my WhatsApp number when I leave Gupshup?
Yes. Meta allows a WhatsApp Business number to move between providers. Your chats on the old platform do not move, so export what you need first.
Sources
Every numbered link above points to one of these, opened on the date shown.
- 1Gupshup — WhatsApp API self-serve pricing page (opened 2 Nov 2026) gupshup.ai
- 2Gupshup — home page: products, channels and positioning (opened 2 Nov 2026) gupshup.ai
- 3Meta — WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (changes effective 1 Oct 2026) developers.facebook.com
Checked 2 November 2026. Prices and plan names change; if Gupshup's page says something different today, tell us and we will re-check.