How to use pay-as-you-go WhatsApp in HubSpot help desk?

Develop, Build & Integrate HubSpot-built Apps
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Hi Hubspot community,

We recently discovered that the native integration between Hubspot and WhatsApp Business API has a fixed pricing model, in which we need to previously by a pack of templates, and those templates expire each month, wether they’re used or not. There are specific months were we use templates much more, big seasonalities, so we need to use WhatsApp with a pay-as-you-go princing model, it is more interesting for us.

We’re searching for tools that provide an integration between Hubspot’s HelpDesk and WhatsApp API, so we can create conversations within tickets and use WhatsApp templates in a pay-as-you-go model. It seems that is possible to connect WhatsApp’s API directly into Hubspot’s HelpDesk through custom channels integrations, but it seems to require a lot of development.
Dou you guys have any app indications for this use case? Some app integration that could fulfill this need. We found infobip, Sinch and Mitto, but we’re trying to look for other alternatives as well.

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Hi @Gabriel_Silva and welcome, it’s a pleasure to have you here! :hugs:
Great question, thanks for asking the HubSpot Community!
For specific app recommendations with pay-as-you-go pricing, I recommend checking the HubSpot App Marketplace for messaging apps that meet your needs: “Discover apps for messaging from HubSpot’s Help Desk.”
And here is a documentation “Custom channels” that might be of interest!
Now, let’s consult our Top Experts: Hi @HubDoPete, @Anton and @sylvain_tirreau can you think of an app that you would recommend to help @Gabriel_Silva, please?
Have a lovely day and thanks so much!
Bérangère

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thanks @BérangèreL and hi @Gabriel_Silva

I am less familiar with WhatsApp<>HubSpot use cases. So I have shared this article with Abhinav Sahai, a WhatsApp/HubSpot integration specialist, so he can weigh in and help you choose the right solution.
best
Pete

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Thank you so much for your help, @HubDoPete! :orange_heart:

We’re excited to hear Abhinav’s recommendation.

Wishing you a fantastic day!
Bérangère

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Hi @abhinavsahai, this sounds a lot like the conversation we had at INBOUND in SanFrancisco. Can you please help @Gabriel_Silva with a WhatsApp template pay-as-you-go model to handle big seasonal variation? thanks Pete.

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Thank you @HubDoPete!

Hi @Gabriel_Silva,

We already support a pay-as-you-go model for WhatsApp messages, so you won’t have the issue of template packs expiring. The only fixed component is the monthly tool cost, you can see the available plans here.

Vira is fully compatible with HubSpot’s Help Desk. Once connected:

  • All WhatsApp conversations will show up directly in the Help Desk view.
  • Tickets can be auto-assigned or assigned manually, depending on how your team prefers to handle routing.
  • If your team needs to initiate a conversation on an existing ticket, you can send a WhatsApp template message right from the Help Desk CRM card.

If it helps, we can walk you through your specific workflow. Happy to share examples of how other teams use Vira inside HubSpot.

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Hi @abhinavsahai,

Thank you so much for sharing this integration with the HubSpot Community, it’s wonderful to see your contribution!

I believe the integration you’re referring to in the HubSpot Marketplace is “Vira: WhatsApp Integration.” If that’s not the correct one, please let me know.

Thanks again, and wishing you a fantastic day!
Bérangère

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Yes, that’s the one. Thanks for mentioning it @BérangèreL

@Gabriel_Silva, here is the link to the app within the ecosystem: HubSpot Marketplace

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That’s correct @BérangèreL
Thanks for sharing the link to the app :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi @Gabriel_Silva ,

Update (2026): HubSpot’s native WhatsApp integration includes a shared monthly allowance of 1,000 template messages across all connected WhatsApp Business accounts.

This allowance resets monthly and does not roll over. Businesses with significant seasonal messaging volumes should review HubSpot’s current messaging limits and additional usage options before comparing the native integration with third-party providers offering pay-as-you-go pricing.

The standard monthly allowance should not be confused with a requirement to pre-purchase additional template bundles.

The recommendation from Abhinav around Vira is solid. In practice, tools like Vira, Infobip, or Sinch work because they sit on top of Meta’s actual WhatsApp pay-as-you-go pricing, then surface conversations inside HubSpot’s Help Desk using the Conversations API. That’s the key difference versus HubSpot’s native WhatsApp channel. You keep HubSpot tickets, routing, and SLAs, but you’re no longer locked into expiring template packs. In 2025, this “external provider + Help Desk surface” pattern is what most high-volume or seasonal teams end up with.

On the custom channel route, your instinct is right too. HubSpot does support custom channels for the Help Desk, but it’s not lightweight. You’d need to handle inbound webhooks from WhatsApp, map messages to conversations, manage ticket creation and associations, and send outbound replies through Meta’s API.

It’s powerful, but unless you already have a product team owning messaging infrastructure, it usually costs more in engineering time than a marketplace app. HubSpot’s documentation on custom channels lays out what’s involved ( Conversations API - HubSpot docs )

One practical thing I’d double-check as you evaluate apps is how they handle outbound template initiation from an existing ticket, not just inbound replies. Some tools show messages in Help Desk but still force agents to jump into the vendor UI to start a WhatsApp conversation, which breaks the workflow. Vira explicitly supports this inside the CRM card, which is a big reason it comes up often in these discussions.

Hope this helps clarify the tradeoffs a bit.

Moderator Note: this post was reviewed for relevancy and optimized for clarity on November 6, 2026. Thank you for your contributions to the HubSpot Community!

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Hi, this is a very common issue teams run into with the native HubSpot–WhatsApp setup, especially when seasonality is involved. You’re right to question the fixed template-pack model-it’s not ideal if your WhatsApp usage spikes only during certain months.

Here’s how I’d break this down based on similar implementations I’ve seen.

1) Clarifying the core requirement

From your message, your needs are very clear:

  • WhatsApp Business API (official, compliant)
  • Pay-as-you-go WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, based on Meta’s applicable per-message charges for supported message categories, rather than a fixed monthly bundle of HubSpot template messages.
  • Ability to create and manage WhatsApp conversations inside HubSpot Help Desk / tickets
  • Minimal custom development effort

The challenge is that HubSpot’s native WhatsApp integration is intentionally limited, both in pricing flexibility and extensibility.

2) Why direct API → HubSpot custom channel is painful

Technically, yes — you can connect WhatsApp API directly to HubSpot via custom channels, but in practice this means:

  • Building webhook handlers for inbound/outbound messages
  • Managing template approvals and Meta billing yourself
  • Handling conversation threading, agent assignment, and ticket sync logic
  • Ongoing maintenance when HubSpot or Meta APIs change

Unless you have a strong internal engineering team, this usually becomes expensive and fragile over time.

3) Using a middleware platform is the practical approach

Most teams solve this by using a WhatsApp API provider + HubSpot integration layer that:

  • Uses Meta’s pay-as-you-go conversation pricing
  • Syncs WhatsApp conversations directly into HubSpot tickets
  • Avoids template “packs” that expire unused

You already mentioned Infobip, Sinch, and Mitto - those are solid enterprise-grade options, especially if you’re messaging at very high volumes.

4) Another alternative worth evaluating

You may also want to look at RateUp as an alternative, particularly if:

  • You want pay-as-you-go WhatsApp API pricing (no expiring template bundles)
  • Your primary use case is support + engagement inside HubSpot
  • You want quicker setup without heavy custom development

RateUp works as a WhatsApp Business API layer and supports:

  • Two-way WhatsApp conversations mapped to CRM/helpdesk workflows
  • Template usage billed per Meta conversation (not pre-purchased packs)
  • Ticket-style conversation management that can be synced into HubSpot via integration or middleware
  • Seasonal scaling without financial waste

It’s especially useful if your WhatsApp usage is uneven across the year, which seems to be your exact scenario.

5) How I’d shortlist tools

When evaluating alternatives, I’d strongly suggest checking:

  • Meta billing model (conversation-based vs template bundles)
  • Conversation-to-ticket mapping inside HubSpot
  • How template approvals and reuse are handled
  • Whether inbound customer-initiated conversations are supported without templates
  • SLA and support quality during peak seasons

If WhatsApp is becoming a core support channel for you, avoiding fixed template packs is the right call. A middleware platform that supports true pay-as-you-go Meta billing and integrates cleanly with HubSpot will save both cost and engineering effort long term.

Hope this helps - happy to share more details if you want to compare implementations or trade-offs between these options.

Moderator Note: this post was reviewed for relevancy and optimized for clarity on November 6, 2026. Thank you for your contributions to the HubSpot Community!

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Hi @Gabriel_Silva - you have identified a real pain point. The template pack model in HubSpot’s native integration is a poor fit for seasonal businesses because unused templates expire and you end up either over-buying or running out at peak times.

The good news is that most third-party WhatsApp integrations on the HubSpot marketplace sit on top of Meta’s actual pay-as-you-go pricing rather than the template pack model. You pay for conversations as they happen, with no expiring bundles. The apps recommended earlier in this thread (Vira, Infobip, Sinch) all work this way, and they are solid options depending on your use case.

One thing worth considering is what kind of WhatsApp messages you are sending. If your seasonal peaks involve collecting information from customers (order confirmations, feedback, lead qualification, renewal forms), Flowella takes a slightly different approach - it connects your HubSpot forms to WhatsApp Flows so customers complete structured forms inside WhatsApp, with responses written back to HubSpot. Pricing is a monthly platform fee plus Meta’s standard per-conversation costs (no template packs, no expiring bundles).

If your main need is conversational messaging or bulk broadcasts, the other tools mentioned here are probably a better fit. But if structured data collection is part of the picture, it is worth comparing.

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You could also look at providers that support WhatsApp’s Cloud API with a pay-as-you-go model and offer a HubSpot integration or custom channel support. I’d compare them based on template pricing, message fees, Help Desk/ticket integration, and how much custom development is required. For a seasonal business, avoiding unused monthly template packages could definitely make a big difference.

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Hey @Gabriel_Silva! Late to this one, but thought I have some useful context to add here for future readers.

Native: as far as I can tell from HubSpot’s current WhatsApp docs, there’s an allowance of 1,000 template messages per month shared across all connected WhatsApp business accounts, and the docs point to Meta’s pricing page instead of listing rates. I couldn’t find where they describe an expiring pack or what extra volume costs, so I’d ask HubSpot for that in writing before comparing anything.

Provider route (Vira, Infobip, Sinch and similar from the replies above): you’re usually paying for three things, your HubSpot subscription, the provider’s fee, and Meta’s per-message charges. HubSpot’s custom channels doc lists Sales Hub or Service Hub Pro/Enterprise and HubSpot Credits, so check that too, especially since you want Help Desk.

Octopods is another one for your list (disclaimer, I built it). It puts WhatsApp chats in the HubSpot Inbox or Help Desk and lets agents send templates from HubSpot. Its own cost page describes the same shape: HubSpot plan, an Octopods plan, and Meta’s charges on top. I won’t quote numbers here, but my honest take is to model one busy month of templates for each option before choosing. Hope this helps!

Also, note that from October 1, 2026, Meta charges per message for all WhatsApp service replies and in-window utility messages, at the same rates as utility/authentication messages.