Key takeaways
- Start from the job: announcements, a member list, messaging at scale, a platform beyond chat, or private introductions.
- The broadcast and inbox tools here are built for a business talking to its customers, not for members finding each other.
- Community platforms add events, courses and directories, but members have to sign in to a new app or site.
- Milvao publishes this guide and is one of the tools listed. It is not a ranking; each tool suits a different community.
- Every vendor fact and price was read on the vendor's own pages on 5 November 2026, and is due a re-check by 3 February 2027.
How to choose among the best WhatsApp community tools
No single tool covers everything a WhatsApp community needs. The useful question is which job costs you the most time: repeating announcements, keeping track of who does what, messaging people at scale, running events and paid memberships, or connecting members who need each other. Each kind of tool below does one of those well.
| Kind | Job | Where members are | Tools listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built into WhatsApp | Link groups and send announcements | Inside WhatsApp, in shared groups | WhatsApp Communities |
| Do it yourself | Keep a member list and introduce people by hand | Inside WhatsApp, with the list in a shared sheet | Google Sheets and Google Forms |
| Broadcasts and team inboxes on a business number | Message members or customers at scale | Inside WhatsApp, one to one with the business | Wati, Interakt, AiSensy, Periskope |
| Community and membership platforms | Discussions, events, courses, payments and directories | Mostly in the platform's own app or website | Circle, Mighty Networks, Glue Up, Nas.com (formerly Nas.io) |
| Private requests and introductions | Private requests and consented introductions between members | Inside WhatsApp, one to one with the community's number | Milvao |
The groups are not ranked. They start with what you already have, and end with Milvao, which publishes this guide.
Built into WhatsApp: Communities
Pick this kind of tool when: you run several related groups, mainly need announcements, and members are comfortable asking for help in front of everyone.
| Tool | What it does | Keep in mind | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Communities | Groups related chats under one community. Admins can start a community or add existing groups, members switch between the groups open to them, and admins can send updates to everyone at once. (source) | No member profiles with skills or service cities, and no matching, are described on its Communities page. (source) WhatsApp's safety guide tells admins not to @mention a member in the announcement group, because that exposes the member's phone number to the community. (source) Research note: Some WhatsApp help pages could not be read directly, so member and group size limits are left out here until they are checked in a browser. | Free. WhatsApp says messaging and calling are free, with a note that data charges may apply. (source, checked 5 November 2026) |
Do it yourself: a spreadsheet, a form and your own chats
Pick this kind of tool when: the network is small, requests are occasional, and the organiser knows members well enough to make each introduction personally.
| Tool | What it does | Keep in mind | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets and Google Forms | A shared sheet works as the member list, with permissions for who can view, comment or edit and a revision history. A sign-up form can send its responses into the sheet. (source) | Neither the Sheets nor the Forms product page describes matching people to requests or managing introductions, so finding the right person, checking they are willing and following up all fall to the organiser. (source) A shared sheet with phone numbers is visible to everyone it is shared with. There is no consent step for each introduction. (source) | No price is stated on the Sheets product page. Anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets; some Gemini features need a Google Workspace plan. (source, checked 5 November 2026) |
Broadcasts and team inboxes on a business number
Pick this kind of tool when: you need to send announcements or campaigns to many people, answer them from a shared inbox, or run chatbots.
| Tool | What it does | Keep in mind | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wati | A customer messaging platform on the WhatsApp Business API with a shared team inbox, broadcasts, a no-code chatbot builder and AI agents, aimed at marketing, sales and support teams. Instagram, Messenger and web chat come into the same inbox. (source) | No member directory, introductions or consent-based contact sharing is described; it is built for a business talking to its customers. (source) WhatsApp groups in Wati need the Business plan and allow 7 external participants per group. (source) | Growth ₹2,699 a month, billed quarterly, for 3 users. A 7-day free trial; template message charges are extra. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| Interakt | Customer engagement on the WhatsApp Business Platform: an omnichannel inbox, campaigns, a no-code chatbot builder, AI agents, a sales CRM and catalogs that customers can buy from through WhatsApp Pay. (source) | No member directory, introductions or consent-based contact sharing is described; it is a business-to-customer tool. (source) No WhatsApp group management feature was found; its own guide treats groups as something businesses run in the WhatsApp app. (source) | The WhatsApp Starter plan shows no subscription fee, only per-message charges, with 1,000 free service messages. Growth is ₹2799 a month plus taxes. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| AiSensy | WhatsApp marketing on the Business API: scheduled broadcasts with buttons and carousels, multi-agent live chat on one number, a no-code flow builder, AI chatbots and click-to-WhatsApp ads. (source) | No member directory, introductions or consent-based contact sharing is described; it is built for marketing to customers. (source) Broadcasting is not available on the Free Forever plan. (source) | Free Forever plan without broadcasting. Basic is ₹1,500 a month with broadcasts and a shared team inbox for 1 owner and 5 agents. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| Periskope | A multi-number, multi-agent inbox with ticketing, analytics, bulk messaging, an automation rules engine and APIs for the WhatsApp groups and chats your numbers already belong to. (source) | A number is connected by scanning a QR code as a linked device. Ordinary and WhatsApp Business app numbers work; WhatsApp API numbers cannot be linked. (source) WhatsApp Communities support was listed as coming soon in its use-cases docs, and no member directory or introductions are described. (source) | Starter $25 per user a month, with the first connected phone free. The page shows annual and monthly toggles without saying which period this amount is for. Prices exclude tax. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
Community and membership platforms
Pick this kind of tool when: you want a home for the community beyond chat, with events, courses, paid memberships or member records, and members are willing to sign in somewhere new.
| Tool | What it does | Keep in mind | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | A hosted community platform under your own brand, combining discussion spaces, messaging, live events and streams, courses, branded checkout, email marketing and a website builder. (source) | Members join and use a separate platform on the web or Circle's apps; WhatsApp is not among the integrations listed. (source) Member profiles and a directory are on every plan, but no matching or introductions flow is described; members find each other through the directory and messages. (source) Research note: Circle's help centre could not be read, so directory filters and visibility settings are not covered here. | Professional $89 a month billed annually, or $99 billed monthly, with a 2% transaction fee. 14-day free trial, no free plan. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| Mighty Networks | A community platform with courses, events and payments for paid memberships, on the web and in native iOS and Android apps, with an AI Cohost and automations for onboarding and re-engagement. (source) | Its community page presents it as a front door for communities leaving Slack, Discord and WhatsApp, so members move into Mighty's apps. (source) Its People Explorer suggests connections between members, based on who they follow and engage with, and offers chat. No introduction flow where contact details are shared only after both people agree to a specific request is described. (source) | Launch $79 a month, or $950 a year, with a 2% transaction fee. 14-day free trial, no free plan. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| Glue Up | Association and chamber management software that combines a CRM, membership management, events and email marketing, with a membership directory and the My Glue app for members. (source) | No WhatsApp integration is listed; members connect through Glue Up's own platform and app. (source) Speed networking pairs attendees at random for short video meetings, rather than matching a specific need to a member who offers it. (source) | Professional starting from $3,000 to $6,500 a year, on annual contracts. The community module is a Power-Up with no published price. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
| Nas.com (formerly Nas.io) | Its WhatsApp page offers to integrate an existing WhatsApp group, with members staying in that group while Nas handles content, event notifications, membership and payments. (source) | The nas.com home page now leads with AI marketing agents for small businesses and does not mention communities, so the community product's direction is unclear from its own site. (source) WhatsApp messages from Magic Reach are one-way broadcasts, capped by monthly credits per plan. (source) Research note: Several Nas.com pages have moved or been removed, so the WhatsApp group features could not all be confirmed. | Pro $20.75 a month as shown by default, beside a yearly and monthly toggle; the monthly-billing amount was not readable. The free plan ended on 31 March 2026. (pricing page, checked 5 November 2026) |
Private requests and introductions: Milvao
Pick this kind of tool when: members keep asking each other for help in the group, and you want those requests handled privately, with numbers shared only when both people agree.
| Tool | What it does | Keep in mind | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milvao | Members ask for help privately on the community's own WhatsApp Business number. Milvao turns the message into a brief the member confirms, asks one suitable member at a time, and shares both contacts only after both say yes. (details) | It does not send broadcasts, moderate groups, run events, take membership payments or host discussions, and it never reads or posts in your groups. (details) Members reach each other through introductions. A directory for members lists only people who chose to be listed, and there is no chat between members. We make Milvao. (details) | A 30-day pilot is ₹4,999. Starter is ₹2,999 a month for one community with up to 300 members, and Growth is ₹6,999 a month for up to 1,000. Meta bills WhatsApp message charges separately. (pricing) |
Which tool suits which community
Many communities use more than one: a WhatsApp Community for announcements, a broadcast tool for campaigns, or a platform for courses and events, with Milvao next to them for introductions on its own number. Pick by the job that hurts most today.
| Tool | Pick it when |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp Communities | You mainly need announcements and topic groups for people who already know each other, and want no extra cost or setup. |
| Google Sheets and Google Forms | The network is small and requests are occasional. It costs nothing beyond the organiser's time. |
| Wati | You need to message customers at scale: broadcasts, a shared support inbox, chatbots, AI agents, or channels beyond WhatsApp. |
| Interakt | You sell or support customers on WhatsApp and need campaigns, a shared inbox, chatbots, a catalog with WhatsApp payments, or a sales CRM. |
| AiSensy | You want WhatsApp marketing: broadcasts and retargeting, click-to-WhatsApp ads, chatbots and a shared live chat, starting from a free plan. |
| Periskope | Your team needs to read, reply to and run many existing WhatsApp groups and chats from one inbox, send bulk messages and raise tickets, using ordinary WhatsApp numbers. |
| Circle | You want a branded home with discussions, events, courses and paid memberships, and members are willing to use a separate app or website. |
| Mighty Networks | You want to move the community off WhatsApp into its own branded space with courses, events, paid memberships and native apps. |
| Glue Up | You run an association or chamber that needs one system for member records, renewals, invoicing, events, email and chapters, on an annual contract. |
| Nas.com (formerly Nas.io) | You want to charge for access to a WhatsApp group and sell events, courses or digital products, with payments, a sign-up page and broadcasts in one tool. |
| Milvao | Your members already live in WhatsApp groups and will not move, and the job is helping them find each other for specific needs, privately and with consent. |
How we chose and checked these tools
We included tools that organisers come across when looking for ways to run a WhatsApp community, at least one for each job above. Facts and prices come only from each company's own website, documentation, help centre or pricing page, read on 5 November 2026. We did not sign up for the products, and nothing here is scored. Prices are copied as shown, in each vendor's own currency, without conversion, and can change.
Hivebrite is left out because its site could not be read on that day. Where some of a vendor's pages could not be read, its row carries a research note. Milvao is described from its own Help Center, and its limits are listed like everyone else's. Every vendor page is due a re-check by 3 February 2027, or sooner when a vendor changes its pricing. Corrections are welcome through the contact page.
Sources
- WhatsApp Communities, blog: communities now available (checked 5 November 2026)
- WhatsApp Communities, page: communities (checked 5 November 2026)
- WhatsApp Communities, page: buildingasafecommunity (checked 5 November 2026)
- WhatsApp Communities, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Google Sheets and Google Forms, page: sheets (checked 5 November 2026)
- Wati, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Wati, help: how to create and manage whatsapp groups (checked 5 November 2026)
- Wati, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Interakt, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Interakt, page: difference between whatsapp broadcast vs whatsapp group interakt (checked 5 November 2026)
- Interakt, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- AiSensy, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- AiSensy, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope, docs: connect whatsapp (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope, docs: use cases (checked 5 November 2026)
- Circle, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Circle, page: integrations (checked 5 November 2026)
- Circle, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks, page: community (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks, docs: what is the people explorer (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Glue Up, home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Glue Up, page: integrations (checked 5 November 2026)
- Glue Up, page: speed networking software (checked 5 November 2026)
- Glue Up, pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com (formerly Nas.io), page: whatsapp (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com (formerly Nas.io), home page (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com (formerly Nas.io), help: magic reach on nas com email whatsapp messaging for business members (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com (formerly Nas.io), pricing page (checked 5 November 2026)
Facts about WhatsApp and other services come from the pages listed, on the dates shown, and can change.