Anjali Pandey
Ever messaged a business on WhatsApp and waited two days for a reply? Your customers have, and they remember it. In a WhatsApp survey of 11,056 consumers across 22 markets, India included, 66.8% said they get frustrated when a business doesn't offer messaging.
Most Indian teams already sell and support on WhatsApp. It gets messy once more than one person shares the number. Chats live on one phone, two people reply to the same customer, and the message that came in on Monday is still unread on Wednesday.
That's the problem a WhatsApp team inbox solves.
We put Periskope, Wati, Interakt and AiSensy side by side to see which one handles it best for Indian teams, from shared inboxes and groups to automation, CRM integrations and pricing.
TL;DR: Best WhatsApp team inbox in India at a glance
Why your team needs a WhatsApp team inbox
A WhatsApp team inbox lets several people work from one or more WhatsApp numbers, so every chat has an owner and every customer gets an answer.
1. Nothing slips through
Every unanswered chat sits in one list, and alerts flag the ones waiting too long.
Example: A sales manager opens the inbox on Monday morning and sees three weekend enquiries still waiting, oldest first.
2. One customer, one reply
Your team sees who already replied and who owns the chat, so customers never get two different answers.
3. Clear ownership
Each chat goes to one teammate. Private notes give the next person the full story if the chat changes hands.
4. A view of the whole team
Managers see response times and workload across people and numbers, and can fix a slow queue before customers complain.
Try Periskope
Run Your Team's WhatsApp From One Shared Inbox
Periskope vs Wati vs Interakt vs AiSensy: Detailed comparison
1. Periskope
Periskope gives your team one shared inbox for the WhatsApp numbers you already run. Scan a QR code from the phone, and every chat and group on that number opens up to your whole team. Regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business App numbers both work, and you can connect as many as you need.
How it connects: Through WhatsApp's Linked Devices, by scanning a QR code. There's no API setup and no number change.
Key features
One inbox for every number: See chats from all your connected numbers in a single list.
WhatsApp groups: Run unlimited customer, partner and team groups right next to your 1:1 chats.
Assignment and escalation: Assign chats yourself, or let automation rules assign them and escalate any chat that breaches its SLA.
Tickets and private notes: Turn any message into a ticket with an emoji, and leave notes only your team can see.
AI agent: It replies from your knowledge base, pulls live data and takes actions in your systems.
Translation: Message translation in any language, Hindi included.
Integrations: Native HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Freshdesk, Google Sheets and Zapier, plus APIs, webhooks and an MCP server for custom setups.
Analytics: Response times and response rates for every teammate and every number.
Mobile app: Reply to and assign chats on the go with the Periskope app.
Contact masking: Agents work on chats without seeing customers' phone numbers.
Bulk messages: Send updates to your groups and chats from your own numbers, built for group and customer updates.
Teams already running a shared WhatsApp inbox on Periskope 📌 Treebo's 25-person operations team used to get added to every booking group just to make sure no message was missed. Requests still got buried in notifications, and nobody knew who owned which one. Now all 3,000+ groups flow into one shared inbox, every booking request becomes a ticket with a single owner, and anything left unanswered for 15 minutes gets escalated. The team handles 10,000+ requests a month and replies in under 15 minutes. Read the case study |
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Pricing: Plans start at ₹2,000 per license per month. Each teammate and each connected phone counts as a license, and the first phone is free. Enterprise pricing is custom for teams with 50 or more users or phones.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Works on the numbers your team already uses, with no API approval | Made for two-way team chats, so large marketing broadcasts suit API tools better |
Connect as many numbers as you need | Connects by QR code, so numbers registered only on the API can't be added |
Unlimited WhatsApp groups next to 1:1 chats | |
Manual and automated assignment, tickets and SLA escalations | |
Native HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Freshdesk, Google Sheets and Zapier integrations | |
APIs, webhooks and an MCP server for custom setups | |
AI agent and translation in any language | |
Free trial available |
Want to see Periskope's team inbox in action?
Book a demo, and we'll walk you through how your team can share every WhatsApp chat, group and number from one inbox.
2. Wati
Wati is a WhatsApp Business API platform for broadcasts, chatbots and a shared team inbox.
How it connects: Through the WhatsApp Business API, with help getting the blue tick.
Key features
Shared team inbox on every plan, with chat assignment
Teams, auto routing and operator reports on Pro
No-code chatbot builder
Astra AI agents, priced separately
Broadcast campaigns and Click-to-WhatsApp ad lead capture
Integrations that grow by plan, with HubSpot on Pro and Salesforce on Business
Pricing: From ₹2,699 per month billed quarterly on Growth, with three users and no option to add more. Pro costs ₹5,799 per month billed quarterly, with five users and extra users at ₹1,299 each. Meta's message charges apply on top.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Free trial available | Needs the WhatsApp Business API, so Meta's per-message charges apply |
Shared team inbox on every plan | Growth is capped at three users |
Chatbot builder and AI agents | Group support depends on Meta's Groups API |
Help with blue tick verification | |
HubSpot integration on Pro |
3. Interakt
Interakt, from Jio Haptik, is a WhatsApp and Instagram platform for campaigns, catalogs and a shared team inbox.
How it connects: Through the WhatsApp Business API.
Key features
Shared team inbox with unlimited agents on Growth and Advanced
Chatbots, with linear flows on Growth and branching flows on Advanced
Chat auto-assignment and calling from the inbox on Advanced
Catalogs and WhatsApp payments
Public APIs, webhooks and 60+ integrations
WhatsApp AI agents as an add-on
Pricing: From ₹2,799 per month on Growth, plus taxes. Advanced costs ₹3,799 per month. Meta's message charges apply on top.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Free trial available | Needs the WhatsApp Business API, so Meta's per-message charges apply |
Unlimited agents on Growth and Advanced | Auto-assignment is only on Advanced |
Catalogs and WhatsApp payments | Groups depend on Meta's Groups API |
Public APIs, webhooks and 60+ integrations |
4. AiSensy
AiSensy is a WhatsApp Business API platform with rupee pricing, chatbot and AI agent builders, and a free plan.
How it connects: Through the WhatsApp Business API.
Key features
Drag-and-drop chatbot builder
AI agent builder with a knowledge base
Unlimited users, under a fair-use policy
Shopify and WhatsApp catalog integrations
A free plan
Pricing: Free plan available. The AI agent builder costs ₹1,350 per month (₹1,215 billed annually) with 1,000 AI messages. The chatbot builder costs ₹2,500 per month (₹2,250 billed annually). Marketing messages cost ₹1.09 each.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Free plan | Needs the WhatsApp Business API, so Meta's per-message charges apply |
Unlimited users under fair use | WhatsApp groups depend on Meta's Groups API |
AI agent builder with a knowledge base | |
Shopify and catalog integrations |
Which WhatsApp team inbox should you choose?
Periskope is the best WhatsApp team inbox for most teams in India.
✅ It works on the numbers your team already uses. There's no API application, no template approval and no number change, so your team can be live the same day.
✅ It's the only tool here with unlimited WhatsApp groups. Customer, partner and team groups sit next to your 1:1 chats, which matters for Indian businesses that run a lot of their work in groups.
✅ It gives managers real control. Chats get assigned by hand or by rule, overdue chats get escalated, and every teammate's response time shows up in one place.
✅ It fits the tools you already use. Chats sync to HubSpot, Zoho CRM and Google Sheets, and the API and webhooks cover everything else.
Wati, Interakt and AiSensy are good picks if your main job is sending campaigns through the API. For a team that talks to customers all day, Periskope is the better fit.
Not sure how this would work for your business?
Book a demo, and we'll walk you through how Periskope would run your team's WhatsApp, from connecting your first number to assigning your first chat.
FAQs
1. What is a WhatsApp team inbox?
A WhatsApp team inbox lets several teammates manage chats from the same WhatsApp numbers in one shared workspace. It gives your team shared chat history, chat assignment, private notes and a view of every pending conversation.
2. Can multiple people use the same WhatsApp number?
Yes. A team inbox lets several agents reply from one business number without sharing a phone. Each teammate logs in separately and works on the chats assigned to them.
3. How does a WhatsApp shared inbox work?
It connects your business number to a team workspace where agents view chats, assign them, reply to customers, add notes and track follow-ups. Some tools connect through the WhatsApp Business API, and others, like Periskope, connect your existing number by QR code.
4. Can I use a shared inbox with my existing WhatsApp number?
Yes. Periskope connects regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business App numbers through Linked Devices. API-based tools like Wati, Interakt and AiSensy need your number on the WhatsApp Business API.
5. Can a WhatsApp team inbox manage WhatsApp groups?
Periskope manages unlimited WhatsApp groups next to your 1:1 chats. API-based tools depend on Meta's Groups API, which comes with limits.
6. What is the best WhatsApp team inbox in India?
Periskope is the best WhatsApp team inbox for most Indian teams. It works on your existing numbers, handles unlimited groups, assigns and escalates chats, and syncs with HubSpot, Zoho CRM and Google Sheets.
