Is WhatsApp free on Thikaa, and why?

Yes. On Thikaa you connect your own WhatsApp number by scanning a QR code, exactly like WhatsApp Web — so messages travel through your own account, not through the paid WhatsApp Business API. That is why there are no per-message fees and no Meta billing account: sending and receiving is completely free. The WhatsApp Business API, by contrast, is billed by Meta per message, and from 1 October 2026 that billing extends to service replies inside the 24-hour window that used to be free. On Thikaa you pay only for AI replies: $1 per 1,000 conversations.

What is the difference between Thikaa and the WhatsApp Business API?

Meta's WhatsApp Business API requires a billing account and charges for every message based on the recipient country, and it needs setup through an approved partner. Thikaa connects your existing number with a QR scan in minutes — no new number, no per-message fees — with an AI bot that understands Arabic voice notes and images. Businesses that need official-API guarantees can still use that route through Thikaa.

What is Meta's 1 October 2026 change?

Until 30 September 2026, free-form replies inside the 24-hour window on the WhatsApp Business API are free. From 1 October 2026 Meta begins charging for those service messages, and in-window utility templates lose their free status. Pricing follows the recipient country. WhatsApp numbers connected by QR on Thikaa are not affected by this change.

Thikaa is a multimodal AI chatbot platform based in Bahrain and built for the MENA region. The bots transcribe WhatsApp voice notes in every Arabic dialect, read customer-sent images, and speak fluent Arabic and English — powered by Claude and Gemini.

Which channels does Thikaa support?

Thikaa supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email, and a web widget — with native integrations for Salla, Shopify, and WooCommerce. Every channel lands in a unified inbox available on the web and as iOS / Android apps.

Does Thikaa understand Arabic dialects and voice notes?

Yes. Thikaa transcribes WhatsApp voice notes on its own servers using the Whisper model, with full support for Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine, Maghrebi, and Iraqi dialects, plus Arabizi (Franco-Arabic). There is no extra per-minute cost.

Which AI models power Thikaa?

You can pick the model per bot: Claude (Anthropic), or Gemini (Google). Swap models with a single click — no retraining.

How much does Thikaa cost?

Plans start at $19.99/month (Starter, $1 per 1,000 conversations), $29.99/month (Professional, $1 per 1,500), and $49.99/month (Enterprise, $1 per 2,000). Pay as you go — each conversation is billed once. A free trial is available without a credit card.

Does Thikaa offer a mobile app?

Yes. Thikaa ships native iOS and Android apps that let you reply to WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and email from a single app — a capability unique in the MENA region.

Do I need the WhatsApp Business API to use Thikaa?

No. Thikaa’s default route is to connect your existing number with a QR scan, exactly like WhatsApp Web — no paid Business API, no approved partner, no Meta billing account, and setup takes minutes. If you do need the official API guarantees you can run that through Thikaa as well; both routes are supported.

How does Thikaa compare to Meta’s AI agent on cost?

Meta’s AI agent runs on top of the paid WhatsApp Business API, so you pay message fees first and Meta’s AI pricing on top of them, and you need a Meta billing account. On Thikaa, sending and receiving over QR is free and you pay only for AI replies: $1 per 1,000 conversations. Just as important, the answers are yours — your catalog, your prices, your wording — rather than only what Meta exposes.

Can the bot reply with my own saved quick replies, including images and voice notes?

Yes. You save your quick replies once — text, image, document, video or voice note — and pick which ones the bot is allowed to use. When a customer asks something, the bot searches your saved replies first and, on a match, sends the whole block as-is including the attachments. It also understands the attachment itself — it transcribes the voice note and reads the image — so it knows when that reply is the right one. The feature is opt-in and off by default.

Can the bot learn from my past conversations?

Yes. Thikaa reads your past WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook conversations, extracts the questions your customers really asked together with the answers you gave, and turns them into an editable knowledge base you approve before it goes live. You choose the period, channel and language, and can exclude prices and changing offers so the bot never memorises a stale number. Available from both the web app and the mobile app.

From 1 October, Meta starts charging for WhatsApp service replies

Automate WhatsApp without paying per message

Name: Thikaa
Rating: 4.8 (150 reviews)
Author: Thikaa

The affordable alternative to Meta’s paid WhatsApp API and its AI agent — connect your own number with a QR scan.

Connect your own WhatsApp number with a QR scan — sending and receiving stays free, with no Meta billing account. You only pay for AI replies: $1 per 1,000 conversations.

Free to send & receive on your own number
No Meta per-message billing
AI replies from $1 / 1,000 conversations

Thikaa — QR Free messages + $1 per 1,000 AI conversations WhatsApp Business API Pay per message + Meta billing Meta’s AI agent Runs on the paid API

See the full comparison

Connect 9+ messaging channels and manage every conversation from a unified inbox

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Why Thikaa costs less than Meta

Meta gives you two routes and both are paid: the WhatsApp Business API bills you per message, and Meta’s AI agent runs on top of that same paid platform. On Thikaa you connect your own number with a QR scan — exactly like WhatsApp Web — so messages travel through your account: no per-message fees, no Meta billing account. You only pay for AI replies.

	Thikaa — WhatsApp QR	WhatsApp Business API	Meta’s AI agent
Sending & receiving	Free	Per-message fee, varies by country	Same paid-API fees
Service replies within 24h	Always free	Billable from 1 Oct 2026	Billable from 1 Oct 2026
Meta billing account	Not required	Required	Required
Setup	QR scan with your existing number — minutes	Approved partner + business verification	Requires the paid API first
AI cost	$1 per 1,000 conversations	You build the automation	Meta’s pricing on top of message fees
Control of the answers	Your replies, catalog and prices — in your words	Whatever you build	Limited to what Meta exposes

And if you do need the official Meta API guarantees, you can run that through Thikaa too — we support both routes. The choice is yours.

Connects with your tools & channels

Plug Thikaa into every channel, your store, and your favourite automation tools — WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, Salla, WooCommerce, Shopify, and n8n, Make & Zapier via the REST API.

WhatsApp Instagram Messenger Telegram TikTok 🛒 Salla WooCommerce Shopify 🔗 n8n ⚡ Make 🔌 Zapier 🗃️ CRM / REST API

How to connect n8n, Make, Zapier & CRM →

NEW

AI Voice Call Agent for WhatsApp 📞

Your customer calls your WhatsApp number — AI picks up instantly, understands & speaks Arabic, English and Kurdish, captures the caller's details and sends them to your team on Telegram, or transfers the call live to a human on WhatsApp. 24/7, and handles many callers at once.

AI answers

Picks up every call in a natural voice, 24/7.

3 languages

Detects and replies in Arabic, English or Kurdish.

Captures info

Collects name, address, phone & request, then confirms.

Send or transfer

Sends details to your group, or transfers to a human.

Activate the Call Agent →

Multi-Channel Catalog & Checkout

Build your catalog once, connect a payment gateway, and sell across every channel with one checkout.

Explore the catalog →

AI That Hears, Sees & Speaks Arabic

Voice notes, product photos, Arabic & English — handled by the world's best models: Claude & Gemini. Anti-hallucination guardrails built in.

Claude

Gemini

Hears Voice Notes

Transcribes WhatsApp voice notes in Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine & Maghrebi Arabic — replies instantly. No extra cost.

Sees Images

Understands product photos, receipts, and screenshots — replies with context via Claude vision.

Arabic, All Dialects

Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine, Maghrebi & English — all in the same conversation.

World-Class Models

Pick Claude or Gemini. Anti-hallucination guardrails built for business.

Reply From Anywhere

The only MENA platform with a dedicated mobile app for all channels

Thikaa mobile app - unified inbox for WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram conversations

Thikaa app - AI chatbot dashboard with multi-channel messaging in Arabic and English

Connected to Your Store

Works with the platforms you're already using

Salla

Shopify

WooCommerce

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Order Confirmations

Auto-send via WhatsApp

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Shipping Updates

Real-time tracking

🛒

Cart Recovery

Recover abandoned carts

📋

Product Catalog

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What Our Customers Say

Real results from real businesses

Dr. Khalid R.

Medical Clinic, Manama

"Honestly, my receptionist was drowning in calls. Now patients just book through WhatsApp and she can actually do her job. Best decision we made this year."

80% fewer phone calls

Fatima D.

Beauty Salon, Riffa

"I tried 3 other chatbots before this. They all broke when customers wrote in Arabic. Thikaa actually gets it. My girls don't have to answer the same questions 100 times a day anymore."

45% more bookings

Yusuf H.

Online Store, Muharraq

"People add stuff to cart and forget about it. The abandoned cart messages bring them back. Last month alone I recovered like 15 orders that would've been gone."

32% increase in sales

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Start free for 7 days. No credit card required.

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Starter

For small businesses getting started

$19.99 /mo

$1 per 1,000 conversations
1 WhatsApp QR + 5 Cloud API
5 Meta Pages (IG & FB)
1 AI Bot
1 Workflow

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Professional

For growing businesses

$29.99 /mo

$1 per 1,500 conversations
2 WhatsApp QR + 5 Cloud API
10 Meta Pages (IG & FB)
5 AI Bots
5 Workflows

Start Free Trial

Enterprise

For large organizations

$49.99 /mo

$1 per 2,000 conversations
5 WhatsApp QR + 10 Cloud API
10 Meta Pages (IG & FB)
5 AI Bots
5 Workflows

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View full details & comparison

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Thikaa is a multimodal AI platform built for the Arabic-speaking market. Our bots transcribe WhatsApp voice notes across every dialect — Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine and Maghrebi — and read customer images, whether receipts, screenshots or product photos. Under the hood, the platform routes each message to the right frontier model: Claude, or Gemini, picking the best fit for the question.

Thikaa works on every channel your customers actually use: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email and an embeddable web widget — with deep integrations into Salla, Shopify and WooCommerce. Everything lands in one unified inbox on the web and a native iOS / Android mobile app, so no order is missed and no reply is late. When a question needs a human, your agent takes over with a single tap; the bot resumes automatically once it can.

Each bot has its own knowledge base — feed it from Excel, PDF, Word or Google Sheets, or wire it to live data sources like price lists and inventory feeds over REST API and Airtable. The bot remembers customer context across channels, auto-captures name, phone and address and exports them to Google Sheets or your webhook, and drops Stripe-hosted checkout links straight into any conversation on any channel.

From small shops to enterprise teams, Thikaa puts the power of Claude, GPT and Gemini in your team's hands with zero code. Start a free trial today and watch a bot that truly speaks your customers' language.

Automate WhatsApp without paying per message

Why Thikaa costs less than Meta

Connects with your tools & channels

AI Voice Call Agent for WhatsApp 📞

Multi-Channel Catalog & Checkout

AI That Hears, Sees & Speaks Arabic

Hears Voice Notes

Sees Images

Arabic, All Dialects

World-Class Models

Reply From Anywhere

Connected to Your Store

Order Confirmations

Shipping Updates

Cart Recovery

Product Catalog

What Our Customers Say

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Starter

Professional

Enterprise

From Our Blog

WhatsApp Auto-Reply for Arabic Businesses

TikTok DM Automation for MENA

Multi-Channel Chatbot in Arabic

Recover Cart Abandonment via WhatsApp

Ramadan WhatsApp Marketing Guide

Jewelry Store WhatsApp AI

Why teams across MENA choose Thikaa for customer messaging

Ready to Transform Your Customer Communication?