In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Start where enquiries already land. If most customers message you on WhatsApp, build there: replies inside the 24-hour window are cheap, with 1,000 free service messages per number a month. If most arrive through your website, a site assistant is cheaper to run and has no Meta approval or template rules.
Quick answer: compare the two channels
Both can answer questions from your own FAQ, prices and policies. The differences are in reach, cost structure and rules.
Website AI assistant
Simplest to start- Catches visitors from Google, ads and your social links
- No Meta approval, templates or phone number needed
- Running cost is mainly AI model usage
- Conversation ends when the visitor closes the tab unless you collect contact details
Best for: Businesses whose enquiries start on the website.
WhatsApp AI assistant
- Customers already use it every day; replies feel personal
- Easy to follow up: the chat stays in their phone
- Meta per-message charges and business verification
- Templates and opt-in needed for messages you start
Best for: Businesses whose customers already message them.
Our guides to AI chatbots for websites and WhatsApp chatbot options go deeper on each channel's tools.
Step one: count where enquiries arrive today
Do this before you compare prices. Most businesses guess wrong about their main channel.
Pick last month
Use a normal month, not a holiday peak.
Count enquiries by channel
WhatsApp chats, website forms and chat, email, phone calls, Instagram and Facebook messages. A tally on paper is fine.
Mark which ones were repetitive
Opening hours, prices, location, availability, how to book. These are what an AI assistant handles well.
Note the time of day
Enquiries after 7pm or on Sundays are the ones you most often miss and an assistant helps most.
Pick the channel with the most repetitive, after-hours questions
That is where your first assistant pays off.
If the split is close, start on the website: it is quicker to launch and has fewer rules. You can add WhatsApp later using the same FAQ content.
What WhatsApp costs per message (October 2026)
Meta's WhatsApp pricing page says Meta charges per delivered message, with rates effective 1 October 2026. Messages from customers to you are free. What you pay depends on the category of message you send.
| Message you send | When it applies | Meta list rate, Singapore numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Service (free-form reply) | Inside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message | About S$0.0205; first 1,000 per number per month free |
| Utility template | Order updates, booking reminders | About S$0.0205 |
| Marketing template | Promotions, offers, re-engagement | About S$0.0937 |
| Any message in a free entry point window | Customer came from a click-to-WhatsApp ad and you replied in time | Free for up to 7 days |
For an AI assistant that only answers customers who message first, most replies are service messages, and the first 1,000 a month are free per number. A small business answering a few hundred chats a month may pay Meta nothing or a few dollars. You will usually also pay a WhatsApp provider or platform fee, plus the AI model cost. Our WhatsApp Business API cost guide has worked examples.
What a website assistant costs
A website assistant has no per-message channel fee. The running cost is the AI model, which is charged by the amount of text processed. Small models are now very cheap: for example, Anthropic's API pricing lists Claude Haiku 5.5 at US$0.10 per million input tokens and US$0.50 per million output tokens as of October 2026.
The trade-off is follow-up. A visitor who closes the tab is gone unless the assistant collects a name and number or email. Good website assistants ask for contact details when the visitor wants a quote or a booking, then pass the lead to you.
Rules that apply on each channel
WhatsApp has more rules because messages land on people's phones. Meta's opt-in guide says you must get opt-in before messaging people first, and the request must name your business. Free-form replies are only allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message; outside that window you must use an approved template.
| Rule | Website | |
|---|---|---|
| Business verification and number setup | Yes, through Meta | No |
| Opt-in before you message first | Yes | Not applicable |
| Approved templates for messages outside 24 hours | Yes | No |
| Clear route to a human | Expected by Meta's policy | Good practice |
| PDPA notice for collected contact details | Yes | Yes |
| DNC checks for marketing to Singapore numbers | Yes, unless clear consent | Only if you later call or message them |
On both channels, tell users they are chatting with an AI assistant, keep it to information you have published, and give an easy way to reach a person.
Decision table: which channel first
Use this as a shortcut after you have counted your enquiries.
| Your situation | Start with |
|---|---|
| Most enquiries already come by WhatsApp | |
| Customers find you on Google and land on the website | Website |
| You run click-to-WhatsApp ads | WhatsApp (replies in the free window cost nothing from Meta) |
| You sell online and questions are about products and delivery | Website |
| Bookings and reminders are the main job | WhatsApp, with utility templates for reminders |
| You want to launch within a week with no approvals | Website |
| Your team already replies on WhatsApp and is overloaded | WhatsApp, with handover to staff |
Whichever you choose, write the FAQ content once and reuse it. The same knowledge base can power both channels when you add the second one.
Do it yourself or get help?
Off-the-shelf website chat tools with AI can be set up in a day if your FAQ is already written. WhatsApp takes longer because of business verification, provider setup and templates.
Our AI Website Assistant (S$790) builds an assistant that answers from your FAQ, price list and policies and passes leads to you. For WhatsApp, WhatsApp Notifications (S$590) sets up the API number through an official provider, templates and opt-in. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience. You pay upfront, send your brief in writing through the site chat or contact form, and track progress on your order page.
Frequently asked questions
Usually not for replies. Meta's pricing from 1 October 2026 gives each business number 1,000 free service messages a month, and service replies after that are about S$0.0205 each for Singapore numbers. Costs rise mainly with marketing templates at about S$0.0937 each, provider fees and AI model usage. Messages customers send to you are free.
If customers message you first, you can reply within 24 hours without a template. To message people first, such as reminders or promotions, Meta's opt-in guide requires that they agreed to hear from your business, and you must use approved templates. Marketing messages to Singapore numbers also fall under Do Not Call rules unless you have clear consent.
Yes. Most platforms let you connect the same knowledge base, such as your FAQ, prices and policies, to a website widget and a WhatsApp number. Start on the channel where most enquiries arrive, get the answers right there, then connect the second channel using the same content.
A website assistant is usually faster: it needs website access and your FAQ content, with no external approvals. WhatsApp requires a business number on the WhatsApp Business Platform, business verification with Meta, a provider account and approved templates for messages outside the 24-hour window, which can add days to the timeline.
They are more likely to if it is honest and useful. Tell users they are chatting with an AI assistant, keep answers to information you have published, avoid making it guess prices or medical or legal answers, and give a clear way to reach a person. Review conversations weekly and fix the questions it gets wrong.