# Migrate from WATI to Chirpoo, Step by Step > Moving from WATI to Chirpoo: who owns your WhatsApp Business Account, what carries over, what does not, and the order to cut over without losing chats. By Smaran Challapalli. Updated for 2026, 26 Oct 2026. First published 24 Aug 2026. Canonical: https://chirpoo.com/blog/migrate-wati-to-chirpoo/ Moving from WATI to [Chirpoo](https://chirpoo.com/) means keeping your WhatsApp Business Account and number and changing only the software your team uses. The number, approved templates and quality rating belong to Meta's records, so they can come with you. Inbox history, chatbot flows and contact lists do not, so export and rebuild them before you switch. ## Who owns your WhatsApp Business Account? Start here, because everything else depends on it. Open Meta Business Manager, go to WhatsApp accounts and see which business owns the account your number sits on. If the account is yours, you can connect it to Chirpoo yourself. If WATI owns it, ask them to transfer it to your business, or migrate the number to an account you own. This needs a person on the other side, so start it first and keep working in WATI meanwhile. Ownership also decides who bills Meta's charges. Chirpoo runs through WhaBuzz, a Meta Tech Provider. Meta's documentation describes that setup: > Instead, clients onboarded by Tech Providers must provide their own payment method after onboarding is complete. > > Source: [Meta, WhatsApp Solution Providers overview](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/solution-providers/overview/) So after the move you add a payment method to your own Meta account. Meta bills its message charges to you, and Chirpoo bills ₹999 a month, excluding 18% GST, with nothing added per message. WATI's [pricing page](https://www.wati.io/pricing/) (checked 26 Oct 2026) says "Additional charges apply for template messages" and does not state who bills them. ## What does carry over, and what does not? These stay with your number and Meta: - Your WhatsApp Business Account and its numbers, if the account is yours. - Approved templates, by name and language. - Quality rating, messaging tier and display name. These stay in WATI, so plan for them: - **Inbox history.** Old conversations remain in WATI. Export what you need before you cancel. Your customers' chats still exist on their own phones. - **Chatbot flows.** WATI's flows do not move. You rebuild them in Chirpoo's no-code flows, which have a test run and shadow mode before they talk to customers. - **Contacts.** Chirpoo has no bulk import. Contacts appear as customers message you, from a Shopify sync or through the API, one per phone number. Marketing consent comes from Shopify's consent field or from the customer sending START. Keep your WATI export as your record. - **Opt-outs.** Export the list of people who said STOP. Chirpoo ends marketing sends on STOP, "band karo" or Meta's own opt-out, but it cannot know about opt-outs that exist only in WATI's records. WATI's pages do not state what its export covers on each plan, so check your plan before you rely on a full export. ## How do you bring your templates into Chirpoo? After you connect your number, Chirpoo can bring in the templates already approved on your WhatsApp Business Account when you open its Templates page, so you do not resubmit them to Meta. Check each one afterwards. Meta can re-categorise a template, and the category sets what each send costs. If a template did not come across, describe it in one line and Chirpoo drafts it to Meta's rules. Meta states the review time: > It can take up to 24 hours for an approval decision to be made. > > Source: [Meta: Template review](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-review) Plan new templates a day ahead of any campaign. If Meta rejects one, Chirpoo redrafts it with Meta's reasons. See [why templates get rejected](https://chirpoo.com/blog/whatsapp-template-rejected-fixes/) and the [template guide](https://chirpoo.com/guides/whatsapp-message-templates/). ## In what order should you cut over? Keep WATI running until the last step is proven. WhatsApp sends inbound messages to one place at a time, so a hurried switch can leave a short gap where messages arrive nowhere. 1. Confirm account ownership or finish the transfer. 2. Export contacts, tags and the opt-out list from WATI for your records. 3. Start your [14-day trial](https://chirpoo.com/#pricing) and connect the number. 4. Open Templates, check the ones Chirpoo brought in and draft any that are missing. 5. Tag your first contacts as they message in. 6. Rebuild your two or three busiest flows and test them. 7. Pick a quiet hour, send a test message to your number and answer it from Chirpoo. 8. Tell the team which tool to use from that moment, and add their logins. Five are included. 9. Cancel WATI only after a full day of real chats has gone through Chirpoo. ## Why move from WATI to Chirpoo? Per WATI's [pricing page](https://www.wati.io/pricing/) (checked 26 Oct 2026), Growth costs ₹2,699 a month billed quarterly and includes 3 users, with "No additional users". Webhooks read "No webhooks" on Growth and "Limited webhooks" on Pro, which costs ₹5,799. An extra WhatsApp number is an add-on at ₹2,499 a month. In Chirpoo, the AI agent, flows, broadcasts, API and MCP are in the ₹999 plan. It includes one number and five logins, and an extra number or login is ₹250. For the full side-by-side, read [Chirpoo vs WATI](https://chirpoo.com/compare/chirpoo-vs-wati/). If you are still choosing, compare the field in [best WhatsApp inbox tools in India](https://chirpoo.com/blog/best-whatsapp-inbox-tools-india/). If you are coming from the free app instead, read [moving from the WhatsApp Business app](https://chirpoo.com/blog/move-from-whatsapp-business-app/). The overall picture is in the [WhatsApp Business app vs API guide](https://chirpoo.com/guides/whatsapp-business-app-vs-api/). Developer teams moving to the raw API should read [WhaBuzz's migration post](https://whabuzz.com/blog/migrate-from-wati/). [Start free](https://app.chirpoo.com/login), connect your number and rebuild one flow before you tell your team anything. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I keep my WhatsApp number when I leave WATI? Yes, if the WhatsApp Business Account is yours, or if WATI transfers it or migrates the number to an account you own. The number, approved templates and quality rating belong to Meta's records, not to the tool you use. ### Do my templates need Meta approval again? Approved templates stay approved on your account. Check each one after connecting, because Meta can re-categorise a template. Any template you draft new in Chirpoo goes to Meta for review, which can take up to 24 hours. ### Will I lose my chat history? Old conversations stay in WATI, and Chirpoo starts its own history when you connect. Export what you need before you cancel. Your customers' own WhatsApp chats are not affected, since they live on their phones. ### How long does the move take? Account ownership is the slow part because it needs WATI's help. Once that is settled, connecting, checking templates and testing can take a day. Run both tools side by side for a day before you cancel WATI. ## Related guides and posts - [WhatsApp Business App vs API: When to Move](https://chirpoo.com/guides/whatsapp-business-app-vs-api/) - [Move Your Number from the WhatsApp Business App](https://chirpoo.com/blog/move-from-whatsapp-business-app/) - [Leaving Interakt for Chirpoo: A Safe Cutover](https://chirpoo.com/blog/migrate-interakt-to-chirpoo/) [Start free](https://app.chirpoo.com/login): 14 days, every feature, no card.