Messages are scattered across apps
Everything lands in one shared inbox, with each customer’s full history in view.
A done-for-you service
Every customer conversation in one inbox, answered by AI that knows your business.
We build and run it for you. Citichoice Desk brings WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and more into one shared inbox, and sets up AI that answers from your own products and policies. Your team steps in when a person is needed.
Built on the official WhatsApp Cloud API. Done for you: we set it up, connect it and keep it running.
WhatsApp · Acme StoreAI is replying
See it in action
Watch how Citichoice Desk works
A short walkthrough of what we set up for you, and what your customers and your team will see.
Our walkthrough video is coming soon
Until then, the quickest way to see what we would build for you is to tell us about your business.
Tell us about your businessDoes this sound familiar?
Your team answers the same questions all day
The AI answers routine questions from your own prices and policies, so your team can focus on the rest.
Enquiries get missed or answered late
Customers get a reply straight away, at any hour. Anything the AI should not handle goes to a person.
Done for you
We build it around how your business actually works
Citichoice Desk is not software you have to learn, set up and tune yourself. You tell us how your business runs. We design the assistant, connect your channels and tools, test it with you and keep it running.
- We connect your channels and tools
- We build and test an assistant around your business
- We keep it running and help it improve
A photography studio
Takes session bookings, checks the calendar, and tracks which cameras are rented out and when they are due back.
An online store
Answers product and price questions, collects orders, and sends delivery updates from your order form or CRM.
A school or training centre
Explains courses and fees, collects enrolment enquiries and tells staff when someone is ready to register.
A clinic or service business
Handles appointment requests and reminders, and passes anything sensitive straight to a person.
No two setups are the same. We start with a short form about your business model, your customers and the tools you already use. From your answers we propose what to automate and what should stay with your team. Start the form
How it works: you describe, we build
- Tell us about your businessAnswer a short, plain-English form. No technical knowledge needed, and it saves as you go.
- We build itWe connect your channels and tools, load your catalogue and policies, and shape the assistant around your business model.
- You test itTry it on a test inbox before any customer sees it. We adjust until it feels right.
- Go live, and we keep it runningCustomers get fast answers, your team handles what needs a person, and we look after updates and tuning.
One inbox for every channel your customers use
Customers message you where they already are. Your team and your AI assistant answer them all from one place, with the full history of each customer in view.
Facebook Messenger
Manage page messages in your shared inbox, without needing access to anyone’s personal Facebook account.
No Meta message feesReply to Instagram direct messages from the same team inbox as every other channel.
No Meta message feesWhatsApp Business
Connected through Meta’s official API, so you can send photos and documents, use approved message templates and keep contacts in sync.
Meta charges per messageX (Twitter)
Handles direct messages and mentions. Availability can change with X’s API updates, so we confirm it for your account first.
Telegram
Connect a Telegram bot to receive and answer chats in the same queue as your other channels.
Line
Bring conversations from the Line messaging app into the same inbox.
TikTok
Customer messaging from TikTok, where the integration and your account permissions allow it.
Email & Website Live Chat
Threaded support email from your own mailbox, plus a chat widget on your website styled to match your brand.
Availability depends on the platform, your account and its permissions. We check each channel with you before setup. Tell us which ones you use
What you get
One shared inbox
Assign chats, add private notes and see the full history of each customer in one place, whichever channel they used. See teamwork tools
AI built around your business
Give it your products, prices, FAQs and policies. It answers from them, asks for what it needs, and hands over when it should not guess.
Orders and forms connected
When a customer submits an order form or your CRM creates an order, they get a WhatsApp confirmation and the AI continues the conversation.
Human handover that works
Discount requests and unknown questions flag your team while the AI keeps helping. Complaints and refunds go straight to a person.
WhatsApp campaigns
Send approved template messages to contacts who opted in, with delivery tracking, and every charge visible in your prepaid wallet. See how
Done for you, end to end
We handle setup, hosting, integrations, updates and tuning the assistant to your business. No servers or technical tools for your team to run.
WhatsApp campaigns
Tell your customers about a sale, a launch or an update. Then answer every reply.
Send a WhatsApp campaign from the same inbox your team already works in. We set up your templates and contact groups with you, so campaigns stay inside WhatsApp’s rules.
- Choose who gets it. Pick contact groups, such as VIP customers or newsletter subscribers. You see how many people will receive it before anything is sent.
- Write it once, personalised. Start from a message template WhatsApp has approved for your business. Each customer’s name and details are filled in for you.
- Pick the time. Send at the moment that suits your customers, and change the plan until sending starts.
- Follow the results. See what was delivered, read or failed, and why a message did not arrive.
Replies land in your normal inbox, so your team or the AI assistant can continue the conversation. Available on Growth and Business. Plan your first campaign
Campaigns go only to contacts who agreed to hear from you, using approved templates. Meta charges each marketing message to your prepaid wallet at its rate plus our small handling fee.
Spring sale early access Sent
To: VIP customers, 248 contacts. Example data.
Hi Maya, our spring sale starts Friday. As a VIP you get early access and 20% off.
Does that include the new linen range?
Yes, the early access discount covers the full linen range until Sunday.
Replies are answered in your shared inbox.
Team collaboration
One inbox your whole team works from
Every channel lands in the same place. Your team can see who is handling what, talk to each other inside a chat without the customer seeing, and never reply to the same person twice.
Assignments
Give a conversation to one person, or to a whole team and let it share the load.
Private notes and @mentions
Ask a colleague for help inside the chat. Only your team can see it.
Labels and statuses
Tag conversations, and mark them open, pending, snoozed or resolved so nothing is lost.
Saved replies
Type a slash to insert answers you use often, then personalise them before sending.
No double replies
See when a teammate is typing, so two people never answer the same customer.
Separate inboxes
Split by team, channel or brand, each with its own agents and business hours.
Customer chat Assigned to Maria
I was charged twice this month. Can you help?
Private note: @Maria can you check billing? I see a duplicate charge.
Private note from Maria: confirmed, refund started. You can tell them.
Sorry about that. We have found the duplicate and started your refund.
Private notes are never shown to the customer. Example conversation.
Built on the official WhatsApp Cloud API
Messaging many customers from the WhatsApp Business app, or through tools that automate it unofficially, works against WhatsApp's rules, and numbers get banned. The Cloud API is the channel Meta provides for businesses that automate chats and run campaigns.
A real result: one Citichoice client was banned repeatedly while messaging customers from the WhatsApp Business app. Since moving to the Cloud API in July, they have not been banned. No provider can guarantee this. Numbers can still be restricted if consent, template and quality rules are ignored.
| WhatsApp Business app or unofficial tools | Citichoice Desk on the Cloud API | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | One phone and a small team | Businesses with teams, automation and campaigns |
| Bulk messaging | Bulk sending risks a ban | Approved templates sent to opted-in contacts, with delivery tracking |
| AI and automation | Quick replies only | AI assistant, order and CRM workflows, human handover |
| Team inbox | A few linked devices | Shared inbox with assignment and notes |
| Your number | On one phone | In your own Meta business account |
Simple pricing
Pick a plan for your team and automation needs. WhatsApp's own message fees are separate and paid from a prepaid wallet.
Starter
Small shops and service providers
$20per month
- 2 team members
- 2 connected inboxes
- 1,500 AI replies a month
- Basic assistant from your FAQs
- Email support
Onboarding: $30 one-time
Choose StarterGrowth
Retailers and online stores
$35per month
- 5 team members
- 4 connected inboxes
- 4,000 AI replies a month
- Assistant built around your products and policies
- Order form, CRM or webhook connection
- Template follow-ups
- WhatsApp campaigns to opted-in contacts
Onboarding: $75 one-time
Choose GrowthBusiness
Teams with active sales and support
$70per month
- 10 team members
- 8 connected inboxes
- 10,000 AI replies a month
- Multi-step sales and support workflows
- Up to 3 integrations
- WhatsApp campaigns to opted-in contacts
- Priority support
Onboarding: $150 one-time
Choose BusinessNeed more?
Extra 1,000 AI replies $10. Extra team member $3 a month. Extra inbox $5 a month. WhatsApp wallet top-ups start at $10. Enterprise plans are quoted: talk to us.
How WhatsApp fees work
Meta charges per WhatsApp message, and the rate depends on the message type and the country. You top up a prepaid wallet; each message is charged at Meta's rate plus a small handling fee, and you can see every charge. Website chat needs no wallet. Messenger and Instagram carry no Meta message fee, so the wallet is only for WhatsApp.
What you pay for: three separate charges
- Monthly plan. Your team seats, inboxes and AI replies, billed monthly or yearly.
- Onboarding. A one-time fee for building and connecting your setup. It applies to every plan, whether you pay monthly or yearly.
- WhatsApp usage. Meta’s per-message rate plus a small handling fee, taken from your prepaid wallet. It is not part of your AI reply allowance. Read the WhatsApp billing rules
What is an AI reply? One message your AI assistant sends to a customer. Messages written by your team are not counted. If you use up your monthly allowance, extra replies cost $10 per 1,000.
Not sure which plan fits? Tell us a little about your business and we will send you our onboarding form. Nothing is charged until we agree the setup with you.
Prices shown in US dollars. Other currencies are approximate; your final price is shown at checkout.
Not sure which plan you need? We will help you choose.
Give us your details and we will email you our onboarding form. It asks about your business in plain English, then we recommend a plan and a setup that fit.
- Submit your details. Just your name, email and business name.
- Receive your onboarding form. It arrives by email straight away. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, saves as you go, and needs no technical knowledge.
- Get your proposed setup. We recommend a plan and agree the scope and costs with you before anything is built.
The form does not charge you or switch anything on.
What you save on WhatsApp compared with other AI agent platforms
WhatsApp is where costs add up, because Meta charges for each message. Messenger, Instagram and website chat carry no Meta message fee, so this comparison covers WhatsApp only. Move the slider to your monthly WhatsApp messages to see the cost side by side.
We count one AI reply for each customer message. Other platforms charge by conversation or contact, so this setting converts your messages into conversations for them.
Botpress, cheapest plan that fits
Citichoice Desk
Estimated saving each month
Estimated saving each year
Prices checked October 2026. These are estimates for the usage you select, not a guarantee. Not included: Meta’s own WhatsApp message fees, which are the same on every platform, and our one-time onboarding fee.
What you are really comparing. With the other platforms you build, test and run the assistant yourself. With Citichoice Desk we do that work for you, so the price above includes the setup effort you would otherwise spend.
| Citichoice Desk | Botpress | respond.io | Wati | ManyChat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $20 a month | $150 a month for WhatsApp, billed annually | $159 a month for AI agents, billed yearly. The $79 plan has none | From $59 a month, billed annually. AI agent costs extra | From $15 a month for 500 contacts; rises with contacts |
| What you pay for | AI replies, about one per customer message | Conversations, then extra packs | Monthly active contacts | Seats, with caps on lower plans | Active contacts |
| Who builds the assistant | We do. It is a done-for-you service | You | You | You | You |
| WhatsApp message fees | Meta’s rate plus a disclosed handling fee | Meta’s fees, separate | Meta’s fees, separate | Adds its own markup to Meta’s rates | Meta’s fees, separate |
How we worked these figures out
Competitor figures come from each vendor’s public pricing and independent reviews checked in September and October 2026: Botpress Plus $150 a month billed annually (250 conversations, $65 per extra 100) and Team $750 (1,500 conversations, $50 per 100); respond.io Starter $79, Growth $159 billed yearly with 1,000 contacts, then $12 per extra 100; Wati Growth $59 and Pro $119 billed annually, plus extra seats, AI add-ons and its own markup; ManyChat Pro from $15, scaling with contacts, with AI and WhatsApp on paid plans. For Citichoice Desk we pick the cheapest plan that covers your AI replies, and add $10 per extra 1,000. respond.io counts monthly active contacts, so one conversation is treated as one contact. Prices change and differ by billing period, so check each vendor before you decide. The savings shown are estimates.
Your accounts and your customers stay protected
You are trusting us with your customer conversations, so here is plainly how we handle them.
Your accounts stay yours
Your WhatsApp number and business pages belong to you, not to us.
Official connections
WhatsApp runs through Meta’s official Cloud API, with approved templates and opted-in contacts.
People stay in control
The AI hands a conversation to your team when it should, and you decide when that is.
You set the rules
You tell us what the assistant must never say or promise, such as refunds or discounts.
No passwords in forms
Our forms never ask for passwords or keys. If we need access, we arrange a separate, appropriate way.
Clear written policies
Privacy, Terms, Security and WhatsApp billing, all in one place.
Questions
What does Citichoice set up for me?
We connect your channels, load your products and policies, build and test the assistant with you, and keep it running. You tell us how your business works through our onboarding form.
Is this a done-for-you service?
Yes. You tell us how your business works through our onboarding form, and we set up the channels, connect your tools, build the assistant around your business model, test it with you and keep it running.
Is Citichoice Desk only for WhatsApp?
No. It is a shared inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Line, email and website chat. X and TikTok are offered where the integration and your account permissions allow it.
Can the AI really use my own prices and policies?
Yes. We load your catalogue and rules into the assistant. It answers from them, and when something is not covered it flags your team instead of guessing. Prices it quotes are checked against your catalogue.
What happens if I use all my AI replies?
Extra replies cost $10 per 1,000. WhatsApp message fees are separate and come from your prepaid wallet. See the WhatsApp billing rules.
How do you protect my customers’ data?
Please read our Security and Privacy pages. Our forms never ask for passwords or keys.
Are WhatsApp fees included?
No. They are billed by Meta per message and vary by message type and country, so we charge them from a prepaid wallet at cost plus a small handling fee. Top-ups start at $10.
Can I send bulk WhatsApp campaigns?
Yes, on Growth and Business. Campaigns use approved templates and contacts who opted in, with delivery tracking. Each marketing message is charged from your wallet.
Will my number still be banned?
Using the official Cloud API, approved templates and opted-in contacts keeps you inside WhatsApp's rules, which is the main reason numbers get banned elsewhere. One of our clients has had no bans since moving in July. No provider can promise a number is never restricted, because Meta also looks at consent and message quality.
Does my WhatsApp number stay mine?
The number and WhatsApp account belong to your business in Meta. We connect to them and can be removed at any time.
Can you connect my order form or CRM?
Yes, through webhooks and APIs. Growth includes one connection and Business up to three. Others are quoted.
What if I need a different currency?
Plans are priced in US dollars and shown in your local currency for reference. Your account and invoices follow the currency you pick at checkout.