Publisher disclosure: this comparison is written by WhatFlow. Competitor capabilities are based on the linked public documentation; the WhatFlow screenshots come from our demo store. Examples are illustrative, and results depend on your store and configuration.
WhatFlow and Retainful at a glance
| Consideration | WhatFlow | Retainful |
|---|---|---|
| What it's built around | WhatsApp for Shopify: two-way conversations, automation and a team inbox. | Email marketing first, with SMS and WhatsApp as additional channels. Its Shopify listing is titled Retainful Email Marketing, SMS. |
| Connection | Official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API through Meta Embedded Signup inside Shopify admin. | Connects a Meta Business account and WhatsApp number through Meta's signup flow. |
| Built for Shopify / Shopify Flow | Shopify admin extensions plus native Shopify Flow triggers (incoming message, order reply) and actions. | Shopify app with its own workflow builder. Shopify Flow isn't mentioned on its listing. |
| Pricing and billing units | Free plan; paid from $4.99/month, priced by messages sent. Meta fees separate. | Free ($0, 500 emails/month) and Pro ($14/month). WhatsApp has no Retainful fee; you pay Meta directly (as of November 2026). |
| Feature access by plan | Every feature on every plan, including Free. | Retainful says its Free plan includes the same features as Pro, with 500 emails a month. |
| Team inbox | Shared WhatsApp inbox with assignment, filters and saved replies, no seat fees. | Not described on its pricing page or WhatsApp help pages. |
| COD confirmation | Built in; reply buttons can tag or cancel orders through Shopify Flow. | Not mentioned on its WhatsApp pages. |
| Abandoned checkout recovery | Included on every plan. | Cart recovery flows listed for WhatsApp and email. |
| Catalog sharing | Live catalog sharing from the inbox on every plan. | Not mentioned. |
| Shopify App Store rating | 5.0/5 from 55 ratings (November 5, 2026). | 4.4/5 from 28 reviews (November 5, 2026). |
For WhatsApp on Shopify, pick WhatFlow over Retainful. WhatFlow is built for WhatsApp conversations: a team inbox with no seat fees, COD confirmation that tags orders through Shopify Flow, live catalog sharing and a free theme-matched chat button, all on the Free plan. Retainful is a good-value email marketing app that can also send WhatsApp templates. If you like it for email, keep it there and run WhatsApp on WhatFlow.
When testing WhatFlow and Retainful, ask: Can your team run a test and handle the replies after the send? In WhatFlow, test a Shopify customer or segment send, then try scheduling a separate Inbox broadcast from a spreadsheet or existing conversations. The campaign walkthrough shows the test send, reply handoff and recipient report.
While we're comparing: WhatFlow WhatsApp Business API isn't the unofficial small-shop tool some merchants remember. It runs on the official Meta Cloud API, connects through Meta Embedded Signup in Shopify admin, and is built for teams of any size, with Shopify Flow automation and a shared inbox where seats are free.
WhatFlow vs Retainful at a glance
WhatFlow | Retainful | |
|---|---|---|
Main job | WhatsApp sales and support for Shopify | Email marketing, plus SMS and WhatsApp |
Two-way team inbox | Yes, no seat fees | Not described on its WhatsApp pages |
COD confirmation | Built in, tags orders via Shopify Flow | Not mentioned |
Catalog sharing | Every plan | Not mentioned |
Shopify Flow | Native triggers and actions | Not mentioned on its listing |
WhatsApp app fee | Free plan, then from $4.99/month by sends | None; Meta billed directly |
Shopify rating | 5.0/5 from 55 ratings | 4.4/5 from 28 reviews |
Retainful figures are from its pricing page, Shopify App Store listing and WhatsApp help pages as of November 5, 2026.
Is Retainful cheaper for WhatsApp?
On the app fee, yes, and that's worth saying straight. Retainful's pricing page says WhatsApp is free to use on Retainful and you pay Meta directly. Its plans are Free (500 emails a month) and Pro ($14/month), and it says the Free plan includes the same features as Pro.
WhatFlow's Free plan includes 100 sends, then Starter is $4.99 for 2,000, Plus $9.99 for 5,000 and Growth $29 for 20,000. Meta's per-message fees apply on both apps. Current numbers are on the pricing page.
So the real question is what that $4.99 to $9.99 buys. Here's a typical month for a COD-heavy store doing 1,500 orders:
Job | WhatFlow | Retainful |
|---|---|---|
Send 1,500 COD confirmations | Template with Confirm/Cancel buttons | Template from an automation |
Customer taps Confirm | Shopify Flow tags the order | Reply handling not described |
Customer asks "can I change the size?" | Agent answers in the shared inbox | Shared inbox not described |
Agent shares the right product | Live catalog item from the inbox | Not mentioned |
Add shipping updates and you're at roughly 3,000 sends, which fits WhatFlow Plus at $9.99. For that, the store gets a full two-way WhatsApp operation instead of a send-only channel.
Which one fits Shopify workflows better?
Retainful's WhatsApp setup lives inside its marketing automations: you connect a Meta Business account, create templates, get them approved by Meta and drop them into flows like cart recovery or order receipts. That's a sensible model for a marketing tool.
WhatFlow treats WhatsApp as a conversation that feeds back into Shopify. It adds WhatsApp triggers (incoming message, order reply) and actions (send template, text, media) to Shopify Flow. So a reply does something:
Hi Fatima, your order #2291 (SAR 245, cash on delivery) is packed. Should we send it out today? [Confirm order] [Cancel order]
Confirm tags the order. Cancel flags it for review. A customer typing "where is my order?" can start a Flow workflow from the incoming-message trigger, for example one that replies with a template pointing to your tracking page. Shopify Sidekick can draft these workflows from a plain prompt.
Team inbox and enterprise readiness
This is where a dedicated WhatsApp app pulls away. WhatFlow's team inbox has assignment, filters, saved replies and live catalog sharing, and a 25-person team pays nothing extra in seats. Templates go through Meta's official approval, business profiles are green-tick eligible through Meta, and Shopify Flow handles automation at volume.
Retainful's pricing page and WhatsApp help pages describe sending, templates and automations. They don't describe a shared inbox for answering customers.
How do you switch from Retainful to WhatFlow?
Moving is a short checklist, and the order matters:
- Install WhatFlow WhatsApp Business API from the Shopify App Store and start on the Free plan.
- Connect your WhatsApp number through Meta Embedded Signup inside Shopify admin. If the number is still connected to Retainful, ask them how to release or migrate it first.
- Recreate your key templates in WhatFlow's template editor (COD confirmation, abandoned checkout, shipping update) and submit them to Meta for approval.
- Keep Retainful running for email. Just remove the WhatsApp steps from its flows that WhatFlow will now handle, such as COD confirmations and order updates, so customers aren't messaged twice.
- Invite your whole team to the inbox. There's no seat fee, so include the warehouse and weekend cover too.
- Turn on the theme-matched chat button and send yourself a test order before going live.
When Retainful might still make sense
Keep Retainful if email is your main retention channel and you only need occasional WhatsApp templates inside email-style flows. For anything conversational, run WhatsApp on WhatFlow alongside it, and plan how email and WhatsApp share the load so customers don't get the same message twice.
The bottom line
For WhatsApp on Shopify, WhatFlow is the better tool: the official Meta Cloud API, a no-seat-fee team inbox, COD confirmation through Shopify Flow, catalog sharing and a free-forever theme-matched chat button, all on the Free plan. Start free and give your customers a WhatsApp they can actually reply to.
Questions worth asking
Is WhatFlow a good Retainful alternative for WhatsApp?
Yes. WhatFlow is built for WhatsApp on Shopify, with a two-way team inbox, COD confirmation through Shopify Flow, catalog sharing and every feature on the Free plan. Retainful is mainly an email marketing app with WhatsApp as an extra channel.
Can I use Retainful and WhatFlow together?
Yes. Many stores keep an email tool for newsletters and run WhatsApp on a dedicated app. Just make sure the same order event doesn't trigger a WhatsApp message from both apps.
Does Retainful charge for WhatsApp messages?
As of November 2026, Retainful's pricing page says WhatsApp is free to use on Retainful and you pay Meta directly. WhatFlow charges by messages sent from $4.99/month, and in return includes the team inbox, COD confirmation, Shopify Flow and catalog sharing.
Does WhatFlow use the official WhatsApp Business API?
Yes. WhatFlow WhatsApp Business API runs on the official Meta Cloud API and connects through Meta Embedded Signup inside Shopify admin.
Sources and methodology
We checked these primary sources on November 5, 2026. Vendor pages describe advertised capabilities, rather than independent performance tests. Confirm current pricing, plan limits and availability with each provider.
- Retainful pricing
Free and Pro plans and the statement that WhatsApp is free on Retainful with Meta billed directly, checked November 5, 2026.
- Retainful on the Shopify App Store
Listing title, plans and the 4.4 rating from 28 reviews, checked November 5, 2026.
- Retainful WhatsApp setup
How Retainful connects a Meta Business account and WhatsApp number.
- Retainful WhatsApp message templates
Template creation and Meta approval inside Retainful automations.
- WhatFlow WhatsApp Business API on the Shopify App Store
WhatFlow plans, Shopify workflows and the 5.0/5 rating from 55 ratings, checked November 5, 2026.
- WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
Meta's per-message charges, which apply to WhatsApp templates on either app.